Question Looking for help with upgrading a system from 2015

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Will Reierson

Will Reierson

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Apr 7, 2015
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I came to Toms Hardware back in 2015 when I built my first system, and I'm back again to look for some help with upgrading the thing.

Here's what the system currently features:

- CPU: Intel Core 17-5820k 3.3 GHz 6-Core Processor
- CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D155 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler
- MOBO: Asus X99-A ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard
- RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (4 x 4 GB) DDR4-2666 CL15 Memory
- HDD: Western Digitaal WD_BLACK 2 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive'
- SSD: Samsung 850 Evo 2550 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
- GPU: MSI GAMING GeForce GTX970 4GB Video Card
- CASE: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case
- PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA 7550 G2 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
- OPTICAL DRIVE: Asus DRW-24B1ST
- Windows 10
- The only other fans in the system are the ones that came with the case.

It's starting to get a bit long in the tooth and I want to expand its usability.

I want to:
- Make it VR capable
- Make it the primary entertainment system for the living room
- Improve its audio editing capabilities - it starts to crap out when I'm working on thirty-minute projects with 20+ tracks and hundreds of audio files.

I'm working with between $800 - $1200 to make the changes, and keeping things on the low end would be preferable.

If I had to give up improving the audio editing capabilities to keep the price down, I'd make that sacrifice. I just don't want to make it WORSE than it already is at audio editing

My initial idea was to just swap out the graphics card, but then I remembered that I haven't really been into computers for the past five years and just swapping out the graphics card might not be enough.

Any help is most appreciated.
 
IMO this system has aged out to a degree that you could put hardware inside it, newer and more capable, but it will come back to that older CPU as a shortcoming.

In the near future, if you don't want to budget all together, I might suggest getting a really nice graphics card with your future build in mind and a new power supply that also has that in mind. The PSU aspect could depend on how old the other unit is. If original to the build, replace it to be safe.

This rig is more than capable of being a GREAT HTPC and perhaps could be modified to be a good location for network storage. I don't feel like there is anything worthwhile to do that would be compatible with the motherboard and worth the money to try and get more performance for the editing without considering a new platform.

The 970 you have is still a relevant card for editing and casual viewing, gaming perhaps not so much according to titles, but you don't mention that aspect. You could choose to do platform instead and keep the graphics card. Might even be a better way to go for those use case scenarios.
 
Will Reierson said:
I came to Toms Hardware back in 2015 when I built my first system, and I'm back again to look for some help with upgrading the thing.

Here's what the system currently features:

- CPU: Intel Core 17-5820k 3.3 GHz 6-Core Processor
- CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D155 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler
- MOBO: Asus X99-A ATX LGA2011-3 Motherboard
- RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (4 x 4 GB) DDR4-2666 CL15 Memory
- HDD: Western Digitaal WD_BLACK 2 TB 3.5" 7200 RPM Internal Hard Drive'
- SSD: Samsung 850 Evo 2550 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
- GPU: MSI GAMING GeForce GTX970 4GB Video Card
- CASE: Phanteks Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case
- PSU: EVGA SuperNOVA 7550 G2 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
- OPTICAL DRIVE: Asus DRW-24B1ST
- Windows 10
- The only other fans in the system are the ones that came with the case.

It's starting to get a bit long in the tooth and I want to expand its usability.

I want to:
- Make it VR capable
- Make it the primary entertainment system for the living room
- Improve its audio editing capabilities - it starts to crap out when I'm working on thirty-minute projects with 20+ tracks and hundreds of audio files.

I'm working with between $800 - $1200 to make the changes, and keeping things on the low end would be preferable.

If I had to give up improving the audio editing capabilities to keep the price down, I'd make that sacrifice. I just don't want to make it WORSE than it already is at audio editing

My initial idea was to just swap out the graphics card, but then I remembered that I haven't really been into computers for the past five years and just swapping out the graphics card might not be enough.

Any help is most appreciated.
Click to expand...
What is your monitor resolution?
 
Dropping in an RTX3060 12GB wouldn't hurt.

With that budget, not too hard to do a full build. You can swap the chassis around and maybe the CPU cooler if you request an LGA1700 mounting kit from Noctua.

More and faster memory, 6P cores that are way faster than what you have, plus some E-cores for multi-threaded applications. And the RTX3060 fits in nicely for gaming or CUDA accelerated production work.

1TB NVMe SSD (I recommend a 2TB while SSD prices are at this all time low)

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-13500 2.5 GHz 14-Core Processor ($244.49 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Assassin X Refined SE PLUS 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($20.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B760 AORUS ELITE AX ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws S5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory ($83.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial P5 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($49.49 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC GeForce RTX 3060 12GB 12 GB Video Card ($269.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Focus 2 ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RM750e (2023) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1008.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-08-18 15:29 EDT-0400
 
what is your daw software? some programs excel in specific hardware combinations.
im not a builder but a new i7 with high cache is a must. fast ram (32) gb minimum. and 2 ssd's ( 1 for os and programs and 1 for completed projects)
also programs like fl studio, cubase and sonar are requiring increasingly higher minimum requirements.
also if you make money off your endeavors id recommend an external hdd for back-up.
 
ARICH5 said:
what is your daw software? some programs excel in specific hardware combinations.
im not a builder but a new i7 with high cache is a must. fast ram (32) gb minimum. and 2 ssd's ( 1 for os and programs and 1 for completed projects)
also programs like fl studio, cubase and sonar are requiring increasingly higher minimum requirements.
also if you make money off your endeavors id recommend an external hdd for back-up.
Click to expand...
I've been working in Adobe Audition for the past few years.
 
Eximo said:
Dropping in an RTX3060 12GB wouldn't hurt.

With that budget, not too hard to do a full build. You can swap the chassis around and maybe the CPU cooler if you request an LGA1700 mounting kit from Noctua.

More and faster memory, 6P cores that are way faster than what you have, plus some E-cores for multi-threaded applications. And the RTX3060 fits in nicely for gaming or CUDA accelerated production work.

1TB NVMe SSD (I recommend a 2TB while SSD prices are at this all time low)

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-13500 2.5 GHz 14-Core Processor ($244.49 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Assassin X Refined SE PLUS 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($20.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B760 AORUS ELITE AX ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws S5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory ($83.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial P5 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($49.49 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC GeForce RTX 3060 12GB 12 GB Video Card ($269.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Focus 2 ATX Mid Tower Case ($79.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RM750e (2023) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1008.82
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-08-18 15:29 EDT-0400
Click to expand...
With what other people have said I'm thinking it makes more sense to just build from scratch, perhaps swapping out a couple of parts.

A 4060 doesn't look like it's that much more expensive. Would it be worth it to spring for that to push some more pixels? Or would that be better spent elsewhere?
 
Will Reierson said:
With what other people have said I'm thinking it makes more sense to just build from scratch, perhaps swapping out a couple of parts.

A 4060 doesn't look like it's that much more expensive. Would it be worth it to spring for that to push some more pixels? Or would that be better spent elsewhere?
Click to expand...
i like this....but get a 512gb and a 2tb ssd. never put your work on 1 ssd in case of failure or a catastrophe. also at least 6-8 usb ports.
 
I've bumped up my budget and this is what I've come up with.

Any thoughts on things I could tweak?

Processor: Intel Core i5-13600K 3.5 GHz 14-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler
MOBO: Gigabyte B760 AORUS ELITE AX ATX LGA1700 Motherboard
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws S5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory
Storage: Crucial P5 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
GPU: Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC GeForce RTX 3060 Ti LHR 8 GB Video Card
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL 215 ATX Mid Tower Case
PSU: Corsair RM750e (2023) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
WiFi Adapter: TP-Link Archer TX55E 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax PCIe x1 Wi-Fi Adapter
 
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