Upgrading my desktop

PhilleH · 26 Mar 2021 at 19:31

Hi all,
I built a fairly budget desktop about 4 years ago that I am now looking to upgrade.

My current specs are
CPU: Ryzen 1600X
Cooler: CM Masterliquid Lite 120
Mobo: ASrock AB350M Pro 4 MATX
RAM: 16GB Corsair vengeance PC4-24000 (3000)
GFX: MSI RX 5700 Mech
Case: Fractal Define mini C
PSU: Corsair RM650
SSD: 250gb Samsung 960 Evo
SSD2: Crucial MX500 250gb SSD

My main use is 1440p ultrawide gaming. Aiming for 144hz when I can.

I am currently in the hunt for either a 3070 or 6700XT which will happen when I manage to get one, but in the meantime I'd like to start looking at other upgrades.

I would quite like to upgrade my case at some point. The acrylic side panel of my define mini C is scratched and they don't do replacements. I would quite like to go smaller, but I've not found any smaller MATX cases so I had thought about rebuilding into an ITX case (e.g. NR200P) but as I may not have much choice which graphics card I end up with I might really struggle to fit my ATX PSU with a long graphics card in that case.
My other thoughts are an upgraded M2 SSD (250gb is very, very inadequate) and I'd like to change my heatsink as it's out of warranty now and the cheap AIO makes me nervous.

So where should I upgrade for smooth 1440p ultrawide gaming? - I am thinking CPU > 3600/3700X, a new heatsink and a 1tb M2 SSD. Alternative would be to do motherboard so get a Zen 3 CPU but not sure if that is worthwhile, unless if anyone has any great SFF build ideas I dont mind upgrading my motherboard if I can find a suitable case that will fit other components.
As an alternative does anyone have any good suggestions on other SFF MATX cases? Not a fan of cube cases so would need to be tower style with a window, and preferrably smaller (or at least similar size) to the fractal.

Regarding budget it really comes down to whether it is worthwhile for my use. Willing to spend a bit more if it will be a worthwhile upgrade at this point.

mickyflinn · 26 Mar 2021 at 22:30

Droping in a 3600x is the cheapest option and would work well with a new gpu at 1440p. You want a new case and maybe go itx but that means new motherboard and maybe psu.

You could just wait and hunt for a new gpu.

This itx case looks like it takes atx psu.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/nzxt...ming-case-black-tempered-glass-ca-1a2-nx.html

Joxeon · 26 Mar 2021 at 22:43

Maybe look for a used 3600/3700x if you can find one for a good price as that will be the bang for buck upgrade and will be plenty for 1440p UW for a few years yet.

Personally I wouldn't bother changing out the case to a SFF as the cost to swap a lot of new parts in won't really be worth it in terms of performance. Not sure how bad the scratches are on the plastic but light ones can buff out with a bit of T-cut.

PhilleH · 26 Mar 2021 at 23:01

mickyflinn said:
Droping in a 3600x is the cheapest option and would work well with a new gpu at 1440p. You want a new case and maybe go itx but that means new motherboard and maybe psu.

You could just wait and hunt for a new gpu.

This itx case looks like it takes atx psu.

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/nzxt...ming-case-black-tempered-glass-ca-1a2-nx.html

Thanks. I do like the look of the 210 but apparently it has awful thermals, especially with an ATX psu. It is a consideration though as it (in theory) ticks all the boxes.

Joxeon said:
Maybe look for a used 3600/3700x if you can find one for a good price as that will be the bang for buck upgrade and will be plenty for 1440p UW for a few years yet.

Personally I wouldn't bother changing out the case to a SFF as the cost to swap a lot of new parts in won't really be worth it in terms of performance. Not sure how bad the scratches are on the plastic but light ones can buff out with a bit of T-cut.

Thanks for the advice. I think I'm starting to agree with SFF probably isn't worthwhile, which is partly why I was starting to look at a new MATX case, although that's good to know about t-cut.

I think some of my thinking with SFF was if it was worth taking the time now to do a full mobo upgrade to a 550 and get a 5600x or even a 5800x. This would also open up quicker ram, the potential for a second m2 slot and usb c which I think would be helpful, plus the other benefits of a 550 board. Not sure how much of this stuff will make a tangible difference for the next couple of years anyway though, or certainly enough of a difference to justify the expense

Joxeon · 26 Mar 2021 at 23:21

I'd just go for a cheap drop in CPU upgrade now then look to do a full rebuild in a year or 2 with AM5 as that will give you a good few years worth of possible upgrades.

With regards to the m.2 you could just replace the 250gb with a 1 or 2TB drive depending on how much extra storage you need.

PhilleH · 27 Mar 2021 at 07:43

Great, thanks. That sounds sensible although less exciting

I'm erring towards the 3600 as from what i have read as it seems sufficient for my needs. I'm not sure if used prices cpu prices are inflated but it looks like the 3700x would still be a significant amount more and from benchmarks etc it seems to be similar performance for gaming.

Is there any value in a ram upgrade? I have read conflicting things about ram speed. I wouldn't necessarily expect an FPS boost, but would faster ram improve smoothness/drops?

I'm running XMP but only stable at around 2700mhz (can't remember exactly).

mickyflinn · 27 Mar 2021 at 09:27

The limited ram frequency (2700mhz) is probablly due to your old cpu so the 3600 should run it at 3000mhz and maybe more if you overclock.

So Not worth the extra cost.

ASMB · 27 Mar 2021 at 16:09

Check the website of your motherboard to see what ddr4 speed it supports. You could also see if there is a bios update to make higher the ddr stable at higher speed if you feel comfortable doing it, but it could corrupt the bios. Having said that you might need to update the bios to use a 3600. Having just checked the website for the board i believe it said it supports 3200 ddr4 so as said above with the stronger memory controller on the 3600 you might get 3000 mhz on your ddr4 with a 3600

PhilleH · 27 Mar 2021 at 17:11

Thanks both. My bios is already on latest version so I'll have another go at XMP once I've got a 3600 in there and see how that goes, but based on this I won't upgrade ram until I upgrade the motherboard, which will probably be sometime after AM5.

If I'm understanding it right the asrock website states that board will support 3200 with matisse, but the ram is only rated for 3000. So I should be able to get 3000 (give or take) but I would need to do a manual OC to get that ram over that?

Joxeon · 27 Mar 2021 at 17:24

PhilleH said:
Thanks both. My bios is already on latest version so I'll have another go at XMP once I've got a 3600 in there and see how that goes, but based on this I won't upgrade ram until I upgrade the motherboard, which will probably be sometime after AM5.

If I'm understanding it right the asrock website states that board will support 3200 with matisse, but the ram is only rated for 3000. So I should be able to get 3000 (give or take) but I would need to do a manual OC to get that ram over that?

Yeah it might well do 3200 right off the bat or it may need a bit of extra voltage to get there.