Upgrading My PC.

BeadyRoller · 24 Jul 2015 at 12:59

Hi! I have come to the decision that my PC could do with a little upgrade as I fancy treating myself

My rig at the moment is:

GPU: AMD 7970
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz
RAM: Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz
PSU: 550W XFX Pro Core Edition 80PLUS Bronze Power SupplY
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z77-D3H Intel Z77
Case: Xigmatek Asgard Pro Gaming Case - Black
HDD: 1TB Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 3.5" SATA III Hard Drive
SSD: 128GB Samsung EVO
Windows 7

So yeah, that's what I'm playing on at the moment, I'd say the most stand out thing would be to get a nicer case, go for an i7, a better GPU?

Will a 550w PSU support a GTX 980 for example? and would it be a good idea to get a water cooler if I wanted to overclock? (I don't know how to but it's something I'm looking in to in the future)

I'm not great at all the tech malarkey, that's why I'm leaving it in your hands, what would you all suggest I upgrade?

It is for gaming by the way.

Cheers.

BeadyRoller · 24 Jul 2015 at 13:18

It will be for just 1920x1080 mate and gaming yes. I could potentially get a bigger SSD but was thinking more of the lines of adding a 2TB hybrid SSHD as it's cheaper and faster than the HDD I have at the moment.

BeadyRoller · 25 Jul 2015 at 00:35

Any ideas?

BeadyRoller · 28 Jul 2015 at 14:00

I've decided that I will probably keep my i5 as I only use my PC for gaming so is there really any benefit I'll see from upgrading to a i7? I might just overclock my i5 and get a CPU cooler?

I think I'll be getting a new motherboard as my current one doesn't support SLI and I'm not sure my PSU is quite strong enough for any upgrades I may want to make in the future.

I want a new case as my current one is bad for cable management and airflow so I was thinking along the lines of these:

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-504-GI

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-153-NX

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-013-SF&tool=3

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-001-RT

What do we think?

BeadyRoller · 28 Jul 2015 at 22:24

Would it be good enough for SLI in the future though or a 980ti? I may just hold on to the 7970 for a little while and get the other parts upgraded as I can't afford to upgrade it all.

BeadyRoller · 29 Jul 2015 at 14:23

Why would I need a Z77? Not to clued up on this stuff mate haha. I think I'm gonna get a new PSU and motherboard to futre proof any upgrades I may want. I'll keep my CPU and GPU for now, I'll just over clock them if I can get a decent cooler. Any you suggest?

BeadyRoller · 29 Jul 2015 at 22:14

Thanks for the reply mate. Sure that PSU is ok? I keep reading different thing regarding what PSU is required so I'm a little confused.

What motherboard would you recommend and what hard drive? I would want something fast as it will be to put all my games on

That case looks great, definitely something to think about.

BeadyRoller · 1 Aug 2015 at 11:13

Brian18741 said:
It depends on your budget but regardless OC the bejeebus out of that CPU if you haven't already. You should hit 4.5ghz without breaking a sweat. If I were you I'd flog the 7970 and put that cash towards the current budget. I'd buy a decent aftermarket cooler. The Hyper 212 Evo is a great budget air cooler but it looks like it will be a very snug fit in your case. The cooler requires 159mm of clearance, you case allows 160mm! If you want to sexy things up a bit have a look at all in one watercooling units. You will have zero clearance issues. Here's a couple of decent budget ones to get you started. Cooler Master Seidon 120V and the Antec Kúhler H2O 650. Just make sure its says Socket Compatibility: 1155.

The lions share of the budget I would throw at the GPU and get a GTX 970. You could expect up to 45% more performace according to the graph in the spoiler!

This setup will handle just about anything you can throw at it at 1080p for the foreseeable future. You won't need to change your motherboard or PSU and you should get a bit of change out of £300 taking into consideration selling your 7970 and getting about £50 for it.

Thanks for the reply mate. Give me some things to think about definitely!

Got a couple questions.

1) Will my 550W PSU definitely be enough to handle a GTX 970 and me overclocking my i5?

2) Will the case I'm planning on getting (the NZXT one) have enough room to hold a large CPU cooler?

3) What motherboard would people recommend I get that is compatible with my i5?

4) Is the RAM I'm currently using ok or would you suggest anything better?

Cheers!

BeadyRoller · 3 Aug 2015 at 12:30

Thanks for the reply Mustang!

So my 550W would be capable of supporting a 980ti and an overclocked i5? Part of me is thinking of holding out on the graphics card until I've saved up enough to get the best instead of settling for a 970

Not sure though.