So far out the PC loop, upgrade a i5 2500k system?

kinger8938

kinger8938

kinger8938

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Hi guys.

I have been out of the PC gaming space for a year or 2. I never went for a super high end set up but then to sit comfortably with mid range kit.

Currently my aging PC consists of an it 2500k (not sure what motherboard but from the same time I guess) 16gb of ram (again not sure what i have from memory) and a GTX1070. Also have an SSD plus a standard HDD

I'm happy to keep the 1070 as for my needs this should still be adequate. However what should i be looking at to upgrade the main PC itself?

I wouldn't mind a smaller form factor as I plan to play it hooked up to the TV but it should be able to go behind it if overall size can't be reduced

In terms of budget I'm not really sure as I say, I'm so far out of the hardware loop that I'm not too sure what to expect. Mid range I guess
 
Gray2233 said:
This is basically what you're looking at for a 'mid-range' system:

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £332.97 (includes shipping: £0.00)
​

Take your pick of M-ATX cases.
Click to expand...

Tbh that's pretty much bang on what I would like to spend. I assume my current PSU will be fine.

That processor certainly sounds great. Must admit I've not used AMD processors before but i doubt theres much in it between them and Intel at this level?

Will i notice the difference? I'm assuming so as my i5 is like 8-9 years young now
 
BUDFORCE said:
It really depends.

Is that a sandybridge i5?

I mean i5 2500k, 16GB ram and a 1070 isn't a bad setup even today. Yes the CPU will be affecting your minimum FPS in places but....

You will notice a performance gain of course with new CPU/RAM and motherboard but I'm not sure how much of a gain you would notice versus the hole in your wallet.

The reason I mentioned Sandybridge is they are great overclockers, do you have some kind of aftermarket cooler? Give you case a good dust out and overclock it, get a few more FPS out.

Are you getting issues with minimum FPS drops in games? I mean if not, I probably wouldn't bother and hold out another year (or two?) depending.
Click to expand...

It is a sandy bridge, aftermarket cooler and overclocked to 4.5 if memory serves.

It's been a very future proofed CPU that's for sure. I'm not really sure if its affecting my fps or not, just as I want to move to as smaller form factor for our living room I thought it would make sense to finally let the old girl go. But if it's as you say it is, maybe I'm fine still for a while longer?

I've not turned the PC on for over a year. I assume my bios overclock settings will still be intact, otherwise I'll be lost as to what my clock settings were etc as I feel really unfamiliar with PC in general after this break.

I'll hook mine up to the TV this weekend and try out a few games, see how it holds up
 
BUDFORCE said:
Yeah so what happened is...

Snip.
Click to expand...

This is really informative, thank you. Puts things in to perspective for sure.

I have discussed upgrading these parts over the years and am usually met by similar arguments against doing it just yet as that CPU just keeps pumping.

I'll give it some thought, I just assumed by now it would be a noticeable difference to upgrade. Maybe not yet ;)

*side note

If I was to go ahead with a new smaller form factor builds, are there any negatives to consider? Smaller factor I guess limits future upgrade paths like sliding cards etc?
I assume my full size EVGA 1070 will fit in a smaller case
 
Last edited:
Thanks for all the input everybody.

I finally set up my current PC over the weekend, fresh install of windows and popped on a few of the Gamepass offerings.

The PC still holds up nicely, I'm obviously not going to be able to max too much out at 4k but so far Forza Horizon 4 is running incredibly smoothly at 4k/high preset/with HDR.

Only real issue is the actual size of my TV, it's not exactly entertainment unit friendly. Stuffed it behind the TV for now, fairly noisy too not sure if that's an aging HDD or not.
*(obviously not ideal for air flow and the duck is only hiding so much)

20191110-001211.jpg
 
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