2019 update - looking to treat my 2011 system to a few upgrades (requesting recommendations)

[triman247]

In 2015 I made a similar post looking for recommendations on upgrading my system and general feedback was that the 2011 components were still pretty good.

My PSU recently melted at one of my HDD connection points and while I am replacing the PSU and the tower itself, I'm wondering if now is the time to upgrade other components in my system but I’m not sure what to upgrade. ORIGINAL THREAD HERE

Approximate Purchase Date: Aug 2011, replaced graphics card Dec 2017. See below for list of components.

Budget Range: $500-750 all-in. I always cash in rebates.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming > Watching movies/tv through HDMI to TV > Excel > cruising the internet.

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: RAM?, Motherboard?, CPU?. Ensure 2011 650W power supply is sufficient for any upgrades.

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg and Amazon

Location: San Francisco USA

Parts Preferences: Had good luck with Intel CPU, Corsair power supply, G Skill RAM, and Asus Mobo over the years.

Overclocking: Not currently but would be interested in learning more

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

I try to reformat once a year or so.

Software/games - I'd like to keep playing most new games at max (or close to) graphics especially battlefield v as a benchmark.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I have some money to spend and use this computer almost every day. Would like to treat my computer to an upgrade to keep it at a good performance level for current and future games.

Include a list of any parts you have already selected with descriptively labeled links for parts:

CASE: NZXT H500i - Compact ATX Mid-Tower PC Gaming Case
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C3STSDB/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

MOTHERBOARD: ASUS P8Z68-V PRO LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131730&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=11552995&PID=6361382&SID=tomshardware-2385559205262155839
PSU: EVGA Supernova 750 G3 PSU
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005BE058W/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

GPU: MSI GeForce GTX 1060 DirectX 12 GTX 1060 3GT OC 3GB 192-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready ATX Video Card
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814137037

CPU: Intel Core i7-2600 Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I72600
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115070&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=11552995&PID=6361382&SID=tomshardware-6517927024757104272

RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 2133 (PC3 17000) Desktop Memory Model F3-17000CL11D-8GBXL
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231468&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=11552995&PID=6361382&SID=tomshardware-5357635103428430932
COOLER MASTER Hyper N 520 RR-920-N520-GP 92mm Sleeve CPU Cooler Intel Core i7 compatible
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103057&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=11552995&PID=6361382&SID=tomshardware-8748470333777118536

Thank you very much for reading. Happy to entertain any suggestions or recommendations you might have.

 

[jankerson]

You can build a new machine with the latest parts for that.

 

[feelinfroggy777]

Sounds like you need a new platform. The AMD 2600 is a solid CPU that is a good price. Pair it with a b450 mobo and 16gb of 3200mhz RAM and you will have a good start. You should also get a SSD. Pricing has gone way down and it is a quality of life upgrade that you cant go without in 2019.

The NZXT h500i is a good case and the EVGA G3 is a great PSU. But you dont need a 750 watt PSU. A good 550 watt PSU will be more than enough. Hardware has gotten a lot more efficient over the years.

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ngtGnH
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ngtGnH/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($164.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI - B450 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard ($110.37 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($76.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $472.33
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-01-04 15:19 EST-0500

 

[SgtScream]

My suggestion would be a platform upgrade now. Wait another year or two using the gtx 1060 and then upgrade the graphics card and monitor:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 2700X 3.7 GHz 8-Core Processor ($309.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus - ROG Crosshair VII Hero ATX AM4 Motherboard ($254.91 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $754.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-01-04 15:23 EST-0500

Correct me if i'm wrong, but you should be able to reuse all of the other components. Just make sure you format and reload your SSD.

 

[triman247]

Sounds like you need a new platform. The AMD 2600 is a solid CPU that is a good price. Pair it with a b450 mobo and 16gb of 3200mhz RAM and you will have a good start. You should also get a SSD. Pricing has gone way down and it is a quality of life upgrade that you cant go without in 2019.

The NZXT h500i is a good case and the EVGA G3 is a great PSU. But you dont need a 750 watt PSU. A good 550 watt PSU will be more than enough. Hardware has gotten a lot more efficient over the years.

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ngtGnH
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ngtGnH/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($164.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI - B450 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard ($110.37 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($76.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $472.33
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-01-04 15:19 EST-0500

I do already have 3 SSDs of various generations for games and windows and agree that has been a huge improvement over HDDs.

Cool suggestions, for my learning benefit, how will my experience improve by upgrading MOBO, CPU, and RAM? I generally upgrade the GPU every few years and I'm trying to understand what it will feel like to have a brand new platform and where I will notice improvements over the current build.

Similarly - are there limitations to the new components I could theoretically bolt into my existing MOBO and have them be compatible?

 

[triman247]

My suggestion would be a platform upgrade now. Wait another year or two using the gtx 1060 and then upgrade the graphics card and monitor:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 2700X 3.7 GHz 8-Core Processor ($309.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus - ROG Crosshair VII Hero ATX AM4 Motherboard ($254.91 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $754.89
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-01-04 15:23 EST-0500

Correct me if i'm wrong, but you should be able to reuse all of the other components. Just make sure you format and reload your SSD.

Interesting point on the SSD. Do you mean that if I upgrade the MOBO/CPU/RAM I will need to perform a full reformat of the Windows drive on my computer? I have a few large 6-8TB HDDs with pictures and files and movies on them, can those stay un-formatted and still be compatible with my system when I upgrade the components? The system will still recognize those drives after I reformat the SSD?

For my learning benefit, how will my experience improve by upgrading MOBO, CPU, and RAM? I generally upgrade the GPU every few years and I'm trying to understand what it will feel like to have a brand new platform and where I will notice improvements over the current build. What future benefits will I experience by upgrading the platform now as opposed to staying on the 2011 platform?

 

[SgtScream]

No definitely back up & reformat, but you only have to do this to your system drive. You're going to be paying way too much money to risk performance issues due to driver instability. That defeats the whole purpose of the upgrade. My thoughts are you're only gaming at 1080p and you have a modern 1000 series gpu allready, so get a little more life out of your graphics card. Then do a graphics card & 1440p monitor upgrade in the future. Triple A titles are very processor demanding, so yes you'll notice a smoother game play experience and the extra cores/ threads will give you longevity as games have started to shift prioritization towards multi-core performance. You're going from a 2nd gen Intel to a current gen ddr4 Ryzen platform so yes, you'll notice a difference. Just make sure your system drive is solid-state. HOWEVER, if you're getting adequate performance out of your current system now, disregard because it's all relative to the person. But I think you're posting for a reason.

 

[feelinfroggy777]

Sounds like you need a new platform. The AMD 2600 is a solid CPU that is a good price. Pair it with a b450 mobo and 16gb of 3200mhz RAM and you will have a good start. You should also get a SSD. Pricing has gone way down and it is a quality of life upgrade that you cant go without in 2019.

The NZXT h500i is a good case and the EVGA G3 is a great PSU. But you dont need a 750 watt PSU. A good 550 watt PSU will be more than enough. Hardware has gotten a lot more efficient over the years.

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ngtGnH
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ngtGnH/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($164.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI - B450 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard ($110.37 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($76.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $472.33
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-01-04 15:19 EST-0500

I do already have 3 SSDs of various generations for games and windows and agree that has been a huge improvement over HDDs.

Cool suggestions, for my learning benefit, how will my experience improve by upgrading MOBO, CPU, and RAM? I generally upgrade the GPU every few years and I'm trying to understand what it will feel like to have a brand new platform and where I will notice improvements over the current build.

Similarly - are there limitations to the new components I could theoretically bolt into my existing MOBO and have them be compatible?

The R5 2600 will get about 50% better performance than the i7 2600, which will be a solid boost in performance.

https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-2600-vs-AMD-Ryzen-5-2600/620vs3955

Typically upgrading your GPU every couple of years is about right. The CPU does not need to be upgraded as often because the performance boost has been stagnant over the past few years. But your i7 is getting a little long in the tooth and it is good time to get into a new CPU now that AMD and Intel are starting to compete.

No, you need a new platform. Your CPU, Mobo, and RAM is too old for any modern hardware. You will be able to use the SSD, GPU, etc. I would suggest selling your old CPU/mobo/RAM or throwing it into another system.

 

[triman247]

Sounds like you need a new platform. The AMD 2600 is a solid CPU that is a good price. Pair it with a b450 mobo and 16gb of 3200mhz RAM and you will have a good start. You should also get a SSD. Pricing has gone way down and it is a quality of life upgrade that you cant go without in 2019.

The NZXT h500i is a good case and the EVGA G3 is a great PSU. But you dont need a 750 watt PSU. A good 550 watt PSU will be more than enough. Hardware has gotten a lot more efficient over the years.

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ngtGnH
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ngtGnH/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($164.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI - B450 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard ($110.37 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung - 860 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($76.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $472.33
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-01-04 15:19 EST-0500

I do already have 3 SSDs of various generations for games and windows and agree that has been a huge improvement over HDDs.

Cool suggestions, for my learning benefit, how will my experience improve by upgrading MOBO, CPU, and RAM? I generally upgrade the GPU every few years and I'm trying to understand what it will feel like to have a brand new platform and where I will notice improvements over the current build.

Similarly - are there limitations to the new components I could theoretically bolt into my existing MOBO and have them be compatible?

The R5 2600 will get about 50% better performance than the i7 2600, which will be a solid boost in performance.

https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-2600-vs-AMD-Ryzen-5-2600/620vs3955

Typically upgrading your GPU every couple of years is about right. The CPU does not need to be upgraded as often because the performance boost has been stagnant over the past few years. But your i7 is getting a little long in the tooth and it is good time to get into a new CPU now that AMD and Intel are starting to compete.

No, you need a new platform. Your CPU, Mobo, and RAM is too old for any modern hardware. You will be able to use the SSD, GPU, etc. I would suggest selling your old CPU/mobo/RAM or throwing it into another system.

Cool thank you very much for the recommendations and assistance. I'll shop around for some of the components you recommended. Appreciate the help