Gaming Upgrade Build ~1k

martian_aphid

martian_aphid

martian_aphid

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Joined
8 Feb 2008
Posts
801
Location
UK
Can't believe it's already been several years since my last upgrade but its almost Christmas so what better time for some new components than when Santa can lend a helping hand!

Without further ado this is what I'm running right now:
Asus P8Z77-M Pro
Intel i5-3570K w/ Thermalright Venomous X
4x 4GB Samsung Green DDR3
Gigabyte GTX670
Corsair Pro AX750
Pair of Samsung 250GB SSDs
All sat neatly inside a Silverstone Tejmin TJ08B mATX case
Monitor is a HP 24" 1920x1200 60Hz

It's served me pretty well for what it was intended for - a dedicated gaming rig. I haven't really kept myself fully apprised of the latest tech. Apart from the obvious iterations in the Intel/AMD/Nvidia processors/GPUs the new sata M2 drives are something I also don't know too much about - am I right to assume they use a PCI express connection? Are they any better performance than the standard 2.5" SATA3 drives? Are they better value?

So all I want to swap out is the core components (the rest will be reused), namely mobo, CPU, RAM, GPU and potentially a new SSD for more storage space for the £1k mark. I suppose I might have to consider the cooler too if the sockets and hole placement for the fixing plates have changed.

Things to consider:
> It's a mATX machine - my ethos was small but powerful, and quiet if possible.
> To that end I was of the mind that one more powerful GPU suits this form factor better than SLI or Crossfire.
> I'm gaming at 1920x1200 at 60Hz (for the foreseeable future) if I can run it smoothly that's all I need to aim for.

Any other questions please feel free to ask and I really appreciate your advice on this.

Cheers

MA

PS. Just spotted the 750GB Samsung SSD on Today Only, if you guys say it's worth it and a decent drive I'll pull the trigger on that now and get the other components down the line?
 
Only real upgrade you need is the GPU, you could go with a 980ti and a new monitor. Not a huge gain CPU wise unless you go i7 and I still think for the price of a new motherboard and CPU the gain is not worth it, PCI SSD are not worth it right now I think until the prices drop a bit, I have on on my rMBP thats over 1gb reads and I hardly notice the difference compared too my other machine with a Samsung 830.

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £1,069.98
(includes shipping: £0.00)
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Hey Fallen God, thanks for the reply. Was just reading a few other upgrade threads and starting to think offsetting the other components against just a higher spec. GPU might be a more beneficial upgrade so I appreciate that input.

Monitor-wise I have somewhat of an attachment to my current monitor. I know it's not a gaming monitor per se but I use the same monitor with my work machine most of the day for work and it's quite important to have the better accuracy and viewing angles of its IPS panel. Appreciate the suggestion though as I know it's something I interact with all day and it could potentially be improved. Honestly I'm waiting for a 4K IPS monitor that has twice my current refresh rate and isn't close to a grand - might be waiting a while yet! Still if I just go with the GPU, you've saved me £500 right there for the future ;)

Thanks for the advice on the SSDs, any thoughts on the TO offer on the 840 EVO? I have a couple of the very first Samsung models and they seem to have served me well.

Also having read a few other threads and seen this issue of the Nvidia cards and DX12 coming up, is it anything I need to consider in terms of future compatibility with games?

Thanks again
 
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