Upgrade Advice Please - Last Build 2014

Pr0udy

Pr0udy

Pr0udy

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Joined
29 Jul 2013
Posts
23
Last build was in 2014 and have since added some RAM and an SSD but I think it its now time to look at CPU, MBoard, etc.

Current system

CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-4670 CPU @ 3.40GHz Intel Series 8
Gaphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 2GB
MBoard: ASUS H81M-PLUS LGA1150 CPU Socket
RAM: 16GB (2 x 8GB) Crucial 8GB DDR3L-1600 UDIMM CT102464BD160B.M16 240-Pin DIMM Unbuffered PC3-12800
PSU: EVGA 600W 80 PLUS BRONZE POWER SUPPLY (100-B1-0600-KR)
SSD: Samsung SSD 860 EVO 500GB
Disk Drive: Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003, 1TB SATA 3.5" Internal Hard Disk Drive - (6Gb/s, 7200rpm, 64MB Cache) ST100DM003-1CH162.
Case: Zalman Z3 Plus Black AXT Mid Tower Case Motherboard Support Standard ATX, Micro ATX. Max VGA Lerngth 360mm PC1 Expansion Slots 7.

Note: I have 2 external 3½" hard drives 4TB and 1TB.

My use of the PC is for photo editing primarily as I am a keen amateur photographer. I do dabble in basic GoPro / Drone video editing but only one or twice a year after a holiday and some web site work for our golf trips. No Gaming.

From above I was thinking I will need to look at Motherboard, CPU, RAM and perhaps Graphics card.
I hope to continue to use the Case, SSD, HD, and PSU.
Is this a sensible approach and what would be recommended?
Is it doable for a budget of say £600-£750?

Thanks in advance as any assistance will be appreciated.
 
Breaking News!
My son has just plonked on my desk a GIGABYTE GEFORCE GTX 970 G1 card that comes from an old PC he had and there is also a EVGA SuperNOVA 650 GS, 80+ GOLD 650W PSU.
Will these help with my upgrade as they appear to be slight improvements on mine?
Thanks for the advice so far. Is AMD a better option than Intel for photo editing?
 
With Intel just releasing the LGA 1700 socket while I appreciate the power is far more than I require currently would this not provide a better opportunity for a future easy cpu upgrade. The AMD AM4 socket will be replaced next year so future upgrades would likely require a new motherboard again.
What are AMD doing next one wonders and when.
Decisions decisions!
 
How does this setup look?

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £679.45 (includes shipping: £10.50)
​

Then use with existing components:

Graphics Card: GIGABYTE GEFORCE GTX 970 G1
PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA 650 GS, 80+ GOLD 650W
SSD: Samsung SSD 860 EVO 500GB
Disk Drive: Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003, 1TB SATA 3.5" Internal Hard Disk Drive - (6Gb/s, 7200rpm, 64MB Cache) ST100DM003-1CH162.
Case: Zalman Z3 Plus Black AXT Mid Tower Case Motherboard Support Standard ATX, Micro ATX. Max VGA Lerngth 360mm PC1 Expansion Slots 7.

Hopefully this will give me a big upgrade now and options in the future to make further improvements.

Any issues/concerns about this plan and chosen components?
 
Craig_d1 said:
no wifi on the mobo...just checking you don't need it? is 500gb nvme big enough? the 1tb on offer too at £119, or the sn750 at £89 which is no slouch either. But yes, going to be a lovely system I think
Click to expand...
The PC will be connected via Ethernet so Wi-Fi not a major miss, would have gone for the MSI PRO Z690-A WIFI DDR4 had it been available.

As I am not a gamer and PC will be mainly used for photo editing I was planning to store images on larger hard drive so will 500 GB not be OK for O/S and programs? With 42% off the WD Black 500GB this looks a very good option I thought.

I also have the Samsung SSD 860 EVO 500GB and initially a 1TB 3½" hard drive. This 3½" HD could be replaced with a larger one in the not to distant future. I also have 2 external 3½" hard drives 4TB and 1TB but not sure if the thunderbolt headers on the M/B will a benefit for these or how I make use of them?

Good point with regards to cooler mounting brackets, looks like Artic are offering to provide them FOC with proof of purchase. https://www.arctic.de/en/support/lga1700-mounting-kits/
 
Just noted that this board TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS WIFI D4 is priced at £280 but with a rebate of £70 very close to the Gigabyte Gaming X board I had chosen. Would this be a better option?
 
Order placed and as usual gone over budget!

As ASUS board is out of stock I have reverted to the MSI Tomahawk. Added a case and 1TB WD Black SN750 drive. Short term I will use the used GIGABYTE GEFORCE GTX 970 G1 card and EVGA SuperNOVA 650 GS, 80+ GOLD 650W PSU donated by my son and I have also acquired a 4TB Seagate Barracuda HDD as an archive.

Believe that this will last me a while as it should provide scope for some easy future upgrades, graphics card, power supply, ram etc. Short term I hope to see a good improvement in performance from my last build in 2014 as it will be used mainly for photo editing.

Thanks to those who provided advice and if anything looks wrong do let me know.

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £860.20 (includes shipping: £12.30)
​
 
Thanks for pointing this out as I was not aware of the difference. Having looked at the link you provided it would appear that the performance of the 1TB version is much closer to the performance of the original than the smaller 250 & 500 MB SE options. Am I interpreting this correctly?

Is there another one you think would be better within £20 or so or stick with the SE?
 
Back again for more advice to avoid a wrong selection.

I think I need to get a power supply as the unit from my son only has a single CPU cable and I believe the motherboard requires two. What would be a sensible option without breaking the bank?
 
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