(New hardware added today) Does this October 2011 gaming build need an upgrade?

[Justinator]

So I joined this forum back in 2011 and with the very much appreciated help of you fellow forum members I successfully built myself a custom gaming PC. I ended up being very happy with my system. It has treated me very well over the last 3.5 years and still is but with the upcoming new games such as "Battlefield Hardline" will I still run with the big boys?

I'm not trying to have one of the best gaming pc's out there so don't go comparing me to a new top notch or even semi - top notch gaming machine. I understand my build is dated and to some of you it might even be a dinosaur LOL.

Do you think I will have to upgrade any of my components at this point or can I run for a little while yet and still play the new games on decent settings?

Here is my machine:

MoBo: ASUS P8PZ68-V LE

Case: Cooler Master Storm Enforcer

PSU: Cooler Master Silent Pro M 700 watt 80+ certified

CPU: i5 2500k

GPU: Sapphire HD 6950 2GB (Dirt 3 Edition)

HDD : Western Digital Caviar Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3

SSD : Intel 510 Series (Elm Crest) SSDSC2MH120A2K5 2.5" 120GB SATA 3

O/S : Windows 7 64-BIT SP1

LG: DVD burner

LG: Multi card reader

I upgraded my peripherals recently. A couple years ago I bought a SteelSeries Merc Stealth, and just today I upgraded from a R.A.T. 7 to a new Razer Deathadder Chroma mouse. So it's just the machine itself that I need some opinions on.

Thanks in advance...

 

[frozentundra123456]

Overclock your cpu to 4ghz or so (if you havent) and you should be fine on that front. How much RAM do you have? If you dont have at least 8gb, you should upgrade to that, and perhaps upgrade the video card. Should be good for a few more years I would think.

 

[Justinator]

Yes I do currently have 8gb of ram. I do believe I have 4 slots on this MoBo so maybe I should add two more sticks?

I forgot to mention that I am not a computer wiz... I am actually very out of the loop when it comes to this stuff and I have no idea what the good cards are these days. I feel like an old man watching a bunch of kids on smartphones. LOL.

I don't even know how to overclock my CPU or to check to see if it is already being overclocked. LOL
When I go into "System properties" It says my CPU is 3.30 ghz.

 

[Ken g6]

What's your budget for upgrades?

The first thing to do is to make sure your CPU has a good cooler on it. Probably anything other than the stock cooler is good. If you're on the stock cooler now get a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo.

Your mobo has an auto-tuning feature. Use it after installing the new CPU cooler if you don't have one already. It looks like the "fast" option is good. Leave the iGPU and RAM at stock, or turn them back to "auto" after doing the auto-tuning.

The other issue is your video card is old, but any upgrades to that will depend on your budget. It also might not hurt to replace your PSU, as it's getting old and isn't the best quality brand.

 

[Justinator]

Thanks for the info. I recall when choosing the components for my build that most Cooler Master PSU's didn't have good reviews but the particular one I purchased was actually very well spoken of and from what info I am finding it still is. This particular line of Cooler Master PSU's was on a completely different level from their regular stuff.

So are you saying that I need to install an aftermarket CPU cooler if I overclock? or are you saying I need it no matter what? The CPU has never gotten hot in the past...

I probably can't spend more than $200 and that is here in Canada so stuff cost a little more than what your probably used to. In US dollars you could compare my budget to $150 for some very necessary upgrades if I really need them.

 

[The Green Bean]

Should be fine for 1080p

 

[Ken g6]

So are you saying that I need to install an aftermarket CPU cooler if I overclock? or are you saying I need it no matter what?

I'm saying you should install an aftermarket CPU cooler if you overclock, and that you really should overclock.

At $200CDN budget - 165 after cooler - you can't afford a GPU worth upgrading to new. You might be able to find a used 7950, 7970, R9 280 or 280X that fits your budget, though. Maybe watch the For Sale/Trade forum. [thread=2421233]This 7970 looks interesting[/thread], though I don't know the seller.

 

[Justinator]

That's all I run is 1080P. I have a BenQ monitor but its actually high end and has a great picture. I have no need to upgrade it for my taste.

 

[Zorander]

If you're really limited by that budget, by all means spend it all on a GPU upgrade. Ken's suggestions are good.

The 2500K is decent at stock speed. You will fins greater improvement via a GPU upgrade.

 

[mfenn]

With a $200 CDN budget, I think I would dump everything into the GPU. For example, you can get an R9 280 3GB and enjoy a nice boost over your 6950. Here's a comparison to a 6970, which is itself faster than your current card.

Your money will of course go further if you look at used parts. The 7970 is roughly equivalent to an R9 280X, which is one step faster than the R9 280.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Overclock your cpu to 4ghz or so (if you havent) and you should be fine on that front. How much RAM do you have? If you dont have at least 8gb, you should upgrade to that, and perhaps upgrade the video card. Should be good for a few more years I would think.

Actually, he might do better than that, by at least 300 Mhz. The Z68 board is in the mid-range of that model line, or maybe the lower-range. Proof of the pudding is in the phase-power design. My P8Z68-V Pro and Pro/Gen3 boards have 12 phase-power design (8+4 I think). The better this spec, the better prospects for overclocking.

I tried an ASUS Z77-A board slated for replacing my Mom's system. It has something like 4 phase-power-design. I WAS able to push a 2700K to 4.7 on it, but I don't think I'd want that for 24/7 operation.

Overclocking isn't some folks' "cup of tea." It can be tedious. We don't want the OP to get into the frustration cycle unless he wants to learn more after going through the hoops.

OK. I see. 4+2 or 6-phase-power design for the P8Z68-V LE. The Sabertooth board had 10-phase, the Z68-v Pro and pro/gen3 had 12-phase.

I'd say a mild overclock will work. the way I see it for games, today's challenge is to avoid GPU limitations. These rigs aren't CPU limited now.

But the OP has to embrace the OC tedium with patience and forbearance.

 

[Justinator]

Well I just got back from my local PC shop. (Not a big box store).
I ended up purchasing a new GPU. I got a Gigabyte GTX 960. It was between that and the Gigabyte R9 280X.
I chose the GTX 960 over the R9 280X because it was $60 cheaper, used less power, ran cooler, and the charts showed it outperformed the R9 280X.

Yes I know the GTX 960 only has 2GB and the R9 280X has 3GB but I wont be using anything other than 1080P for the next few years and by the time I get into the higher end resolutions I will need a new card anyways so this seemed to be a good choice for me IMO.

Now next pay I will purchase the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO and overclock my i5 2500K CPU.

I plan on starting over fresh by reinstalling my operating system and cleaning out my hard drives. I want it to be like a new computer when I am done.

Should I be overclocking when I wipe my computer or can I do the overclocking later when I can obtain the upgraded CPU cooler?

Thanks.

 

[mfenn]

It seems like your local store has some out of whack pricing on the R9 280X and/or GTX 960. They should be within $30 of each other.

EVGA GTX 960 $250 CDN
R9 280X $280 CDN AR

Also, I'm not sure what charts you were looking at, but the GTX 960 is not faster than the R9 280X generally speaking. It is around 15% slower. The R9 280X is around 12% more expensive, so the actual value of the two cards is similar, but the 3GB of VRAM will go further than the GTX 960. The GTX 960 does run cooler though.

So your choice ended up being reasonable after all, but your decision was based on incorrect information.

Overclocking and a fresh Windows install are unrelated. You can change the clock speeds at any time and Windows doesn't care.

 

[Justinator]

Should I bother overclocking my system at this point? What system performance enhancements will I notice by overclocking?

 

[mfenn]

Should I bother overclocking my system at this point? What system performance enhancements will I notice by overclocking?

For CPU-limited games like Battlefield multiplayer, you will see a performance increase proportional to the amount of your overclock. Luckily, the 2500K is a very easy to overclock chip, and once pushed up to typical 4.2 GHz OC, your chip is hanging with a new stock i5.