[SOLVED] Gaming pc upgrade help

[dragon.rv559]

I want to upgrade my pc to get better gaming performance but im confused with so many options out their and I was hoping that someone could give me some help/advice. I mainly want to upgrade my CPU to an intel which I know is gonna require me to change motherboards, and I also want to upgrade GPU. Im not trying to spend crazy money either so anything affordable would help.

Specs
Ram: 12 GB 1066 MHz
GPU: ASUS GTX 960 4gb turbo
CPU: AMD FX 8350 4.0 GHz with a master cooler
Motherboard: ASUS M5A97 LE R2.0
PSU: 600w

 

[Supahos]

How tied to Intel are you? Honestly if someone can't afford a 9900k/9700k I don't think it ever gives the best bang for the buck currently

 

[jankerson]

Budget?

Realistic?

 

[Wolfshadw]

Going with an Intel Build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-9600K 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor ($259.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - M9i 48.4 CFM CPU Cooler ($40.00 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - Z390-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $514.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-01-27 14:32 EST-0500

An AMD build would save some:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($165.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI - B450M GAMING PLUS Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team - Vulcan 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($89.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $335.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-01-27 14:33 EST-0500

-Wolf sends

 

[jitendrad]

You need to upgrade everything except GPU and PSU.
Ryzen 5 2600 with B450 motherboard will be the best choice if you are in budget.

 

[ohiou_grad_2006]

I owned FX CPUs in the past. The new ryzen CPUs are so much better than the FX CPUs. They are comparable to Intel now in performance.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

Having used fx cpus and ryzen cpus i can say even entry level ryzen 3 cpus will beat 6 core fx cpus and ryzen 5 cpus will destroy an 8 core fx. Ryzen 7 cpus are in a completely different league. You could buy a newer intel cpu for modern high performance, or a newer amd ryzen 5 build for impressive performance comparable to newer i5s for a lower price.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

AMD Option 1:
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/NqMq29 Here is a ryzen 5 2600 build with 6 cores and 12 threads, 16gb ram, rog b450 motherboard, rtx 2060, 500gb m.2 ssd, nzxt h500 case, and a650 watt seasonic psu.
AMD Option 2: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/dXWYCb
Amd ryzen 7 1700 8 core 16 thread, x370 killer motherboard, 2tb hdd , and the rest is same or simmilar to #1

 

[NightHawkRMX]

You could get a simmilar intel build core i5 , for more money. What is you budget for an upgrade? The upgrades listed are good but expensive.

 

[ohiou_grad_2006]

Umm... You listed a ryzen in your Intel build lol.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

Wrong link sorry. I accidentally closed the tab so i dont have the build link anymore.

 

[dragon.rv559]

Im confused i dont know if i should switch to intel or stay with amd but for the most part ive been hearing that its best to switch to intel i just dont know which one to go with and which motherboard to get.

 

[dragon.rv559]

Budget?

Realistic?

I would say my budget is $300 but anything close to that would be good also.

 

[dragon.rv559]

Going with an Intel Build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-9600K 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor ($259.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG - M9i 48.4 CFM CPU Cooler ($40.00 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - Z390-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $514.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-01-27 14:32 EST-0500

An AMD build would save some:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($165.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI - B450M GAMING PLUS Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Team - Vulcan 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($89.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $335.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-01-27 14:33 EST-0500

-Wolf sends

Would I need a new cpu fan I already have a good master cooler for my fx8350

 

[dragon.rv559]

How tied to Intel are you? Honestly if someone can't afford a 9900k/9700k I don't think it ever gives the best bang for the buck currently

Well this is my very first gaming pc so i guess im not very tied to intel but i am wanting to switch

 

[dragon.rv559]

You could get a simmilar intel build core i5 , for more money. What is you budget for an upgrade? The upgrades listed are good but expensive.

All i really need to upgrade at the moment is my cpu and motherboard all my other componets are good already

 

[ohiou_grad_2006]

Unfortunately, either way you go, you will have to switch the ram to ddr4. So that will cost extra. The only way to really get out of that would be to upgrade to an old intel platform like an i7 4770 or 3770. But then you are talking about parts that are 4-5 years old already to try to save a few bucks and would probably need upgraded again in a year or 2.

In your shoes, I like the AMD Ryzen system that Wolf put up.

The 2600 is 6 cores/12 threads and will absolutely destroy the FX 8350 imo. Intel is a little faster, but when AMD switched to Ryzen, they literally did a 40% jump in performance. So they are almost on par with intel these days. Maybe behind a few % points.

Take a look at some of the benchmarks and see what you think.

https://www.techspot.com/review/1614-ryzen-2600/page3.html

You will see that the 2600 is not the fastest cpu, but it is right in the middle of the pack. With some overclocking, it appears to even trade blows with the i7 7700k at times. I had a Ryzen 1600 for a while until I upgraded to a 1700x(just got a great deal otherwise I'd still have the 1600). The 1600 is last year's 2600 essentially. Great cpu. The 2600 should perform quite well for you imo. You can spend the extra money for intel if you want, but on a tight budget, I'd go for the AMD Ryzen setup.

 

[dragon.rv559]

Unfortunately, either way you go, you will have to switch the ram to ddr4. So that will cost extra. The only way to really get out of that would be to upgrade to an old intel platform like an i7 4770 or 3770. But then you are talking about parts that are 4-5 years old already to try to save a few bucks and would probably need upgraded again in a year or 2.

In your shoes, I like the AMD Ryzen system that Wolf put up.

The 2600 is 6 cores/12 threads and will absolutely destroy the FX 8350 imo. Intel is a little faster, but when AMD switched to Ryzen, they literally did a 40% jump in performance. So they are almost on par with intel these days. Maybe behind a few % points.

Take a look at some of the benchmarks and see what you think.

https://www.techspot.com/review/1614-ryzen-2600/page3.html

You will see that the 2600 is not the fastest cpu, but it is right in the middle of the pack. With some overclocking, it appears to even trade blows with the i7 7700k at times. I had a Ryzen 1600 for a while until I upgraded to a 1700x(just got a great deal otherwise I'd still have the 1600). The 1600 is last year's 2600 essentially. Great cpu. The 2600 should perform quite well for you imo. You can spend the extra money for intel if you want, but on a tight budget, I'd go for the AMD Ryzen setup.

I stuck i dont know if i should get the 2600 or the 2600x and for the motherboard what do you think would be best that isnt so expensive.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

The 2600x and 2600 perform the same overclocked. Save and get the 2600. I would get a b450 tomahawk from msi

 

[dragon.rv559]

The 2600x and 2600 perform the same overclocked. Save and get the 2600. I would get a b450 tomahawk from msi

Im not planning on overclocking them so would the 2600x be better and would the Asus strix B350-F be a good option also.

 

[ohiou_grad_2006]

The only potential issue you will run into with the b350 is that they are last year's boards. If you happen to get one that didn't get a bios update, then you'll be stuck with a system that may not boot and you may have to send the board back, or get up with AMD for a boot kit(old cpu they send that will work with the board so you can manually update the bios).

 

[dragon.rv559]

The only potential issue you will run into with the b350 is that they are last year's boards. If you happen to get one that didn't get a bios update, then you'll be stuck with a system that may not boot and you may have to send the board back, or get up with AMD for a boot kit(old cpu they send that will work with the board so you can manually update the bios).

Alright then most likely i will get the b450. So it looks like this is what im going for:
Motherboard: MSI B450 PLUS
CPU: Ryzen 5 2600x
GPU: ASUS GTX 960 4gb turbo with a master cooler
Ram: 16 GB DDR4 3000
PSU: 600w

My next question is if my psu is enough for all this I think it is.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

yes

 

[ohiou_grad_2006]

Should be decent. The 960 should tide you over until you are ready to upgrade that later on.