PC upgrade or new build?

[dc4517]

I have a build from 2010. As you can see from my signature below, it's rather old with the key specs being an i5-760 and Radeon HD 6850. I was thinking of just updating the GPU, but I think the biggest issue I have is that my motherboard isn't 6 Gbps SATA, it's 3 Gbps SATA. Is it worth just updating the GPU? Or should I go for an all new build? I was reading in another thread that some new GPUs will be coming out shortly, so should I factor that timing and wait?

In terms of what I use it for, in addition to general web browsing and email, I play a few games like Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2. I've noticed lately that I've had to lower graphics settings to get smoother performance from ultra to high, sometimes medium. That happened when I did the Win 7 to Win 10 upgrade. I probably should do a fresh Win 10 install to see whether that might clean out the gunk. But figured I'd do that if I get a new GPU or build a new rig.

The question now is which option and is now a good time to do so.

Thanks in advance for your responses.

 

[Tidekilla115]

If it was me I'd start collecting parts for a new build as you find good deals and wait for the new graphics cards to come out this knocking current cards down in price, but I've only been into pc gaming for a few months so their is probably some own with a better answer but anyway good luck and I hope this helped.

 

[Ken g6]

Have you tried overclocking that i5 yet?

 

[vexet]

Firstly I would overclock the i5, if you don't feel comfortable overclocking, then simply don't. Honestly your setup is getting old, and I think you should upgrade.

 

[monkeydelmagico]

What resolution are you running?

Diablo 3 and SC2 should run fine on your current box

 

[dc4517]

Firstly I would overclock the i5, if you don't feel comfortable overclocking, then simply don't. Honestly your setup is getting old, and I think you should upgrade.

I haven't overclocked it. Not something I've done before. I guess it's something I can research and see how much time I have to spend on it.

 

[dc4517]

What resolution are you running?

Diablo 3 and SC2 should run fine on your current box

1920x1080 on a 24-inch monitor. D3 and SC2 run fine, but not in ultra like it used to. I have them at medium right now. At high or ultra, there's a lot of fan noise and some frame drop.

 

[Termie]

You just need a new GPU at this point. If your games used to run on ultra, but now run at medium, that suggests that the cooler on your GPU may be failing, or at least it's getting louder which is forcing you to drop details to keep it quiet.

The SATA bus speed is not a major factor at all. Slightly handicaps your 840 Evo, but not a critical feature.

 

[dc4517]

If it was me I'd start collecting parts for a new build as you find good deals and wait for the new graphics cards to come out this knocking current cards down in price, but I've only been into pc gaming for a few months so their is probably some own with a better answer but anyway good luck and I hope this helped.

I'm leaning in this direction. I guess I was doing a sanity check in case there was one thing that I could do that would be a small investment, but really improve game performance (e.g. GPU). I could maybe just update the GPU to current generation, and if that doesn't cut it, then buy the rest of the rig.

Does anyone know the timing on the next gen GPUs coming out?

And how big of an issue is that my MB is 3 Gbps SATA and not 6 Gbps?

 

[dc4517]

You just need a new GPU at this point. If your games used to run on ultra, but now run at medium, that suggests that the cooler on your GPU may be failing, or at least it's getting louder which is forcing you to drop details to keep it quiet.

The SATA bus speed is not a major factor at all. Slightly handicaps your 840 Evo, but not a critical feature.

Looks like we were typing at the same time. You just answered the key questions I had on my most recent post.

Should I wait for the next gen GPUs?

 

[Termie]

Looks like we were typing at the same time. You just answered the key questions I had on my most recent post.

Should I wait for the next gen GPUs?

Next gen GPUs may hit July, although it's just a rumor right now. What's your budget? Something like an R9 380 4GB would be a huge upgrade (twice as fast) and can be had for around $180AR. You won't see new cards coming out at that pricepoint, and at best, we'll see $20 drops on existing cards. There's been very little movement in the $150-$200 market since 2013.

I'd say it's not worth waiting three months if you're not happy with your existing setup, as you don't need unreleased GPUs to run your games perfectly.

 

[dc4517]

Next gen GPUs may hit July, although it's just a rumor right now. What's your budget? Something like an R9 380 4GB would be a huge upgrade (twice as fast) and can be had for around $180AR. You won't see new cards coming out at that pricepoint, and at best, we'll see $20 drops on existing cards. There's been very little movement in the $150-$200 market since 2013.

I'd say it's not worth waiting three months if you're not happy with your existing setup, as you don't need unreleased GPUs to run your games perfectly.

Thanks for the feedback. My budget for just a GPU is around $200 +/-30. I did some reading on Anandtech and I particularly liked this chart: http://images.anandtech.com/doci/9801/380X_9.jpg. Given I have a 1080 monitor, the R9 380 sounds about right.

I did forget to mention that I was playing Dragon Age Inquisition at one point, and I had to really lower my settings to get the game to play smoothly. I assume that with a R9 380, I would be fine as well, yes? I was wondering whether to go up to a R9 380X, which looks to be about $220.

Finally, one other consideration. My MB only has PCI Express 2.0 x 16. Is that a breaking point on whether to just build a new rig?

 

[Termie]

Your motherboard won't be an issue with this level of card. The 380X is 10% faster than the 380. Sometimes it goes on sale, so keep an eye out for that.