[SOLVED] Few questions on upgrading my PC

[MrDominik]

Hi,
in early 2016 I built my PC: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/mKNxqp.
I was playing a lot of CSGO (lets say semi pro) and i never had any issues with my fps going bellow 144 (because i have a 144hz moonitor) but this year i switched to valorant and recently my fps is going down in fights to about 100.
So I would like to upgrade (lets say i would be buying in 2 or 3 months) but I see that buying a new GPU is not worth with these prices so I would go with a new CPU and motherboard. The new build would look like this: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Hm7Ggt.
But I have a few questions before i do anything.

1. Should I maybe wait for ryzen zen 4 and DDR5 or should I just gor for the upgrade?

2. Will I even get a FPS increase with this new upgrade or am I just waisting money and not getting performance out of it? (I was looking on YT and saw a guy get little under 400 fps in a valorant match with a 5600x and gtx 970 so I hope I would get at least a little under 300 fps)

3. Question about RAM. (I know its better 2x8 than 1x16 but it was a black friday deal). So I see a lot of people talking about ryzen scaling with ram, a lot of them have their ram on 3000, 3600, 4000mhz... As you can see mine is at 2133mhz so my question is will it even work with the CPU and motherboard and if it will, how much performance am I losing running a 2133 over a 3000 or more mhz ram?

4. As you can see on the new build i have few compatibility issues. a) Do I need to update the BIOS on this motherboard for the 5600x to work? b) Will the cooler fit on the new motherboard? c) Will the cooler fit in the case, max CPU cooler height for the case is 163mm and the CPU cooler height is 159mm but does motherboard and CPU height also matter?

5. My windows 10 is on my SSD, but I want fresh windows when I upgrade, so what is the best way to do it? Will my windows even work on the new components? (I dont really want to buy new windows if possible)

I think thats all the questions, I'm sorry for any writing errors and for the long post.
Any answer would be helpful, thanks in advance!

 

[Ash95]

You will 100% need new ram. Minimum 3200mhz. 3600CL16 is expensive, so 3200CL16 or 3600CL18 are better choices if you are on a budget.

The case you selected doesn’t look the best, but i can’t see the cooler not fitting.

What sort of budget do you have? Because a Tomahawk motherboard is what i could recommend and get yourself a gen 3 or maybe even 4 m.2 ssd. Tomahawk can also flash the bios, some places offer updated bios as an extra fee, but it really isn’t worth $10 as it takes a few minutes

 

[Zerk2012]

Hi,
in early 2016 I built my PC: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/mKNxqp.
I was playing a lot of CSGO (lets say semi pro) and i never had any issues with my fps going bellow 144 (because i have a 144hz moonitor) but this year i switched to valorant and recently my fps is going down in fights to about 100.
So I would like to upgrade (lets say i would be buying in 2 or 3 months) but I see that buying a new GPU is not worth with these prices so I would go with a new CPU and motherboard. The new build would look like this: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Hm7Ggt.
But I have a few questions before i do anything.

1. Should I maybe wait for ryzen zen 4 and DDR5 or should I just gor for the upgrade?

2. Will I even get a FPS increase with this new upgrade or am I just waisting money and not getting performance out of it? (I was looking on YT and saw a guy get little under 400 fps in a valorant match with a 5600x and gtx 970 so I hope I would get at least a little under 300 fps)

3. Question about RAM. (I know its better 2x8 than 1x16 but it was a black friday deal). So I see a lot of people talking about ryzen scaling with ram, a lot of them have their ram on 3000, 3600, 4000mhz... As you can see mine is at 2133mhz so my question is will it even work with the CPU and motherboard and if it will, how much performance am I losing running a 2133 over a 3000 or more mhz ram?

4. As you can see on the new build i have few compatibility issues. a) Do I need to update the BIOS on this motherboard for the 5600x to work? b) Will the cooler fit on the new motherboard? c) Will the cooler fit in the case, max CPU cooler height for the case is 163mm and the CPU cooler height is 159mm but does motherboard and CPU height also matter?

5. My windows 10 is on my SSD, but I want fresh windows when I upgrade, so what is the best way to do it? Will my windows even work on the new components? (I dont really want to buy new windows if possible)

I think thats all the questions, I'm sorry for any writing errors and for the long post.
Any answer would be helpful, thanks in advance!

Since you already have a case unless you just wish to buy a new one I would think these parts would be a must if I was upgrading.
Your going to probably need to find a AM4 backplate for the cooler, and I would add a SSD to load the games on.

You might need to update the BIOS it depends on the version the board comes with but that board can be updated without a processor.

PCPartPicker Part List

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor |-
Motherboard | MSI B550-A PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard | $139.99 @ Amazon
Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory | $104.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Samsung 860 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $59.99 @ Adorama
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $304.97
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-04-17 12:45 EDT-0400 |

 

[Bob.B]

Hi,
in early 2016 I built my PC: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/mKNxqp.
I was playing a lot of CSGO (lets say semi pro) and i never had any issues with my fps going bellow 144 (because i have a 144hz moonitor) but this year i switched to valorant and recently my fps is going down in fights to about 100.
So I would like to upgrade (lets say i would be buying in 2 or 3 months) but I see that buying a new GPU is not worth with these prices so I would go with a new CPU and motherboard. The new build would look like this: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Hm7Ggt.
But I have a few questions before i do anything.

1. Should I maybe wait for ryzen zen 4 and DDR5 or should I just gor for the upgrade?

2. Will I even get a FPS increase with this new upgrade or am I just waisting money and not getting performance out of it? (I was looking on YT and saw a guy get little under 400 fps in a valorant match with a 5600x and gtx 970 so I hope I would get at least a little under 300 fps)

3. Question about RAM. (I know its better 2x8 than 1x16 but it was a black friday deal). So I see a lot of people talking about ryzen scaling with ram, a lot of them have their ram on 3000, 3600, 4000mhz... As you can see mine is at 2133mhz so my question is will it even work with the CPU and motherboard and if it will, how much performance am I losing running a 2133 over a 3000 or more mhz ram?

4. As you can see on the new build i have few compatibility issues. a) Do I need to update the BIOS on this motherboard for the 5600x to work? b) Will the cooler fit on the new motherboard? c) Will the cooler fit in the case, max CPU cooler height for the case is 163mm and the CPU cooler height is 159mm but does motherboard and CPU height also matter?

5. My windows 10 is on my SSD, but I want fresh windows when I upgrade, so what is the best way to do it? Will my windows even work on the new components? (I dont really want to buy new windows if possible)

I think thats all the questions, I'm sorry for any writing errors and for the long post.
Any answer would be helpful, thanks in advance!

Start small.
Upgrade the ram to 2x8GB@3600.
https://www.crucial.com/compatible-upgrade-for/asus/z170-pro-gaming
Fit it in the proper slots for dual channel.
Power up and enter the bios.
Look for the ram section it might show what speed the ram is running at.
It might also show single or dual channel.
Don't be surprised if it shows 2133 that's ok.
Exit the bios and see if the machine will boot if so test.
If it test ok go back to the bios and enable xmp....test.

 

[MrDominik]

Start small.
Upgrade the ram to 2x8GB@3600.
https://www.crucial.com/compatible-upgrade-for/asus/z170-pro-gaming
Fit it in the proper slots for dual channel.
Power up and enter the bios.
Look for the ram section it might show what speed the ram is running at.
It might also show single or dual channel.
Don't be surprised if it shows 2133 that's ok.
Exit the bios and see if the machine will boot if so test.
If it test ok go back to the bios and enable xmp....test.

Good idea, will try. Do you think my current motherboard can support 3600mhz? On the Asus main page there is a pdf with supported RAM for my motherboard so does it support only those RAMs or can it also support other?

 

[MrDominik]

Since you already have a case unless you just wish to buy a new one I would think these parts would be a must if I was upgrading.
Your going to probably need to find a AM4 backplate for the cooler, and I would add a SSD to load the games on.

You might need to update the BIOS it depends on the version the board comes with but that board can be updated without a processor.

PCPartPicker Part List

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU | AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor |-
Motherboard | MSI B550-A PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard | $139.99 @ Amazon
Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory | $104.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Samsung 860 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $59.99 @ Adorama
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $304.97
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-04-17 12:45 EDT-0400 |

Where could I find the AM4 backplate?

 

[MrDominik]

You will 100% need new ram. Minimum 3200mhz. 3600CL16 is expensive, so 3200CL16 or 3600CL18 are better choices if you are on a budget.

The case you selected doesn’t look the best, but i can’t see the cooler not fitting.

What sort of budget do you have? Because a Tomahawk motherboard is what i could recommend and get yourself a gen 3 or maybe even 4 m.2 ssd. Tomahawk can also flash the bios, some places offer updated bios as an extra fee, but it really isn’t worth $10 as it takes a few minutes

I'm just trying to get as much performance as I can so I woudnt change the motherboard for a more expensive one. How much is the difference between these 3 RAMs (3200 16cl/3600 16cl/18cl)?

 

[Zerk2012]

I'm just trying to get as much performance as I can so I woudnt change the motherboard for a more expensive one. How much is the difference between these 3 RAMs (3200 16cl/3600 16cl/18cl)?

Their no reason to do that with that processor. The board you picked is fine and can update the BIOS if needed without a supported processor.
For the backplate Ebay usually has some or you could just buy the black edition of the cooler then sell your board, memory, processor, and cooler as a package deal.
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Hy...ck-edition-420-cfm-cpu-cooler-rr-212s-20pk-r1
EDIT I would buy the memory I listed.
Memory speed is good for performance 3200 16 is about the same as 3600 18 but the 3600 is just a bit better the 3600 cas 16 would be about the sweet spot.

 

[Bob.B]

Good idea, will try. Do you think my current motherboard can support 3600mhz? On the Asus main page there is a pdf with supported RAM for my motherboard so does it support only those RAMs or can it also support other?

From what I see the mobo supports up to 3400.
The asus qvl is the ram they have tested.
That does not mean other ram won't work.
Crucial guarantees their ram will work.

 

[MrDominik]

Their no reason to do that with that processor. The board you picked is fine and can update the BIOS if needed without a supported processor.
For the backplate Ebay usually has some or you could just buy the black edition of the cooler then sell your board, memory, processor, and cooler as a package deal.
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Hy...ck-edition-420-cfm-cpu-cooler-rr-212s-20pk-r1
EDIT I would buy the memory I listed.
Memory speed is good for performance 3200 16 is about the same as 3600 18 but the 3600 is just a bit better the 3600 cas 16 would be about the sweet spot.

Good idea with this package deal. There is 1 thing I dont understand. I see people talking about updating bios, how can I know if I will need to update the bios? Im going to build the PC it wont work and I will need to unbuild it and update the bios and then build it again? Or will I build the PC and it wont work so then I update the bios with everything installed?

 

[Zerk2012]

Good idea with this package deal. There is 1 thing I dont understand. I see people talking about updating bios, how can I know if I will need to update the bios? Im going to build the PC it wont work and I will need to unbuild it and update the bios and then build it again? Or will I build the PC and it wont work so then I update the bios with everything installed?

Put it together outside of the case first.
For knowing you really can't it will come with the latest BIOS at the time it was manufactured.

 

[MrDominik]

Put it together outside of the case first.
For knowing you really can't it will come with the latest BIOS at the time it was manufactured.

Ok but can I update with cpu, cpu cooler, gpu and ram installed?

 

[Zerk2012]

Ok but can I update with cpu, cpu cooler, gpu and ram installed?

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2oAvz0jvEc&t=98s


It will be about the same as this. It's in the manual or use their website.