[SOLVED] I would like some opinions on upgrading my PC during the current state of the market?

[mrcnarine]

Good day. I've been wanting to upgrade my PC for a while now, I only recently got caught up to the current state of the market when I saw the GPU prices. I would still like to upgrade my PC but I'd like to do it smartly, just a few components for now and I'll wait to see if prices get better. If you believe its a bad time to upgrade in general, let me know. I'm in no rush.

My main purpose of the upgrade is to turn my PC into something I can play games, record, edit and potentially stream with, I know I won't be able to stream at 1080p but if it can do 720p that's fine. My budget is $1000.

My current build.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/vyPGCz

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 1700X 3.4 GHz 8-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory
Motherboard: Asus STRIX B350-F GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard
Storage: Samsung 860 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6 GB GAMING Video Card
Power Supply: EVGA 500 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply
Case: Rosewill NAUTILUS Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Now obviously, I'm unfortunately going to have to keep the GPU. The RAM is also fine in my opinion. Everything else though, id like to upgrade in someway.

Here's the upgrades I came up with so far.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/2HtRW3

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory
Storage: Samsung 860 Evo 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Power Supply: EVGA G3 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
Case: Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case
Total: $790.99

I don't know if I should go for a better CPU but it's the most important part of my upgrade and id need a new MOBO with it too.
I want to add an additional 16gb of ram if intend to stream and play simultaneously.
My current boot drive is the SSD and I'd like to add a 1tb SSD for games and keep the HDD for other things like files and whatnot.
My PSU is a very needed upgrade, I've had the same one in 3 builds and I'd like to have one that's modular.
The case was something I bought on sale and it's not good, id be fine with any other case but the one I currently have is way too cramped.

The current purpose of my PC is to just play games. I'm disabled and playing games is all I really do, but recently I've been wanting to do something more creative instead. I'm getting tired of doing the same thing everyday and want to venture into something new. I appreciate anyone who took the time to read and help out.

My original idea was to build a new PC completely, pretty much the same parts as my upgrades list except better ram and a RTX 3060 TI, using the old pc as a dedicated streaming pc since I know that's the preferred method and I like making use of old parts anyway I can.

 

[mdd1963]

GIven already playing at 1080P on a GTX1060, I'm not sure a better CPU (increased IPC by 30-35%) will really increase FPS all that much....(certainly the R7-1700X already had it fully saturated)

I'd just hang onto your CPU/mainboard allocation money until also ready to get the appreciably better GPU at a reasonable price....(however long that takes!)

 

[Koekieezz]

Edited yours, check it out: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/jnxPrr
What I Change:
CPU to R5 5600X
Motherboard to B550M Pro4
SSD to Team MP33 1TB, better ssd than previous choice

also in total everything much cheaper i guess.

 

[dorsai]

I would tend to agree that a good B550 motherboard and a Ryzen 5600x is a better investment than the 3600 and B450 since the 5600x is better suited to push a high end GPU (for your future upgrade) and the B550 vrm is generally miles ahead of B450. I would look at hardwareunboxed youtube channel and check out their AM4 motherboard review videos before buying any B450 or B550 board as they push them hard to weed out the poor quality ones.

The memory you already have will technically work, but it will hold back the latest Ryzen processors. Both the 3600 and 5600x are really looking for at least 3600mhz @ c16 memory speeds due to the cpus internal Infinity Fabric being impacted by slow ram which results in higher latency.

You should also look at moving from the 2.5 ssd to an nvme based one to make use of the motherboards high speed data bus...OS and application load times are very nice running an nvme 3.0 drive. The 2.5 sata ssd is fine for a game drive.

 

[InvalidError]

OS and application load times are very nice running an nvme 3.0 drive. The 2.5 sata ssd is fine for a game drive.

There is almost no loading time improvement between a good SATA3 SSD and the fastest 4.0x4 NVMe. The lion's share of the performance improvements going from HDD come from eliminating the 5-12ms of rotational + actuator latency, not raw bandwidth. The CPU still needs to process data as it receives it and that processing becomes the main load-time bottleneck in most cases. In SATA3 vs 3.0x4 vs 4.0x4 qualitative blind tests, people cannot reliably tell the difference using a storage benchmark and SATA3 is just as likely to get voted fastest when people don't know which is which.

 

[geofelt]

In a year, intel and amd are supposed to have new processors out.
They will need new motherboards as well as likely DDR5 ram.

I would be reluctant to make a a big change now that can not be carried forward to a new build.

Since you have the funds, go ahead and buy your new case.

Your current motherboard with a bios update can support a r5-3600 or 3600X.
12 threads should be plenty.

Buy a 1tb or larger 2.5" ssd to replace the HDD.
Everything goes faster on a ssd of any kind.
m2. pcie devices show impressive sequential performance benchmarks running at high queue depths.
The reality is that most work is small random I/O and that hardly differs, regardless of the ssd type. If 2.5" is enough cheaper, go with that.
But, good m.2 devices are getting close er in price.
Repurpose your HDD as an external usb connected backup device.
You do have external backup, I hope?

PSU requirements are gated by the graphics card.
Unless your current psu is suspect, I see no need to change it out now.

Ryzen is very much tied to ram. There are two risks in adding another 16gb to handle a higher level of multitasking.
1. it may not work.
Ram is sold in kits for a reason.
A motherboard must manage all the ram using the same specs of voltage, cas and speed.
The internal workings are designed for the capacity of the kit.
Ram from the same vendor and part number can be made up of differing manufacturing components over time.
Some motherboards, can be very sensitive to this.
This is more difficult when more sticks are involved.
2. Not all ram is compatible. It may depend on the cpu installed as well as the motherboard.

If you will update both the cpu and motherboard, look at the Intel 11th gen i5-11400(F)
Here is a review:

Intel Core i5-11400F Review: The New Value Champ

The Core i5-11400F coupled with a B560 motherboard make for an interesting build configuration, as it's significantly cheaper than the Core i5-11600K/Z590 and less than the cost...

www.techspot.com

The 11400 generally is better than the 3600.
No worries about ram, Intel is quite tolerant of ram, your current ram will work,

 

[mrcnarine]

In a year, intel and amd are supposed to have new processors out.
They will need new motherboards as well as likely DDR5 ram.

I would be reluctant to make a a big change now that can not be carried forward to a new build.

Since you have the funds, go ahead and buy your new case.

Your current motherboard with a bios update can support a r5-3600 or 3600X.
12 threads should be plenty.

Buy a 1tb or larger 2.5" ssd to replace the HDD.
Everything goes faster on a ssd of any kind.
m2. pcie devices show impressive sequential performance benchmarks running at high queue depths.
The reality is that most work is small random I/O and that hardly differs, regardless of the ssd type. If 2.5" is enough cheaper, go with that.
But, good m.2 devices are getting close er in price.
Repurpose your HDD as an external usb connected backup device.
You do have external backup, I hope?

PSU requirements are gated by the graphics card.
Unless your current psu is suspect, I see no need to change it out now.

Ryzen is very much tied to ram. There are two risks in adding another 16gb to handle a higher level of multitasking.
1. it may not work.
Ram is sold in kits for a reason.
A motherboard must manage all the ram using the same specs of voltage, cas and speed.
The internal workings are designed for the capacity of the kit.
Ram from the same vendor and part number can be made up of differing manufacturing components over time.
Some motherboards, can be very sensitive to this.
This is more difficult when more sticks are involved.
2. Not all ram is compatible. It may depend on the cpu installed as well as the motherboard.

If you will update both the cpu and motherboard, look at the Intel 11th gen i5-11400(F)
Here is a review:

Intel Core i5-11400F Review: The New Value Champ

The Core i5-11400F coupled with a B560 motherboard make for an interesting build configuration, as it's significantly cheaper than the Core i5-11600K/Z590 and less than the cost...

www.techspot.com

The 11400 generally is better than the 3600.
No worries about ram, Intel is quite tolerant of ram, your current ram will work,

Thank you! I missed the fact that my motherboard can handle a 3600. I was tired, real bad on my part. I'll probably hold off for now on any big changes. I'm gonna get the case and keep a lookout for a sale and snag a 1tb m.2. I'm gonna keep the HDD as well, I already have 2 external backups. I'll just use the HDD as a dedicated downloads drive, anything I download via browser. I also totally forgot about all that stuff regarding RAM, thanks for reeducating me. I appreciate the review of the 11400, haven't done an intel build in years, maybe I'll look back into it when the new processors come out. Let's pray gpu prices are sensible when that time comes.

 

[artk2219]

Good day. I've been wanting to upgrade my PC for a while now, I only recently got caught up to the current state of the market when I saw the GPU prices. I would still like to upgrade my PC but I'd like to do it smartly, just a few components for now and I'll wait to see if prices get better. If you believe its a bad time to upgrade in general, let me know. I'm in no rush.

My main purpose of the upgrade is to turn my PC into something I can play games, record, edit and potentially stream with, I know I won't be able to stream at 1080p but if it can do 720p that's fine. My budget is $1000.

My current build.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/vyPGCz

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 1700X 3.4 GHz 8-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory
Motherboard: Asus STRIX B350-F GAMING ATX AM4 Motherboard
Storage: Samsung 860 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6 GB GAMING Video Card
Power Supply: EVGA 500 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply
Case: Rosewill NAUTILUS Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Now obviously, I'm unfortunately going to have to keep the GPU. The RAM is also fine in my opinion. Everything else though, id like to upgrade in someway.

Here's the upgrades I came up with so far.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/2HtRW3

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor
Motherboard: MSI B450 TOMAHAWK MAX ATX AM4 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory
Storage: Samsung 860 Evo 1 TB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Power Supply: EVGA G3 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
Case: Fractal Design Meshify C ATX Mid Tower Case
Total: $790.99

I don't know if I should go for a better CPU but it's the most important part of my upgrade and id need a new MOBO with it too.
I want to add an additional 16gb of ram if intend to stream and play simultaneously.
My current boot drive is the SSD and I'd like to add a 1tb SSD for games and keep the HDD for other things like files and whatnot.
My PSU is a very needed upgrade, I've had the same one in 3 builds and I'd like to have one that's modular.
The case was something I bought on sale and it's not good, id be fine with any other case but the one I currently have is way too cramped.

The current purpose of my PC is to just play games. I'm disabled and playing games is all I really do, but recently I've been wanting to do something more creative instead. I'm getting tired of doing the same thing everyday and want to venture into something new. I appreciate anyone who took the time to read and help out.

My original idea was to build a new PC completely, pretty much the same parts as my upgrades list except better ram and a RTX 3060 TI, using the old pc as a dedicated streaming pc since I know that's the preferred method and I like making use of old parts anyway I can.

Honestly this is still a decent rig, if you wanted to move to a Ryzen 3000 series cpu you could if you can find a decent deal on a Ryzen 7 3700X or better, but I would try my hand at bumping the clocks on your current cpu first, with some tweaks you should be able to hit 3.8 or so, and if your ram is running at 2933 and above youre pretty much running the infinity fabric as fast as it will go on first gen Ryzen. We all know about the current graphics card market so I'd hold off for the next year or so and get a new GPU when prices drop, and probably start looking at a new motherboard, cpu, and ram when AM5 comes out since your GPU is definitely your current bottleneck. BTW, your Ryzen 7 1700x should be able to stream 720p, give it a shot.

 

[Why_Me]

Honestly this is still a decent rig, if you wanted to move to a Ryzen 3000 series cpu you could if you can find a decent deal on a Ryzen 7 3700X or better, but I would try my hand at bumping the clocks on your current cpu first, with some tweaks you should be able to hit 3.8 or so, and if your ram is running at 2933 and above youre pretty much running the infinity fabric as fast as it will go on first gen Ryzen. We all know about the current graphics card market so I'd hold off for the next year or so and get a new GPU when prices drop, and probably start looking at a new motherboard, cpu, and ram when AM5 comes out since your GPU is definitely your current bottleneck. BTW, your Ryzen 7 1700x should be able to stream 720p, give it a shot.

The 3700x is an overpriced dog when it comes to gaming.

 

[artk2219]

The 3700x is an overpriced dog when it comes to gaming.

Yep, hence why it was followed with "If you can find a decent deal", and they said that they're trying to do more than game, so the more cores the merrier in that case, id still start with bumping clocks though, getting the most out of what you got is always a good way to go before you start swapping parts.

 

[Why_Me]

11400/11400F > Ryzen 3600 and it's not even close.

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813144396
MSI MAG B560M BAZOOKA $139.99

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/intel-...ked-desktop-processor/6452218.p?skuId=6452218
Intel Core i5-11400 (6 cores/12 threads) $189.99

Review of that cpu. Look for Core i5 11400F + Opt on the benchmarks.

https://www.guru3d.com/articles-pages/intel-core-i5-11400f-processor-review,1.html

Intel Core i5-11400F Review - The Best Rocket Lake

The Core i5-11400F is Intel's most affordable Rocket Lake processor. While its multiplier is locked, you can still adjust the power limit. Once we did that, the CPU ran over 15% faster and almost matched the Core i5-11600K. We also made an interesting discovery regarding Gear 1 vs. Gear 2.

www.techpowerup.com

A better look at that board.

https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MAG-B560M-BAZOOKA

 

[dorsai]

There is almost no loading time improvement between a good SATA3 SSD and the fastest 4.0x4 NVMe. The lion's share of the performance improvements going from HDD come from eliminating the 5-12ms of rotational + actuator latency, not raw bandwidth. The CPU still needs to process data as it receives it and that processing becomes the main load-time bottleneck in most cases. In SATA3 vs 3.0x4 vs 4.0x4 qualitative blind tests, people cannot reliably tell the difference using a storage benchmark and SATA3 is just as likely to get voted fastest when people don't know which is which.

You are correct I should have stated it as OS and application read/writes are very good as an nvme drive wipes the floor with a sata drive in write operations while offering some small improvements in read times depending on the work load in question. Sata SSDs are very good for game drives, I use one myself, but fall quickly behind nvme drives when large data files are being worked with.