Advice upgrading current Rig

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Joined
15 Nov 2017
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Hi all,

After recently posting here about a new rig build and receiving some great advice, I'd like to ask for some help with another rig which I currently own and whether it's worth spending some money on it.

Again looking for a semi-decent/capable gaming rig to play Counter Strike Global Offensive but primarily it needs to be a system that is a pleasure to work on from 9-5. Essentially, a silent system with fast boot times and a non-laggy office workstation (nothing intensive, just Office and internet).

I think I'd be willing to part with about £350 on the below set-up, but open to advice:

CPU Intel - Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler - Corsair - H55 57.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Motherboard - Asus - Z97-WS ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory - Kingston - HyperX Fury Red 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage - 2 x Western Digital - BLACK SERIES 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card - PNY - GeForce GT 740 1GB Video Card
Case - Cooler Master - Elite 311 (Blue) ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply - Corsair - VS 450W ATX Power Supply
Optical Drive - Lite-On - iHAS124-14 DVD/CD Writer
Operating System - Microsoft - Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit
Monitor - 2 x AOC - I2369VM 23.0" 1920x1080 60Hz Monitor

My first thoughts are to install new storage with a Samsung 960 EVO 250GB to install the Operating System on. Outside of that, I am wondering about a memory or graphics upgrade?

Also, does anyone know how good (or bad) the Asus Z97-WS motherboard is? I can't seem to find it for sale anywhere on the internet and I'm wondering if it still hold it's own in today's market (I bought it in late 2014).

Thanks,
~Ali
 
SSD and GPU will work wonders for your system a gtx 1060 will play most modern games with high detail at 1080p. While the Samsung 960 EVO 250GB is great it comes at a higher price, the 850 evo you can get for £80 and ther wont be much of a real world diffrence in performance.
 
SSD, GPU, and a quiet cooler. That case doesn't have a top vent so I can't recommend a Nofan. Instead look at the Noctua DH series. Yes, they're quieter than the AIO coolers.

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £431.47 (includes shipping: £10.50)
 
That's Quartz - is the current Corsair - H55 57.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler not any good?

I thought having a liquid cooler would be quieter and more efficient than a fan?
 
If you want a truly silent GPU then the fastest fanless GPU there is is the Palit Geforce GTX 1050 Ti KalmX which is available elsewhere for £155.
 
Would I see any great performance difference if I were to upgrade the memory? Say a Corsair - Vengeance LPX 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 memory stick, as my current Kingston - HyperX Fury Red 8GB (1 x 8GB) is DDR3 @ 1600 MHz, while the Corsair stick is DDR4 @ 2666 MHz.

Also I like the idea of a silent GPU. But how does the Palit Geforce GTX 1050 Ti KalmX compared to per say the Asus - GeForce GTX 1060 3GB.

Also, does anyone else have any thoughts on the PSU and Lee32uk's suggestion to upgrade my Corsair - VS 450W ATX? And if I should get the 850 or 950 Samsung EVO SSD?
 
ya a ram upgrade did be great see wot it the fastest xmp ur cpu supports as well as it motherboard supports

you can also get m.2 pcie cards for m.2 to install for supper fast boot and load times

also aio cooler for oc ur cpu to get free performance

if your on a budget maybe look at a amd gpu

my evga 1070 ftw is great card for games 1080p 144hz never gose above 40c on my custom loop at full load
 
Last edited by a moderator:
My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £646.05 (includes shipping: £11.10)​

All are on deal and cracking , 1050ti should run very quiet (on deal) and the 1060 version is the quietest 1060 out of the lot, you'll see why if you jump on the deal, also 4 year UK warranty/RMA center .
Bequiet cooler is also on a deal and as mentioned above, some gold high tiered PSU are going for £20 cheaper !
Their silent loop 120 is also on £20 off sale, personally would get the Air cooler
 
Also I like the idea of a silent GPU. But how does the Palit Geforce GTX 1050 Ti KalmX compared to per say the Asus - GeForce GTX 1060 3GB.

I don't have either, but TTBOMK both perform exactly as standard. Note that the latter is a 3 GB card, and 3 GB VRAM is not enough these days.
 
So after some consideration, I think I'm going to upgrade with the below.

GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1050 Ti WindForce X2 OC (£139.99 from Overclockers.co.uk)
Memory: Kingston - HyperX Fury Red 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£56.63 from Amazon.co.uk)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB 2.5" SSD (£79.99 from Overclockers.co.uk)

Anyone have any strong opinions I am making a mistake or should be spending a bit more money? Also, I am thinking to upgrade my PSU. Can anyone suggest a good one for around £50 - £90?
 
If you have £350 to spend then go for a 6 GB GTX 1060 and the SSD. Unless you're running really large spreadsheets or databases, an extra 8 GB RAM won't help you.
 
If you have £350 to spend then go for a 6 GB GTX 1060 and the SSD. Unless you're running really large spreadsheets or databases, an extra 8 GB RAM won't help you.

No he needs it , by the looks of things he's only running single channel on a 4th gen Intel ! When playing games , your rate frames spike a lot ! Give it a try quickly if you can and see, you should lose frame rates as well as get the spikes . Specially with skylake CPUs and above . Not much difference with dual Vs quad when gaming but single to dual, there

So after some consideration, I think I'm going to upgrade with the below.

GPU: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1050 Ti WindForce X2 OC (£139.99 from Overclockers.co.uk)
Memory: Kingston - HyperX Fury Red 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£56.63 from Amazon.co.uk)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB 2.5" SSD (£79.99 from Overclockers.co.uk)

Anyone have any strong opinions I am making a mistake or should be spending a bit more money? Also, I am thinking to upgrade my PSU. Can anyone suggest a good one for around £50 - £90?


Remove competitors mention !
Looks solid

Last 2 are overkill ! But would allow future upgrades to gtx 1080 or middle tier future GPUs

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £535.14 (includes shipping: £15.30)​
 
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