[SOLVED] Looking for advice/input on upgrades.

Kageru

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May 11, 2016
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4,510
Good morning, folks. I'm looking to overhaul a few pieces of my current setup. I've got some (limited) experience with building PCs, but I'm not by any means an advanced user. With that in mind, I wanted to layout my current setup and what I had hoped to improve and get opinions on if there's a more cost effective solution, as well as to point out anything I may have over looked.

My current setup is:
Mobo: Gigabyte GA990FXA-UD3 AM3+
CPU: AMD FX8350 Black Edition Vishera 8-core 4Ghz
PSU: Rosewill 1000w
RAM: 4x 4GB G.Skill Ripjaws X Series DDR3 1600
HDD/SSD: 256GB Samsung Pro SSD, Samsung 850 500GB SSD, Generic 1TB HDD
GPU: ASUS GeForce GTX 1080 Founder's Edition.
Case: Antec 900

My plan is to keep the graphics card, power supply and storage drives. The goal is to have the 256GB SSD exclusively for windows, the 500GB SSD for games and the 1TB HDD for overflow (docs, photos, etc.). This means upgrading the CPU, Motherboard, case and RAM. Ideally, I'm looking for a cost-effective upgrade for gaming, as most of the tech on my current build is fairly outdated. I've looked at a few options and want to keep my costs ideally below $1,000 (CND). This is what I came up with, but definitely would love some advice if there's more optimal solutions. The goal is to improve my performance for gaming, without breaking the bank, or needing to upgrade again (other than maybe my GPU) for another 5 years.

This is what I've come up with so far:
Motherboard: MSI X370 GAMING PRO CARBON AM4 AMD X370 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard ($229 on Newegg)
CPU: AMD RYZEN 7 2700X 8-Core 3.7 GHz (4.3 GHz Max Boost) Socket AM4 105W YD270XBGAFBOX Desktop Processor ($400 on Newegg)
RAM: HyperX Fury 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4 2400MHz DRAM (Desktop Memory) CL15 1.2V DIMM (288-pin) HX424C15FB2K2/16 (Intel XMP, AMD Ryzen) ($129 on Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master MasterCase H500 ATX Mid-Tower, tempered glass panel, two 200mm RGB fans ($139 on Newegg)

The obvious question is will this be a significant performance increase? I don't know what the impact of switching to DDR4 vs DDR3 is. On top of that, the clock speed on the CPU for the Ryzen is actually lower than my current setup, but everything I've seen suggests it's a significant upgrade. The motherboard is of course a necessity as the AM3 sockets don't support DDR4, but I'm definitely open to the possibility of a better/more cost effective choice. If I do go with this build, does anyone see any potential compatability issues?

Lastly, I've always used AMD, but I've been told that intel has better options at this price point. I'm reluctant to switch, as AMD is just what I'm comfortable with (I've used them for my last 4 builds and never been disappointed). Having said that, if someone can make a strong case otherwise, I'm definitely open to the switch at this point.

EDIT: Also, should add I've never overclocked (or really worked with additional cooling/radiator options), so I'm not planning to do so with this build. Would be running everything stock.

Thanks for any and all advice, it is very much appreciated!
 
Last edited:
Solution
This should be good...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 2700X 3.7 GHz 8-Core Processor ($399.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: ASRock - B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($79.90 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill - Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($116.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Phanteks - Eclipse P300 Tempered Glass (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Gold 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($88.99 @ Canada Computers)
Total: $755.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker...
This should be good...

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 2700X 3.7 GHz 8-Core Processor ($399.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: ASRock - B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($79.90 @ Vuugo)
Memory: G.Skill - Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($116.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Case: Phanteks - Eclipse P300 Tempered Glass (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Amazon Canada)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Gold 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($88.99 @ Canada Computers)
Total: $755.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-03-13 10:53 EDT-0400


Get a PSU, if your current one os lower than Tier B... https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/986897-psu-tier-list-30/
 
Solution

Kageru

Reputable
May 11, 2016
11
0
4,510
That list looks really good. The reviews/price on that motherboard seem pretty fantastic and it definitely saves me a good amount of money. Unfortunately, all the online places seem to be sold out of the RAM right now, but I'll check back periodically over the next few days. Hopefully it comes back in.

I just have one question in regards to the PSU. Currently I'm running a Rosewill Lightning 1000w, which is Tier C on the list. How big of an impact would switching to the one you've recommended have? I don't know a whole lot about PSU's, but was hoping the 1000w would enough to save the money on upgrading.

Thanks for all the help! I love the components you've put together there.
 
Unfortunately, all the online places seem to be sold out of the RAM right now,

Use either of these. They are all available...
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product...2-x-16gb-ddr4-3000-memory-f4-3000c16d-16gsxfb
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product...b-2-x-8gb-ddr4-3000-memory-f4-3000c16d-16gvrb
https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/product...gb-2-x-8-gb-ddr4-3000-memory-bls2k8g4d30besbk


I just have one question in regards to the PSU. Currently I'm running a Rosewill Lightning 1000w, which is Tier C on the list. How big of an impact would switching to the one you've recommended have? I don't know a whole lot about PSU's, but was hoping the 1000w would enough to save the money on upgrading.

Looks ok in reviews... https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/psu-efficiency-1000-watt,2825-11.html
Not a house on fire, should do for now.