Build Advice In lieu of a complete new build, just replace the motherboard, CPU, GPU and RAM ?

[EspiOne]

I am currently running.

Asus Z87 ROG mATX
Intel 4670K @ stock speeds.
32GB of 1600Mhz Ram
1 GTX 970, GigiByte.

And several hard drives. Largest being 8TB.

Mainly a gaming PC.

I would like to go with a 4090 GPU, but I have not considered a good CPU for this set up, which would make way for Mobo and Ram. I can not recall my PSU, but I can "assume" that it is either a 750/850 or higher. So I am looking to replace (upgrade) the main components and keep all the hard drives, I am sure that with the new technologies, I would have the option to go with m2 drives, but I can still keep some of the 3.5 drive via SATA connectors. I looking to spend at minimum, $1500, since I would not need a case, PSU or hard drives, may a M2 drive or two. I am planning this build over the course of 6 to 12 months. Gonna keep my desktop running on Windows 10, until Steam, Uplay and Epic say otherwise.

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

 

[Aeacus]

I just figure it is the "BEST of BEST", as I said, I have been out of the loop as far as components.

Yes... RTX 4090 was the best of the best from 12th Oct '22 (when it was released) until 30th Jan '25 (when RTX 5090 was released).

Though, what one wants and what one is able to afford, are two completely different things.
Most people would want the best of the best, but given the price tag of top-end hardware, only few are able to afford it.

Personally, i wouldn't want RTX 4090 or 5090 for myself. Even if given for free. It's power draw is insane (600W for either of them), has power connector melting issues and i don't have 4K monitor to justify using one. I'm running 1080p monitor. Oh, i'd then need to replace my PSU as well, since my Seasonic PRIME TX-650 wouldn't be nowhere near enough for it.

PSU....Corsair RMx Series 850Watt, 80 Plus, Gold, purchased in June 2018. Just FYI.....

Besides what others have talked about PSU and it's age, i'll include another factor why to go with new unit.

Your current PSU has seen ~200W load for the most of it's lifespan. If you go with RTX 5070 or equal, then power draw for PSU will increase. E.g RTX 5070 is 250W GPU. R5 9600X is 65W CPU. And this sudden increase in power consumption for your PSU (who has settled with 100-200W loads thus far), may make your PSU to go belly up.

Better not to risk it.

Very good recommendation.

You can take the build as a guideline. I included your Spec-05 case and selected components that fit into it. One apparent change is CPU cooler, since Spec-05 has limited space in terms of CPU cooler clearance (150mm). Hence why i put in Assassin 90 SE, rather than something bigger. Still, R5 9600X isn't that hot running chip and you should be fine even with this small-ish CPU cooler.

But feel free to replace components as you see fit.

 

[EspiOne]

FYI...for those who asked. 6 drives, varies ages, as I have slowly upgraded my drives over the years and as drive size increased.

OS, Seagate BarrCuda 1TB. 2.5 SSD Windows 10 Home.
SCSI\DiskSeagate_BarraCuda_120_SSSTRS

Additional Drives.
1TB Disc 2.5,
SCSI\Disk________ST1000LM014-1EJ1SM14
2TB Disc 3.5
SCSI\Disk________ST2000DM001-1CH1CC27
4TB Disc 3.5
SCSI\DiskTOSHIBA__________HDWE140FP2A
4TB Disc 3.5
SCSI\DiskWDC_____WD4003FZEX-00Z4S01.0
8TB Disc 3.5
SCSI\Disk________ST8000DM004-2CX10001

 

[JayGau]

Besides what others have talked about PSU and it's age, i'll include another factor why to go with new unit.

Your current PSU has seen ~200W load for the most of it's lifespan. If you go with RTX 5070 or equal, then power draw for PSU will increase. E.g RTX 5070 is 250W GPU. R5 9600X is 65W CPU. And this sudden increase in power consumption for your PSU (who has settled with 100-200W loads thus far), may make your PSU to go belly up.

Better not to risk it.

Seriously? Did you just make that up or did you read that on some shady forums? PSUs don't work like that. It's actually the opposite. If he never pushed it very much, it's likely to last longer even with a much higher load.

And please stop this condescending bs with RGB. Some of us like to have their build looking good. I don't post any pictures and don't bother anyone with it, it's just for my personal joy and if you don't like it, just don't buy it. No need to insult people who do.

 

[JayGau]

I would highly recommend to not run your games from a HDD. Spending 1500$ on upgrades to run games on a hard drive is a total waste. Nowadays games and hardware are designed to take advantage of fast SSDs. You cripple your whole system performance with HDDs. They are fine for static storage, but terrible at anything else.

 

[Aeacus]

Seriously? Did you just make that up or did you read that on some shady forums? PSUs don't work like that. It's actually the opposite. If he never pushed it very much, it's likely to last longer even with a much higher load.

You call TH forums shady? 🙄

Such instances have happened, where when PSU is starting to see higher loads, it won't play ball anymore.
Example: https://forums.tomshardware.com/thr...pu-psu-and-now-pc-shuts-off-randomly.3551654/
Another one: https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/computer-wont-turn-on-since-upgrading-the-gpu.3856713/
3rd one too for good measure: https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/power-supply-died-after-installing-new-gpu.2428662/

What you are saying, is opposite what has actually happened. Increasing load on PSU has made PSUs to go belly up.
I guess you don't know that caps in PSU do age in time.

And please stop this condescending bs with RGB.

Clearly you can't take a joke.

Unicorn puke, Christmas tree, rainbow, disco, eyecandy etc. All affectionate terms to describe (A)RGB LEDs.

Of course, (A)RGB LEDs are the most important one of them all, since (A)RGB gives more FPS.