Looking for recommended upgrades

[sxctoxicheat]

I am looking to upgrade my pc, but I don't know where to start. I would love to get some suggestions of what I should upgrade based on my parts.



CPU: Amd fx(tm)-8350 eight-core processor
RAM: ADATA XPG V1 DDR3 1866MHz (PC3 14900) 8GB (4GBx2)
GPU: radeon (tm) rx 480 graphics
PSU: EVGA 750 GQ
Mother board: Asus M5a97 r2.0

 

[clutchc]

As for gaming performance, you are about at the max that platform can handle w/o bottle-neck. You might see an improvement with a GTX 1060 6GB, but probably not enough to warrant the expense. However, OC'ing the FX-8350 to have all 4 modules (8 cores) at 4.5+ GHz may help utilize the GTX 1060 a bit better. My 8350 was at 4.7GHz and seemed fine with my 1060.
You might want to consider adding a SSD for faster data access. And/Or doubling the RAM. But the FX-8350 and the AM3+ platform is about at its max right now.

Ideally, you'd want to move on to a newer faster platform. AMD Ryzen or Intel Coffee lake.

 

[sxctoxicheat]

As for gaming performance, you are about at the max that platform can handle w/o bottle-neck. You might see an improvement with a GTX 1060 6GB, but probably not enough to warrant the expense. However, OC'ing the FX-8350 to have all 4 modules (8 cores) at 4.5+ GHz may help utilize the GTX 1060 a bit better. My 8350 was at 4.7GHz and seemed fine with my 1060.
You might want to consider adding a SSD for faster data access. And/Or doubling the RAM. But the FX-8350 and the AM3+ platform is about at its max right now.

Ideally, you'd want to move on to a newer faster platform. AMD Ryzen or Intel Coffee lake.

So on pc part picker it said there is a compatibility issue with the ryzen 5 2600x with the
ASUS ROG STRIX B350-F GAMING. It is saying "Some AMD B350 chipset motherboards may need a BIOS update prior to using Pinnacle Ridge CPUs. Upgrading the BIOS may require a different CPU that is supported by older BIOS revisions." Is this something to be worried about? if so what motherboard would you recommend with the r5 2600x?

 

[clutchc]

It's a possible concern at this early stage of Ryzen 2, yes. As time progresses, the older 300-series boards will all be sold with updated BIOSs. But if you're looking into a 2nd gen Ryzen, then mate it with a 400-series motherboard, not the 300-series. That would be the preferred way to go anyway.

At this time, I believe only the more expensive 470 series boards are available. The 450 series haven't been released yet I think. So there is the issue of maybe having to buy more than you wanted to with a 400-series board.
Ryzen 2 motherboards

If you want to take a chance with the 300-series boards, all is not lost. 1) Ryzen 2 CPUs may still be recognized enough to update the BIOS. 2) AMD is offering a free to borrow CPU (APU, actually) for BIOS updating should you run into that problem.

 

[toshibitsu]

The cool thing about upgrading your cpu/mobo also is there's now the option of rgb. I enjoy setting the lights to 'random'. If only there was a cool strobe effect though that cycled through each color ^_^

 

[sxctoxicheat]

It's a possible concern at this early stage of Ryzen 2, yes. As time progresses, the older 300-series boards will all be sold with updated BIOSs. But if you're looking into a 2nd gen Ryzen, then mate it with a 400-series motherboard, not the 300-series. That would be the preferred way to go anyway.

At this time, I believe only the more expensive 470 series boards are available. The 450 series haven't been released yet I think. So there is the issue of maybe having to buy more than you wanted to with a 400-series board.
Ryzen 2 motherboards

If you want to take a chance with the 300-series boards, all is not lost. 1) Ryzen 2 CPUs may still be recognized enough to update the BIOS. 2) AMD is offering a free to borrow CPU (APU, actually) for BIOS updating should you run into that problem.

Are there things you would take out, or things you would add in? Also, should I stick to the cheaper option?
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/QJtphy
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hL4n29

 

[clutchc]

It's a possible concern at this early stage of Ryzen 2, yes. As time progresses, the older 300-series boards will all be sold with updated BIOSs. But if you're looking into a 2nd gen Ryzen, then mate it with a 400-series motherboard, not the 300-series. That would be the preferred way to go anyway.

At this time, I believe only the more expensive 470 series boards are available. The 450 series haven't been released yet I think. So there is the issue of maybe having to buy more than you wanted to with a 400-series board.
Ryzen 2 motherboards

If you want to take a chance with the 300-series boards, all is not lost. 1) Ryzen 2 CPUs may still be recognized enough to update the BIOS. 2) AMD is offering a free to borrow CPU (APU, actually) for BIOS updating should you run into that problem.

Are there things you would take out, or things you would add in? Also, should I stick to the cheaper option?
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/QJtphy
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/hL4n29

Everyone's computer build is an expression of their own personal desires, likes, dislikes, and such. So I don't like to critique someone else's build. Both of those are top notch. The Ryzen 5's 6 cores/12 threads are more than most games need at this time, so the Ryzen 7 would be even more overkill. But then there's tomorrow...

I'd probably go with the Ryzen 7 build only because I don't game as much as I used to, but like the extra power the 8C/16T processor for other tasks. But you'll have to decide.
I'd probably opt for a different motherboard, only because I've recently had issues with MSI boards. I'm currently using an Asus TUF B350M-PLUS GAMING board for my "old" Ryzen 5 1600X. I like it much better than my previous MSI board I had for the system.