Looking to upgrade existing gaming system built ~2 years ago

[krenac]

Approximate Purchase Date: Likely this month. Once I start looking at stuff I get pretty anxious to get it done.

Budget Range: No real budget. Currently thinking I bump up to the next tier of graphics card which will run me around $400. Open to other upgrades, but not looking to rebuild the whole system.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, basic internet browing.

Are you buying a monitor: Probably not.

Parts to Upgrade: Video card, others possible if recommended

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: No real preference, though I am most comfortable with newegg or amazon since I have purchased most of my parts from there. Other stuff I picked up from Fry's or Best Buy in store.

Location: San Diego, CA

Parts Preferences: No real preference

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: Current monitors are 1920x1080

Additional Comments: Currently mostly play Overwatch, but I have played a range of games on this build (Fallout 4, Witcher 3, GW2, ESO, BDO, BF1)

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I get some graphics glitches that can be annoying. Had some issues with BF1 crashes (possibly issues with the game itself more than the system). Issues are usually one of 2 things:

- Flickering square on the screen (roughly 2"x2"). Happens on both monitors. This one doesn't really affect much and I can play through it until it goes away.

- The real annoying one is harder for me to describe. Basically it is like you grabbed a pixel from an image and stretched it across the screen. If I look my character in another direction it goes away, but comes back if I rotate back. Varying degress of this that range from annoying to making a game unplayable until I restart the game. Stays with the game even if I move it from one monitor to the other. Some form of this has happened in every game I have played on this system at some point. It feels like this happens frequently, but in reality it probably only happens every couple of days.

Overall, I have been very happy with how my system has performed otherwise.

This is my existing build

[PCPartPicker part list](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/2Bcf2R) / [Price breakdown by merchant](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/2Bcf2R/by_merchant/)

[PCPartPicker part list](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/zZ99RG) / [Price breakdown by merchant](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/zZ99RG/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-4670 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/CVjG3C/intel-cpu-bx80646i54670) | Purchased For $221.65
**Motherboard** | [Gigabyte GA-B85-HD3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/8QXfrH/gigabyte-motherboard-gab85hd3) | Purchased For $0.00
**Memory** | [Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/6hzv6h/corsair-memory-cmz8gx3m2a1600c9b) | Purchased For $57.99
**Storage** | [Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/zXjG3C/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te120bw) | Purchased For $99.99
**Storage** | [Seagate Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/CVNp99/seagate-internal-hard-drive-stbd2000101) | Purchased For $75.99
**Video Card** | [Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 2GB Dual-X Video Card](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/9rTmP6/sapphire-video-card-100364l) | Purchased For $242.58
**Case** | [Fractal Design Define R4 (Titanium Grey) ATX Mid Tower Case](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/vvrG3C/fractal-design-case-fdcadefr4ti) | Purchased For $113.58
**Power Supply** | [SeaSonic 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/R7V48d/seasonic-power-supply-ssr650rm) | Purchased For $79.33
**Operating System** | [Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/wtgPxr/microsoft-os-kw900140) | Purchased For $88.58
**Monitor** | [LG W2363D-PU 23.0" 1920x1080 120Hz Monitor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/nDLypg/lg-monitor-w2363dpu) | Purchased For $0.00
**Monitor** | [Asus VN247H-P 23.6" 1920x1080 Monitor](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/dhbp99/asus-monitor-vn247hp) | Purchased For $163.99
**Keyboard** | [Razer BlackWidow Ultimate 2016 Wired Standard Keyboard](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/CJfmP6/razer-keyboard-rz0301700200r3u1) | Purchased For $92.99
**Mouse** | [Razer Naga Chroma Wired Laser Mouse](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/N2VBD3/razer-mouse-rz0101610100r3u1) | Purchased For $62.10
**Headphones** | [Razer KRAKEN 7.1 CHROMA 7.1 Channel Headset](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/6Rs8TW/razer-headphones-rz0401250100r3u1) | Purchased For $76.99
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| **Total** | **$1375.76**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2017-01-07 12:30 EST-0500 |


Currently looking at swapping in this:

**Video Card** | [EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC Gaming ACX 3.0 Video Card](https://pcpartpicker.com/product/Tv38TW/evga-geforce-gtx-1070-8gb-sc-gaming-acx-30-video-card-08g-p4-6173-kr) | $407.99 @ Amazon

I am definitely open to any good value upgrades that would be simple to execute. At what point would I need to add more cooling to the system? There seems to be plenty of room left in my case if I do need to add anything.

 

[Herc08]

Hm, that R9 270x should still be able to perform. However, that second reason, I still cannot picture it no matter how many times I read it. I do think getting a 1070 is a waste of money if you are not going to upgrade your monitor. A GTX 1060 6GB or RX 480 8GB should do you just fine. I also would recommend upgrading your RAM to 16GB for a much smoother performance.

Everything else looks up to par. You could get yourself an i7 CPU, but that would be a waste of money in my book.

 

[krenac]

However, that second reason, I still cannot picture it no matter how many times I read it.

Here]https://goo.gl/images/BJjBm6]Here is a google image that would be an extreme example of what I am talking about.[/url] I will try to remember to screen shot examples next time it happens.

I do think getting a 1070 is a waste of money if you are not going to upgrade your monitor.

I can totally upgrade my monitor. Not against it, just didn't know if it was necessary. I can also take ideas for future upgrades. Side question - would it make sense to upgrade one monitor? I basically use one to play on and the other to browse on in between games. I assume it wouldn't matter to have one monitor at lower quality.

I also would recommend upgrading your RAM to 16GB for a much smoother performance.

Can do!

You could get yourself an i7 CPU, but that would be a waste of money in my book.

Yeah, when I was first building this my wife told me I should get an i7, but everything I read said it would be a waste for just gaming and would only be worth it if I was doing video editing or rendering, etc.

 

[Herc08]

You are exactly right about the i7. Since not all games take true benefit of using alll of the cores, it doesn't make sense.

As far as the pixel stretching, that could be bad coding on the game's software and maybe a glitch. However, updating your drivers could work as well. If that doesn't work, then most likely it's your GPU. If you are not going to get a 1440p monitor, then I would suggest getting the RX 480 or 1060. It should allow you to handle modern games with no problem.

 

[XraptorzX]

You are exactly right about the i7. Since not all games take true benefit of using alll of the cores, it doesn't make sense.

As far as the pixel stretching, that could be bad coding on the game's software and maybe a glitch. However, updating your drivers could work as well. If that doesn't work, then most likely it's your GPU. If you are not going to get a 1440p monitor, then I would suggest getting the RX 480 or 1060. It should allow you to handle modern games with no problem.

i handle everything at high with a 1050ti