Question Time to upgrade my x58 build from 2009?

[In2Photos]

I built my current PC in February of 2009. It has had a couple of upgrades over the years, but I want to build a new one. The current system is:

i7-920 OC'ed to 3.6GHz
MSI x58 Pro
24GB 1333 RAM
GTX 1660 Super (Got this right before GPU pricing went nuts)
500GB SSD Boot drive
750 GB HDD for games
640 GB HDD for photos
Corsair 650W PSU
CoolerMaster RC590 case
3-24 inch AOC 1080p 144 HZ monitors

I use this for photo editing, (Lightroom and Photoshop Elements), although not as much as I used to, and some gaming with my kids (Fortnite, Valorant, Minecraft, etc.) although I might start playing some other games on my own. This computer also folds 24/7 when I'm not using it.

Like everyone else I hate the fact that parts are not only hard to come by, but also ridiculously priced. Unfortunately, I don't believe this problem is going away any time soon. So if I wait any longer it might be another 1-2 years before things settle down. But I might be willing to wait a few months if that gets me any where. As evidenced by my current rig I plan to use it for a while so value is important to me.

So I'm leaning towards Intel, but not opposed to AMD, I've built both and still have an Athlon machine running UnRAID. Z690 boards are pricey, maybe wait for H/B series boards? 12700 or 12600? It looks like DDR4 is the value choice right now but I might be giving up performance as DDR5 improves, but maybe that requires a board upgrade anyway? I like the look of all 4 RAM slots occupied and am thinking of going with 32GB. Thoughts on 2x16 vs 4x8?

Due to GPU prices I will probably stick with my 1660 super until prices come down to Earth. In a perfect world I would probably look at a 3060Ti or 3070.

500GB OK for a boot drive? My current SSD has about 350GB of space left since I have my photos and games on separate drives. I would probably go NVME for boot, but NVME or SSD for the photo and games drive or stick with the HDD?

AIO or air cooler for long term use? I intend to have some RGB in this build and I like the look of an AIO, but I still want reliability long term.

For case I'm leaning towards some version of the Lian Li 011 and I'll use a Corsair or Seasonic PSU most likely. Corsair hasn't let me down yet.

Thanks for your thoughts. I'll wait for specific parts until I get closer to pulling the trigger.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

The 12700K is a great choice for photo editing and having a long service life, like your last system did.

I would go with 2x16GB as it is easier to add more later. DDR4 v DDR5 is a win for DDR4 at the moment. Due to pricing and availability of DDR5, and supporting boards, right now. If you can get fast DDR5 and a good board, when you are ready to build, for a fair price, then it may be worth it.

No reason not to go all solid state on the storage; higher performance with less power, heat, and noise. What's not to like?

Definitely stick with the 1660 super until if/when sanity returns to the market.

I went back to all air cooling. Despite the anecdotes by others about not having any issues over the years, that has not been my experience. I have had AIOs from CoolerMaster and Corsair suffer pump failure. No leaks fortunately, and it is also far less common with new designs anyways. But still a potentially catastrophic failure air coolers don't experience. When long term reliability is a specified requirement, air cooling is the best pick.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I went back to all air cooling. Despite the anecdotes by others about not having any issues over the years, that has not been my experience. I have had AIOs from CoolerMaster and Corsair suffer pump failure. No leaks fortunately, and it is also far less common with new designs anyways. But still a potentially catastrophic failure air coolers don't experience. When long term reliability is a specified requirement, air cooling is the best pick.

I've been debating this point myself recently, for a re-build of my main rig. I've been using a CoolerMaster MasterLiquid Lite 240 (OG white LED model), which was one of the first AIOs on the market with included AM4 brackets, so naturally I went with that one.

It's been performant and reliable, thus far, but I too worry about eventual wear and failure.

And my main PC does lock up/reboot once in a while. Moreso if I'm mining on the CPU. (5900X in a B450-F ROG STRIX ATX mobo.)

 

[BTRY B 529th FA BN]

What did you decide on ?

Still have an old X58 rig doing backups.. also a Q9650 platform too ,, that's just waiting to be used..

 

[In2Photos]

What did you decide on ?

Still have an old X58 rig doing backups.. also a Q9650 platform too ,, that's just waiting to be used..

I have decided to see what AMD brings with AM5 later this year and hoping that GPU prices and availability improve.

 

[Collider]

I'm in a similar situation, also have x58 build that I've upgraded to the max over the years (see signature). I love this platform and can't believe it allowed me to keep it fully functional for my workloads for 12+ years.

As @In2Photos said, if you can afford to wait for AM5, it might be worth it since AMD is promising same lifetime as AM4 socket - meaning you will be able to upgrade the CPU a few years later and reuse the rest of your build. AMD sockets have longer lifespan, Intel's change every 2 CPU releases. Also around that time Intel should release Raptor Lake and Sapphire Rapids, plus DDR5 will mature by then - basically you'll have a lot more options.

If you choose to wait, an easy $15 upgrade CPU from eBay (Xeon X5675) will give you 50% more cores (+2 cores) and about 50-60% more frequency if you're willing to overclock. All in all you will double your current performance just for $15. These Xeons are overclock monsters and most easily reach 4GHz on auto voltage, all you have to do is increase the multiplier (but pl. research your motherboard first). Here's an ebay link for the CPU as an example.

As for price increases I really can't comment, inflation is here. But at the same time maybe chip shortage will ease up by then, who knows.

Hope this helps.