Question Help ~PC UPGRADE/BUILD~

[Whippet_Alf]

Right, I currently have the following build:



Motherboard: ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. M5A99FX PRO R2.0

CPU: AMD FX-8320

Ram: 16.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 866MHz

GPU: 2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960

Power Supply: Corsair CX750

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO



I am looking to run games at a higher FPS for some smoother game play, so definitely need to upgrade my GPU.



Was looking at possibly getting a GTX 1660 ti?



Open to recommendations, and if i was to upgrade my GPU, what else do i need to upgrade to avoid bottle necking and achieve optimum performance, open to any suggestions or pcpartpicker links?



Many Thanks

- Lets not get silly with £1200 + builds please 😀

 

[Wolfshadw]

Personally, I'd be starting with a new core system (CPU, Motherboard, RAM). What to get would depend on your upgrade budget. At a minimum, I'd probably start with something like this:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor (£127.50 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (£59.94 @ AWD-IT)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory (£71.76 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB XC BLACK GAMING Video Card (£249.99 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £509.19
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-06-22 03:32 BST+0100

-Wolf sends

 

[Whippet_Alf]

Thanks for the swift reply, really productive as well!

Couple of questions:

• When is the best time to buy these components?
• Is the 1660 ti a good option to go for? Or would it make more sense to go for an rtx 2060 or other card? (seems some divided opinions when it comes to the 2060 in particular).
• As far as selling my old PC, you reckon it would be more efficient to sell as a complete bundle and just take my hdd and ssd out or sell individual parts on Ebay, etc?

To be honest, at this stage, a complete new build may be the way to go, i mean, ive had my PC for about 4 years now so definitely time for an upgrade!

Open to any feedback or suggestions

Many Thanks - Whippet

 

[Wolfshadw]

When is the best time to buy these components?

The best time to buy is going to be when you can afford all of the components you want to get. I would note, however, that you should probably keep an eye out for new component releases. For example, I suggested the Ryzen 5 2600, but the third generation Ryzen CPU is going to be released in a couple of weeks (July 7, 2019). Of course, it will also come at a high price point, so it still boils down to what your upgrade budget is.

Is the 1660 ti a good option to go for? Or would it make more sense to go for an rtx 2060 or other card? (seems some divided opinions when it comes to the 2060 in particular).

The GTX 1660Ti is a decent option, but again, what I suggested above is pretty much the bare minimum I would go for in a new gaming system. If budget allows for better components, go for it.

As far as selling my old PC, you reckon it would be more efficient to sell as a complete bundle and just take my hdd and ssd out or sell individual parts on Ebay, etc?

It's going to be a lot easier to sell the system as a complete unit (including storage and OS). You'll have a much larger buyer base this way. Putting this new system together means you're going to have to perform a clean install of Windows anyway, so leave the SSD with the OS license (format/fresh install) in the old system and put it up for sale. Keep the HDD and get yourself a new SSD for your new system.

-Wolf sends

 

[Whippet_Alf]

Thanks once again for your reply!

For me, its not so much about budgets and not being able to afford but more about future proofing whilst at the same time, not going overboard.

My build that i currently have has almost lasted me 3/4 years and has done me well so i would like my new build to do the same, future proof for the next 3 years at least!

If you were to put together a build to future proof and not go for the bare minimum as you stated, what would it look like? Be sure to link me a pcpartpicker!

Really appreciate the advice for selling my current build, makes a lot of sense!

Look forward to hearing from you with some suggestions!

Many Thanks - Whippet

 

[Wolfshadw]

Ask again after the 7th of July.

-Wolf sends

 

[punkncat]

If you are in a position to wait a few months, I would wait several months after the release, possibly up to Christmas as "wait and see". Ryzen 3xxx is going to be premium priced as well as variable availability. Prices and availability should change a few months after release. Additionally there are rumors that Intel is going to be doing up to a 25% price drop on their parts. According to your needs that could put some fine gaming hardware in a very competitive place.

Aside from the above, we might even see Ryzen 2xxx start hitting some of this giveaway price that has been seen with 1xxx over the last several months but would expect that to take place a little later than the possible price drops that WILL happen with 3xxx no later than by Christmas IMO.

If it were me, and I had that itch to "do something now", I would purchase a new GPU with the target performance you are looking for in the future new build as a starter. You can swap it right in to the new build. Just understand it will not likely give it's best foot forward in your current rig. A 960 2GB is pretty dated by all accounts.

 

[Whippet_Alf]

Thanks for the reply, definitely some food for thought there!

When it comes to GPU, what would you go for?

Planning on setting aside around £800 for a new build (when i decide to do so).

 

[punkncat]

I feel like your choice is solid in the 1660ti. That will leave you 500ish for a build (this is assuming a roughly same price as US) which should readily put you in Ryzen 5 territory, perhaps better according to your decision to repurpose old components or not.