Upgrade suggestions

KarlosR · 27 Feb 2024 at 17:38

I'm running a 9 year old computer and would like an upgrade.
Currently, I use the machine for web browsing, a plex media media server and some light gaming. When I say light gaming I mean civ 6, rome total war remastered, command and conquer and im using 1080p resolution. Nothing massively demanding on the gpu.

My machine is the 5820k, 16gb memory, 600w psu, Corsair carbide chassis, nvidia 1060 3gb. What are my best options for an upgrade to a newer system with a £600ish budget in mind?

Tetras · 27 Feb 2024 at 18:44

What would you like out of the upgrade specifically? Do you want the newer platform support (like USB, M.2 slots), or more CPU performance, or what?

If I try to do both CPU and graphics, maybe something like this:

My basket at OcUK:

1 x AMD Ryzen 5 5600 Six Core 4.4GHz (Socket AM4) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3D2-AM) = £119.99
1 x Gigabyte B550 Gaming X V2 (AMD AM4) B550 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-594-GI) = £115.99
1 x Team Group Vulcan Z T-Force 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey (SKU: MY-0AJ-TG) = £59.99
1 x Asrock RX Radeon 6700 XT Challenger D 12GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GX-00X-AK) = £319.99

Total: £623.95 (includes delivery: £7.99)

If you wanted to be on the newest platform, then I'd look at a 7500F bundle, but I can't spec those because they come with the motherboard (7500F is not available for DIY).

If I do make an AM5 spec, I need to choose a 7600 and a modestly pricey motherboard:

My basket at OcUK:

1 x AMD Ryzen 5 7600 Six Core 5.10GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-3DW-AM) = £188.99
1 x Asus TUF Gaming A620-Pro WIFI (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-ASU-01162) = £149.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan EXPO 32GB (2X16GB) DDR5 PC5-48000C38 6000MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (FLABD532G6000HC38ADC01) (SKU: MY-0B2-TG) = £99.94
1 x PowerColor Radeon RX 6600 Fighter 8GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GX-1AD-PC) = £200.00

Total: £646.91 (includes delivery: £7.99)

6600 is much faster than a 1060, but also significantly weaker than the 6700 XT, so you'd need to weigh that up versus having a newer CPU/motherboard/memory

tamzzy · 27 Feb 2024 at 20:43

honestly, nothing in your use scenario screams out that an upgrade would do much for you. yes, you do get shiny new toys, but that feeling will soon wear off

KarlosR · 27 Feb 2024 at 23:19

Would newer tech not be more energy efficient over my current computer? I'm leaning more toward amd with the ddr5 really as that seems to be the more sensible option.
My main reason for wanting to upgrade is I leave my computer on 24/7 for plex and it's rather hot and power hungry, but that aside part of the issue I foresee in the future is my gpu may be restricted to older games with the low vram. Plus starting to suspect that plex may be causing some performance issues while gaming and transcoding due to my older computer components.

Tetras · 27 Feb 2024 at 23:24

KarlosR said:
Would newer tech not be more energy efficient over my current computer?

KarlosR said:
My main reason for wanting to upgrade is I leave my computer on 24/7 for plex and it's rather hot and power hungry

It depends. What does your PC idle at now? Ryzen isn't exactly known for great idle/light load power consumption, modern midrange/high-end Ryzen systems are often in the region of 50-100 watts.

You might be better just buying a small Intel-based machine with an integrated GPU (& QuickSync) and just get an RX 6600 for your current system when you game, or stick it in the Plex one, since it has one of the lowest idle powers of modern GPUs.

tamzzy · 27 Feb 2024 at 23:54

if you're using transcoding then you're better off going with intel (using quicksync)
re: energy efficiency...if you're spending £600...at a guess, the ROI would be in terms of years

tamzzy · 28 Feb 2024 at 00:11

full system rebuild for 600ish notes

points to consider:
would be dropping from a 6 core processor to a 4 core, what you lose in cores, you gain in raw single thread performance. there aren't any hard benchmarks that do an outright comparison so not sure if the single thread gains would make up for the loss of two cores in circumstances that would benefit multithreading
the rx6600 uses 20w less power than the gtx 970, but provides double the performance
much better power efficiency for the cpu and gpu
what speed is your ram? you could consider reusing it if it's semi decent speed and if you don't need more than 16gb
new nvme ssd
you can drop the psu if you want, but i'm assuming your psu is now 11-12 years old? may well be time for a replacement if it is indeed being used 24/7

My basket at OcUK:

1 x Intel Core i3-12100 3.30GHz (Alder Lake) Socket LGA1700 Processor - Retail (SKU: CP-6AK-IN) = £119.99
1 x Asus Prime B760-Plus D4 (LGA 1700) DDR4 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MB-6KF-AS) = £135.99
1 x Team Group Vulcan Z T-Force 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 PC4-25600C16 3200MHz Dual Channel Kit - Grey (SKU: MY-0AJ-TG) = £59.99
1 x Sapphire Radeon RX 6600 Pulse Gaming 8GB GDDR6 PCI-Express Graphics Card (SKU: GX-39R-SP) = £199.99
1 x Lexar NM790 1TB NVMe PCIe 4.0 M.2 Solid State Drive (LNM790X001T-RNNNG) (SKU: STO-LEX-01452) = £59.99
1 x be quiet! System Power 9 600W 80 Plus Bronze Power Supply **OEM NO BOX** (SKU: CA-13V-BQ) = £38.40

Total: £622.34 (includes delivery: £7.99)