Do I need to upgrade ALL my PC parts or just a few things?

Vanch

Vanch

Vanch

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I've had my current gaming PC for around 5 years now, and it's getting time to upgrade. My current PC specs are as follows:

Current PC Specs: https://i.ibb.co/fnPJ5QD/Untitled.png

My power Supply is a "Corsair VS650 650 W Active PFC 80 PLUS Certified Power Supply Unit". It is around 6 months old.

My question is, what can I keep in the PC and NOT upgrade? I'm trying to save as much money as possible, so if there's anything I don't need to upgrade then I'd appreciate knowing. The following is what I WILL be upgrading to though:

  • GPU: Nvidia RTX 3060 ti
  • CPU: Intel i7 9700K
  • Motherboard: MSI Z390-A PRO ATX, LGA1151
  • RAM: Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO Black 32GB 3200 MHz DDR4 Dual Channel Memory Kit
  • Monitor: Not sure yet, but will be a 1440p Monitor for sure, so I can upgrade from 1080p.

Would I be okay sticking with the storage drives I already have, or do you think they'll need upgrading too? I'm actually not sure if getting a more up to date SSD will improve performance in my new PC, or whether I'm okay sticking with the SSD I already have. Whilst not the biggest size, the space of my current SSD is more than enough for what I use the PC for, as I only ever have 1-2 games installed at a time. I'm also not sure if my current Power Supply is powerful enough for the new hardware I'm planning on getting.


Thank you very much.
 
You might want a small nvme SSD for the OS as that will make the system a bit snappier in Windows.

A 10700k or 5800X comes with hyperthreading / SMT so you would get more mileage in the future as games use more threads.

The psu should be ok unless you plan to do any heavy overclocking.
 
Joxeon said:
You might want a small nvme SSD for the OS as that will make the system a bit snappier in Windows.

A 10700k or 5800X comes with hyperthreading / SMT so you would get more mileage in the future as games use more threads.

The psu should be ok unless you plan to do any heavy overclocking.
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I never Overclock, and don't plan to in the future. Regarding the PSU I've currently got, having looked online I can see nothing but bad reviews about it. I didn't even realise it was that bad. Apparently it's a "Bronze" PSU, as opposed to Gold, but I've no idea how that translates to powering a gaming PC.

Also, would you say the 10700k is worth the price over the 9700k then? I'm trying to make my new PC as future proof as possible (within my budget of course), so if 10700k is going to accomplish that then I may have to look at that CPU instead.

VonScar said:
▷ Iiyama G-Master Red Eagle GB2760QSU-B1 27" 25… | OcUK (overclockers.co.uk)

1440P, 1ms, 144Hz,Free sync. £264.95

▷ WD Blue SN550 1TB NVME M.2 2280 PCIe Gen3 Sol… | OcUK (overclockers.co.uk)

£94.95
Click to expand...

That's brilliant, thanks a lot for that. Much cheaper monitor than I'd been able to find online myself actually. Cheapest I'd found was £320, so that's much appreciated. Also, that's the first I'd actually heard of an NVME SSD. I just had to look it up online and from what I've read they're a lot faster than SATA SSDs. I'm guessing they're a new thing in the SSD market?
 
My monitor same brand, 7 years old and still perfect.

NVME have been around for five plus years. My Skylake had an NVME slot. I think laptops have slots for them now. And nearly all motherboards. Modern ones almost guaranteed.
 
Vanch said:
I never Overclock, and don't plan to in the future. Regarding the PSU I've currently got, having looked online I can see nothing but bad reviews about it. I didn't even realise it was that bad. Apparently it's a "Bronze" PSU, as opposed to Gold, but I've no idea how that translates to powering a gaming PC.

Also, would you say the 10700k is worth the price over the 9700k then? I'm trying to make my new PC as future proof as possible (within my budget of course), so if 10700k is going to accomplish that then I may have to look at that CPU instead.
Click to expand...
If you want to keep the PC for another 5 years then I would say the 10700K is worth it although if you don't overclock then the AMD ryzen 5600X / 5800X are better options since they come pretty much maxed out the box and will beat non overclocked intel chips in gaming although not by much at 1440P.

While the PSU is not great when compared to the high end gold units it will still do the job and won't be exploding or anything, If you have the budget then replace it but if not then I wouldn't worry and just keep it at least till the warranty expires.
 
I'll most likely get the 10700k then, as I feel that's probably the most future proof option within my budget.

That being said, it means I'll have to get a different motherboard to the one I mentioned in my first post as it's a different socket type (1200). Motherboards are one of the things I know least about, and aren't really sure whether it's worth spending extra on specific boards, as I'm not sure what added benefit I'll get from the extra money spent. I know I'll be needing a Socket 1200 ATX board that can use DDR4 RAM, but that's about it. Is there any reason to spend more on a motherboard?

I ask because having looked I can get a "ASRock B460 Phantom Gaming 4 ATX Motherboard for Intel LGA1200 CPUs" for £96.32 or a "ASUS ROG Maximus XII Formula Intel Z490 LGA 1200 ATX Gaming Motherboard" for £480, when they both seem as though they do the exact same thing. They're both Socket 1200 and use DDR4 RAM, so where is the extra cost coming from, and will I benefit from a more expensive one in any way?
 
Vanch said:
I'll most likely get the 10700k then, as I feel that's probably the most future proof option within my budget.

That being said, it means I'll have to get a different motherboard to the one I mentioned in my first post as it's a different socket type (1200). Motherboards are one of the things I know least about, and aren't really sure whether it's worth spending extra on specific boards, as I'm not sure what added benefit I'll get from the extra money spent. I know I'll be needing a Socket 1200 ATX board that can use DDR4 RAM, but that's about it. Is there any reason to spend more on a motherboard?

I ask because having looked I can get a "ASRock B460 Phantom Gaming 4 ATX Motherboard for Intel LGA1200 CPUs" for £96.32 or a "ASUS ROG Maximus XII Formula Intel Z490 LGA 1200 ATX Gaming Motherboard" for £480, when they both seem as though they do the exact same thing. They're both Socket 1200 and use DDR4 RAM, so where is the extra cost coming from, and will I benefit from a more expensive one in any way?
Click to expand...

As you are not overclocking the Asrock should do just fine. Although no point getting a 10700k if you're not overclocking (k means overclockable).
 
Vanch said:
I'll most likely get the 10700k then, as I feel that's probably the most future proof option within my budget.

That being said, it means I'll have to get a different motherboard to the one I mentioned in my first post as it's a different socket type (1200). Motherboards are one of the things I know least about, and aren't really sure whether it's worth spending extra on specific boards, as I'm not sure what added benefit I'll get from the extra money spent. I know I'll be needing a Socket 1200 ATX board that can use DDR4 RAM, but that's about it. Is there any reason to spend more on a motherboard?

I ask because having looked I can get a "ASRock B460 Phantom Gaming 4 ATX Motherboard for Intel LGA1200 CPUs" for £96.32 or a "ASUS ROG Maximus XII Formula Intel Z490 LGA 1200 ATX Gaming Motherboard" for £480, when they both seem as though they do the exact same thing. They're both Socket 1200 and use DDR4 RAM, so where is the extra cost coming from, and will I benefit from a more expensive one in any way?
Click to expand...
The Z boards allow overclocking and unlocked memory speed they will also have a better VRM.
 
Vanch said:
I'll most likely get the 10700k then, as I feel that's probably the most future proof option within my budget.

That being said, it means I'll have to get a different motherboard to the one I mentioned in my first post as it's a different socket type (1200). Motherboards are one of the things I know least about, and aren't really sure whether it's worth spending extra on specific boards, as I'm not sure what added benefit I'll get from the extra money spent. I know I'll be needing a Socket 1200 ATX board that can use DDR4 RAM, but that's about it. Is there any reason to spend more on a motherboard?

I ask because having looked I can get a "ASRock B460 Phantom Gaming 4 ATX Motherboard for Intel LGA1200 CPUs" for £96.32 or a "ASUS ROG Maximus XII Formula Intel Z490 LGA 1200 ATX Gaming Motherboard" for £480, when they both seem as though they do the exact same thing. They're both Socket 1200 and use DDR4 RAM, so where is the extra cost coming from, and will I benefit from a more expensive one in any way?
Click to expand...

Personally I would still get the 9700K. The CPU is darn near as good as the 10700K for gaming and there are bargains to be had at the moment with both motherboards and the CPU itself... assuming you can find them. The 9700K also uses a lot less power which makes cooling much simpler. The biggest upgrade is the graphics card. That will show you a massive improvement.
 
I wouldn’t worry about needing 32Gb of memory. 16Gb is plenty but make sure you get 2x8Gb sticks so you can upgrade in the future assuming your motherboard supports four sticks.
 
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