[SOLVED] Debating how much to spend/what to buy to upgrade my pc

Nov 12, 2019
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Hi everyone, my name's Tim and I've been debating upgrading or building a new PC since mine seems to be falling behind with performance nowadays.

I have the powerspec G313 from microcenter here are the specs:
  • Intel Core i5-6600K Processor 3.5GHz
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB GDDR5 VR Ready
  • 16GB RAM
  • 480GB SSD
  • Microsoft Windows 10 Home
  • Asus 24x DVDRW Drive
  • Multi-in-One Memory Card Reader
  • 10/100/1000 Network
  • 802.11b/g/n Wireless
  • MSI Z170A PC Mate Motherboard
I am not a professional streamer or anything but I love streaming whenever I have free time and have streamed 500+ hours so I would like to find a nice upgrade that'll make my streams lag-free and smooth even while playing graphic heavy games like COD: MW. I also do photography and enjoy some editing of videos on the side. I have a HTC Vive that I would also like to stream at times but that is the thing I'm least worried about with the computer even though it'd be a fun thing to be able to do. I know my computer can handle all of these things but it does drop frames sometimes even on easier games to run like League Of Legends.

I was looking into getting either an Ryzen 9 3900x or i9-9900ks and a 2070 super or better. I'm not very good with computers and it seems like that'd be a super big upgrade so I'm not sure if I'm going overkill with it or not. I'm not rich by any means so I don't want to spend way too much money on an upgrade that is unnecessary for what I need.

Thank you for any help you can offer, I figured this is a nice time to look for some parts since cyber Monday and Christmas sales are nearing.
 
Solution
Hi Tim, welcome to Tom's.

Well, you are at that weird point where you had a high end system when it was built. You are looking generally at the right upgrades, and that is just what it costs.

To get better GPU performance than the GTX1070 you are going to be looking at RTX2070 at least. RTX2060 would be similar performance to the GTX1070.

You have an overclockable CPU, so if you no longer have anything to lose, you might as well give that a go. Will give you a moderate boost in performance. 4.2-4.5Ghz is not outside the realm with that CPU and a decent CPU cooler.

Ryzen is cheaper for streaming, you get more CPU cores, and that will certainly help with things like editing and multitasking. Motherboards are generally cheaper as well...

Eximo

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Hi Tim, welcome to Tom's.

Well, you are at that weird point where you had a high end system when it was built. You are looking generally at the right upgrades, and that is just what it costs.

To get better GPU performance than the GTX1070 you are going to be looking at RTX2070 at least. RTX2060 would be similar performance to the GTX1070.

You have an overclockable CPU, so if you no longer have anything to lose, you might as well give that a go. Will give you a moderate boost in performance. 4.2-4.5Ghz is not outside the realm with that CPU and a decent CPU cooler.

Ryzen is cheaper for streaming, you get more CPU cores, and that will certainly help with things like editing and multitasking. Motherboards are generally cheaper as well.

3900x is probably a little extreme. 3700x is still 16 threads to your current four. So that will save you a bit and still give you a give performance boost.

9900k and 9900ks are the fastest Intel CPUs available at this price point, but they come with a high cost in cooling and motherboard expense. And you really want to be overclocking to get the most out of them, they are plenty fast, but paying for a capability and not using it is just a waste.

Now a lot of what you want depends a lot on your screen resolution and target FPS. You should already be doing quite well at 1080p. RTX2070 Super is going to put you easily in the 1440p 60hz territory with most games.

Only if you are after the highest FPS would Intel make the recommendation list at this point. Say 240 FPS at 1080p or 144FPS at 1440p.

If you want to make it easy. 3700x, X570 motherboard to ensure compatibility, and you can try keeping your memory, though it is likely slower then you want. 3200Mhz is best for Ryzen 3rd gen. So if you have 2133 or 2400, best to replace it. 2666 is borderline.
 
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Solution
Depends on your budget and what you really want to spend. If you are playing on 1080p resolution I would recommend keeping your current GPU and upgrading your CPU motherboard and RAM. See where you are pregnancy wise and evaluate if you think you need a new GPU now or is the upgrade good enough to hold you over for new GPUs with better performance for equal or less money.

Id recommend at least a 3700x, it will let you game AND stream nice and smooth. If you wanna spend big money for something that SHOULD last you 5 years or so, I’d get the 3900x. Gonna be a while before you see a 12 core stressed with games. 9900k is a great CPU, I own one, but if I was buying right now, it’s a 3900x on a X570 chipset to have that new tech just in case. Pcie 4.0 and wifi6 just in case you need them in the future. If you go intel though you can use your current RAM. If you go AMD I’d recommend DDR 3600mhz CAS 16, preferably GSKILL Trident NEO.
 
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Nov 12, 2019
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Ooh thank you both very much, both recommending the 3700x is great to know, I do have a 240hz monitor and that slipped my mind before posting this. I'm fine with spending around $1500 because I know I will use it every single day but i'd rather not spend that much unless I sell my current rig or at least pieces of it.
 
I'd say given your goals, a 3900X and 2070 Super are the way to go.

That said, the Powerspec G313 only comes with a 500w PSU. It also only states 500w and 40A combined 12v, where as the new 316 model with 2070 states 600w 80 Plus. Since it's common that such volume build houses use mediocre PSUs at best. I would advise upgrading your PSU as well.

The 2070 requires 550w total sys power vs 500 for the 1070, so I would step up to a 600-650w unit, and of good quality. Efficiency matters too, as it can determine whether you'll get GPU throttling or not, so I would advise a Gold rated model.

This is one of the better deals in PSUs I've seen lately, and yes, I did check what Microcenter had. Prices may get better on holiday sales though.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/prod..._electronics_focus_series_ssr_650fm_650w.html

I kinda went overkill with my PSU on my last build done 7 years ago. I went with a 850w even though 600w would have been plenty, since I was pondering eventual SLI. It's just a silver rated unit (XFX 850W Black Edition), but jonnyGURU testing reveled it's efficiency is Platinum level. It actually stays above 90% efficiency from zero to 100% load. Do I regret it, hell no, there's not many silver rated PSUs anymore, but this one's a gem. It scored a perfect 10/10 at jonnyGURU. John Gerow (AKA jonnyGURU) is now head of R&D at Corsair. I recently saw a video of him talking about his new SF750, which he claimed to have a rock solid, flat efficiency curve, but after comparing efficiency charts on both, it's efficiency is nowhere as good as mine, despite actually being Platinum rated. BTW, mine cost me about $135, his is $180. However much of the cost on the SF750 was making it very compact for small form factor builds.

My point in all the above, is it behooves one to become a bit of a tech junkie geek and learn how to read things like efficiency charts. it reveals a lot. Don't just go on Gold, etc ratings and review scores.
 
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I'd say given your goals, a 3900X and 2070 Super are the way to go.

That said, the Powerspec G313 only comes with a 500w PSU. It also only states 500w and 40A combined 12v, where as the new 316 model with 2070 states 600w 80 Plus. Since it's common that such volume build houses use mediocre PSUs at best. I would advise upgrading your PSU as well.

The 2070 requires 550w total sys power vs 500 for the 1070, so I would step up to a 600-650w unit, and of good quality. Efficiency matters too, as it can determine whether you'll get GPU throttling or not, so I would advise a Gold rated model.
Yeah I would advise the same with the PSU. I prefer Seasonic Focus Gold. As far as watts, depends where you are looking at going with a GPU. 650 is a decent amount and will be plenty for almost everyone. 750 doesn’t hurt if you don’t mind the small price jump and will handle any GPU you decide to get.
 
Thank you Frag I figured my PSU was one of the biggest things they cheaped out on when making it
No problem, PSUs are very important, especially in high end gaming builds when playing long sessions on demanding games.

BTW, when perusing MicroCenter's PSU stock, I noticed they do actually carry PowerSpec Gold rated units. Curious as to why PowerSpec doesn't spec those on builds with high end GPUs like the new 316 with 2070 (at least they don't refer to it as such). As I said, they only state 80 Plus on the PSU in the 316 build. That would leave one to believe yours isn't even 80 Plus rated.

80 Plus is really only White rated, not even Bronze. The PowerSpec 650w Gold I looked at is semi modular like the SeaSonic Focus I recommended, but is only about $7 less with a 2 yr less warranty. For all we know your unrated 500w could be no more than a $30 PSU