PC Upgrade....Need help to choose!

[rozdvd]

Recently I've got a job... and I believe its time to upgrade my pc now.... Things I wont change(yet) is my Sapphire 7870XT and my ram 8GB 1333.....
I've seen some hardware...but I need your help to choose good stuff... (my budget is max 650 euro)

Case : http://www.aerocool.us/pgs/pgs-b/mechatron_b.htm

Motherboard: http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z87 Pro3/ OR http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z87M Pro4/ OR http://www.msi.com/product/mb/Z87-G45-GAMING.html#overview or ASROCK Z87M EXTREME4 (which is better?)

SSD: http://www.samsung.com/us/computer/memory-storage/MZ-7PD128BW (does this support Trim? )

CPU: INTEL CORE I5-4670K 3.40GHZ LGA1150 OR INTEL CORE I7-4770K 3.50GHZ LGA1150 (since I use my pc mostly for games...I believe i5 is enough...)

CPU cooler: coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo

what do u think? Pls suggest me more hardware if its better and at same price range...



Moved from Computer Help

Anandtech Moderator
KeithTalent

 

[Ketchup]

Hello rozdvd, you will probably get a better response to your question if you move your thread to General Hardware. You can ask a Mod directly or post the request in Moderator Discussion.

 

[rozdvd]

anyone?

 

[Termie]

Case: That's a personal choice. The one you picked is pretty gamer-oriented in its exterior design, but if you like it, go with it. Seems to have a fine layout.

Motherboard: The MSI Gaming is better than either the Pro3 or Pro4, especially the Pro3. It's very similar to the Extreme4, not quite as full-featured. Among the ones you picked, only the MSI Gaming and Extreme4 can support two video cards at full x8 bandwidth. If you don't care about that, the Pro4 would be a great choice as long as it's significantly cheaper for you. If you want that feature, go with whichever is cheaper: MSI Gaming or ASRock Extreme4.

SSD : good, and yes, it supports TRIM, as does any drive on the market today.

CPU: go with 4670K. The Hyper 212 Evo is a good pick for the cooler.

 

[Ketchup]

With those open sides on the case, I think that MSI board would look really good, especially if you aren't using all those fans. I don't care for side fans as the tend to generate a good but of noise, and disrupt the airflow of the rest of the case (meaning they probably won't even reach the parts).

 

[Ken g6]

I'm curious, if you already have a 7870 and 8GB RAM, what other parts are you upgrading from?

 

[Sleepingforest]

Those are fine upgrades, but they won't help you at all if your old processor was good enough (most $150 processors and up from 2010 and later fit into this category) and you're looking to get better gaming performance.

I suppose the question is: what do you want out of this upgrade: better gaming performance, a better all around computing experience, or better performance in a specific application (Matlab, Photoshop, etc)? And what are your current parts?

 

[rozdvd]

Those are fine upgrades, but they won't help you at all if your old processor was good enough (most $150 processors and up from 2010 and later fit into this category) and you're looking to get better gaming performance.

I suppose the question is: what do you want out of this upgrade: better gaming performance, a better all around computing experience, or better performance in a specific application (Matlab, Photoshop, etc)? And what are your current parts?

mostly better gaming perfomance...
my current parts are amd phenom ii 1055 x6 core
sapphire 7870XT (recently bought)
ram 8GB 1333mh
MSI 770-C45

 

[Sleepingforest]

In that case, your budget is almost certainly better put into the video card, followed by an SSD. Buying a new processor won't make a huge difference, particularly since your current processor can be overclocked. I'd get the cooler though. I know that getting a new video card so soon after just buying one feels like you're just wasting the past purchase, but that is honestly where most of the performance will come from.

Where are you located in Europe? Amazon.de has a 256GB SSD, GTX 770, and an excellent AM3+ cooler for under 600 euros total.

 

[Termie]

I disagree. He'll be bottle-necked very quickly on that CPU with any more GPU power. It will take a big overclock to overcome that.

The truth is that his current rig is very well-balanced. To get better gaming performance, he really needs to upgrade both the CPU and GPU.

 

[Sleepingforest]

In that case, he can probably get a 7970, SSD, cooler, and an AMD 8xxx CPU on that budget:

From Amazon.de
CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Scythe SCKTN-4000 55.5 CFM CPU Cooler
Storage: Samsung 840 Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 3GB Video Card
Total: €643.44
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-08-21 22:29 CEST+0200)

Upon further reflection, that motherboard is pretty outdated. This is only one option, and if you really want to replace the motherboard, there are other possibilities.

 

[rozdvd]

i am planning to change the gpu soon...but not now...i am waiting for the new amd series and im going to sell my 7870 too...till then ill have money to buy a better gpu...

 

[birthdaymonkey]

Your GPU is not too shabby. A 7870XT is actually a Tahiti LE chip, so only a bit slower than a 7950 per clock. You'd be looking at a ~15% increase in GPU performance going up to a 7970 (assuming both cards overclock to roughly the same speed, which they probably would). Not worth the loss you'd take selling the card, and probably not even necessary if you're gaming at 1080p or lower.

I think the upgrade to a modern Intel platform makes a lot of sense. Based on personal preference, I'd get an MSI Gaming board over an ASRock. Get the cheaper i5, and throw in an SSD for a well-rounded upgrade.

 

[Ketchup]

mostly better gaming perfomance...
my current parts are amd phenom ii 1055 x6 core
sapphire 7870XT (recently bought)
ram 8GB 1333mh
MSI 770-C45

When you same "gaming performance" are you talking about slow loads, or having to turn down eye candy for frame rates?

If the latter, what screen do you have, and are you running something like FRAPS to give you some numbers?

The more specific you are here, the better an answer you are going to get.

 

[rozdvd]

When you same "gaming performance" are you talking about slow loads, or having to turn down eye candy for frame rates?

If the latter, what screen do you have, and are you running something like FRAPS to give you some numbers?

The more specific you are here, the better an answer you are going to get.

sorry for the delayed reply.... i am watching fps through afterburner... im using a 22' monitor and playing at 1920X1080... I just want my fps to be over 30....

 

[Ketchup]

I think you have a good plan going here rozdvd. Considering the age of the other hardware, I think you might see a nice boost, with the same video card you have now. I think this page will show show you thy type of increase (in percentage, not the actual numbers, they were using a 5870) to expect.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/5771/the-intel-ivy-bridge-core-i7-3770k-review/7

 

[mfenn]

sorry for the delayed reply.... i am watching fps through afterburner... im using a 22' monitor and playing at 1920X1080... I just want my fps to be over 30....

Which games? Also, watch your CPU usage while the game is running. If no core is pegged at 100%, you won't get much benefit from upgrading the CPU.

 

[rozdvd]

Which games? Also, watch your CPU usage while the game is running. If no core is pegged at 100%, you won't get much benefit from upgrading the CPU.

ive noticed sometimes it goes 100%...recently at Splinter cell Blacklist... i give this means it bottlenecks my gpu?

 

[mfenn]

Yeah, if you notice that the periods of slowness correlate to the CPU being at 100% then your CPU is the bottleneck.