How much do I need to put aside/what should I be looking at?

strumpusplunket · 12 Oct 2017 at 13:34

I've had my i5 2500k (@4.4GHz - full specs in sig) for six years. It's served admirably, but the time is coming to upgrade.

I was waiting for Ryzen, and then Coffeelake to see if we got a substantial uplift in performance, but based on what I've seen I'm not massively motivated for an immediate upgrade. My plan now is to wait for the Ryzen refresh and see what it offers/does to prices and then upgrade around March 2018.

What I'm looking for is ideally a set-up that would offer excellent gaming performance (my productivity tasks don't extend beyond SPSS or Excel) for another five or six years.

I currently have £1000 put aside for new parts but could have up to £1500 by March if the extra would really help. I'm having a quandry about a few issues:

1. How much should I ideally be looking at having to save? I have a decent 1080p G-Sync monitor and a 980Ti, neither of which I was thinking of upgrading at this time, but am open to suggestions.

2. Is March a sensible time to aim for? I've lost track of what's coming when, apart from the Ryzen refresh. Happy enough to wait it out on this platform is someting better is forthcoming.

3. I'm a bit stuck with how to price up. I know Ryzen likes a certain type of fast RAM, but I've been horrified by how high RAM prices are at the moment! Does Coffeelake suffer from using cheaper memory?

4. I also can't decide whether or not to upgrade my case. It's a HAF932. It's okay - pretty cool inside and not too noisy, but it lacks options for up-to-date connectivity like USB3. It also lets all the sound out when the fans spin up.

5. I have no idea about coolers and current CPUs. I have a Prolimatech Megahalems at the moment. Does that still cut it? Will it even fit the new sockets?

Bascially, I guess, TLDR: I want to buy as good a gaming rig for the next five years as I can get in March next year for £1500 or less (the lower the better, obviously). Price may or may not include montior, case, graphics card, cooler, depending on what would be the best experience.

IvanDobskey · 12 Oct 2017 at 13:37

That's a healthy budget if you are keeping your monitor / GPU.

I'd be buying coffee lake if I was upgrading at the moment.

strumpusplunket · 12 Oct 2017 at 13:43

IvanDobskey said:
That's a healthy budget if you are keeping your monitor / GPU.

I'd be buying coffee lake if I was upgrading at the moment.

Yeah, I thought that until I saw current RAM prices! Jeez, that will take a hefty chunk of out it! Plus need a new PSU as this one is pretty old now. That's around £300 just there, before we even get onto the core components. New case would be another £150ish if I go that route...

I'm pretty set on waiting for March next year because the games I've got lined up over Christmas aren't going to be problematic on this rig (Original Sin 2, Nier Automata, some older games), and I'm keen to see what happens when the newer Ryzens launch.

Bascially, I'm torn between spending less of the budget on just CPU, mobo, RAM and PSU, or trying to squeeze a new case, gfx card and/or monitor into the outlay.

orbitalwalsh · 12 Oct 2017 at 13:49

@strumpusplunket
default budget ryzen build , 16gb ram to 3000 speed (3000/3200 sweet spot) and Gaming 3 board that is solid, Strix by asus is another solid board !

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x AMD Ryzen 5 Six Core 1600 3.60GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail= £188.99
1 x Gigabyte GA-AB350-Gaming 3 AMD B350 (Socket AM4) DDR4 ATX Motherboard= £101.99
1 x Team Group Vulcan T-Force 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-24000C16 3000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey (TLGD416G30= £158.99

Total: £460.47
(includes shipping: £10.50)

higher end of the scale - down clock ram to 3466hz - best ryzen board but both z370 and b350 clock this cpu to 3.8/9ghz

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x AMD Ryzen 5 Six Core 1600 3.60GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail= £188.99
1 x Asrock X370 Taichi AMD X370 (Socket AM4) DDR4 ATX Motherboard= £229.99
1 x Team Group Dark Pro "8Pack Edition" 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-28800C16 3600MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black/= £209.99

Total: £639.47
(includes shipping: £10.50)

intel side

one of the top 3 boards- overclock that ram to 4000hz and see how far you can get with the i5 8600k - 6 cores over your 4 and IPC is greater then your 2nd gen- 3rd gen and onwards not so much so

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x Team Group Dark Pro "8Pack Edition" 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-28800C16 3600MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black/= £209.99
1 x Gigabyte Z370 AORUS Gaming 7 Intel Z370 (Socket 1151) DDR4 ATX Motherboard= £259.99
1 x Intel Core i5-8600K 3.6GHz (Coffee Lake) Socket LGA1151 Processor - Retail= £269.99

Total: £750.47
(includes shipping: £10.50)

lower end , i5 8400 which can beat ryzen in most games - boosts to 3.8ghz across all cores it seems

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x Intel Core i5-8400 2.8GHz (Coffee Lake) Socket LGA1151 Processor - Retail= £179.99
1 x Asrock Z370 Pro4 Intel Z370 (Socket 1151) DDR4 ATX Motherboard= £109.99
1 x Team Group Vulcan T-Force 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 PC4-24000C16 3000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey (TLGD416G30= £158.99

Total: £459.47
(includes shipping: £10.50)

as for cooling, solid AIO or go experiment with cheap good full water set up

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x be quiet! Silent Loop Superior Liquid CPU Cooler - 280mm= £129.95
1 x EK Water Blocks A240 Fluid Gaming Performance Water Cooling Kit = £159.95
- Additional Radiator :Unwanted
- Add Coloured Fittings:Unwanted
- Additional GPU Block:Unwanted

Total: £299.80
(includes shipping: £9.90)

other can advise better on air then i can

strumpusplunket · 12 Oct 2017 at 13:57

Thanks, orbitalwalsh. So it looks like I should easily be able to come in under budget even with current RAM prices and allowing for a new PSU. Should only get better as Ryzen refresh impacts pricing as well, I guess.

So I should be able to have another £500-600 left in the pot if save up a bit more. Not enough for a monitor and gfx card upgrade, but possibly enough for a good monitor and then using the money from selling old kit to get a card that can drive 1440p or ultra-wide. Also, that £300 difference between 8400 and 8600k. I want it to last, but that's a chunk of change! Hmm...

orbitalwalsh · 12 Oct 2017 at 14:09

strumpusplunket said:
Thanks, orbitalwalsh. So it looks like I should easily be able to come in under budget even with current RAM prices and allowing for a new PSU. Should only get better as Ryzen refresh impacts pricing as well, I guess.

So I should be able to have another £500-600 left in the pot if save up a bit more. Not enough for a monitor and gfx card upgrade, but possibly enough for a good monitor and then using the money from selling old kit to get a card that can drive 1440p or ultra-wide. Also, that £300 difference between 8400 and 8600k. I want it to last, but that's a chunk of change! Hmm...

if you like your G-snc monitor - keep it and your Ti! wait till Volta and then see along with 4k 60+ HDR... actually just wait for G-Sync HDR! why its taken so long i dont know- consoles beat pc users to HDR screens

no worries, thought i'd cover the best boards and the most common used lower end- well b350 the two boards are proven - z370 is fresh game - seems though with LOCKED i-cores it is worth getting the Z chipset over the cheaper incoming B360 as you can run faster ram and it helps

doing my own build log on it and cant wait

as for cases- thats a massive personal choice

My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x be quiet! Pure Base 600 Midi Tower Case - Black Window= £94.99
1 x Be Quiet! Case/PSU/Cooler Extreme Bundle= £557.99
1 x Lian Li PC-O11WXC Midi Tower - Black Window= £209.99
1 x Corsair Crystal 460X RGB Midi Tower Tempered Glass Case - Black (CC-9011101-WW)= £154.99
1 x Phanteks Eclipse P300 Glass Midi Tower Case - Black= £54.95
1 x Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX Glass Mid Tower Case - Gun Metal= £174.95

Total: £1,273.66
(includes shipping: £25.80)

strumpusplunket · 12 Oct 2017 at 15:00

Oooh, I do like the look of that BeQuiet! case that comes with the PSU and cooler bundle! Damn pricy, though. As lovely as it looks, I think that much money is going to have to be in the monitor upgrade pot (and yeah, I've been keeping half an eye out for HDR G-Sync monitors too and wondering if/when we'll ever see them!).

Thanks for your input. It's been helpful in thinking this through.

orbitalwalsh · 12 Oct 2017 at 15:06

strumpusplunket said:
Oooh, I do like the look of that BeQuiet! case that comes with the PSU and cooler bundle! Damn pricy, though. As lovely as it looks, I think that much money is going to have to be in the monitor upgrade pot (and yeah, I've been keeping half an eye out for HDR G-Sync monitors too and wondering if/when we'll ever see them!).

Thanks for your input. It's been helpful in thinking this through.

yeah sorry, saw that you mentioned about PSU- they have bundled their Flagship with it! had it been next model down would have been a more attractive price

think my bro heads to SK early next ear- will have to ask him if he sees any

but his mobile unit =(

normal version of the case and its limited white one
My basket at Overclockers UK:

1 x be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 Full Tower Gaming Case - White= £249.95
1 x be quiet! Dark Base Pro 900 Full Tower Gaming Case - Black= £229.99

Total: £503.04
(includes shipping: £23.10)

strumpusplunket · 12 Oct 2017 at 15:16

Yeah, I almost wish you'd not linked that case!

I don't normally care too much for case aesthetics, but that is one sexy PC enclosure!

Thankfully (?) it's just more money than I can justify for a case upgrade and I'm not too taken with any of the others, so now thinking I'll keep my HAF932 for a while longer and just get a USB3 front panel.

orbitalwalsh · 12 Oct 2017 at 15:21

strumpusplunket said:
Yeah, I almost wish you'd not linked that case! I don't normally care too much for case aesthetics, but that is one sexy PC enclosure!

Thankfully (?) it's just more money than I can justify for a case upgrade and I'm not too taken with any of the others, so now thinking I'll keep my HAF932 for a while longer and just get a USB3 front panel.

I've you happen to do VR - can get a front panel with HDMI and USB's- Aorus cards also have internal HMDI on the case so can link it to the front of the case

is a very nice case - but for me was to big so ordered two Pure 600's haha- just wish you could flip the mobo like the bigger 900

Aneskimo · 12 Oct 2017 at 15:48

Ryzen offers you the opportunity to have a platform to upgrade later down the line without swapping the motherboard out as well.Id save the rest and wait till Volta and see what offerings are there as you can either stick or twist with your monitor too, remember the 980ti is a great card and you would get on ok price selling that to fund something else.

strumpusplunket · 12 Oct 2017 at 16:00

orbitalwalsh said:
I've you happen to do VR - can get a front panel with HDMI and USB's- Aorus cards also have internal HMDI on the case so can link it to the front of the case

Yes, VR... that's a good point. In a few years that will probably be becoming more mainstream. I'll facotr that in when getting a panel. Ta.

Aneskimo said:
Ryzen offers you the opportunity to have a platform to upgrade later down the line without swapping the motherboard out as well.Id save the rest and wait till Volta and see what offerings are there as you can either stick or twist with your monitor too, remember the 980ti is a great card and you would get on ok price selling that to fund something else.

Yeah, I do like AMD's committment to supporting the AM4 socket long-term, but I'm not quite sold enough on Ryzen right now to jump in. Seem to be a few teething troubles still. Hoping the Q1 2018 refresh will bring some improvements. I agree on reflection about keeping my gfx card for now too. Maybe save for a combined monitor and gfx card upgrade later in 2018.

orbitalwalsh · 12 Oct 2017 at 16:02

gpu would save for volta - but nvidia in no rush for it but are slowing down Ti chip production

TallPaul1878 · 12 Oct 2017 at 16:15

Honestly it sounds like you aren't in a rush to upgrade yet and probably rightly so.

I recently just upgraded from an i5 3570k to a Ryzen R7 1700, more for the change of scenery than anything else. But it's the GPU upgrade from GTX 970 to GTX 1080 hybrid that I've seen the biggest benefit.

I will probably swap the R7 for Zen+ or wait for Zen2 and change to that if it's possible. I am guaranteed that I wouldn't be able to just switch CPU on another Intel platform.

For yourself, maybe hold off for Z390 to release and maybe see when Intel bring their 8 core 16 thread CPUs to market. I would think that by that time more games will have already been making better use of higher core counts and we will see if that makes a difference.

Also how about just buying a nice new case. Maybe a tempered glass jobbie and some braided cables to freshen it all up and tide you over til you feel like an upgrade.

£1000 will buy you a perfectly serviceable gaming PC, £1500 and you are talking all top tier components pretty much.

IvanDobskey · 12 Oct 2017 at 16:27

strumpusplunket said:
Yeah, I almost wish you'd not linked that case! I don't normally care too much for case aesthetics, but that is one sexy PC enclosure!

Thankfully (?) it's just more money than I can justify for a case upgrade and I'm not too taken with any of the others, so now thinking I'll keep my HAF932 for a while longer and just get a USB3 front panel.

I have the dark base pro 900, really nice case

Very configurable too. Lots of room and very quiet.

strumpusplunket · 12 Oct 2017 at 16:47

orbitalwalsh said:
gpu would save for volta - but nvidia in no rush for it but are slowing down Ti chip production

Yeah, that make sense. The 980Ti is still probably overkill for 1080p I guess.

TallPaul1878 said:
Also how about just buying a nice new case. Maybe a tempered glass jobbie and some braided cables to freshen it all up and tide you over til you feel like an upgrade.
.

IvanDobskey said:
I have the dark base pro 900, really nice case

Very configurable too. Lots of room and very quiet.

Yeah, damn it! I was a bit on the fence with regards to a case upgrade, but now I've seen that Dark Base Pro 900 I really want it! Best looking case I've seen, well... perhaps ever!

Getting quite excited about the upgrade now. It's been so long since I've built a PC for myself!

So thinking now: wait until Ryzen refresh comes out, get either that or Z390 + 8700k,whichever is best (plus possibly the sexy BeQuiet! case!) and then keep whatever funds are left for Volta and a potential monitor upgrade. Sounds good... roll on March!

BongoHunter · 12 Oct 2017 at 18:56

strumpusplunket said:
So thinking now: wait until Ryzen refresh comes out, get either that or Z390 + 8700k,whichever is best (plus possibly the sexy BeQuiet! case!) and then keep whatever funds are left for Volta and a potential monitor upgrade. Sounds good... roll on March!

If you dont want to wait... With your budget you could go Ryzen TR with 32gb ram, that could serve for as long as your current machine has.

orbitalwalsh · 12 Oct 2017 at 18:57

strumpusplunket said:
Yeah, that make sense. The 980Ti is still probably overkill for 1080p I guess.

Yeah, damn it! I was a bit on the fence with regards to a case upgrade, but now I've seen that Dark Base Pro 900 I really want it! Best looking case I've seen, well... perhaps ever!

Getting quite excited about the upgrade now. It's been so long since I've built a PC for myself!

So thinking now: wait until Ryzen refresh comes out, get either that or Z390 + 8700k,whichever is best (plus possibly the sexy BeQuiet! case!) and then keep whatever funds are left for Volta and a potential monitor upgrade. Sounds good... roll on March!

Ti will help drive those 180hz screens at 1080p hahaha

And if your card is pretty, the 900 can have the Mobo inverted to see the pretty fans

strumpusplunket · 12 Oct 2017 at 19:40

BongoHunter said:
If you dont want to wait... With your budget you could go Ryzen TR with 32gb ram, that could serve for as long as your current machine has.

Hadn't thought of going Threadripper tbh. It's gaming performance isn't up to the Intel 8*** series, though, is it?

orbitalwalsh said:
Ti will help drive those 180hz screens at 1080p hahaha

And if your card is pretty, the 900 can have the Mobo inverted to see the pretty fans

It's a pretty ordinarylooking card really, but I quite like the idea of inverting just to be a bit different

orbitalwalsh · 12 Oct 2017 at 20:16

It's good to swim upstream when everyone going down stream

I'm half tempted with the white, just to be limited , and not Vauxhall Corsair Limited pmsl