I will possibly upgrade this year and I would like to have ideas, suggestions, and whatsoever concerning my build.

[StanleyAsks]

Hello !

Here is my current build which was like 4+ years old
CPU: i7 920 2.67 gHz
MOBO: Asus P6T SE Intel x58 LGA 1366
GPU: Gigabyte GTX 960 Windforce OC 4GB
RAM: Corsair XMS3 1600mhz 2GBx4
CASE: Zalman GS1000 SE (No USB 3.0 header)



And this will be my build this year
CPU: i7 6700 3.40 gHz or an i7 7700 3.60 gHz
MOBO: Gigabyte GA-H270-HD3 ATX LGA1151
GPU: I'm keeping my GPU if there are no issues in my build.
RAM: I think I'm keeping the ram if there are no issues in my build. ;D
CASE: Zalman H1 ATX Full Tower Case if I still have remaining budget

Questions
• As of April 2017, which CPU will be most viable? An i7 6700 or an i7 7700?
• Is my choice of MOBO alright ? Based on PcPartPicker , the MOBO has USB 3.0 Headers while my Zalman GS1000 SE doesn't. Is it fine or a complete wreck?
• I haven't planned to upgrade my HDD because I do not know if all HDDs are compatible to any. .
Thank you !

BTW
• I won't be buying an SSD for now
• I am open for component suggestions especially in my MOBO and CPU.
• I pretty want to follow my black color scheme as cheap as possible but with good quality.
• I would appreciate it more if it's cheaper but better than my current choice but any suggestion will do !

Thanks in advanced

UPDATE!!!
I already looked up RAMs and I found a 8gbx2 GSkill Ripjaws V 16GB Dual DDR4 3200
*I also added another CPU up for decision, Ryzen V prolly a 1600
Thank you for all the ideas and suggestions that you have given me.

 

[FelixVincent]

dont have time to go in depth rn but I would say that those cpus are a bit much for a 960 consider getting somthing less expensive and putting money elsewhere, such as your mobo. whilst gigabyte make good mobos (I have one) there are other options worth looking into such as asus (more expensive but good) or even MSI

 

[StanleyAsks]

dont have time to go in depth rn but I would say that those cpus are a bit much for a 960 consider getting somthing less expensive and putting money elsewhere, such as your mobo. whilst gigabyte make good mobos (I have one) there are other options worth looking into such as asus (more expensive but good) or even MSI

Thank you Felix ! So if I were to install either of the CPUs I've chosen, it will badly affect my computer's performance? In what way?

 

[chegalhavara]

I think you will be ok with any of the upgrades. Although the 7700 is indeed better. Keep in mind that to take advantage of the full functions of the 7700 you will need a 270 motherboard. My advice is to sell those ram sticks and buy 16Gb at at least 2333Mhz. Its not that expensive and is kind of a non official minimum nowadays. You will notice a lot of improvement there. You are still good with your Gpu.

 

[jpe1701]

Yeah your upgrades look good. Your old ram won't be compatible with the h270 board, you will need ddr4. I would go with the 7700 given a choice just because it's not that much different in price and it's 1 generation newer and clocked higher. What do you use the computer for? I ask just because Ryzen is also a viable option since you are changing cpu, motherboard, and ram.

 

[FelixVincent]

dont have time to go in depth rn but I would say that those cpus are a bit much for a 960 consider getting somthing less expensive and putting money elsewhere, such as your mobo. whilst gigabyte make good mobos (I have one) there are other options worth looking into such as asus (more expensive but good) or even MSI

Thank you Felix ! So if I were to install either of the CPUs I've chosen, it will badly affect my computer's performance? In what way?

That's just a quick assessment. Its called bottle necking. Depending on what you plan to do with your PC you want your CPU to be appropriate for your GPU heres a detailed explanation: http://www.pcgamer.com/will-your-cpu-bottleneck-your-graphics-card/ Theoretiacally this wouldnt be a problem because the cpu is actually 'better' than the gpu. but this also means you could buy a cheaper cpu (without risk of bottlenecking) and put that money elsewhere such as other components or even your pocket. hope this helps

 

[StanleyAsks]

dont have time to go in depth rn but I would say that those cpus are a bit much for a 960 consider getting somthing less expensive and putting money elsewhere, such as your mobo. whilst gigabyte make good mobos (I have one) there are other options worth looking into such as asus (more expensive but good) or even MSI

Thank you Felix ! So if I were to install either of the CPUs I've chosen, it will badly affect my computer's performance? In what way?

That's just a quick assessment. Its called bottle necking. Depending on what you plan to do with your PC you want your CPU to be appropriate for your GPU heres a detailed explanation: http://www.pcgamer.com/will-your-cpu-bottleneck-your-graphics-card/ Theoretiacally this wouldnt be a problem because the cpu is actually 'better' than the gpu. but this also means you could buy a cheaper cpu (without risk of bottlenecking) and put that money elsewhere such as other components or even your pocket. hope this helps

I also thought of bottlenecking but it didn't crossed my mind because I the definition of bottlenecking I had in my mind was 50% wrong. Thank you once again !

 

[StanleyAsks]

Yeah your upgrades look good. Your old ram won't be compatible with the h270 board, you will need ddr4. I would go with the 7700 given a choice just because it's not that much different in price and it's 1 generation newer and clocked higher. What do you use the computer for? I ask just because Ryzen is also a viable option since you are changing cpu, motherboard, and ram.

I totally forgot about the ram compatibilities :O So a ddr4 is required. Thank you! And yes, 7700 looks like a better option but it depends if my budget can handle buying the 7700 instead of the 6700. As for now, I can buy my build but I'm saving up money for another more important cause. Thank you !

 

[StanleyAsks]

Yeah your upgrades look good. Your old ram won't be compatible with the h270 board, you will need ddr4. I would go with the 7700 given a choice just because it's not that much different in price and it's 1 generation newer and clocked higher. What do you use the computer for? I ask just because Ryzen is also a viable option since you are changing cpu, motherboard, and ram.

Thank you for reminding me about the ram incompatibility just like Mr. Cheval has said. I mostly use it for gaming but I do fair amounts of video,photo editing and tiny bits of 3d modelling. I just want a balanced-for-work cpu. Thank you !

 

[jpe1701]

Yeah your upgrades look good. Your old ram won't be compatible with the h270 board, you will need ddr4. I would go with the 7700 given a choice just because it's not that much different in price and it's 1 generation newer and clocked higher. What do you use the computer for? I ask just because Ryzen is also a viable option since you are changing cpu, motherboard, and ram.

I totally forgot about the ram compatibilities :O So a ddr4 is required. Thank you! And yes, 7700 looks like a better option but it depends if my budget can handle buying the 7700 instead of the 6700. As for now, I can buy my build but I'm saving up money for another more important cause. Thank you !

Your welcome. Glad to assist.

 

[jpe1701]

Yeah your upgrades look good. Your old ram won't be compatible with the h270 board, you will need ddr4. I would go with the 7700 given a choice just because it's not that much different in price and it's 1 generation newer and clocked higher. What do you use the computer for? I ask just because Ryzen is also a viable option since you are changing cpu, motherboard, and ram.

Thank you for reminding me about the ram incompatibility just like Mr. Cheval has said. I mostly use it for gaming but I do fair amounts of video,photo editing and tiny bits of 3d modelling. I just want a balanced-for-work cpu. Thank you !

For your workload a Ryzen CPU would be great. The Ryzen 5 1600 would be slightly behind the 7700 in gaming but better for video rendering and stuff. Also cheaper.

 

[jpe1701]

Also I forgot to mention that you won't notice the difference with a gtx 960

 

[StanleyAsks]

Yeah your upgrades look good. Your old ram won't be compatible with the h270 board, you will need ddr4. I would go with the 7700 given a choice just because it's not that much different in price and it's 1 generation newer and clocked higher. What do you use the computer for? I ask just because Ryzen is also a viable option since you are changing cpu, motherboard, and ram.

Thank you for reminding me about the ram incompatibility just like Mr. Cheval has said. I mostly use it for gaming but I do fair amounts of video,photo editing and tiny bits of 3d modelling. I just want a balanced-for-work cpu. Thank you !

For your workload a Ryzen CPU would be great. The Ryzen 5 1600 would be slightly behind the 7700 in gaming but better for video rendering and stuff. Also cheaper.

I researched the prices and it wayyy a lot more cheaper. But I do not know if this is a fact or not but I'm not comfortable using an AMD cpu, or even a gpu ! Since I'm in a tropical country and a third world country, it's very hot here and stores doesn't have any watercooling stuff for sale. Thanks :3

 

[jpe1701]

You don't need water cooling, the 1600 comes with a good air cooler just like the intel chips do and has a tdp of 65w so should be cooled pretty easily.

 

[StanleyAsks]

Also I forgot to mention that you won't notice the difference with a gtx 960

I already have a gtx 960 that was given to me for free brand new. I can't replace it that quickly unfortunately.

 

[jpe1701]

Also I forgot to mention that you won't notice the difference with a gtx 960

I already have a gtx 960 that was given to me for free brand new. I can't replace it that quickly unfortunately.

Yeah I'm sorry I meant you won't notice a difference between the i7 and the Ryzen with a gtx 960 so either one is good

 

[StanleyAsks]

Also I forgot to mention that you won't notice the difference with a gtx 960

I already have a gtx 960 that was given to me for free brand new. I can't replace it that quickly unfortunately.

Yeah I'm sorry I meant you won't notice a difference between the i7 and the Ryzen with a gtx 960 so either one is good

I see Thanks