How to upgrade my M32CD PC?

[XerobX]

I feel like a made a big mistake getting this PC as it seems to already be obsolete after 2 years and almost impossible to upgrade due to its weird motherboard that cannot be purchased like a normal one. The only upgrades I can use for is the i7 6700k which by itself is over $300 and everything else is just 6th gen stuff that is already dated. It also uses no name brand RAM so i have no idea if it will go with any new motherboard i will purchase. So what is my best and cheapest option for the performance?

 

[Obakasama]

One problem with tech is... it's always obsolete, so to speak. When a new product is out there's something which supercedes it soon after.

I assume this is correct? https://www.asus.com/uk/Tower-PCs/VivoPC-M32CD/specifications/

One issue is the i7-6700k is an unlocked CPU, but the motherboard uses the H110 chipset which doesn't support overclocking. This point alone is enough for some to recommend against it as an option.

I haven't come across many stories of incompatible RAM for Intel builds, so despite the lack of branding I'm inclined to think it isn't an issue. Unless you upgrade to a new CPU and motherboard combination which is more sensitive to RAM choices (like the initial Ryzen CPUs).

Before spending money, what precisely is wrong with the current system making you feel you want to upgrade?

 

[XerobX]

I want to change hardware because my CPU bottlenecks on every game and I have to play every game on low for it to even be near playable framerate

 

[Obakasama]

In which case a CPU upgrade could help. Depending what you have now there may or may not be a huge difference in frame rates and times; dependent on the game, of course.

The Asus site had little information about the original configurations of the PC model. I bring this up because prebuilts can have a locked BIOS preventing certain upgrades, but if a specific CPU model is amongst the options at the time of release then those upgrades I would consider to be safer.

 

[XerobX]

The problem I ran into is that the CPU upgrades for this motherboard are you more out of date CPUs so in order to upgrade my CPU I would have to upgrade my motherboard and in order to upgrade that I would also need to upgrade my RAM because the Ram is some generic stuff that isn't really compatible with the AMD hardware I wanted to get to keep expenses down. So really I would basically need to just buy s whole new PC at this point because that's what I'm doing essentially

 

[Obakasama]

As a point of reference what CPU is in the system now?

The reason is if a game is predominantly single threaded, then you'd see some performance increase with newer generations of CPU. Within the same generation there may be some but usually not a huge discrepancy. However, if the game is well coded for using multiple threads and you have an i5, then an upgrade to an i7 would prove more beneficial. Keep this in mind.

As mentioned I don't believe the generic RAM would be an issue for an Intel system, and perhaps would be fine with the Ryzen 2x00 series CPUs. From what I can tell, it should be DDR4 RAM. I would suggest using something like HWiNFO to get the information.

So now it depends on how you want to upgrade. Do you go the minimalist new build (low end build but with current generation components) with an eye on a further upgrade on the same motherboard? Or perhaps the best you can afford build?

I would say that an upgrade to an i7-6700 isn't necessarily a bad one. People have held onto their i7-2600k for many years before Intel's 8th and 9th generation CPUs actually offered something truly better. I would consider the cost of an i7-6700 to the cost of a new platform to see how cost effective it can be. By all means start a new thread with a budget and stating your requirements, and I'm sure a resident builder can make some good recommendations.

Another factor is the Windows licence for your current PC, being a prebuilt, likely means it is connected to the motherboard. Standard knowledge would suggest such OEM licences cannot be transferred to a new motherboard. However, one mod here has noted that as long as the licence is digitally attached to an MS account, it should work without the need of a new licence.

 

[XerobX]

right now i have a intel i3 6100 and i fixed the problem with the DDR4 ram so i can fit my ram with the ryzen mobo and CPU. i was looking to get a Ryzen 2600 but idk if its worth since ryzen is releasing new CPUs and GPUs within the next 5 months. at the same time i want the best afford build because i dont want something that will frame drop and stutter all over again within a year

 

[Obakasama]

That puts it into more context. I can see there being issues with multi-threaded games.

As a current Ryzen 5 1600 owner I would say the Ryzens are definitely good value for money. And with an eye to future proofing, then more cores and threads will likely provide more longevity. I mentioned the difference of single and multi threaded games, the Ryzens do fine for the single thread (Intel still has the advantage there) but multi threaded is where Ryzen does well. The Ryzen 5 2600 is probably the best for value CPU.

However, if you can afford the premium high end I believe an Intel 8th or 9th gen i7 (at least) is the way to go. Typically if it's only gaming then Intel is the better option, but if you do more than just gaming then Ryzen tends to be a better choice.

As for the real Ryzen 2 series (assumed 3x00 series) probably coming out next year... If you can wait that long, then it might be worth seeing if they're as good as the leaks suggest. It may even push the prices of current Ryzens down making them even more affordable, thus saving some money. At some point you'd need to go through with the upgrade, and you can use the info you've come across to aid the purchasing decisions.

 

[XerobX]

Yeah currently I'm on the college budget lol so no high-end premium stuff for now but I do have enough to get 2600 and a motherboard with that. i also want to video render and I heard ryzen is the better option for that. do you think the 2600 is still worth the buy when ryzen is releasing their new series of tech in a few months though?

 

[Obakasama]

Ryzen, especially the 6-core and above, CPUs are generally really good for content creation tasks. But like with what I mentioned about single threaded and multi threaded games also applies to the software you use for video rendering. From what I've come across, I believe Adobe products favour Intel more (because they don't take advantage of high thread counts). When on a budget it really comes to what sort of compromise you're willing to make for the build.

When I upgraded from my old Athlon x4 760k (talking about budget builds) to my Ryzen 5 1600, it was a night and day difference for games. And better for my hobby usage of Blender. Knowing what I know now through experience I do wish I had gone for the Ryzen 7 1700 at the time. Basically go for the best with what you're able to afford.

The Ryzen 5 2600 is certainly competitively priced even now, especially compared with the Intel i5 line. And hopefully it should be enough for a few years of additional advances in the technology. Software tends to be a bit slow to catch up.

Is it the right time to buy now? It comes down to whether you can tolerate the performance of your current system. Ultimately it's why I upgraded a month or so from the Intel release at the time. (Also true of the graphics card I eventually upgraded too.) Basically if you find yourself more frustrated with your PC's performance, then now is the time to upgrade. If it's tolerable, then wait a bit to see whether the new Ryzens are as good as leaks suggest.