Upgrade worthwile or new system?

Heyhoe

Heyhoe

Heyhoe

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27 Dec 2015
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38
My current system is getting towards the end of its life being able to play games on high settings.

Currently I generally play Sim racing games such as asetto Corsa which I can pretty much play on full settings at 1920x1080.

Here is my system

Motherboard: Asus Crosshair Forumla IV (Socket AM3)
CPU: AMD Phenom II 965 (Running at 3.4 but can easily run at 3.9-4Ghz)
RAM: 8BG Geil Black Dragon DDR3 PC3 12800
GPU: AMD Radeon HD 6950 2GB (unlocked to 6970)
SSD: 128GB Intel, (cant remember specifics)
HDD: 500GB Seagate 7200rpm.
PSU: OCZ 600w.

Now, my motherboard apparently supports the AM3+ processors and lists the FX-8150 as the newest/highest spec CPU.

Would it be worth upgrading the CPU to the one listed and then also upgrading the GPU to one of the latest GPUs available, such as the GTX970?

This would obviously see the CPU as the bottleneck but would this be a marked improvement in system performance?

I'm unsure of whether its worth upgrading the RAM as there are obviously limitations on memory speed with the current motherboard.

-----

I'm asking your opinions on what would be the best route to give the system a little longer. If it's not worth upgrading what would be the most cost effective combination of MOBO/CPU/GPU/RAM?

Will my current PSU be man enough to support the new GPU etc?

I have traditionally been with AMD for years but if I were to go the Intel route, what would be the best motherboard to allow for upgrades in the future?

I have been out of this game for about 4-5 years now so I'm pretty much clueless!

Budgets are:

Upgrade: £4-500

New System: £800

Thanks in advance guys.
 
You've said that you currently play racing games, and can play them on high at 1080p, are you hoping to get into more mainstream games? Otherwise the 970 alone is going to set you back at least £250.
 
As I mentioned, some of the bigger titles Dirt Rally, etc require a bit more power than I currently have to run on high/full smoothly.

I'm not set on a 970, but I don't really know how much better a cheaper card would be than my current 6950.

If I can spend less and still still a good improvement, then great, but I would not really know what level of GPU to go for.

Looking more around the forum I can see I could get a good system, minus SDD/HDD/PSU for around 7-800. Minus the case, 6-700. So realistically I would be better upgrading the whole lot.

This is what I had in mind

My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £678.01
(includes shipping: £11.10)
​


​

I would have to keep my rather dated Aspire case, PSU & SSD/HDD but thats not the end of the world. Is this a marked improvement performance wise over my current system?

I added that cooler but Im not sure is fits the socket LGA1151? Any recommendations on a cooler are appreciated.
 
I'd consider a SSD too, odds are you've got an older less performant one. Removing all mechanicals from your system makes quite a difference.
 
And remember if you want to go higher than 1080p, you may need a replacement monitor, depending on what you currently have!
 
Heyhoe said:
My current system is getting towards the end of its life being able to play games on high settings.

Currently I generally play Sim racing games such as asetto Corsa which I can pretty much play on full settings at 1920x1080.

.
Click to expand...

I take it that you intend on staying with just 1 monitor? ( as if you plan going 3 monitors at some stage that changes everything all the way down to your psu )
 
sweols said:
Thsee packages saves you about 30 quid. Bearing in mind 4690 is still a very strong contender.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/defc...90k-4.20ghz-overclocked-bundle-bu-051-og.html

Or

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/defc...90k-4.20ghz-overclocked-bundle-bu-052-og.html
Click to expand...

My concern is that I would be buying into an old socket platform and thus is already antiquated. The motherboard also only supports DDR3 memory. Am I also right in thinking that the 6th gen CPU does outperform the 4690?

kayomani said:
I'd consider a SSD too, odds are you've got an older less performant one. Removing all mechanicals from your system makes quite a difference.
Click to expand...

This is definitely something I'm looking into. The SSD is about 2 years old so it will suffice for the moment. I will be looking at a much larger capacity SSD in the near future though

OracIe said:
And remember if you want to go higher than 1080p, you may need a replacement monitor, depending on what you currently have!
Click to expand...


joedeath332 said:
I take it that you intend on staying with just 1 monitor? ( as if you plan going 3 monitors at some stage that changes everything all the way down to your psu )
Click to expand...

I have a Dell Ultrasharp monitor at the moment which is limited to 1920x1080. I am not a fan of three monitor setups so when I finally move on I will be looking at a larger 4K monitor or most likely for games, Oculus Rift :)
 
I'm torn between the two CPUs now.

The 4690 looks like it outperforms the 6660 even before being overclocked.

I just don't want to be in the situation two years down the line where no new CPUs are supported by the motherboard and require a complete system refresh.

Opinions on the two CPUs?
 
A lot of people are still sitting on 3rd and 4th generation processors and are recommended to keep with it as they wouldn't see much difference in terms of performance.

DDR4 is definitely the future but still quite expensive. It boils down to how much value you want for ya money. 2 yrs down the road something new will be out. Broadwell E etc.

If it was me I'd go for 5th gen and put rest on videocard.
 
Right now the difference is only about £30 so I'm not sure i will see a whole lot more GPU than the current GTX 970 I'm looking at now.

Swaying toward the 6th gen for a £30 premium.
 
390x? As you mentioned 4k

End of the day it's your money, you do what you want. If you want 6600k and Ddr4 go for it..
 
Last edited:
390x draw a little bit over 400w athe full power. So you might be cutting it very fine especially if your plan on overclocking . Don't know the quality of OCZ? How old is it? Might be time for an upgrade on the psu aswell? Evga/Superflower do some amazing deals. There are a few good Case/PSU bundles available available.
 
That GPU I linked to is now unavailable :S

Looking at £320 now. If I went for the 390X I think I would indeed need a new PSU, probably 750w, So now we are talking another 70 for the card and best part of 100 for the PSU..

Will have to have a think.
 
 
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