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Advice on Upgrading an Older PC

TheTick077

TheTick077

Member
I have a PC that I primarily built to be a HTPC back in 2012, but I have recently been getting back into PC gaming after being a console gamer for years. So right now it can do most of the games I throw at it on medium settings - if not higher (I'm cheap, so I wait for games to come down in price a while after they have been out, so right now I mainly play games that are a year or two old). I do want to play some more modern games and have them look nice with no stuttering, so I am planning on slowly upgrading, but I want to know what you guys think of my planed parts, and in what order should I do them.

Current setup:
Biostar H77MU3 LGA1155 motherboard
Pentium G860
8GB Gskill DDR3
Radeon 7770
Corsair 430W PSU

So I am thinking about upgrading the CPU, GPU, and PSU (I think if I want to upgrade GPU a PSU upgrade would be required - please correct me if I am wrong), and using the same MoBo and RAM.

For the PSU I am just going to jump on the first 650W-750W modular PSU that comes up for a good price, so I don't have one set in stone, but I have been looking at the EVGA 650W G2.

For the GPU I am looking at either the Radeon R9 280, 280x, or 290 / or the GeForce equivalent (not up to date on Nvidia's options - doesn't mean I am against it, just want the best bang for the buck) depending on what deals I can find.

And for the CPU I am thinking about the Xeon E3-1245, I5-3470, or am open to other suggestions around $200-$250.

I do want to note that this PC is still used as a HTPC, so it will be hooked up to my main TV and gaming at 1080p.

So what I am asking, is, are these good parts? Any other suggestions? This rebuild will take place over the next several months, so I plan on doing it in stages, so which should I upgrade first (GPU, PSU, or CPU) to see the most gains right away? Or would it be cheaper (more bang for the buck) to do a complete rebuild?
 
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If you're considering a xeon, then update the bios and check the support list before proceeding. A xeon is probably your best bet in terms of value, although the one you picked might be overkill. But sometimes higher end parts are cheaper on the used market.
 
sm625 said:
If you're considering a xeon, then update the bios and check the support list before proceeding. A xeon is probably your best bet in terms of value, although the one you picked might be overkill. But sometimes higher end parts are cheaper on the used market.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the quick reply!

So if it is overkill, which other CPUs should I be looking at?

Oh and I checked Biostar's website and it says this:
1155 Intel® Xeon(TM) * E3-1245 Q1HU 3.30GHz 100HMZ 95W
*Intel Xeon Processor Family Is Designed For Server System. Some Of The Features May Not Able To Support When Installed On This Board.

What features might not be supported?
 
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The way I see it, you have a few options:

1. Don't upgrade the PSU. Upgrade the GPU to a GTX 960. That's similar to a R9 285, and has the same 2GB RAM limitation. Upgrade the CPU later.
2. If you have more money, upgrade the GPU to one of those listed above. But you need to upgrade the PSU at the same time.
3. Upgrade the CPU first. But supplies of the R9 200 series may be limited, so you might not be able to get one later.

Can you give us more details on your budget situation?
 
Ken g6 said:
The way I see it, you have a few options:

1. Don't upgrade the PSU. Upgrade the GPU to a GTX 960. That's similar to a R9 285, and has the same 2GB RAM limitation. Upgrade the CPU later.
2. If you have more money, upgrade the GPU to one of those listed above. But you need to upgrade the PSU at the same time.
3. Upgrade the CPU first. But supplies of the R9 200 series may be limited, so you might not be able to get one later.

Can you give us more details on your budget situation?
Click to expand...

Sure, I am very patient and will wait for good deals, and I am willing to go used if I have to, or if it will save me money without sacrificing quality. But I would say:

PSU: $70
GPU: $200
CPU: $250

So we can say around $500 max.
 
Here's the best I can do on new parts:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: *Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Diamond Radeon R9 290 4GB Video Card ($249.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: *EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $494.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-01 18:22 EDT-0400

Though you acted like you're near a Micro Center, so you might get better CPU deals. You might also find better deals on used 290s - this one's a blower.
 
TheTick077 said:
Oh and I checked Biostar's website and it says this:
1155 Intel® Xeon(TM) * E3-1245 Q1HU 3.30GHz 100HMZ 95W
*Intel Xeon Processor Family Is Designed For Server System. Some Of The Features May Not Able To Support When Installed On This Board.

What features might not be supported?
Click to expand...

ECC memory and VT-d come to mind. They're not particularly relevant for your use case though.
 
Ken g6 said:
Though you acted like you're near a Micro Center, so you might get better CPU deals. You might also find better deals on used 290s - this one's a blower.
Click to expand...

I would be really cautious about putting a reference R9 290 into an HTPC. In this instance, it would be better to go for a slightly lower price/performance, but cooler running card like the GTX 960 that you originally mentioned. For example, this Gigabyte is $197.
 
Between the Core i5 3470 @ 190 U$D and the Xeon E3-1245V2 @ 220 U$D, I would pick the latter. Its 30 more U$D for a Core i7.
 
An i5 is a pretty good processor and since Xeons are designed for servers I would go with the i5 option.
 
who? said:
An i5 is a pretty good processor and since Xeons are designed for servers I would go with the i5 option.
Click to expand...
Wrong. Xeons E3 = Core i5/i7 with another brand name and ECC Memory support. Oh, and usually, better priced for the specs.
 
Xeons and i-series chips are like Suburbans and Yukon XLs. Save for the name, grille, and what comes standard, they are otherwise identical.
 
sm625 said:
But sometimes higher end parts are cheaper on the used market.
Click to expand...

+1

Right now i5-2500K is starting at $135 shipped on ebay "but it now" auctions.

And i7 2600 is starting at $150 shipped (Although I have seen them as low as $130 shipped).
 
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Ken g6 said:
Here's the best I can do on new parts:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: *Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Diamond Radeon R9 290 4GB Video Card ($249.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: *EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($54.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $494.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-07-01 18:22 EDT-0400

Though you acted like you're near a Micro Center, so you might get better CPU deals. You might also find better deals on used 290s - this one's a blower.
Click to expand...

That's a pretty good set-up. Unfortunately I don't live near a micro center, but my job puts me in Dallas a couple times a year, so I could make a trip to one at some point in the near future.
 
cbn said:
+1

Right now i5-2500K is starting at $135 shipped on ebay "but it now" auctions.

And i7 2600 is starting at $150 shipped (Although I have seen them as low as $130 shipped).
Click to expand...

I am going to have to check it out, but I am a little hesitant to purchase on Ebay - you never know if the person who had it is a enthusiast that was careful and took care of their stuff, or some kid that just tried to OC as high as he could with reckless abandon. Once I can access it, I plan on browsing the for sale section here - I think I would trust someone on here more than some random person on Ebay.
 
TheTick077 said:
Do I lose anything (future proofing?) by going with a card that only has 2GB vs one that has more?
Click to expand...

The debate here is between gaming, with a powerful but loud GPU, or HTPC use, with a less-powerful, but quiet GPU. Maybe it would help to know what case you have?
 
Ken g6 said:
The debate here is between gaming, with a powerful but loud GPU, or HTPC use, with a less-powerful, but quiet GPU. Maybe it would help to know what case you have?
Click to expand...

I have an Antec 300, but honestly my long term plan is to move the PC from the living room and put it under the stairs. The TV wall is up against the under the stairs wall, I just haven't had the time to cut holes and add boxes/wall-plates yet. So for now, quiet might be nice, but if it was too loud, it might force me to actually complete the project I have had planned (and the hardware already purchased). So in the scheme of things, I'm not worried about noise.
 
So Newegg has the GTX 960 for $179AR, and the R9 280 seems to go for $150 pretty regularly at this point. The 3GB of the 280 appeals to me, but the 960 seems to perform just as good, and uses less power (would I even need to upgrade PSU with this one?). Either one would give me more $$$ for the CPU. Thoughts?

Also I saw that TigerDirect has the Ultra 850W PSU for $59AR. Is that worth the extra $5 as compared to the EVGA Ken g6 listed up above? To me it seems like a good deal, but I have not heard of Ultra PSUs.
 
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TheTick077 said:
So Newegg has the GTX 960 for $179AR, and the R9 280 seems to go for $150 pretty regularly at this point. The 3GB of the 280 appeals to me, but the 960 seems to perform just as good, and uses less power (would I even need to upgrade PSU with this one?). Either one would give me more $$$ for the CPU. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

The R9 280, 280X, and 290 are generally better bang for the buck than the equivalent GeForce, assuming noise isn't a concern. You could get by with you CX430 using a Molex to PCIe 6-pin on the R9 280 and R9 280X. The R9 290 would definitely need a PSU upgrade though. The unit that Ken listed in his build is a good deal.
 
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