2500k Upgrade Questions

[gregoryvg]

Not really sure where this belongs so I thought I'd post it here.

Computer Specs
Intel 2500k @ 4.2ghz
Asus P8P67 Pro
8 GB Corsair Vengeance @ 1600MHZ
2TB HDD
NVidia 9700

Okay, I love my computer. I built this when the 2500k just came out and got a sweet deal at MicroCenter. It's lasted me going on six years and I think it can last me another year or two. I've gone through a GTX460 768, a GTX 660 and now recently upgraded to a GTX 970 (which is actually from my son who just got a GTX 1080).

So I'm thinking about making a few select upgrades to help my system last another two years (although I am anxious to see how the next gen Ryzen and Intel CPUs stack up, in other words I might upgrade my system next year with Ryzen 2 or an 8-Core Intel offering).

1 - RAM: Is going to 16gb a good idea? Will it offer any performance benefit over my current 8gb?

2 - If I upgrade my ram, should I buy faster 2133mhz or just buy another 8gb of my current 1600mhz speed? On Amazon I can get 16bg of 2133mhz DDR3 240-pin for about $120, while 8gb of 1600mhz is about $60. If I can squeeze another 10 - 15% performance out of more and faster RAM it might be worth a few extra bucks.

3 - HDD: Does my motherboard support a SSD? I heard there was some deteriation issues with SSD on the Sandy Bridge motherboards? Is that true? Any other issues I should worry about?

That's all I can think of for now. Let me know what you think.

 

[StinkyPinky]

If you want to keep using it, I would just double the ram (just keep on 1600) and install a SSD. The SSD will certainly make it feel like a new computer, and that motherboard is fine with SSD's as I had that board and used one for years just fine. If you're concerned they released a utility to check the ports for you

http://event.asus.com/2011/mb/Identify_unaffected_SATA_port/

Obviously you won't be able to game on ultra settings on modern games but it should be ok for high i think.

 

[HumblePie]

1) Upgrading memory will benefit many games, especially MMO games or any game that wants to load large amounts into memory to make the gameplay smoother. For many older games 8GB is far more than enough. It really just depends on what you play.

2) You'll notice minimal performance gains with faster memory when it comes to actual games with your current system. That is if you notice anything at all. Also, newer cpu's are using DDR4 instead of DDR3. But if you are going to upgrade ram capacity for some games, might as well go for faster ram as well if you can afford it.

3) If your board has SATA connections it supports SSDs. It's more OS dependent when it comes to machines that old. Anything older than windows 7 and don't bother with an SSD. As far as upgrading to an SSD, it is in most cases a HUGE noticable performance boost over a regular HDD that impacts everything you do with your computer.

 

[EXCellR8]

you'll probably want to enable AHCI on the SSD sata port. you can do this without reinstalling the OS if it gives you a hard time booting up...

I'd say leave 8GB mem but the older stuff is pretty cheap so just max it out if you can.

 

[DaveSimmons]

Since DDR3 costs spiked last year, I'd think hard about the RAM, and if you have 2 free slots maybe just buy a cheap used 2 x 2 GB kit instead (for 12 GB total). My gaming PC still has 8 GB and I haven't had problems playing anything yet, but there's anecdotal rumors that maybe more RAM might make Mass Effect Andromeda less buggy. Perhaps.

 

[ZGR]

Getting a SATA SSD is a great idea. Your PC absolutely supports it. You will need to reinstall Windows to it.

I wouldn't bother buying more DDR3 simply because any newer PC you buy will need DDR4 and your 2500k is near the end of its life.

Since you live near a Microcenter I do think it is a good idea building a 6 or 8 core Ryzen when they are widely available. Definitely go with fast 3200 CL16 DDR4 if you are (make sure it is compatible).

Getting an SSD will be a nice upgrade and will be carried over to your new build.

 

[AMDisTheBEST]

2600k now gets outperformed easily by both ryzen and kaby, overclocking it to 4.7 Ghz however still give it some life. see for yourself.

 

[Insomniator]

1. Get an SSD ASAP, should have been done years ago!

2. Don't buy any more DDR3, unless you play games that specifically use more than 8GB AND you can maybe pick it up used for cheap.

3. **With Microcenter around there is no reason to go AMD. A 7700k is only $299 + another $30 off with a mobo bundle for example... will be the same deal for Skylake-X also.** Edit -- didn't realize MC is taking $50 or $100 off AMD bundles now - pretty good!

 

[AMDisTheBEST]

1. **With Microcenter around there is no reason to go AMD. A 7700k is only $299 + another $30 off with a mobo bundle for example... will be the same deal for Skylake-X also.** Edit -- didn't realize MC is taking $50 or $100 off AMD bundles now - pretty good!

Ryzen gets bundle discount too and good for mutithreading and future proofing.

2nd look at the video I linked... Jesus, 2600k is old. @4.7 ghz, it gets outperformed by even the OC kaby core i3 7350K, and loses to 1700x OC @ just 3.9 ghz in games. maybe op should upgrade now

 

[guachi]

I'll second (third, whatever) the suggestion to get an SSD and not get more DDR3. Because that's basically what I did.

I had (have) 8 GB DDR3 from 2010 in 4x2 GB sticks and instead of buying more RAM I'd only use for a little longer I got a 1 TB SSD instead to replace my full 160GB SSD (160 was a lot in 2010!).

The 1 TB drive will, hopefully, last me at least 6 years.

And just today the last of my Ryzen stuff arrived, my motherboard. Personally, I'd wait until 4/11 and see how Ryzen 5 performs and then compare the 1600 and the 1700 to see what best suits your needs. I think the R5-1600 with cooler @ $220 will be a fantastic upgrade for a 2500K and if you really need the extra cores the R7-1700 isn't too bad at $330.

 

[Dribble]

My setup is pretty similar to yours only I have 16gb memory and SSD's. There is no need to update it right now as everything still runs fast. I will just replace mb/memory and cpu with a new 6 core one at some point (probably one of the intel canon lake ones when they come out, unless AMD comes out with something faster).

If I were you I'd buy samsung evo 1gb SSD now and chuck that in there - you can re-use that in whatever you upgrade too in the future. Then buy a new 6 core cpu/new mb/etc at some point in the future. For the SSD if you are using < size of SSD find/borrow a big usb drive, do a full windows backup of everything to it. Make a windows restore disk, take out the hd, put in SSD, put in restore disk and restore onto the new drive. Then put the old drive back in as a second drive to store your photo's, etc on.

 

[gregoryvg]

Thanks guys for all the good ideas/suggestions.

Based upon what I read above, here are some thoughts:

1. Should I upgrade my CPU to a used I7 2600k or i7 3770? According to AMDistheBEST link, those CPUs are about 20 - 30% faster than my i5 2500k? Depending on how cheap I can get a used one it might be a good upgrade and would probably help my PC last another two years easy.

1a. What is the best way to buy a used CPU? What kind of price would I be looking at?

2. If I do the above, would faster RAM be an asset or still not as important?

--- OR ---

1. If I keep the 2500k - I'll probably get an additional 4gb of RAM (2x2). It's like $40 at Amazon and seeing reviews of newer games (and GTA 5) it looks like these games dip over 8gb.

SSD Drives!

I do have Windows 7. But do SSD drives really last 5 years? I was tempted to only get 512gb to use only for the upgrade and than just get a new bigger (like 2tb) one with a new build in a couple years, but it they actually last that long I might splurge for a 1tb one now and just reuse it in my new build.

I am looking way forward to getting an 8-core CPU but will be waiting until Ryzen ships their next gen (at least) and Intel has a competing product. It's nice to finally start seeing new CPUs pull decisively away from the 2500k which was so good for so long. It seems newer games are being able to harness to power of more than four cores, and with DX 12 and umm, the other one (forgot the name) it seems like 8 cores will be the near future.

Edit: Oh, I use my PC purely for games. Some recent/demanding games I am playing are: GTA 5 (just really started getting into it), Total War: Warhamer and Civ 6. In the near future I will be getting Dawn of War 3. Hopefully one day Left 4 Dead 3 will be coming out - c'mon Valve!!

 

[ZGR]

A Solid State Drive should last significantly longer than any hard drive. If an SSD fails, you should still be able to read it and access its files. The chances of failure are significantly lower than a hard drive. I have owned many SSD's over the years in every device I own; and still use a 5 year old 480 GB in my Macbook as its main drive. I have yet to have one fail. I have bought one refurbished ssd and one used ssd a 2 years ago without problems so far as well.

GTA V is a good example of a game that utilizes hyperthreading. Upgrading to a 2600k or 3770k would net a solid improvement coupled with more RAM.