Help to upgrade my system or possibly replace the lot?

simon leigh

simon leigh

simon leigh

Associate
Joined
26 Jul 2020
Posts
18
Good evening,
I'm currently thinking of upgrading my gaming pc for the newer titles that it seems to struggle a little with at times. It handles a few ok but with diablo 4 on the horizon among many more id like it to be able to play them comfortably and with nice graphics.
Many moons ago i was into building pcs and like a lot of people have fallen from the loop and now havent really got a clue whats what anymore.
My graphics card is fairly new but thats about it and i was hoping someone on here wouldnt mind pointing me in the right direction on upgrades or on what to buy should it be a dead donkey.
My spec is as follows,
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64-bit
CPU
AMD FX-4300 25 °C
Vishera 32nm Technology
RAM
12.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 803MHz (9-10-10-30)
Motherboard
ASUSTeK Computer INC. M5A78L-M/USB3 (AM3R2) 46 °C
Graphics
BenQ GL2460 (1920x1080@60Hz)
2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB (MSI) 28 °C
Storage
149GB Western Digital WDC WD1600AAJS-60B4A0 ATA Device (SATA) 28 °C
931GB Seagate ST1000DM003-1SB10C ATA Device (SATA) 27 °C
Optical Drives
No optical disk drives detected
Audio
NVIDIA High Definition Audio

Thankyou so much in advance to anyone who spares this a bit of time :)
 
Welcome aboard.

Trying to upgrade that is in that riding dead horse category.
For start next-gen consoles would nuke to atoms any CPU you could put into that and pee on its grave.
Assuming cheapo board's CPU VRM wouldn't go up in smoke before that.

Doubtfull that even case could be reused, because of lots of garbage sold far after its expiration date.
(if PSU is on top, that case had its best before date 15 years ago)
And certainly wouldn't even think about risking new parts on that old PSU.

What kind budget you were thinking about?
 
GPU is a keeper if you play at 1080P.

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £661.86 (includes shipping: £0.00)​
​

Keep the extra and wait until new GPU's launch later in the year, you could maybe sell your 1060 and add the funds toward something new.

You could consider dropping down to a 3600, but the 3700X will have better longevity.

I'd also consider a monitor upgrade.
 
Gray2233 said:
GPU is a keeper if you play at 1080P.

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £591.91 (includes shipping: £0.00)
​

Keep the extra and wait until new GPU's launch later in the year, you could maybe sell your 1060 and add the funds toward something new.

You could consider dropping down to a 3600, but the 3700X will have better longevity.

I'd also consider a monitor upgrade.
Click to expand...

get a 3600 for gaming 3700 is pointless and if it does become needed you can get one second hand when you do need it
 
Psycho Sonny said:
get a 3600 for gaming 3700 is pointless and if it does become needed you can get one second hand when you do need it
Click to expand...

Depends on the games he plays and how much he wants to faff around in the future.

Generally speaking the 3600 is the better buy for gaming, but there's nuance to the decision.
 
Thanks for your help guys, Think I may just go and order that lot. As for the 3600/3700 I’m assuming the 3700 is just a later version of it ?

What monitor would you advise if I’m to upgrade that too ?
 
simon leigh said:
Thanks for your help guys, Think I may just go and order that lot. As for the 3600/3700 I’m assuming the 3700 is just a later version of it ?

What monitor would you advise if I’m to upgrade that too ?
Click to expand...

3600 6 core, 3700 8 core, x is slightly faster than non x,

if you are on a budget get a 6 core

Ive not looked much but some mobs will take 4xxx cpus when they release so maybe get a mobo that supports 4xxx and save on the CPU (get teh 6 core non x), upgrade later
 
simon leigh said:
Thanks for your help guys, Think I may just go and order that lot. As for the 3600/3700 I’m assuming the 3700 is just a later version of it ?

What monitor would you advise if I’m to upgrade that too ?
Click to expand...

The 3600 is a 6c12t CPU whereas the 3700X is a 8c16t CPU. Most games don't need more than the 3600, and the motherboard I've suggested should be solid for a 4x00 series CPU down the line if you don't mind upgrading that part of it. If you don't want the hassle of that the 3700X should age better, and given your current hardware I suspect you like to keep components as long as possible.

I would look at a good freesync screen with higher refresh, 1440P would be a nice step up but it does depend on what you play and what you want from your system. If you're hardcore into stuff like CSGO a 1080P high refresh screen might be a better bet for you.

For a nice 1440P screen you really will want to update your GPU later this year as the 1060 just wont cut it for most games.
 
Yes I’d like to keep the components as long as possible so I’ll go for the 3700x. I mainly play games like Diablo or strategy games like Starcraft along with single player games like red dead redemption 2 etc.
I’m trying to play borderlands 3 but it’s so laggy I can’t bare playing it. Which I know is down ri my pc spec.
Would you mind being specific on the monitor screen ?
The pc is to be as future proof as possible so I can download new releases without the worry of lag issues, or at least the ability to play them on a good high setting.

Thankyou for all your help and input
 
I presume you don't need WiFi or anything? Do you wire via ethernet to the router?

I'd get a B550 motherboard if you want it to last, something like the below. Means it's more future proof and has PCIe 4.0, dual M.2 slots etc compared to the MSI B450 board.

Spec'd a 1TB NVMe drive too for your OS/Games. Could re-use your HDDs for storage. Also spec'd a solid CPU cooler if you have the budget for it, keep the temps lower and ensure the CPU can boost clocks more reliably when needed.

Will you have the budget at a later date to upgrade the GPU as well? That 1060 will become dated soon, it's pushing it now already. But I'd grab one of Nvidia's next gen cards if you can (due release mid-September).

Edit: Didn't see you're also after a new monitor, if you wanted a solid 24" 1080p choice that's not bad on the wallet, then AOC 24G2U is great. Or a 27" 1440p would be AOC Q27G2U. But bear in mind if you go 1440p, as much as the higher res is nice and image quality, you'll want a newer GPU quite soon as well. As that 1060 will not run well at 1440p.

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £739.89 (includes shipping: £0.00)
​
 
Last edited:
simon leigh said:
Yes I’d like to keep the components as long as possible so I’ll go for the 3700x. I mainly play games like Diablo or strategy games like Starcraft along with single player games like red dead redemption 2 etc.
I’m trying to play borderlands 3 but it’s so laggy I can’t bare playing it. Which I know is down ri my pc spec.
Would you mind being specific on the monitor screen ?
The pc is to be as future proof as possible so I can download new releases without the worry of lag issues, or at least the ability to play them on a good high setting.

Thankyou for all your help and input
Click to expand...

The upgrades I've mentioned with your current 1060 would play BL3 extremely well at 1080p. It's a little bit rough at the moment specifying components in some areas due to stock issues, monitors are unfortunately under that umbrella.

Others might be able to point you in the right direction better than I, but you should be able to get a nice 1440P/144hz screen for around £200-300.

For a 1440P screen you would need a better GPU regardless, your 1060 will struggle with the games you've mentioned at anything over 1080p.

@Sparx That motherboard is great, the only issue is it's been listed for pre-order since the B550's launched and I've never known it to be in stock unfortunately.
 
I connect to the router using Ethernet which I thing in built onto the motherboard I have now. I will have the funds later on to buy a new card yes, I’d just rather have a month or two between that and this to put the savings back.
 
I'd defo go with something like the above I spec'd then if you have that budget available.

And you want to wait 2 months at least anyway, as mentioned, Nvidia's next gen GPUs come out mid-September. So after then whenever your ready, they'll be available.

If you're planning on getting a solid next gen GPU in a few months, then you'll probably appreciate the AOC 27" 1440p model I suggested. Even though it'll cripple your 1060 in the meantime :p Might just have to run it full screen @ 1080p instead or lower the graphics settings.
 
Yeah of course you can. Just be a bigger outlay then instead of course :p

The monitors currently out of stock atm with OcUK anyway.
 
Thanks for all your help guys, I’ll get it ordered in the next few days and will no doubt be back on here asking questions when I start to put it together.

with Windows 10 I’ve seen that I have to use a flash drive and setup the new pc from that. Do we still have serial keys for windows as I can’t even remember putting one in for windows 10 ?
or would I need to buy windows 10 on disc like the old days?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom