How do I upgrade?

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thehotsung8701A

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May 18, 2015
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Hey guys

Several years ago I relied on you guys for parts needed to build my first gaming rig and now I require your assistance yet again to upgrade it. My rig has gotten to the point where even console are out-performing it.

I would like to be able to run The Witcher 3 and future games as it is the first game that my computer doesn’t even meet minimal requirement.

Here are my current computer spec:

Cooler Master HAF 922 Mid Tower Computer Case
Lite-On DVD Burner
Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD502HJ 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5 “ Internal Hard Drive
ASUS P7P55D-E Pro LGA 1156 Intel P55 SATA 6 Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Sapphire 100282SR Radeon HD 5850 1GB 256 – bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP
G. Skill Ripjaws Series 16 GB
Intel Core i5-750 Lynnfield 2.66Ghz LGA 1156 95W Quad-Core Processor
OCZ StealthXStream 700W SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply



Thanks guys! Your suggestion have been great all these years.
 
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It depends on your budget.

If money is tight I would stick with the Lynnfield CPU and spend money on the GPU. A GTX 970 would be about the best upgrade you could do for the money. You have plenty of memory, that's for sure. An SSD is always a nice upgrade too.

Otherwise, if you have cash to burn you can go i5-4690K+Z97+GTX 970 and go all-out.

But honestly, I would wait a week to see what other people's hardware is doing on the game before buying anything. Let them be the guinea pigs.
 
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If you want to run witcher at decent settings then you need NEW cpu + mobo and gpu. Those are a must. That i5 was good 5 years ago and that gpu is low end. If you have the budget go for a H97 + i3-4xxx or i5 if you can afford it. Then which GPU depends on your monitor resolution and how high of settings you want. If you have a 720p monitor then a 270x is more than enough. If you have a 1080p monitor then at least a 960.

Your other specs are totally good. No need to upgrade the other ones.
What is your monitor?
 
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Technically it was good for 7 years ago as I build it in the summer of 2009.

Does my current mobo not fit the GTX 970 (come with both Witcher 3 and Batman Arkham Knight)? I don't plan on overclocking, would that be the reason for an upgrade or am I completely wrong? I don't know much about mobo other than what people suggest to me. I can build a computer, just not tech or hardware savvy.

I mean I do plan on overclocking if I have to get a new mobo but I have been pretty casual with my computer in general.

This is the current monitor i'm using http://www.benq.us/product/monitor/GW2255/

Benq GW2255

I also don't know what 4K resolution look like cause I can view 4k video on YouTube with a 1080p monitor so it kind of pointless.

Also not sure how much the mobo, GPU, and CPU will cost together but it seem almost as expensive as my whole computer back in 09?
 
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I suggest the H97 mobo series cuz it doesn't overclock, but you should at least get a new gen i3 or i5 if you have it in budget. If you do get that then a 960 or 970 will be excellent for 1080p gaming.

What is your RAM? You might need to upgrade to DDR3.

Last, you are not seeing 4K on youtube. Your monitor only supports up to 1080p, which is 1920x1080. 4K is like 3840x2160. When you are selecting 4K in youtube your not really seeing it. You are seeing 1080p. If you choose a higher resolution your computer can not process it and show you it.

What country are you in? If in US:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-4330 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor ($129.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $389.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
 
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How embarrassing, it appear I have 8gb of Ram not 16gb. 16gb is on my laptop.

Here is my ram http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231314

I bought it a few months ago after my old ram died out.

I live in the U.S mate, California to be exact, so I probably would prefer Tiger Direct over Newegg due to no tax.

Wait why are you recommending an i3 CPU when I already have an i5 CPU?
 
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That RAM you linked is good. You don't need new RAM.
I used to live in San Diego. Not sure where you are in Cali but you could check out Microcenter. They have good deals on CPU + mobo combos. If they aren't close then use others like Newegg or SuperBiiz...to ship.

The i3 I listed will smash that very old i5 you have. Just because it is a i5 doesn't mean it is faster than a i3. In your case, that i5 is too old. New i3s are much faster. Another example, in laptops. A i5-U is the same as a i3-M. The U models are in ultra portable notebooks but not necessarily faster than a i3.

If you did buy a new i5-4xxx it will be faster than a i3-4xxx in many situations but not always faster. Many times the i3 will perform like the i5 in many games. If you can afford it just get the i5. But you need to update the mobo too.
 
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I live in Santa Cruz, California. I'll check out Microcenter.

That package that you listed for me is a really good deal. Really appreciate it.

However, I might up my price up a bit now that I took a hard look at the r9 295x2. I'm not a fanboy, I only care about price to performance ratios. At 600 dollars, isn't that duel GPU an even better deal than the GTX 970 at 290 dollars (minus those 2 games)?

The MSRP of the r9 295x2 is 1500 and now it down to 600?
 
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The 295x2 is down in price cuz look at how it compares to the best of Nvidia GPUs. Most people would rather buy a 980 than a 295x2. The 295x2 has lots of latency issues and needs a ton of power. The 295x2 needs at a 1000W PSU, whereas a single 970 or 980 only needs a 520W.

If you are gaming at 1080p then don't spend more than a the cost of a 970. That is more than enough. Focus on getting a i5 with the money you save.

This will max out your 1080p.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($69.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card ($324.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $574.93
 
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hi envy14tpe

Is there any reason you suggested that GPU over this one http://www.msi.com/product/vga/GTX-970-GAMING-4G.html#hero-overview? According to many people the MSI GTX 970 4G gaming is the best GTX 970.

I also decided against the 295x2 because it not really CF and it has poor optimization in some game. With CF, you can always disable one card, you can't do that with a duel card.

So it either your temporary upgrade (better than buying a Playstation 4), standard upgrade (i5 and 970) or future proof upgrade (AMD r9 390x and 4k monitor).
 
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The EVGA or MSI 970 is a good choice. I love MSI Twin Frozr models. I have owned two of them and they were excellent. Go ahead and get the MSI one. I simply chose the EVGA one cuz it was $10 less.

I find it best to build for a great single GPU system. I upgrade my GPU every 1.5yrs. And sell off the old one. Seems to have worked so far. I have owned 3 GPUs and I'm on the same CPU. The point being, choose a decent cpu and it'll last longer than a gpu.

The new AMDs should be announced soon but won't be for sales for a couple months. If you can't wait like 3/4months then I'd just get the 970 now.
 
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I haven't upgrade my GPU in 7 years, as you already know. Feel like I was a young lad once.

I only want the GTX 970 because it has perfect price to performance ratios and also the fact that it come with 2 free games that I am interested in. We still know nothing about the R9 300 series but since it use the new technology HBM, it would be future proof.
 
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Nah, your CPU meets the minimum requirements, since its at least as good as the AMD minimum card:

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5+750+%40+2.67GHz
http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+Phenom+II+X4+940

If you want to upgrade CPU and motherboard you should check if you have a microcenter store close to your home, because they have the best prices for CPU and MB. http://www.microcenter.com/site/brands/intel-processor-bundles.aspx (any new motherboard can be bundled with one of those CPUs).

If not, can you tell us your budget?
 
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I guess the minimal system requirement on Can you run it website is not very accurate then. The Micro Center close to my place is close, its the one in Santa Clara, California.

I can go anywhere from 400 dollars to $1500 dollars.
 
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If you have the budget to upgrade then you might want to sell everything you have and buy all new. That way you got the warranties and the most up to date components. Try making a build on www.pcpartpicker.com and posting here.

Also, when you go to Microcenter, keep in mind that the people are salesmen and they get commission on sales so they want you to buy something and might be pushy. Don't feel pushed into something they say and they might lie to get you to buy. Just a heads up. Last, I heard the end of the month is a good time to go there cuz it is the end of their sales period so they might be willing to go lower on the price as prices are not set in stone.
 
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There seems to be 2 alternatives at your disposal:

1 - upgrade the GPU and wait till the end of the year and upgrade CPU to skilake (it will probably be release by then)

2 - upgrade the GPU and the CPU to i7-4790k or to i5-4690k or i7-5820/30K

If you dont like waiting or if while waiting you find your self in need for cpu upgrade you should go with option 2.

Personally I would go with the i7-4790k (because of virtual cores and factory overclock) if I decided not to way.

And AMD is supposed to release new GPUs very soon (another reason to wait a bit longer), but if you decide to buy now, at least in therms of performance you will not regret much when you see the new components been release, only prices might change allot when new components are released.
 
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Hey guys

Revisiting this thread again. I know for sure I will buy by the end of this month. Now the deciding GPU will either be GTX 980ti or AMD Radeon FURY.

HBM 2 and PASCAL is a year or more off and waiting anything more than 2 months away is never worth it especially when life is so short. I already learn my lesson with that one. Though if the AMD Fury is 8GB instead of 4GB HBM, then I really have my work cut out. I will also go over budget as well for either a 1440p or 4K monitor.

Could you guys give me component that support either of those card? I want to be future proof. The GTX 970 doesn't cut it with its 3.5GB VRAM bottleneck and no idea if DX12 additive VRAM will make it a legit 7GB in SLI.

Also how often do Motherboard expire, meaning new technology in CPU and GPU force you to upgrade your mobo as well? But how often do you have to upgrade your mobo to support newer GPU and CPU?

@envy14tpe - how would I go about to sell all my old stuff? Would anyone even buy my old parts especially the HD 5850 GPU?
 
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For 1440p the 980ti is the new must have. For 4K you might want to SLI instead. As for the FURY, I'm not expecting much. I've been really disappointed with AMD lately. As soon as Nvidia has a new GPU the AMD prices are slashed. Look at what happened when the 970 and 980 were released.

How to sell what you have? Try craigslist or ebay. Just be honest and sell locally. You might not get much for your old components but it is better than nothing.

CPUs and Mobos last much longer than GPUs. My CPU/mobo are 3 years old and in no need of upgrading. It doesn't compete with a new overclocked i5 but it beats the locked i5s. And there is no way it'll bottleneck games for even 3 more years. However, I have upgraded my GPU as games have demanded. I went from a 560ti (which I thought was ok) but then went to 660ti (maxed out BF3) then to 280x (maxes out BF4). Point being you should buy a GPU for its purpose and not be wasteful. For a 1080p 60Hz monitor there is not point in buying a 980. But if I do decide to go 1440p then I'll upgrade to the 980ti. If you aren't super concerned with maxing out then your GPU will last longer. For 1440p a 980ti will easily play well for at least 4 years.
 
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@thehotsung8701A you are right no point waiting a long time to get new hardware. go with the best you can find now. Have you wold us what monitor do you use?

@envy14tpe I strongly disagree with you when you say that he should sell his parts locally. He should ship them worldwide He will get a better price and will probably sell his item faster. Use EMPS to ship your parts, its quite cheap and works with many countries.

For example, I want to buy a E3-1231 for some time now, but I would have to pay around 290$ + shipping cost, when in the US you can buy it for 240 and even for 210$ . I think that everybody that does not shit worldwide should be jailed :)



 
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For now, I am outside the US and sometimes I pay more for the warranty and support. And if I have issues I don't have to ship foreignly. (new word) I recently overpaid on an item cuz I wanted it now and didn't want hassle of having to ship it back if it has defects. CPUs typically don't but look at monitors or GPUs. More issues based on what the item is.
 
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@envy14tpe and @Tchota

After further thinking and mind my manner, I just had a gaming orgasm. I am no longer going with 4K or 1440p in fact I am going to go with 3 23 inches IPS 1080p panel for triple monitoring gaming and multi-tasking for work!!! I have never been more excited! This is the next step in the future of gaming until Occulus Rift I truly believe.

Games that I don’t really care such as Titan fall running in triple monitor in cockpit view was mind blowing! I could not believe how much immersive triple monitoring is. I can’t even imagine how amazing it will look with game like Dying Light, Witcher 3, Batman Arkham Knight, and future game. I drool at the thought of playing the MGSV Phantom Pain in panoramic view.

I choose IPS over TN monitor because there is no point since your response is not going to be quick with triple monitoring so it all about immersion.

I have not decided with monitors I’m getting. My current one has too big of a bezel size and it not IPS.

I need you guys to help me with parts that work with my setup. Now that I know exactly what type of monitor and gaming I want.

@envy14tpe – Since I’m going triple monitor gaming, I hear that eye infinity is much better than Nvidia surround, is that true? I always prefer SLI to CF. I too am disappointed with AMD but I think the GTX 980ti is overprice by $150.

Do you know how well a GTX 980ti can handle triple monitoring? I know I won’t be gaming with the best graphic but the added immersion more than make up for it. I think I’ll be able to game longer and enjoy games I bought more. This gives me the opportunity to save money for 4K down the line later. If a game can’t be play in triple monitor I can always play it on a single monitor and with a GTX 980ti in 1080p is overkill and I love that word!

Will the GTX 980ti be more stress out on 1440p or triple monitor 5260 x 1080p? Also the 5260 might be wrong.

@Tchota – there is a point to waiting but not 18 months. You never know what will happen in such a long time span. I nearly die several months ago. Life is to be enjoy to the utmost fullest.



So guys can you guys give me a new pricepartpicker for my new setup now that I know exactly what I want. If you guys can include which monitor X 3 for a 23 inches 1080p IPS G-sync or Free-Sync, I would really appreciated it.

And thanks guys for re-visiting my thread.



 
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As stated, I don't know of any G-Syncs that would fit your bill. 3 monitors sounds great, just make sure to get ones with small bezels.

I haven't seen any 3 1080p monitor benchmarks for the 980ti. However, I bet the 980ti is just like the Titan X at that performance. So, look for benchmarks of that GPU at 5760x1080. I think you'll need 2 GPUs of 980 to power well at that resolution.

Oh, the 980ti is priced right. Definitely not overpriced. If you want to see overpriced look at the AMD 295x2 price history. Now that piece was overpriced.
 
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