[SOLVED] Need help upgrading PC Parts

jonezeen

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May 10, 2014
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My current build: https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/WRjvP3
CPU: i3-4130 3.4 GHz
MoBo: MSI-H81M-P33 V2 Micro ATX LGA1150
Ram: G.Skill - Ripjaws X Series 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: 250 gb SSD
GPU: GeForce GTX 1070 Mini
Monitor: 27.0" 1920x1080 144 Hz Monitor

I recently just got a GTX 1070 Mini and a 27" 144HZ monitor as a gift and I would like to upgrade my PC so it can support the new parts.

Games: Rainbow Six Siege, LoL, Fortnite, Apex Legends, CS:GO

I believe I need to upgrade my CPU and possibly the RAM.
Which CPU should I purchase so I could play games on HIGH settings?
Is 8GB enough or should I buy new RAM sticks?
 
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Solution
How much can you REALISTICALLY afford to spend on parts?

Because there is nothing honestly worth spending money on that is available for that old Haswell platform. An 4790k is probably not going to run well on that board due to it's poor quality and lack of decent VRM power delivery.

My advice would be that you want a new motherboard, CPU and memory, all of which would be required to upgrade to anything newer than a Haswell era i7, if you could even find one that's trustworthy on the used market for a price that makes any sense.

If you desire trying to stay to that platform, then a Haswell 4790, 4790k or one of the Haswell 4/8 Xeons, would be what you want, but at this point it's probably not a good investment.
How much can you REALISTICALLY afford to spend on parts?

Because there is nothing honestly worth spending money on that is available for that old Haswell platform. An 4790k is probably not going to run well on that board due to it's poor quality and lack of decent VRM power delivery.

My advice would be that you want a new motherboard, CPU and memory, all of which would be required to upgrade to anything newer than a Haswell era i7, if you could even find one that's trustworthy on the used market for a price that makes any sense.

If you desire trying to stay to that platform, then a Haswell 4790, 4790k or one of the Haswell 4/8 Xeons, would be what you want, but at this point it's probably not a good investment.
 
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Solution
Actually, yeah, it probably would. But it would mean you also need to get memory, since that (And all AMD or Intel systems from about the last four to five years) system requires DDR4 and your current system has DDR3 memory.

How much do you think you could afford to throw at a CPU plus memory?
 

jonezeen

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May 10, 2014
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My budget would be $200-300 BUT if that won't be sufficient for 1080p, high settings with 144hz monitor, then I am willing to put more money in. I'm getting really excited now haha!
 
...I actually happen to have a GIGABYTE GA-AB350 Gaming 3! Would it be worth it to use that and get a CPU?
If you did want to use it, this is what I would get to build around it

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/BDKkxG

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($145.78 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-AB350-GAMING 3 ATX AM4 Motherboard (Purchased For $0.00)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($76.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte - GeForce GTX 1070 8 GB Mini ITX OC Video Card (Purchased For $0.00)
Case: Cougar - MX330 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.85 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - FOCUS Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $347.61
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-06-04 11:27 EDT-0400

Then just take out your GPU from your old i3 system, put it in this, and retask the old i3 as an HTPC or office email checker as-is... And now that I think about it, unsure what your existing PSU is - if yours is as good or better than the Focus Gold 550w just grab a Seasonic SIII 450 for $41 for the i3 rig, up to you :)

I believe AMD still has the Short Term Processor Loan Boot Kit for AM4 series 3xx boards available to customers just in case your BIOS is old and won't support the 2xxx cpu.
 
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Then just take out your GPU from your old i3 system, put it in this, and retask the old i3 as an HTPC or office email checker as-is... And now that I think about it, unsure what your existing PSU is - if yours is as good or better than the Focus Gold 550w just grab a Seasonic SIII 450 for $41 for the i3 rig, up to you

Seasonic S12-III below 750w are still group regulated, and not Haswell compliant, so they won't work without potential issues with that Haswell i3 without disabling the C6/C7 states in the BIOS.
 
Maybe something like this
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($145.78 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($64.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($76.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA - B3 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.29 @ OutletPC)
Total: $351.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-06-04 13:35 EDT-0400
 
If saving money is the issue, rather than getting an upgrade that's actually worth doing like the Ryzen 7 I listed earlier, then this would be a good option.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($145.78 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($70.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $276.75
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-06-04 13:48 EDT-0400
 
Maybe something like this
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($145.78 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - B450M-HDV R4.0 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($64.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($76.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA - B3 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($64.29 @ OutletPC)
Total: $351.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-06-04 13:35 EDT-0400


Are we really recommending power supplies from a series where all but one sample, that has been publicly called out for sending a golden sample anyhow, have blown up during testing? I would not recommend ANY of the EVGA B3 series units without seeing conclusive results that the problems are no longer present and that they can pass the mandatory, basic test guidelines.

In the end, EVGA's 650 B3 is a solid performer, although it should sell at a lower price in order to compete more aggressively against PSUs with similar efficiency ratings. We're excited that the 650 B3 lived through our benchmark suite, since the 450 B3, 750 B3, and 850 B3 all died prematurely before we could finish testing them. EVGA must have fixed the over-power protection setting that plagued those other models. Apparently, all of EVGA's B3s are now manufactured by Super Flower and not RSY, meaning that their build quality is higher. But we'd need to retest new versions of the B3 PSUs that failed before absolving the whole family of its prior trespasses.


So far as I know, that has NOT happened.
 
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Seasonic S12-III below 750w are still group regulated, and not Haswell compliant, so they won't work without potential issues with that Haswell i3 without disabling the C6/C7 states in the BIOS.
Didn't realize this, sad times when the Corsair CX is a better budget choice than a brand-new Seasonic... Appreciate the info, /me curses Seasonic!!

Anyway, my reason for suggesting the full build around the AB350 - the board is worth around ~$70, shame to waste - and convenient to leave in the mATX case for repurposing.
 
I agree, it IS sad times when that happens. However, the Seasonic is still probably a better overall quality unit, it just isn't DC-DC from what I know so far, so it can't be Intel low power state compliant.

As for the AB350, it's not IN the case, so it would be hard to LEAVE it in the case. He has a different build in there right now, and it wouldn't fit anyhow because it's an mATX case but it's an ATX motherboard.
 

jonezeen

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May 10, 2014
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Sorry for the long update.
I decided to trade the 1070 mini for my friends 1060 6gb. I thought about it and I don't want to spend nearly $500 CAD to upgrade my parts.... for now anyway. Hoping my CPU doesn't bottleneck the GPU too much. Thank you for your time and insight