Help Me Play Santa

[Splotto]

Hello Community!

Sadly, while I used to be deeper into the hardware world then I am these days, one thing I remembered is that THIS is the place to come for solid advice.

A while ago I helped my friends son build his first PC. Well, with the holidays rolling around, I seem to have taught him right and his thoughts have turned to upgrading.

He would like to move to a dual monitor setup and hopefully be able to game on one screen while doing the usual things on the other (email, chat, webpages, etc.).

His current vital stats are:

MB: Asus Z97-AR
CPU: i3-4160
GPU: GTX-960

Assuming for a second that his lofty goal of dual monitors is a worthy one for a up-and-coming hardware junky these days, what is the best upgrade for him? Better CPU? Better GPU? Second GTX-960?

I am an empty vessel; fill me with your wisdom.

Thank you in advance!

 

[Flapdrol1337]

Just hook up the second monitor and call it a day.

Having something else open on a second screen really isn't a much heavier load.

 

[Arachnotronic]

Just hook up the second monitor and call it a day.

Having something else open on a second screen really isn't a much heavier load.

This.

 

[Splotto]

Hello:

Thanks for the quick replies. Maybe the better upgrade are the monitors.

 

[96Firebird]

What games does he play? Maybe a decent second monitor (or new main monitor and move the current to the secondary). Does he already have an SSD?

 

[RussianSensation]

Assuming for a second that his lofty goal of dual monitors is a worthy one for a up-and-coming hardware junky these days, what is the best upgrade for him?

SSD for the OS is the best upgrade to help make any PC feel snappy.

For dual monitors, I'd also consider getting a single 34" monitor instead.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VBNQJSM...=UTF8&colid=B7IJ7GEXZML5&coliid=I6ZM0TJWP6QUP

Or if the budget is there:
http://slickdeals.net/f/8372637-dell-u3415w-for-679-with-250-egift-promo-and-2-day-free-shipping

Even a 32" 2560x1440 panel would be awesome for his primary. MicroCenter has a great one for $400 US:
http://www.microcenter.com/product/457804/ENVY_32_Media_Display_Monitor

There is no viable GPU upgrade path for that rig without upgrading to a Core i5/i7 CPU.

 

[Splotto]

What games does he play? Maybe a decent second monitor (or new main monitor and move the current to the secondary). Does he already have an SSD?

Mostly Counter Strike: Global Offensive.

No SSD. That was my first suggestion.

 

[Splotto]

SSD for the OS is the best upgrade to help make any PC feel snappy.

For dual monitors, I'd also consider getting a single 34" monitor instead.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VBNQJSM...=UTF8&colid=B7IJ7GEXZML5&coliid=I6ZM0TJWP6QUP

Or if the budget is there:
http://slickdeals.net/f/8372637-dell-u3415w-for-679-with-250-egift-promo-and-2-day-free-shipping

Even a 32" 2560x1440 panel would be awesome for his primary. MicroCenter has a great one for $400 US:
http://www.microcenter.com/product/457804/ENVY_32_Media_Display_Monitor

There is no viable GPU upgrade path for that rig without upgrading to a Core i5/i7 CPU.

Thank you!

 

[stahlhart]

Moving to General Hardware.
-- stahlhart