Search
Sign in with
Sign up | Sign in

Time to upgrade, getting all my ducks in a row

Last response: in Systems
Share

I've had my current system for about 4 months now and I've saved enough to go ahead and upgrade. I want serious input guys, after this I won't be able to upgrade until this time next year.

Current Rig:
Intel i3-2100 3.1ghz
Asrock B75M-DGS MATX
G.Skill 2x4gb 1333
Radeon 6850 1gb
Seagate Barracuda 320gb SATA 6gb/s
LG DVDRW
Antec Gaming One Mid Tower Case
Antec VP-450 PSU
Samsung 24" LED 1920x1080 60hz
Razer Blackwidow Ultimate Mechanical Keyboard
Logitech G400 Optical Mouse

My budget is FIRM at $500. Maybe $5-15 over but not more. This includes shipping and taxes (California 7.99%).

What I've come up with:
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($23.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($104.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($184.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $513.96

I will only be using the single monitor at 1920x1080 (using DVI, doesn't have HDMI port). I can't find it in my budget for an SSD. I know my PSU will handle the upgrades & overclocking (which I will be OC'ing both CPU & GPU). I don't mind the reference cooler on the 7850, my case is very cold and my OC'ed 6850 (reference cooler) sits at 37c idle

More about : time upgrade ducks row

Register or log in to remove

So why are you upgrading the motherboard? Your current board would handle the i5 you selected? You could then use that money to throw at a 120/128GB SSD? Either that or beef up your video card selection. I just think the motherboard upgrade isn't worth it.

The B75 chipset doesn't allow overclocking (other than the BClck) even on K CPU's. I just got it when I built the system because it was $40 and had all the other goodies I needed (USB 3.0, SATA3).

Edit: Let me rephrase that, it doesn't have all the overclocking options that the Z77 chipset has.
Related ressources
Ask the community

Deemo13 said:
Is there a certain game that your computer is struggling with? I would really only upgrade the GPU in that setup.


Skyrim: High (preset) with a constant 60FPS (no mods or texture packs yet)

Black Ops 2: Everything on Max except Field of View Depth on Low and no AA or FXAA 60FPS

World of Warcraft: Ultra with no AA, 60FPS while questing and dungeons. Haven't tried 10 / 25 mans, I think it would bog down there.

Battlefield 3: Haven't played yet so I don't know how it would perform / what settings to use. Was going to be my first game after upgrade.

Edit: The upgrade is more for peace of mind. The i3 while being a decent CPU, is starting to show its age (dual core) in the newer games. The B75 mobo not having any OC options other than the bclk is great for an i3 but if I upgrade the CPU I need the extra options. I have the 6850 OC'ed as high as it will go while being stable on stock voltage, the 1gb is a hindrance though as I've already seen with the 7850 1gb.

Deemo13 said:
I beg to differ honestly. I would skip the overclocking if you want to upgrade to an i5. then you could just drop it right in to the B75 motherboard you already have.


Well the other problem is that my PSU is good up to a 7850 2gb. I only have one 6-pin connector and I really don't want to try and use the molex adapter. The wattage is enough to push a 7870, I'm just missing the connectors.

If I upgrade the PSU I would have to allocate funds from the CPU & GPU. Or I could just stick with the i3-2100 for now and upgrade to a Corsair 650 and grab a 7970 but I think that would be serious overkill for the rest of the system lol.
Register or log in to remove
Ask the community
Read discussions in other Systems categories
!