Computer upgrade...your opinions!

lttlejoe

lttlejoe

lttlejoe

Associate
Joined
14 Jan 2011
Posts
859
Location
East Yorkshire
Ok so I want to upgrade my computer which I built with parts from OCUK back in 2011 and has served me well. I'm now looking to build/upgrade to something with a middle spec rather than top spec as I'll explain.

I'll keep the case and dual optical drives, card reader and psu as they're ok and replace the mobo, cpu, hard drive as the current one has some bad sectors and also fit a 250gig SSD and 8 gigs of DDR4 to start with. So far so good.

I might add that I don't presently play games ( though I'd definitely like the option later) and most of my heavier use at the moment is only a bit of Photoshop so will probably fit a graphics card of choice as and when I know what my future demands of it will actually be though even then, gaming would be more casual rather than serious.

Presently I'm looking at possibly a Ryzen 5 6-core 1600 as the cpu and maybe a mobo along the lines of this one... https://www.overclockers.co.uk/giga...ocket-am4-ddr4-atx-motherboard-mb-557-gi.html

Together with the other bits I mention, they would probably more than meet my needs though advice would be appreciated as to whether there would be better cpu/mobo combinations as the core of my new build.
In fact if you feel like it, spec me the best choice of all the bits that I need as to be honest I'm out of touch these days and any help would be definitely appreciated!

Cheers and thanks in advance.
 
lttlejoe said:
Ok so I want to upgrade my computer which I built with parts from OCUK back in 2011 and has served me well. I'm now looking to build/upgrade to something with a middle spec rather than top spec as I'll explain.

I'll keep the case and dual optical drives, card reader and psu as they're ok and replace the mobo, cpu, hard drive as the current one has some bad sectors and also fit a 250gig SSD and 8 gigs of DDR4 to start with. So far so good.

I might add that I don't presently play games ( though I'd definitely like the option later) and most of my heavier use at the moment is only a bit of Photoshop so will probably fit a graphics card of choice as and when I know what my future demands of it will actually be though even then, gaming would be more casual rather than serious.

Presently I'm looking at possibly a Ryzen 5 6-core 1600 as the cpu and maybe a mobo along the lines of this one... https://www.overclockers.co.uk/giga...ocket-am4-ddr4-atx-motherboard-mb-557-gi.html

Together with the other bits I mention, they would probably more than meet my needs though advice would be appreciated as to whether there would be better cpu/mobo combinations as the core of my new build.
In fact if you feel like it, spec me the best choice of all the bits that I need as to be honest I'm out of touch these days and any help would be definitely appreciated!

Cheers and thanks in advance.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately Ryzen 1600 has no internal GPU - you need to pair it with a dedicated GPU for video output - do you currently have one you could pair it with?

And what would your budget be for this upgrade?
 
southernorth said:
Unfortunately Ryzen 1600 has no internal GPU - you need to pair it with a dedicated GPU for video output - do you currently have one you could pair it with?

And what would your budget be for this upgrade?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the prompt reply. In that case what would you suggest as a minimum spec I'd need given my current needs?

If the card wasn't suitable later, I could always use it with my old board and cpu as I'm building another computer out of my old bits as a spare as I already have spare case and psu and other bits which would be doing nothing, which rather than throw away I can just use as a spare for surfing etc in another room so nothing will be wasted.
 
orbitalwalsh said:
What's your budget ?
Click to expand...

Excluding Ram, SSD and Hard Drive which I'd need in any case, I was thinking maybe around £280 for just mobo and cpu though that isn't fixed and could stretch that figure if needed.
As for graphics card, a modest performing one would meet my needs right now but probably not if I took up gaming which is why I'd rather get the mobo and cpu right first and then expand later if I needed to.
On the other hand, maybe I might be better off just going for a Ryzen 5 2400G ? By the looks of it, it would more than meet my needs right now but perhaps not so further down the line.

Your thoughts please!
 
OK, after giving this a bit of thought.... how about a Ryzen 5 1600 or better still a 5 2600 coupled with a GTX 1050 and Gigabyte Gaming 3 mobo with 8 gigs of fast ram as a foundation for the rebuild?...That combo will more than meet my needs for the moment and give me a bit of room for light gaming later on and plenty of room for further economic upgrading if necessary. The total would be about £550.00 at most for everything including the 5 2600, a 256 SSD and 1 Tb hard drive.

I could have course go the 2400 G route and save the cost of the graphics card, the onboard graphics would probably do all I want at the moment, particularly if I don't get around to other than light gaming. This would come out at just under £400.00 for everything, again including hard drive and ssd which would seem quite reasonable.
 
orbitalwalsh said:
@lttlejoe

2400g + gaming 3 + 8gb 3200hz ram. Job done
If you find you can't run any games at medium settings and below 30hz then time to add gpu
Click to expand...

Excellent and thanks for your advice OW!
That's the route I'll go. Plenty of room for upgrade/expansion at a later date if it's not meeting my needs but I know that it will do what I want right now.

Here's my shopping list so far..is this OK or would you swap some bits out for better components?

My case, psu, optical drives and multi card reader are all re-usable so for around £400 I've got a decent reasonably up to date general purpose computer again.:D


1xGigabyte GA-AB350-Gaming 3 AMD B350 (Socket AM4) DDR4 ATX Motherboard £86.99 *
1xTeamGroup 240GB L5 Lite SSD 2.5" SATA 6Gbps 3D NAND Solid State Drive £44.99 *
1xWD 1TB Blue 7200rpm Internal Hard Drive (WD10EZEX) £38.99 *
1xAMD Ryzen 5 2400G VEGA Graphics AM4 CPU w/ Wraith Stealth Cooler £134.99 *
1xTeam Group Vulcan T-Force 8GB (2x4GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black/Grey (TLGD4 £94.99 *
 
freddie64 said:
You will probably need a bios update for the mobo to support that cpu, which will require a Ryzen 1XXX.

You could ask OCUK if they will do it. If not, you may have to either send it to Gigabyte or get the update kit from AMD.

https://support.amd.com/en-us/kb-articles/Pages/2Gen-Ryzen-AM4-System-Bootup.aspx
Click to expand...

Yes I read about that issue which initially put me off the 2400G path.
The starting point would definitely be asking OCUK to do it for me, no doubt it will cost extra I would imagine, if they are able to perform it but if it solved the issue then the extra cost would be worthwhile.
I'm not sure I fancy pratting about with the other options of sending the board to Gigabyte or using an AMD loan cpu but I suppose it would be beneficial in the long run if I want the machine built around the 2400 G.
I believe some retailers actually have the bios updated version for sale but I'd much prefer to stick with OCUK if at all possible.
 
orbitalwalsh said:
Other vendors do it for £12 , so highlight this to ocuk. Money is money , their loss etc etc
Click to expand...

Very true....I don't mind paying an extra £12 or so to solve the issue but if OCUK can't do it then I'd have to possibly look elsewhere for a mobo already set up for it but hopefully it might not come to that It would be just extra work and faffing if they can't do it, which I could do without so I'll contact them and see how feasible it is.

Thank again.
 
lttlejoe said:
I'll need more than luck as the answer to my query is that OCUK don't offer this service at the moment and have passed on the link to the AMD site.

So can you perhaps suggest another mobo ?
Click to expand...

you'll have the same issue with any x370/b350 mobo 50% of the time .
if you dont want AMD boot kit or sending a igabyte board to Gigabyte , best off grabbing on of the cheapest X470 in stock

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/msi-...ocket-am4-ddr4-atx-motherboard-mb-33r-ms.html

or using another reseller that will flash bios for £12
 
orbitalwalsh said:
you'll have the same issue with any x370/b350 mobo 50% of the time .
if you dont want AMD boot kit or sending a igabyte board to Gigabyte , best off grabbing on of the cheapest X470 in stock

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/msi-...ocket-am4-ddr4-atx-motherboard-mb-33r-ms.html

or using another reseller that will flash bios for £12
Click to expand...

Thanks OW...is the x470 board better than the Gigabyte gaming 3 I was first considering? The x470 has the right number of sata 6g that I'll need so that's fine and it only works out about £30 extra if one deducts the extra £12 it would have cost to get one with a flashed bios so it won't break the bank and would save hassle.
I can always of course just search around for another supplier for one that's already flashed and save £30.
 
lttlejoe said:
Thanks OW...is the x470 board better than the Gigabyte gaming 3 I was first considering? The x470 has the right number of sata 6g that I'll need so that's fine and it only works out about £30 extra if one deducts the extra £12 it would have cost to get one with a flashed bios so it won't break the bank and would save hassle.
I can always of course just search around for another supplier for one that's already flashed and save £30.
Click to expand...

X470 should be better alround compared to budget B350 with VRM and ports etc . Only listed MSI as in stock, usually prefer Asus and Gigabyte .
Board should so you well . Will have to check board display ports for your monitor
 
orbitalwalsh said:
X470 should be better alround compared to budget B350 with VRM and ports etc . Only listed MSI as in stock, usually prefer Asus and Gigabyte .
Board should so you well . Will have to check board display ports for your monitor
Click to expand...

Any suggestions for a 24"-27" decent monitor that will calibrate? The one I've got is ok though about 9 years old and works well but I'd prefer a new one when I upgrade. The best one I ever had that would accurately calibrate so that what I saw on the screen is what came out of the printer was an Iiyama ...I was very sad when that one died!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom