5 yo PC Build/Upgrade Help

clocand

Member
Nov 25, 2011
56
0
66
Hello. I've been a member here for 5 years and, in short, have been waiting several months for BF to upgrade my MOBO/GPU/CPU and would like some advice for the best deals/compatibility.

Also, if you would recommend replacement of other parts (i.e. RAM) I'm all ears, as I'm not sure how long it lasts (or how fast it depreciates). I've looked through other threads/stickys and didn't find what I was looking for.

---
Notice: these upgrades are LONG overdue, originally built 5 years ago via advice of these forums ;) current rig:

M/B: GIGABYTE GA-Z68XP-UD3
SSD : Samsung 830 series 128GB (4yo)
GPU: Zotac GTX 560 Ti Case: CM HAF 922
K/B: Razer Blackwidow Mouse: Razer Naga
CPU: i5 2500k 3.3GHz HDD : 750G HITACHI
RAM: G.SKILL 2x4GB DDR3 PSU: Corsair TX750

---

I want to keep the upgrades under $500 total. If I were to go the part-by-part route, currently looking at GTX 1050-1060's or 950-960 (~$200), 6th gen i5 6500 (K isn't necessary) ~$180, 6th gen i5 6600K 3.5GHz , and around ~$150 for the MOBO. I'm not looking for top of the line, just best bang for my buck.

The MOBO/CPU are currently doing fine, but the GPU is in obvious need of replacement. I'm simply replacing the former bc I believe they'll be going out anytime now, correct me if I'm wrong!

Currently playing a few MMO's, but can't even run WoW on lowest settings without issues, not to mention Revelation Online...

Thanks in advance.

p.s. Obvious Intel/Nvidia fanboy.
 

clocand

Member
Nov 25, 2011
56
0
66
p.s.s. Buying parts in US, preferably through Newegg or my local Microcenter is an option, too.
 

BonzaiDuck

Lifer
Jun 30, 2004
15,699
1,448
126
p.s.s. Buying parts in US, preferably through Newegg or my local Microcenter is an option, too.

I probably could've gone another 3 years or so with my Sandy boxes; I am almost finished tweaking my Skylake build -- i7-6700K. The 2600K is going to my 91-year-old Moms, as soon as I can guarantee that it will wake from hibernate with complete reliability. It had 16GB 2x8 of G.SKILL DDR-1866 9-9-9-24 RipJaws Z. I've replaced those sticks with a 2x4GB Ripjaws 1600 9-9-9-24 kit, because she can't use the full 16GB anyway, and my 2700K can.

For the GPU, you could get any of those you mention.

I also recommend you test to see how well your system comes out of sleep or hibernate, whether you have any "USB glitches" etc. 5 years is a time to check the PSU. I would simply replace it if you have a set of symptoms similar to what I mention. At least -- test it.

The PSU could push your system to your $500 limit, unless you can find quality/reliability on the cheap, and you should still plan on something north of $70. The G.SKILL "Z" or similar 16GB kit might cost between $80 and $100. You know about the GPU.

If you want to build a new system, plan on a bigger budget -- or at least that's what I think. . . .
 

whm1974

Diamond Member
Jul 24, 2016
9,460
1,570
96
Your CPU should be fine for now. But you should be able to add more memory, and the video card and PSU for much less $500 depending on how much you spend on the GPU.
 

Torn Mind

Lifer
Nov 25, 2012
11,567
2,626
136
The time to replace to the CPU and Mobo...is not now.

Kaby Lake and Zen are around the corner.

Get a GPU first
 

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,229
9,990
126
Get a heatsink, OC that 2500K to north of 4Ghz (should be a walk in the park for Sandy, they could hit 5Ghz, very nearly), and get a new video card, like a 1070, and maybe more RAM if newer games need more than 8GB (likely).
 

clocand

Member
Nov 25, 2011
56
0
66
For the GPU, you could get any of those you mention.

I also recommend you test to see how well your system comes out of sleep or hibernate, whether you have any "USB glitches" etc. 5 years is a time to check the PSU. I would simply replace it if you have a set of symptoms similar to what I mention. At least -- test it.

If you want to build a new system, plan on a bigger budget -- or at least that's what I think. . . .


To clarify, I originally planned to upgrade a part ever few years (starting 5 years ago), but this is my current gaming computer and sees usage every day - only the SSD and peripherals have been added/replaced over the years.

I understand any of those GPU's "will work," but my goal is to get the most efficiency out of these upgrades, primarily out of the GPU since it is bottlenecking my ability to play Revelation Online/BDO/BNS/etc.

I have clarified why I THINK I need to upgrade the MOBO/CPU/RAM as well, but thats what I'm asking, I haven't kept up with the technology (back in the day GPU's didn't haven a GB factor to them. Should I get a $500 GPU (obviously not) or do I get the 2/3/or 4 parts?
 

BonzaiDuck

Lifer
Jun 30, 2004
15,699
1,448
126
To clarify, I originally planned to upgrade a part ever few years (starting 5 years ago), but this is my current gaming computer and sees usage every day - only the SSD and peripherals have been added/replaced over the years.

I understand any of those GPU's "will work," but my goal is to get the most efficiency out of these upgrades, primarily out of the GPU since it is bottlenecking my ability to play Revelation Online/BDO/BNS/etc.

I have clarified why I THINK I need to upgrade the MOBO/CPU/RAM as well, but thats what I'm asking, I haven't kept up with the technology (back in the day GPU's didn't haven a GB factor to them. Should I get a $500 GPU (obviously not) or do I get the 2/3/or 4 parts?

Well, there's the dilemma that even chump-change spent on new parts for an old Sandy may not satisfy long enough to justify. That said, in this household, we do a round-robin on the used systems. I almost sold the 2600K as is, but friend's wife complained about his room filled with cyber-junk. I wanted $200 for the GTX 780 -- only about 2 or 3 years old. It all worked out, because Moms' system took a dive last week. It was 8+ years old.

But your personal "IT asset plan" seems reasonable.

On the graphics card, I'm still gaming with 1080p. My monitor hasn't reached its end-of-life. For my Skylake, I bought a single GTX 1070 Mini-OC (gigabyte). These things have 8GB onboard memory, and make an SLI 2x GTX 970 seem slow.

The skinny on the street says that SLI for 1070 or 1080 is hardly worth it. You could spend more on the 1080. Usually, the tech-veterans point to the second-tier as better bang-for-buck. I cannot say for sure about 4K or somewhere in between, but I can't justify spending for a second 1070, nor did it make sense to me to buy a GTX 1080.

Those are decisions you'll have to sort out. I can say I've just started to tweak the 1070, with the clock exceeding ~ 2,050 Mhz, no increase in voltage, and believe it or not -- no increase in load temperature. The card is spec'd somewhere between ~1,500 and ~1700 Mhz with boost under load. the memory clock is defaulted to 8,000 Mhz (DDR). I haven't even started on the road to pushing it to 9,000.
 

clocand

Member
Nov 25, 2011
56
0
66
Okay, the consensus seems to be to hold off on the CPU/MOBO, and get a better GPU and more RAM. I'm assuming it's not ideal to mix types/ages, so I'll just go with 2x8 GB of G. Skill (unless advised otherwise) like the one below:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...1&cm_re=G.Skill_Memory-_-20-231-888-_-Product

For the GPU, beyond the spec sheet, what exactly am I losing/gaining when choosing between a $250 1060 vs a $180 960? Keep in mind, I'm jumping from a 560 TI, so both are light years ahead. Links below:

1060:
https://m.newegg.com/Product/index?itemnumber=N82E16814125901&cm_re=1060_gtx-_-14-125-901-_-Product

960:
https://m.newegg.com/Product/index?itemnumber=N82E16814125778
 

s44

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2006
9,427
16
81
Eh, I'd even hold off on the RAM. New GPU+bigger SSD will make life a lot nicer.

1060 6gb is like twice as fast as the 960, so forget about the outdated POS.