Build Advice Is it worth upgrading my motherboard or should I build a new PC instead ?

[Duty2Lose]

I built a PC in 2019 that was pretty damn good for the time (I'll show specs at the bottom), but have slowly noticed it getting more and more outdated in modern games. I am debating between upgrading or building a new PC. I would prefer to upgrade but my motherboard doesn't allow me much wiggle room for a better CPU and so to make an impactful upgrade, I think it would require a full motherboard swap. Even then, the PC has been used pretty hard-core for 5 years and I am worried about the general wear on the other parts.

In your opinions, would it be cheaper and easier to upgrade this PC or build a new one?

Specs:

• MBD: Gigabyte Z390 AORUS PRO WIFI Intel Socket 1151 ATX HDMI DDR4 USB C 3.1 RGB
• CPU: Intel Core i7-9700K Coffee Lake Refresh 3.6GHz Eight Core 1151 Socket Overclockable
• GPU: Gigabyte AORUS Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080 XTREME 8GB RGB Triple Fan
• RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB Kit (2 x 8GB), DDR4, 3000MHz, CL15, XMP 2.0
• Corsair Hydro H115i PRO 280mm Liquid CPU Cooler, 2 x 14cm PWM Fans, RGB LED Pump Head.
• Primary SSD: Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB M.2 NVMe
• Secondary SSD: Samsung 860 EVO Series 1TB 2.5" SATA III
• PSU: Be Quiet! 750W Pure Power 11 CM, Semi-Modular, Rifle Bearing Fan, 80+ Gold, Cont. Power
• Chassis: Be Quiet! Windowed Silent Base 601 Gaming, 2 x Pure Wings 2 Fans, PSU Shroud, Orange

EDIT:
I realise I originally missed out my budget and as this is important, I will say that I don't really have one but am willing to spend what is required to get an up to date top end gaming PC, I am more wondering if the cost efficiency of keeping some current components would be worth the drawback of maybe not getting as good of performance as I would get in a whole brand new rig.

Thanks in Advanced!

 

[Lutfij]

How old is the PSU in your build? 5 years? You could just upgrade the motherboard, processor and ram while leaving the rest as is. You can then save up money and then upgrade the GPU and PSU in one go. Keep in mind that a new motherboard = reinstall your OS.

How much do you have to spend on your upgrade path? Where are you located? What is your preferred site for purchase?

 

[Lafong]

"Upgrade" or "build". I'm not clear of the distinction between those 2 words.

You list 9 parts. Is there any reason you have to replace all 9?

CPU and motherboard would certainly need to be replaced. Leaving 7.

I'd think you could certainly keep the case and drives. Leaving 4.

Entirely possible you could use air cooling.

DDR 4 is still viable, but many new motherboards would force you to DDR 5.

You say "cheaper and easier". Don't know where you draw the line on budget. Even if you replaced the minimum number of parts, you 'd still have to pretty much disassemble what you have now, so "easier" wouldn't likely be a factor.

Can you spend 600 or 1200?

 

[Duty2Lose]

How old is the PSU in your build? 5 years? You could just upgrade the motherboard, processor and ram while leaving the rest as is. You can then save up money and then upgrade the GPU and PSU in one go. Keep in mind that a new motherboard = reinstall your OS.

How much do you have to spend on your upgrade path? Where are you located? What is your preferred site for purchase?

Thanks for the help, the PSU is 5 years old yes, seems to be going strong to me still. Budget isn't really the biggest issue but I do want to be cost effective (Sorry I know I'm not making too much sense). I want to just really get my PC up to date and preferably what would be considered a current high end PC. I'm located in the UK.

What I'm really just wondering is if I eventually plan on replacing the Motherboard, RAM, CPU, GPU and PSU, should I just get a new PC? It might be a little more cost efficient, but is there any risk in putting all of that shiny new tech in a very old rig compared to an all new and up to date build?

once again appreciate the help.

 

[Duty2Lose]

"Upgrade" or "build". I'm not clear of the distinction between those 2 words.

You list 9 parts. Is there any reason you have to replace all 9?

CPU and motherboard would certainly need to be replaced. Leaving 7.

I'd think you could certainly keep the case and drives. Leaving 4.

Entirely possible you could use air cooling.

DDR 4 is still viable, but many new motherboards would force you to DDR 5.

You say "cheaper and easier". Don't know where you draw the line on budget. Even if you replaced the minimum number of parts, you 'd still have to pretty much disassemble what you have now, so "easier" wouldn't likely be a factor.

Can you spend 600 or 1200?

Hi, appreciate the help! For budget, I am willing to spend what is required for a modern top line gaming PC, but I don't have to spend it all, so was really just wondering if it is worth putting all of this brand new stuff into an old rig, or if there is a risk of me not getting as good performance as I would in a new rig. I don't really have a budget but more just want to get a top end gaming PC as cost efficiently as possible, sorry if I'm not making sense haha.

Also apologies if I am not using the correct terminology in terms of "Build" and "Upgrade", I only really get into this space when I need advice on a PC, I am not too savvy with this stuff. But what I meant by Build was a from scratch, new case, all new components PC, and what I meant by upgrade would be keeping the case and a few parts in the PC the same. sorry for my lack of knowledge!

 

[rene641]

Is your current PC limiting you in any way? If not, keep using it, if yes, do as it says Lutfij...

 

[Lafong]

Hi, appreciate the help! For budget, I am willing to spend what is required for a modern top line gaming PC, but I don't have to spend it all, so was really just wondering if it is worth putting all of this brand new stuff into an old rig, or if there is a risk of me not getting as good performance as I would in a new rig. I don't really have a budget but more just want to get a top end gaming PC as cost efficiently as possible, sorry if I'm not making sense haha.

"brand new stuff into an old rig"??

What's a rig? A case?

At a minimum, I'd replace motherboard, CPU, and RAM...I'd move to 32 GB of DDR5 rather than stay with 16 of DDR 4.

Keeping case and 2 drives.

The other 3 parts (power supply, cooler, video card) would be optional. Depending on budget and inclination. If budget is an issue, you could replace them over a period of time, rather than all at once.

If you can afford to replace all 6 at once, keeping only case and 2 drives....go for it.

 

[Lutfij]

Budget isn't really the biggest issue but I do want to be cost effective
Cheap and budget are relative terms, we could suggest top of the line parts which are cheaper compared to their competitors but might not be a good thing for your wallet. We need a concrete number or a range for how much you can spend otherwise our suggestions will be rendered moot and we're wasting time going back and forth.

You've provided some conflicting info.
PSU: Be Quiet! 750W Pure Power 11 CM, Semi-Modular, Rifle Bearing Fan, 80+ Gold, Cont. Power
Are you sure on the make and model of your PSU? I ask because this;
https://www.bequiet.com/en/powersupply/1534
is what I can find. If that is indeed your PSU linked above, I'd swap it out for something concurrent. You've lived through the warranty period of the unit, which is 5years.

 

[Duty2Lose]

"brand new stuff into an old rig"??

What's a rig? A case?

At a minimum, I'd replace motherboard, CPU, and RAM...I'd move to 32 GB of DDR5 rather than stay with 16 of DDR 4.

Keeping case and 2 drives.

The other 3 parts (power supply, cooler, video card) would be optional. Depending on budget and inclination. If budget is an issue, you could replace them over a period of time, rather than all at once.

If you can afford to replace all 6 at once, keeping only case and 2 drives....go for it.

Sorry yes, I meant case by RIG, but also like the cables, old fans and things like that. I didn't really know what to call it, my bad. Thanks for the advice!

 

[Duty2Lose]

Budget isn't really the biggest issue but I do want to be cost effective
Cheap and budget are relative terms, we could suggest top of the line parts which are cheaper compared to their competitors but might not be a good thing for your wallet. We need a concrete number or a range for how much you can spend otherwise our suggestions will be rendered moot and we're wasting time going back and forth.

You've provided some conflicting info.
PSU: Be Quiet! 750W Pure Power 11 CM, Semi-Modular, Rifle Bearing Fan, 80+ Gold, Cont. Power
Are you sure on the make and model of your PSU? I ask because this;
https://www.bequiet.com/en/powersupply/1534
is what I can find. If that is indeed your PSU linked above, I'd swap it out for something concurrent. You've lived through the warranty period of the unit, which is 5years.

Apologies, I will clarify which PSU I have when I get home from work and check the box. Id guess my budget is somewhere around the 2500 GBP mark then to get a top of the line PC, whether that be through upgrades or a completely new build, that is what I am trying to figure out. Once again sorry for my ignorance I don't really know all that much, I'm just starting my research on modern PC parts in the last few days.

 

[Lutfij]

No worries, take your time. As for the term rig, I've used that multiple times across my tenure here on the forums(as well as other sites/platforms), you're alright.

2500 quid, huh? Well, when you have the time I think you need to stylize your follow up post with info asked of in this thread;

*How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice*

How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice First off, respect where respect is due - this is an adaptation of the Animal's *How To Ask For New Build Advice* Sticky. I created this because there's a lot of posts nowadays asking for upgrade advice both on here and on the CPU forums, and I feel...

forums.tomshardware.com

the community will handle the rest of the details.

 

[Duty2Lose]

No worries, take your time. As for the term rig, I've used that multiple times across my tenure here on the forums(as well as other sites/platforms), you're alright.

2500 quid, huh? Well, when you have the time I think you need to stylize your follow up post with info asked of in this thread;

*How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice*

How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice First off, respect where respect is due - this is an adaptation of the Animal's *How To Ask For New Build Advice* Sticky. I created this because there's a lot of posts nowadays asking for upgrade advice both on here and on the CPU forums, and I feel...

forums.tomshardware.com

the community will handle the rest of the details.

Alright, thanks so much for the help! I'll make that new post later. Is it possible for me to close this thread? I feel a bit bad about wasting people's time if this post is insufficient

 

[Lutfij]

You might want to let this thread run it's course and make follow up posts for users to chime in.