Upgrading PC Components or New Gaming PC?

DeeRock

DeeRock

DeeRock

Associate
Joined
9 Sep 2017
Posts
6
Location
Scotland
Hi guys,

I'm new to the Overclockers forum, the PC I have just now is a custom build, I had a friend a good 5 or 6 years ago build it with me as at the time I had less knowledge on PC building. Not the greatest now but a little more experienced.

Now this will sound so silly to the professional eye but when I built this with gaming on my mind. I scrimped on the graphics card and processor... (For the life of me I don't know why.) It did the job 6 years ago but certainly it's not doing it now. My concern is, I can upgrade the processor and videos card however I'm concerned on the fact of spending a fortune on something that might not be compatible with my motherboard. I looked around in ways to find out what would be compatible but no luck...

I've left my current specs below and as you can see, RAM, Processor & Videos card is rather gone now.. Is this salvageable or is a new one the best option?

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You can find a 2600K for well south of a hunnert pound. Make sure you have 8 (preferably 16) GB of RAM. Might want to get a new power supply, even if your current one has enough juice for your machine, it's old. Look at a Superflower HX Golden Green (sold here on OCUK) 550W. And pick up something like an RX580 or GTX1060, in 8 or 6GB respectively. Make sure the card you choose fits inside your PC case.

Your i3 stock cooler should be fine for a non overclocked 2600K, assuming the 2600K comes "chip only" (you will have to buy that cpu used, obviously, as it's 6 years old). If you happen to have P67, Z68, or Z77 board you can overclock it and get better performance (Overclocking sandybridge is so easy it's not funny) but you will need a better cooler.

It looks like you have 6GB of RAM right now and integrated graphics. Make sure you have a PCIX X16 slot available.

Also for the RAM, you want to run 2 or 4 sticks. You seem to be running 3. I suggest that you ditch the lot and pick up a proper 2 stick matched kit. You can sell your used RAM. DDR3 from 1600-2400Mhz or so is what you want for minimal messing around and to just make things work.

Shopping list:

2600K (used)
GTX 1060/RX 580
Make sure you have 8 (16 is better) GB of RAM
Get a proper, new power supply.
Rubbing alcohol (to remove old thermal paste)
Thermal paste

Total cost will be around 450-550ish for the bunch, depending on whether you need RAM, the model of GPU you choose, how expensive the PSU you go with is, etc.
 
Curre
mistersprinkles said:
You can find a 2600K for well south of a hunnert pound. Make sure you have 8 (preferably 16) GB of RAM. Might want to get a new power supply, even if your current one has enough juice for your machine, it's old. Look at a Superflower HX Golden Green (sold here on OCUK) 550W. And pick up something like an RX580 or GTX1060, in 8 or 6GB respectively. Make sure the card you choose fits inside your PC case.

Your i3 stock cooler should be fine for a non overclocked 2600K, assuming the 2600K comes "chip only" (you will have to buy that cpu used, obviously, as it's 6 years old). If you happen to have P67, Z68, or Z77 board you can overclock it and get better performance (Overclocking sandybridge is so easy it's not funny) but you will need a better cooler.

It looks like you have 6GB of RAM right now and integrated graphics. Make sure you have a PCIX X16 slot available.

Also for the RAM, you want to run 2 or 4 sticks. You seem to be running 3. I suggest that you ditch the lot and pick up a proper 2 stick matched kit. You can sell your used RAM. DDR3 from 1600-2400Mhz or so is what you want for minimal messing around and to just make things work.

Shopping list:

2600K (used)
GTX 1060/RX 580
Make sure you have 8 (16 is better) GB of RAM
Get a proper, new power supply.
Rubbing alcohol (to remove old thermal paste)
Thermal paste

Total cost will be around 450-550ish for the bunch, depending on whether you need RAM, the model of GPU you choose, how expensive the PSU you go with is, etc.
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Thanks for the prompt response, I'm currently running with 8GB RAM as it stands just now
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Perhaps it differs depending on where I view it. As a lot on this forum that I've just seen when browsing through it, I'm particularly looking to get involved with PUBG which as you can imagine, sprinkles, my PC isn't up for the test. Off the back of what you have advised, I could invest in 16gb of RAM, as for the processor being recommended as used, I suppose if purchased from a reputable seller it is expected to be in working order? Will the videos card if I were to invest in a GTX 1060 be up to the test?
 
8GB is fine. Don't worry about the RAM right now. The 2600K is going to be 6 going on 7 years old, so, as with any 7 year old part, you never know what you're going to get. Was it abused? (Fed way too much voltage for way too long) No way to know. You're not likely to find one from a reputable seller. 7 year old CPUs are something you buy from some guy you meet on a buy and sell forum at a coffee shop somewhere, I'm afraid.

I don't doubt that the 2600K will work. Will it work for another 7 years? I don't know. Options btw include 2600K, 2700K, 3770K. Any of those will do.

The 1060 will absolutely play PUBG very nicely for you at 1080P resolutions. If you want to play at 1440P or 4K you will need a better GPU. Most people have a 1080P display, and if you do, you'll be fine.

GPU is somewhere you can look at used also to save a bit of coin. At the low end you could get a GTX 970 (which are cheap used) but are somewhat less powerful than a 1060. A GTX 980 is another option, which is comparable to a 1060. RX 480 is another option if you can find it used. As with the CPU, there's no way to know what kind of life that GPU lived before you bought it. Caveat emptor and what have you.. :)
 
orbitalwalsh said:
Reading a lot about PUBG, must not forget it's not even half polished yet so will not run the best on any rig for the time being :)
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mistersprinkles said:
8GB is fine. Don't worry about the RAM right now. The 2600K is going to be 6 going on 7 years old, so, as with any 7 year old part, you never know what you're going to get. Was it abused? (Fed way too much voltage for way too long) No way to know. You're not likely to find one from a reputable seller. 7 year old CPUs are something you buy from some guy you meet on a buy and sell forum at a coffee shop somewhere, I'm afraid.

I don't doubt that the 2600K will work. Will it work for another 7 years? I don't know. Options btw include 2600K, 2700K, 3770K. Any of those will do.

The 1060 will absolutely play PUBG very nicely for you at 1080P resolutions. If you want to play at 1440P or 4K you will need a better GPU. Most people have a 1080P display, and if you do, you'll be fine.

GPU is somewhere you can look at used also to save a bit of coin. At the low end you could get a GTX 970 (which are cheap used) but are somewhat less powerful than a 1060. A GTX 980 is another option, which is comparable to a 1060. RX 480 is another option if you can find it used. As with the CPU, there's no way to know what kind of life that GPU lived before you bought it. Caveat emptor and what have you.. :)
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I appreciate the feedback on it guys. It's honestly invaluable! So as opposed for going for something totally new the final verdict would be with a few additions and amendments I could get some more life out of this old boy?

As for PUBG, absolutely unfinished product and I reckon it doesn't help for any gaming rig but certainly something that can potentially withstand it is a benefit
 
I had an i7 860 @4ghz and so gains with i5 7600k @5.1/2 and 3600+ ram. You'd see gains in the same way but it's the ram that would sting you as it's gone up 50+% in the last year but coffee lake should be better value then kabylake - you'd hope it will anyways
 
So I decided to just get a whole new rig instead of upgrading, some may call my silly but in all fairness, all my gear is 6 years + old. It's about time I just stop blanketing it and get a new rig.

Specs below - I was going to get an i7 but with it being gaming related I felt an i5 would be more beneficial.. If I'd to change anything I'd of got 16gb RAM now but that's something that can be done in the future.

Asus Z170-E (Socket 1151) ATX Motherboard
Asus GeForce GTX 1070 Turbo 8192MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card
Samsung 960 EVO Polaris 250GB M.2 2280 PCI-e 3.0 x4 NVMe Solid State Drive
Seagate BarraCuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache HDD - OEM (ST2000DM006)
Phanteks Eclipse P400 Midi Tower Case - Gun Metal Window - Not the best case but I do like it.
Intel Core i5-6600K 3.9GHz (Skylake) Socket LGA1151 Processor - Retail - Overclocked to 4.5 Ghz
Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2x4GB) DDR4 PC4-19200C14 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (CMK8GX4M2A2400

What is your opinions on it?
 
DeeRock said:
So I decided to just get a whole new rig instead of upgrading, some may call my silly but in all fairness, all my gear is 6 years + old. It's about time I just stop blanketing it and get a new rig.

Specs below - I was going to get an i7 but with it being gaming related I felt an i5 would be more beneficial.. If I'd to change anything I'd of got 16gb RAM now but that's something that can be done in the future.

Asus Z170-E (Socket 1151) ATX Motherboard
Asus GeForce GTX 1070 Turbo 8192MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card
Samsung 960 EVO Polaris 250GB M.2 2280 PCI-e 3.0 x4 NVMe Solid State Drive
Seagate BarraCuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache HDD - OEM (ST2000DM006)
Phanteks Eclipse P400 Midi Tower Case - Gun Metal Window - Not the best case but I do like it.
Intel Core i5-6600K 3.9GHz (Skylake) Socket LGA1151 Processor - Retail - Overclocked to 4.5 Ghz
Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2x4GB) DDR4 PC4-19200C14 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit - Black (CMK8GX4M2A2400

What is your opinions on it?
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you can get a 1080 for the price of the strix :D

bare in mind coffee lake is out next month. would be £20-40 more expensive CPU wise but you are getting 6 cores over 4 on the i5 range... food for thought
not sure on mobo prices

can you hold fire if your set on Intel?
 
orbitalwalsh said:
you can get a 1080 for the price of the strix :D

bare in mind coffee lake is out next month. would be £20-40 more expensive CPU wise but you are getting 6 cores over 4 on the i5 range... food for thought
not sure on mobo prices

can you hold fire if your set on Intel?
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Awww I've already made the purchases and in the process of being shipped out. Maybe would have been best to get this information before I went ahead and made the purchase. I mean nothing stopping me in the future upgrading, I could do that later on once I have more money and just sell the i5 6600k for a cheap number.. As for the 1080.. Is there much comparison between average and minimum FPS? 4K gaming I'm not looking for but 1080p is the goal I want.
 
DeeRock said:
Awww I've already made the purchases and in the process of being shipped out. Maybe would have been best to get this information before I went ahead and made the purchase. I mean nothing stopping me in the future upgrading, I could do that later on once I have more money and just sell the i5 6600k for a cheap number.. As for the 1080.. Is there much comparison between average and minimum FPS? 4K gaming I'm not looking for but 1080p is the goal I want.
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true, 1080 would have been over kill for 1080p , its just that Strix cards command a lot of money for what they are - hence mentioning about gtx 1080

I hope your monitor is a 120hz + screen . Strix 1060 would have been enough for 1080p gaming :D

recommend upscaling games to 1440p and overclocking that i5 hard :D
 
The board, the CPU - I was being a bit over dramatic, sorry. You'll not be able to change the processor to one of the newer ones out on 5th October sine they require a 300 series chipset. You could be getting a Z370 board, and a 6 core I5-8600K for about £30 more than you got that for, it will also have a higher default clock and has newer features built into the CPU.

Also the GTX 1080 is a much better option, as it will last you longer as newer games come out, even if you are only gaming at 1080p, if there is not great cost difference, then why get the slower card that is just over priced because of the brand (IMO ofc).

There isn't techincally anything wrong with what you have chosen, just bad timing and value for money (again IMO)
 
^^^^ 1070 and 1060 have been pushed up due to miners although seems to be calming, Ti will be getting cut back on production and no doubt will increase soon enough

if you were mentioning a budget 1070 then fair enough but the cost of the 1070 strix... yeah go for a 1080 - if you really like the strix- dig deep for a 1080 strix version ;)
 
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