8-9 Year Upgrade Thoughts

Andy__C

Andy__C

Andy__C

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Joined
24 Mar 2011
Posts
1,098
Location
Cardiff
Hey Gang.... Its been a while.

Family, moves, home renovation, jobs.... life...! You know the score ;)

Anyway, I've finally settled a bit, have a little bit more time, been gaming a bit myself but more cooley with my Son who's a super keen gamer and enjoying playing together. Nowadays its Fortnite cross platform and my rig can't run it competatively without dumbing down the settings loads (it looks worse that the switch! :D ). I've just done another witcher3 run through, playing a bit of Skyrim, struggled with Red Dead Redemption. I'm going to drop some £££ and upgrade.... plus as everyone else at the moment.... a new Bethesda that I want to play at max prettiness!

My current/old rig is as follows:

jDXqZ5m.jpg


Ccorsair 800D Case
AMD FX8350
Asus Sabertooth 990X R2 Mobo
KFA2 Galax Infin8 Back 970s x2 SLI
Kingston HyperX 16GB 2133MHz OCUK edition RAM
Intel Jackson Ridge SSD
875w Toughpower PSU
1TB HD
AOC 1080p G2460PG Monitor

XSPC Raystorm CPU Block
Hardware Labs Stealth 120mm Rad
XSPC 360mm Rad
Laing 18W DDC-Pump with
Monsoon Chaingun Range

I'm thinking of getting the upgrades going and possibly creeping in with some watercooling a little later on..... just as I want to keep the initial costs down/not spend a family holiday equivalent on this :p

So, keeping the case, PSU and the HDs, everything else is going to have to go.... new MB, CPU, GPU, RAM....thinking new monitor too. With a limit of £1200 I am thinking its limited to AM4 1440p but would be great to get some longetivity out of this rig like the last one!

Any thoughts to help me along?
 
You will be easy to get a build on the AM5 platform it just depends how much you want to put into each component , entry level 7600 or 7800x3d the fastest game CPU.

CPU comes with box cooler also.

The 6700x is a great 1440p GPU.


My basket at OcUK:

Total: £942.80 (includes delivery: £7.99)​

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​
​
 
Kolink Umbra EX180 Black Edition CPU Cooler - 120mm
HS-001-KK
£28 (incl. VAT)
Find out more
AMD Ryzen 5 7600 Six Core 5.10GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail
CP-3DW-AM
£219 (incl. VAT)
£161 (incl. VAT)
Find out more
MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WIFI (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard
MB-375-MS
£160 (incl. VAT)
£155 (incl. VAT)
Find out more
TeamGroup Vulcan 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-44800C36 5600MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (FLBD532G5600HC36BDC01)
MY-0BB-TG
£87 (incl. VAT)
Find out more
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As above. I have the 7600 /3080ti and still mostly GPU limited in games at 1440p. Definitely go AM5/7600 on that budget and you have a good upgrade path for CPU/GPU for a good few years if needed.


I looks like you might even have the budget to aircool the GPU, get a CPU block and reuse your loop to watercool that
 
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Andy__C said:
new MB, CPU, GPU, RAM....thinking new monitor too. With a limit of £1200 I am thinking its limited to AM4 1440p but would be great to get some longetivity out of this rig like the last one!
Click to expand...

Would wait for the new AMD cards to release, since they might be worth considering.

I know very little about monitors, I just chose the cheapest 1440p one.

My basket at OcUK:

Total: £1,209.94 (includes delivery: £11.98)​
 
I'll chip in with a motherboard suggestion - Gigabyte Gaming X AX B650. I've been happy with mine and can be had for about £169 now. The Ryzen 7600 is a solid CPU. I'd see if a 7800XT, launching soon, would fit in the budget.
 
Tetras said:
Would wait for the new AMD cards to release, since they might be worth considering.

I know very little about monitors, I just chose the cheapest 1440p one.

My basket at OcUK:

Total: £1,209.94 (includes delivery: £11.98)​
Click to expand...
@Tetras...HW Unboxed reckon the Asus Prime series are shocking and should not be bought at all poor VRM, temps etc. I concur with @Troezar with the Gigabyte which can indeed be bought for £170 or the MSI PRO B650M-A WIFI mATX for £165 at the same retailer.

I would also highly recommend an aircooler like the Peerles Assassin (+-£50) which link I am sure @Tetras could just drop in here. All, in all that puts you about £75 over budget. However, you do land up with two copies of Starfield which you son can join you on or can be sold for about £40/£50. If you wait for the release of the RX7700XT/RX7800XT you may find them coming in at a similar or lower price to the 6800XT.

If you can stretch a little more, you may want to consider replacing the PSU as if it has been around since the FX8350 it could be due retirement. If you are happy with it's age or it has been lightly used, then you can probably hold off
 
BTW, if you prefer to com in under budget, definitely hold out for 7700XT (+-£450) and then choose between that and the 6700XT (£340) both of which will save between (+-£120 to £230 )
 
Noughtboy said:
@Tetras...HW Unboxed reckon the Asus Prime series are shocking and should not be bought at all poor VRM, temps etc. I concur with @Troezar with the Gigabyte which can indeed be bought for £170 or the MSI PRO B650M-A WIFI mATX for £165 at the same retailer.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm not usually a fan of these boards. The II version seems to be better than the original version, maybe because of the chunkier heatsink and I believe it would be fine for a 7600, 7700 or 7800X3D.
 
Tetras said:
Yeah, I'm not usually a fan of these boards. The II version seems to be better than the original version, maybe because of the chunkier heatsink and I believe it would be fine for a 7600, 7700 or 7800X3D.
Click to expand...
Missed the "II" part. Maybe they have improved.
 
Decent advise as always.... much appreciated.

I will certainly wait a week and see how the 7700xt release and prices go. There's some wiggle room in the following basket to drop the 6700 and see what the 7700 is about and stretch the budget a tad.


My basket at OcUK:

Total: £1,164.46 (includes delivery: £0.00)​


I'll see if there is a bracket available for my Raystorm CPU block (highly doubt it) - makes sense to keep the CPU cooled and consider a GPU block later. I've got loads of Mayhems fluid and cleaning kit here that hasn't been used as the 8 year old fluid in the loop is still doing its job.
 
AMD Ryzen 5 7600 Six Core 5.10GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail
CP-3DW-AM
£219 (incl. VAT)
£161 (incl. VAT)
Find out more
Asrock 32" PG32QF2B 2560x1440 VA 165Hz 1ms FreeSync HDR 400 Widescreen Gaming Monitor
MO-002-AK
£239 (incl. VAT)
Find out more
MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WIFI (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard
MB-375-MS
£160 (incl. VAT)
£155 (incl. VAT)
Find out more
Corsair Vengeance EXPO 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C36 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (CMK32GX5M2D6000Z36)
MY-4DF-CS
£129 (incl. VAT)
Find out more
Last edited:
Noughtboy said:
@Tetras...HW Unboxed reckon the Asus Prime series are shocking and should not be bought at all poor VRM, temps etc. I concur with @Troezar with the Gigabyte which can indeed be bought for £170 or the MSI PRO B650M-A WIFI mATX for £165 at the same retailer.

I would also highly recommend an aircooler like the Peerles Assassin (+-£50) which link I am sure @Tetras could just drop in here. All, in all that puts you about £75 over budget. However, you do land up with two copies of Starfield which you son can join you on or can be sold for about £40/£50. If you wait for the release of the RX7700XT/RX7800XT you may find them coming in at a similar or lower price to the 6800XT.

If you can stretch a little more, you may want to consider replacing the PSU as if it has been around since the FX8350 it could be due retirement. If you are happy with it's age or it has been lightly used, then you can probably hold off
Click to expand...
Yep, Check your PSU for the proper connections needed for any new ATX standards and latest GPU 8pins etc.
 
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Thanks Gents. I will be adding a M.2 Drive gen 4 to the purchase. That WD black will pretty much be the choice. Guess I'll drop the Intel Jackson Ridge SSD to either windows only and install games on the M.2 or keep it for Skyrim/Fallout runs.

Right now I'm tossing up between looking at the newer 7700xt tomorrow and a lesser monitor or putting an extra £100 into a monitor and selecting a 6700xt. Will see what final reviews and prices are tomorrow. As ever - budgets are stretching and stretching :D



sg0 said:
Yep, Check your PSU for the proper connections needed for any new ATX standards and latest GPU 8pins etc.
Click to expand...

I'll keep an eye on this - the Thermaltake PSU is approaching 10yrs old and definitely has had decent use but hasn't skipped a beat - has 2 x 8 pin pcie (6+2) - might keep an eye over the coming few months for deals on a replacement.
 
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All done.... much appreciated for the input gang :)

At a smidge over budget we got:

6cpy5Ip.jpeg




7600x
6750xt
WD Black 1tb M.2 Drive gen 4
32gb DDr5 Corsair Vengence
Corsair X5 Cooler
Gigabyte Auros pro ax B650 mobo
MSI 1440p G274QPF-QD

the CPU being cooled by a 120 and 360 rad is massive overkill but all the ingredients were there for the loop so may as well stick with it!

The sticky choice was whether to go for the 7700xt GPU or a cheaper one and put more £££ into a better quality monitor, of which i went for the latter option for now. i don't think its worth cooling the 6750 just yet if at all but we'll keep an eye on that space over the coming years as there is a decent upgrade path for a beefier gpu which might benefit from being in the water loop.

For now though, its cracking on with 1440p gaming and catching up on some newer games at High/Ultra.
 
Last edited:
Andy__C said:
All done.... much appreciated for the input gang :)

At a smidge over budget we got:





7600x
6570xt
WD Black 1tb M.2 Drive gen 4
32gb DDr5 Corsair Vengence
Corsair X5 Cooler
Gigabyte Auros pro ax B650 mobo
MSI 1440p G274QPF-QD

the CPU being cooled by a 120 and 360 rad is massive overkill but all the ingredients were there for the loop so may as well stick with it!

The sticky choice was whether to go for the 7700xt GPU or a cheaper one and put more £££ into a better quality monitor, of which i went for the latter option for now. i don't think its worth cooling the 6750 just yet if at all but we'll keep an eye on that space over the coming years as there is a decent upgrade path for a beefier gpu which might benefit from being in the water loop.

For now though, its cracking on with 1440p gaming and catching up on some newer games at High/Ultra.
Click to expand...
The 7600 chips are surprisingly good, at least for just gaming. That setup will keep you going for a while.
 
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