PC Upgrade Help Needed

N3XUS12

N3XUS12

N3XUS12

Associate
Joined
1 Nov 2017
Posts
10
Hi guys,

This may be quite a long one but I will try not to waffle too much. Before anything here are my current system specs.

Operating System
Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
CPU
AMD FX-6100 Six-Core Processor
Zambezi 32nm Technology
RAM
16.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 (9-9-9-24)
Motherboard
ASRock 970 Extreme3 (CPUSocket)
Graphics
32W_LCD_TV (1920x1080@30Hz)
2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 (ASUStek Computer Inc)
Storage
232GB Samsung SSD 850 EVO 250GB (SSD)
931GB Western Digital WDC WD10EZEX-00BN5A0 (SATA)

Things I want to upgrade:

CPU: I am looking to upgrade my processor, first and foremost. I am a heavy gamer but most of my gaming comes in the form of simulation / grand strategy games. Games like Total War, Paradox games such as Stellaris and Cities Skylines, both of which require a lot of processing power. Recent performance tests show me that my CPU is really starting to bottleneck me in games which require a lot of processing power.

A common problem which comes up in the games I play is that they apparently do not work well with many cores on a CPU (I know nothing about how any of this works so I may be talking rubbish here), so I was thinking maybe a CPU with less cores but more power would be better? I don't know.

Motherboard?: I then realised that I have had both my motherboard and CPU for at least 4 years, so maybe it is also worth me upgrading my motherboard while I am here? I don't really know how good/bad my current motherboard is if I am being honest. I would want a motherboard that supports 5.1 surround sound and 4 sticks of DDR3 4GB RAM.

Monitor: I am also looking at buying a new 32 inch monitor for my PC. As you can see I currently use a (rather old) TV as my desktop monitor. I will probably keep using this as a second screen for basic things while gaming on my new screen.

Case?: If I am going to get a new motherboard I will also want a new case as my current case is old and battered.

Things I don't want to upgrade:

RAM: I think I have enough
OS: Happy with 10 Pro
Storage: My SSD/HDD combo works fine and is new
GPU: Average I know, but I don't play many high end graphics games and I am happy to play them on low settings if I do.
Power Source: Recently purchased a PS with a lot of spare capacity remaining.

Budget:

I think between £6-800 is my maximum for the parts I want. I would like to get some fairly high end kit so that I don't have to upgrade them for a good number of years. Also as I said, my CPU is the main component of how I game so I don't want to go in cheap and continue to struggle as I am currently doing!

Please let me know if any other information is required!

Thanks for any future help!
 
First point of note, all recent CPUs will require a new motherboard. Secondly, they will also require DDR4 RAM not the DDR3 you currently have. Finally, you need to post your PSU as not all PSU's are created equal.

As I quick guideline, AMD Ryzen will sacrifice raw power (IPC or instructions per click) for longevity. Ryzen 5 1600 (6 core 12 thread) will ceteris paribus (or in English all things being equal) be a few fps slower than a similarly priced Intel chip (i5 8400) but the platform should last 3+ year's and allow for a new more powerful CPU to be slotted in and allow for overclocking if you are comfortable with that.

However, hopefully it will offer more room for improvement as the platform matures and more new games utilise more threads. You are playing the long game here.

You should probably also update the GPU to either AMD RX580 8GB or Nvidia 1060 6 GB.

Essentially, we would expect newer titles to use more threads or cores so AMD is perhaps the better option. If you are adamant you will only play those CPU bound IPC dependant games, Intel 8400.
 
Sorry to keep posting but keep in missing b things in the scrolling up and down.

If the monitor is included in the above budget, it will run over a third of your total. Probably £300+ leaving it tight. Doable but sacrifices will need to be made (especially if the PSU also needs to be replaced.
 
Hi,

I am happy to drop the monitor completely from the budget, I can purchase one at a later date.

My PSU is an EVGA Supernova 750 G2L, 80+ Gold 750W.

Mr RAM is Corsair Vengeance 4GB, it's a shame I would have to replace those as I have four of them and only bought them a few months back, but no matter!

I planned on upgrading my GPU to the Nvidia 1060 but it isn't really high on my priority list as I said, I don't really play graphically intensive games. Like the monitor I am comfortable upgrading my GPU at a later date after a few more paypackets lol. The CPU is my priority.

Thanks for the swift replies though :) Much appreciated. I look forward to the shopping list if you check back :)
 
Your AMD build
My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £785.10
(includes shipping: £13.20)



​



Has a 32 inch curved VA monitor which should suit your strategy genre. It is Freesync which would be most useful paired with an AMD GPU. You could save about £10 going for 16GB of 3000Mhz RAM or £80 going for an 8GB kit. The Zalman case comes with four fans built in for cooling.

For comparison, the cheapest Gsync monitor (suited for Nvidia is a 27 inch TN panel for £400). A comparable 32 inch one will set you back £780.
​
 
Intel build
My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £788.15
(includes shipping: £13.20)



​


Note, the 8350K is an i3 with 4C4T running at a higher IPC than the Ryzen 1600 (6C12T). A closer match in terms of general usability is the faster more powerful but non overclockable i5 8400 (6C6T) which is £60 more although not in stock at OCUK at the moment. However, if you can find it it takes the total to £850 or so.

In the end, your money, your choice. If you will remain exclusively on those games than your immediate needs are met by the 8350K system above (which is also overclockable). If you can find an i5 you can change to that but would recommend waiting for the cheaper non overclocking motherboards to match...although it seems your needs are more immediate.

Finally, the Ryzen 1600 as above. More bang for the buck although you will probably have lower fps in those games (not much or that you would probably notice). I would imagine 80fps for Ryzen and 88-90 for Intel at 1080p but research specifically the games you play.

Good luck
 
Thanks for all your help so far, much appreciated.

I have just a few questions/points if you don't mind, because I really am a novice when it comes to PC hardware.

Firstly, I am in no rush to upgrade at the moment. Although I can feel the slowdown on my current CPU it is still useable while I take the time to make the right decisions, so if you believe it is worth waiting a short while longer for parts that are out of stock, I am happy to do so.

Secondly, as I currently have the Nvidia GPU (I've always had Nvidia, no specific reason why), I was wondering if certain CPUs work better with certain brands of GPU? So for example would the intel or AMD builds work better with my GPU (or the equivalent Nvidia upgrade)

Thirdly, I am definitely more interested in longevity than a few extra FPS (I don't think I have ever seen 60+ on my system anyway) so any recommendations for durability as well as decent power are more appealing to me.

Fourth, I have never overclocked and don't see my trying to anytime soon. It's just something I am not very comfortable with and have never really tried. So I am happy with items which can't OC.

Lastly, I am changing my mind about the monitor and want to take it out of my budget completely? I will buy one later next year.

All that being said, my budget is still the same, so does that give me a bit more room for a slightly better CPU/MB combo? (Taking into account what I have said about longevity, not being in a rush, overclocking etc)

Again, thanks for the advice
 
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