Upgrade or New Build Advice

harryben1

harryben1

harryben1

Associate
Joined
22 Nov 2015
Posts
9
Hello all,

Looking to upgrade my system for general everyday work and for casual gaming with decent performance. I know a definite increase in RAM and an upgrade to the GPU is required but unsure if any other parts of the build could do with a change or if it's worth a completely new build!

The budget for the upgrade is around £500 but would be willing to spend more if necessary.

Current Build:
Mobo - Gigabyte GA X58A-UD7
CPU - Intel Core i7 950
RAM - 4GB Unknown/Unbranded DDR
GPU - AMD Radeon HD 5800 Series
PSU - 700W OCZ700SXS2

Thanks for your help in advance.
 
What games do you play?

You're right, definitely, at least, double your memory (not sure what these are going for second hand) and i know you can buy new but a second hand GTX 1060/1070 would be a substantial upgrade for well under £500 all-in. Some of these cards will still have their guarantee if you're selective. I wouldn't use an AMD card as they draw more power and your PSU is probably feeling its age.

Not sure i would buy new parts for such an old spec unless you intend to upgrade in the near future. Plus, lots of cards about second hand thanks to nVidia new release.

A new build would be a lot more than £500 depending on what you wanted - as you would have to factor in a new PSU considering its age. Plus, your system was top spec back in the day so suspect you would want similar quality with today's latest tech?
 
if you want to soldier on with the x58 platform...
1) cheap used xeon 5650 and good cooler for OC (may need a bios update on your mobo first - check) (£50ish for the CPU, £?? depending on what cooler you already have)
2) assuming your ram is 1x4gb stick, then another 2x4gb ram to make total of 12gb (£30-40) buy a used set as ddr3 is dead tech and not worth buying new. if it's 2x2gb sticks, then you'll need to get 3x4gb sticks instead.
3) a cheap used 1060 6gb or rx580 8gb (£180-190 new)

should see you for the next couple of years, and shouldn't cost more than £300 tops
 
tamzzy said:
if you want to soldier on with the x58 platform...1) cheap used xeon 5650 and good cooler for OC (may need a bios update on your mobo first - check) (£50ish for the CPU, £?? depending on what cooler you already have)
Click to expand...

The XEON is good a shout - this coupled with the extra memory and second hand GFX would be a great value upgrade. There's always a risk changing parts in old systems but if all goes well it would be mighty upgrade, comparatively, for well under your original £500.
 
Thank you both for your replies.

I could be heading off for university this year so I'm weighing up my options. The suggested upgrades would definitely keep me going for the next couple of years but don't be surprised if you see another thread about a new build ;)

I'll have a search round and look at some prices of the suggested components.

Cheers again for your help!
 
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