[SOLVED] Any Tips on How I Should Upgrade?

[rtward2015]

Hello,

So to preface this post - I understand that I'm not really in the position where I even need to upgrade my computer. However, I have been given excess funds and am basically only able to use them to upgrade my system within the next few months (long story...). That being said, I feel like any specific components I upgrade will provide little performance boost. However, I figured I'd reach out to see if anyone has any suggestions as to what I could upgrade? I have approximately $580 to spend. Most of what I do is gaming, but I do run some neuroimaging analyses through software, such as MATLAB.

My current system specs are:
Case: iBUYPOWER Tt View 21 2x Side Tempered Glass Gaming Case
Lighting: RGB LED Strip
CPU Cooling: iBUYPOWER 120mm RGB Liquid Cooling System
Motherboard: MSI Z390-A Pro
Processor: Intel Core i7 9700K
Memory: XPG Z1 16GB DDR4 3000Mhz
Video Card: MSI Ventus GeForce® RTX 2070 – 8GB
Power Supply: Thermaltake 600 Watt – SMART Series 80 PLUS Gold
Solid State Drive: 240 GB Western Digital Green SSD (OS Drive)
Solid State Drive #2: 2 TB Samsung 860 EVO
Hard Drive: 1TB Western Digital Blue Drive 7200RPM (Storage)
WI-FI: Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168
Wireless Adapter Card
Ethernet: Intel(R) I219-V (Onboard)
OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Home

I was thinking of upgrading the RAM given the secondary tasks I use this system for. But other than that, I'm at a loss. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Archaic59]

Hello,

So to preface this post - I understand that I'm not really in the position where I even need to upgrade my computer. However, I have been given excess funds and am basically only able to use them to upgrade my system within the next few months (long story...). That being said, I feel like any specific components I upgrade will provide little performance boost. However, I figured I'd reach out to see if anyone has any suggestions as to what I could upgrade? I have approximately $580 to spend. Most of what I do is gaming, but I do run some neuroimaging analyses through software, such as MATLAB.

My current system specs are:
Case: iBUYPOWER Tt View 21 2x Side Tempered Glass Gaming Case
Lighting: RGB LED Strip
CPU Cooling: iBUYPOWER 120mm RGB Liquid Cooling System
Motherboard: MSI Z390-A Pro
Processor: Intel Core i7 9700K
Memory: XPG Z1 16GB DDR4 3000Mhz
Video Card: MSI Ventus GeForce® RTX 2070 – 8GB
Power Supply: Thermaltake 600 Watt – SMART Series 80 PLUS Gold
Solid State Drive: 240 GB Western Digital Green SSD (OS Drive)
Solid State Drive #2: 2 TB Samsung 860 EVO
Hard Drive: 1TB Western Digital Blue Drive 7200RPM (Storage)
WI-FI: Intel(R) Dual Band Wireless-AC 3168
Wireless Adapter Card
Ethernet: Intel(R) I219-V (Onboard)
OS: Microsoft Windows 10 Home

I was thinking of upgrading the RAM given the secondary tasks I use this system for. But other than that, I'm at a loss. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I looked up the system requirements for MATLAB and they are really weak. You far exceed what that software needs already. Low points in your build as I see it are the CPU cooler and power supply. A 240mm-280mm AIO would be a better choice for the 9700k. Your power supply is not the best but not the worst either. If it was me I'd change it to a higher quality brand/model but it's not totally necessary if it's working ok. I don't really see a need to upgrade ram considering your use for the system.

Neither of my recommendations will increase performance per se, but both should increase system reliability and longevity. In case you ask, I'd recommend Corsair RM650x Gold or Super Flower Leadex III Gold 650W power supplies. I'm no expert at AIO coolers so I'll leave that for someone else.

 

[geofelt]

My brother in law runs matlab.
We are always discussing how to make it go better.
It seems to be very single threaded.
Your 9700K is excellent for that.
Perhaps you can overclock it a bit.
As of 2/6/2019
What percent can get an overclock at a somewhat sane Vcore in the 1.337 to 1.375 range.
And AVX offset = 2.

I7-9700K

5.2 10%
5.1 35%
5.0 78%
4.9 100%

Have you considered buying a larger/higher resolution monitor?
Perhaps a wide one which can be very immersive for gaming.
Like this:
https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16824012017

 

[Karadjgne]

140w cooler on a cpu that can hit 200w with a simple locked core turbo OC.

TT Smart are 1 step away from garbage, their crap quality is the only thing reliable about them.

Ram default speeds is 2666MHz, you are at 3000MHz and unless you run anything ram intensive like VM's 16Gb is fine, 32Gb wouldn't hurt though.

There's things you can rectify, I'd not call them upgrades as much as fixes. Ibuypower, cyberpower pc and other boutique 3rd party vendors will build a pc that might look sweet on paper, riddled with fancy sounding equipment like liquid cooling and Smart psus, but reality falls somewhat short.

 

[rtward2015]

Hey everyone,

Thank you all for the quick response and input! So just a few responses based on everything suggestion.

1. I should probably clarify a bit more about my MATLAB uses. It is true that the software requirements for it are minimal. However, much of what I do involved pre-processing neuroimaging data through toolboxes (e.g., EEGLAB/ERPLAB) or custom scripts. Sometimes, this involves running more complex support vector machine learning algorithms. Nonetheless, I've run these on my less powerful laptop and was able to do them just fine, so I assume this will be no issue with my system here as well.

2. I actually prefer 1080p for my monitor. Not sure why, but I'm not too big on going above that resolution for the time being.

3. I never really have any issues with heat/ventilation with my cooler, but there are times it does feel a bit warm. So if I have the money, I guess upgrading that cooler to a 240mm-280mm AIO is worth it.

4. In terms of power supply unit suggestions, is there any preference/support for one over the other (Corsair RM650x Gold versus the Flower Leadex III Gold 650W)?

5. Depending on the price of a new cooling unit and power supply, I may also just upgrade the RAM.

Thanks again for the suggestions, all! I'll be on the lookout for sales/prices for these components. On a side note, I just wanted to say that the support this site/forum provides has always been stellar, and I really appreciate all of the help.

 

[Archaic59]

Hey everyone,

Thank you all for the quick response and input! So just a few responses based on everything suggestion.

1. I should probably clarify a bit more about my MATLAB uses. It is true that the software requirements for it are minimal. However, much of what I do involved pre-processing neuroimaging data through toolboxes (e.g., EEGLAB/ERPLAB) or custom scripts. Sometimes, this involves running more complex support vector machine learning algorithms. Nonetheless, I've run these on my less powerful laptop and was able to do them just fine, so I assume this will be no issue with my system here as well.

2. I actually prefer 1080p for my monitor. Not sure why, but I'm not too big on going above that resolution for the time being.

3. I never really have any issues with heat/ventilation with my cooler, but there are times it does feel a bit warm. So if I have the money, I guess upgrading that cooler to a 240mm-280mm AIO is worth it.

4. In terms of power supply unit suggestions, is there any preference/support for one over the other (Corsair RM650x Gold versus the Flower Leadex III Gold 650W)?

5. Depending on the price of a new cooling unit and power supply, I may also just upgrade the RAM.

Thanks again for the suggestions, all! I'll be on the lookout for sales/prices for these components. On a side note, I just wanted to say that the support this site/forum provides has always been stellar, and I really appreciate all of the help.

Both the power supply models I listed are excellent quality. The Corsair may run a bit more on the quiet side by a few decibels but that's about it. You can't go wrong with either one.

Here's an interesting cooler from Arctic. It even has a little fan to help cool motherboard VRM. Check cooler support for your iBuypower case model before buying any new cooler to make sure it will fit.
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/c4...-ii-240-563-cfm-liquid-cpu-cooler-acfre00046a

 

[hang-the-9]

Getting a 27" 1440 or a 4k screen will make running things a lot easier with the amount of extra space for windows and visible program information it will give. Or a second 1080 screen.

 

[geofelt]

I am not a fan of liquid coolers if the case has room for a good air cooler.
If you want a better cooler and have 160mm height available for one, buy a good twin tower air cooler like the Noctua NH-D15s or the DRP4 PRO.
They will cool just as well as a 240mm aio.
They will cost less, be quieter, more reliable, and will not leak.
But, if you are not having heat problems now, why fix a problem you do not have.

If your main use is for gaming, upgrade your graphics card.

 

[rtward2015]

I looked up the system requirements for MATLAB and they are really weak. You far exceed what that software needs already. Low points in your build as I see it are the CPU cooler and power supply. A 240mm-280mm AIO would be a better choice for the 9700k. Your power supply is not the best but not the worst either. If it was me I'd change it to a higher quality brand/model but it's not totally necessary if it's working ok. I don't really see a need to upgrade ram considering your use for the system.

Neither of my recommendations will increase performance per se, but both should increase system reliability and longevity. In case you ask, I'd recommend Corsair RM650x Gold or Super Flower Leadex III Gold 650W power supplies. I'm no expert at AIO coolers so I'll leave that for someone else.

It looks like the rear (where the current 120mm cooler is) only supports up to 120mm. But the front supports 1x360mm and 1x280mm. Most of the components are near the rear, with ample spacing in the front. I wonder if it is even worth adding a cooler to the front given this?

 

[rickypicky5]

Both the power supply models I listed are excellent quality. The Corsair may run a bit more on the quiet side by a few decibels but that's about it. You can't go wrong with either one.

Here's an interesting cooler from Arctic. It even has a little fan to help cool motherboard VRM. Check cooler support for your iBuypower case model before buying any new cooler to make sure it will fit.
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/c4...-ii-240-563-cfm-liquid-cpu-cooler-acfre00046a

I have that cooler and it's working good for me. Idle temps low to mid 20s, gaming temps mid 60s.

 

[Archaic59]

It looks like the rear (where the current 120mm cooler is) only supports up to 120mm. But the front supports 1x360mm and 1x280mm. Most of the components are near the rear, with ample spacing in the front. I wonder if it is even worth adding a cooler to the front given this?

Probably not. If it had support on the top it might be worth it, but probably better to continue with what you have now.