Question It's time to upgrade... but where to start?

[JohnR1987]

So after several years of pretty great gaming performance from what was originally a second-hand PC, it's time to start upgrading. I'd rather not have to buy a completely new rig (although not necessarily against it if that's what's required), so want to know the best place for me to start, and the implications for the other components in my PC.

Here's what I've got currently:

Intel Core i7-4790k
Geforce GTX 970
32gb DDR3 RAM
ASUSTek Maximus VII Ranger mobo

I think it's fair to say the weakest link in all of that is the GPU, so likely where I want to start—although I will also be looking at a new PSU to go with it. However, do I also need to consider upgrading any of my mobo/CPU/RAM at the same time? Note that I'm not going to be looking at the top end GPUs due to budget, and at this stage was looking at something like the Geforce RTX 4060 or comparable card.

Is it viable to upgrade piece by piece or has everything just aged to the point that I'm going to lose out on performance from new components?

 

[hedwar2011]

So after several years of pretty great gaming performance from what was originally a second-hand PC, it's time to start upgrading. I'd rather not have to buy a completely new rig (although not necessarily against it if that's what's required), so want to know the best place for me to start, and the implications for the other components in my PC.

Here's what I've got currently:

Intel Core i7-4790k
Geforce GTX 970
32gb DDR3 RAM
ASUSTek Maximus VII Ranger mobo

I think it's fair to say the weakest link in all of that is the GPU, so likely where I want to start—although I will also be looking at a new PSU to go with it. However, do I also need to consider upgrading any of my mobo/CPU/RAM at the same time? Note that I'm not going to be looking at the top end GPUs due to budget, and at this stage was looking at something like the Geforce RTX 4060 or comparable card.

Is it viable to upgrade piece by piece or has everything just aged to the point that I'm going to lose out on performance from new components?

You can certainly upgrade piece-by-piece. There's nothing that says you have to jump into the deep end immediately but as you already mentioned things do age quickly in the tech industry but not as much as is hyped.

The best place, in my opinion, to start is going to be looking at your motherboard and determining what you can or can't put with it. Once you've done that, it will tell you if you need to upgrade the CPU based on if you want more speed and performance, etc. Once you have those two hashed out, you can find memory to fit your decision of motherboard and CPU and then your GPU based on what type of motherboard you opt for.

Example:
Current motherboard CPU support: Intel 1150 socket for 4th and 5th gen processors. Those are EOL. Should definitely consider upgrading both motherboard and CPU as you will get better quality of life out of newer products.

Memory: Currently running DDR3. Standard now is DDR4 and possibly DDR5 if you want to spend money on it.

 

[JohnR1987]

You can certainly upgrade piece-by-piece. There's nothing that says you have to jump into the deep end immediately but as you already mentioned things do age quickly in the tech industry but not as much as is hyped.

The best place, in my opinion, to start is going to be looking at your motherboard and determining what you can or can't put with it. Once you've done that, it will tell you if you need to upgrade the CPU based on if you want more speed and performance, etc. Once you have those two hashed out, you can find memory to fit your decision of motherboard and CPU and then your GPU based on what type of motherboard you opt for.

Example:
Current motherboard CPU support: Intel 1150 socket for 4th and 5th gen processors. Those are EOL. Should definitely consider upgrading both motherboard and CPU as you will get better quality of life out of newer products.

Memory: Currently running DDR3. Standard now is DDR4 and possibly DDR5 if you want to spend money on it.

Thanks for the response!

Okay that's interesting - I feel a 'How to choose what motherboard I need' search coming 😀

 

[hedwar2011]

Are you wanting to use the same case you currently have?
If so, do you know the make/model of said case? Was it a pre-built machine, if so, what was the make/model?
That will be the best place to start. It will also answer questions in regards to the size of GPU, CPU cooler, and motherboard size you can have.

EDIT #1:
I looked at the specs for your current motherboard and it's an ATX size board which is a good size. It leaves you open to numerous possibilities.

 

[punkncat]

There are a few ways you could go about doing this, but you need to consider purchasing in groups of items that will all work together.

For instance. Graphics Card and new suitable PSU

Motherboard/CPU/RAM

I would also consider storage alongside the new platform.

New case? Fans?

It will end up being a new system, but if you need to piecemeal it you need to be sure to get the things together that work together in the off chance of something being BOB you have the opportunity to return or exchange in a timely manner. If you just picked up a CPU and then the mobo/RAM a month or so later and it didn't work....

 

[JohnR1987]

Are you wanting to use the same case you currently have?
If so, do you know the make/model of said case? Was it a pre-built machine, if so, what was the make/model?
That will be the best place to start. It will also answer questions in regards to the size of GPU, CPU cooler, and motherboard size you can have.

I think I can keep the current case - it's pretty massive. Fairly confident it's almost exactly this, albeit without a window..

 

[JohnR1987]

There are a few ways you could go about doing this, but you need to consider purchasing in groups of items that will all work together.

For instance. Graphics Card and new suitable PSU

Motherboard/CPU/RAM

I would also consider storage alongside the new platform.

New case? Fans?

It will end up being a new system, but if you need to piecemeal it you need to be sure to get the things together that work together in the off chance of something being BOB you have the opportunity to return or exchange in a timely manner. If you just picked up a CPU and then the mobo/RAM a month or so later and it didn't work....

Great point RE: making sure things actually work, thanks.

Starting to wonder if the money I'll save by upgrading component(s) at a time is worth the additional effort required to put it all together and make sure everything works in harmony...

 

[punkncat]

Great point RE: making sure things actually work, thanks.

Starting to wonder if the money I'll save by upgrading component(s) at a time is worth the additional effort required to put it all together and make sure everything works in harmony...

When I do upgrades I almost always do them piecemeal for my main gaming PC. For instance, I just picked up a new graphics card. I had updated the power supply in expectation of that upgrade just a few months before. The heart of the system was updated and built last year IIRC. I try to do some smaller things in between that time as well. Perhaps a new storage drive one month, update the fans a few months later, cooler, and so on.

If I am building something purpose built or to order (or inexpensive enough) I try to just get everything in at once and build. Much less work and also less opportunity to accidentally mess something up.