Upgrade or start fresh?

bobboberts · 16 Jan 2019 at 00:19

Hi all

I've started to think about a new build but before I go down that route I figure I should explore whether or not it is better to upgrade what I have. The main components are:

Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell)
Gigabyte G1.Sniper Z87 Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard
Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 G1 Gaming 4096MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card
SuperFlower Leadex GOLD 650W Fully Modular "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black
BitFenix Ronin Tower Case - Black
TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit
Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 6Gbs 64MB Cache WD10EZEX - OEM
Alpenföhn Matterhorn Pure Edition CPU Cooler

The CPU used to be overclocked (I think I could only get to about 4.2Ghz stable) but hasn't been for some time. The GPU has never been overclocked.

In terms of usage, it is strictly 1080p gaming and, in fairness, the 970 has generally been excellent at all thrown at it but I think the 4GB memory is probably starting to hurt a bit on newer stuff.

The obvious upgrade I guess would be GPU and RAM but is it better to just go for a new build?

SamyBoy13 · 16 Jan 2019 at 00:44

Personally, I would change i5 to i7 + new GPU if you are only gaming and on budget.

Buying new cpu+mobo+ram will cost a lot and minimal performance benefit. For gaming, you're looking at intel 8/9th gen cpus, for example, i5 9600k costs alone 250 pounds OR i7 £350, plus mobo + ddr4 ram so £450+. What's your budget for an upgrade/new build?

If you decide to upgrade on a budget you can sell your i5 for around £50 +-10% and buy an I7 4770k or 4790k(need bios update) They usually go for around £100 mark. Then buy a GPU where you got two options (your psu is more than enough for either options + CPU overclock)

1. if you are happy to buy used then 980ti would be a nice upgrade giving you similar performance to 970sli with 6GB VRAM benefit - they go for around 170-190 on member market here but locally I wouldn't pay more than £200
2. f you need new then 1070 or maybe 1070ti. If you can get it on sale Or rtx 2060 if price is similar. Im aware of their prices but otherwise it is not worth upgrading. This will approx. double your performance at 1080p 30-50% depending on the title. I have upgraded from gtx 780 to 980ti which was significant upgrade which you will definitely appreciate.

Hope the above helps. Any question feel free to ask.

orbitalwalsh · 16 Jan 2019 at 08:52

@bobboberts

what hz are you gaming at on your 1080p screen ?

jumping to RTX 2060 - giving roughly the same performance as gtx 1070ti ( gtx 1060 was roughly between your 970 and gtx 980) , would allow you to run games at ultra , 1080 with high frame rates for a good while!

vega 56 could also be a nice touch , and give performance of gtx 1070 .

Naturally more power to the GPU at 1080p the more the CPU will have to work . Would personally slap in new GPU and see how your CPU copes underload with an overlay . Ryzen 3000 will appear end of Q2 with b550 Q3 so would allow time to save up for nice core upgrade if you see the CPU is wanting

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/giga...ddr6-pci-express-graphics-card-gx-1an-gi.html

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/powe...hbm2-pci-express-graphics-card-gx-193-pc.html

worth looking at freesync screens if you do have 1080p 60hz screen, move up to 144hz and enjoy fast smooth gameplay, specially now nvidia allows g-sync on freesync screens

worth looking here

https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/t...-supporting-nvidia-g-sync-read-more.18842747/

bobboberts · 16 Jan 2019 at 15:46

Thanks, some useful information. I don't really have an upgrade budget as such, I was originally just thinking of a budget of around £1k for a new build (excluding monitor, storage and OS).

The question, then is whether it is better to stick with that idea a little bit later in the year or spend £3-400 now on a GPU and put off a new build for another couple of years.

Thoughts?

orbitalwalsh · 16 Jan 2019 at 15:52

bobboberts said:
Thanks, some useful information. I don't really have an upgrade budget as such, I was originally just thinking of a budget of around £1k for a new build (excluding monitor, storage and OS).

The question, then is whether it is better to stick with that idea a little bit later in the year or spend £3-400 now on a GPU and put off a new build for another couple of years.

Thoughts?

not much should happen with GPUs to be honest, not till the end of te year most likely. Ryzen 3000 is out end of Q3 so you know least then can upgrade the core system .

since your 1080p 60hz gaming?? dont have to chase the frames with high powered GPU nor CPU to stop any bottlenecks