[SOLVED] Options For Upgrading DDR3 System

[Yosef Marcera]

I am currently gaming on an i5-3470 system, and have been for almost the past 8 years. I have only started upgrading it back in October of 2020 by buying a used R9 270x (my previous card was a GT 520 so it was a HUGE step for me). I am now looking for different ways to possibly upgrade my rig, and the only way up from here is by upgrading my CPU.

Before getting more into it, my current specs are:
CPU: Intel Core i5-3470
GPU: Sapphire R9 270X 2GB Vapor-X OC
RAM: 1x8GB DDR3-1600 CL9 HyperX 10th Anniversary
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H77-DS3H (LGA 1155)
SSD: 240GB Kingston A400
HDD: 1TB Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM
PSU: 600W 80+ Huntkey GS600 (will be replacing once I upgrade)

TL;DR - Upgrade to R5 3600 (CPU, MOBO, RAM for $450), or upgrade current DDR3 system? (CPU, Cooler, extra RAM for $165-255 based on CPU choice). If I am to upgrade my current DDR3 system, should I choose i7-2600k ($95), 3770 ($109), or 3770k ($160)? Would I be able to overclock the K processors with my motherboard? What is the best route considering price to performance? Either way, the current DDR3 system will be used as streaming pc in the future.

So I narrowed my options down to two. My initial plan is to upgrade to a Ryzen 5 3600 (which would require also upgrading the motherboard and ram), a B450 motherboard , along with 16 gigs of ram. This is obviously the best option since they're new and updated parts, yet they're the more pricy option. So I was wondering if it would be a good choice to upgrade my i5-3470 to an i7-3770, 3770k, or an i7-2600k which are the more budget friendly options. In this case I would get an aftermarket cooler and one more stick of 8GB 1600 ram stick to add on to my existing stick to maximize performance while maintaining the DDR3 system.

In choosing between the three i7's, the 2600k and 3770 are the more realistic option for me since they're at $95 and $109 respectively while the 3770k is at $160. These are the cheapest I could find for each CPU here where I live (The Philippines), all being second hand. Keep in mind that I am converting the prices from my country's currency. After a little research, it seems to be that the 2600k ($95) can be overclocked to go beyond the 3770 ($109) and possibly be on par with the 3770k. Although I am not entirely sure about the complete details and differences between the three processors, which is why I am here seeking for help. With the mentioned prices in mind, what is the best processor in my case? Would I be able to overclock the K processors with my motherboard in the first place?

So to conclude, the R5 3600 route would cost me around $450 (CPU, MOBO, RAM), while the DDR3 route would cost me around $165-255 (CPU, Cooler, extra RAM). What is the best route to take considering price to performance? Either way, I will be keeping my current DDR3 rig as a streaming pc for when I move on to higher end components so I could dual-pc stream.

I would really appreciate any feedback. Thanks a lot for taking the time to read, or to even stop by!

 

[Eximo]

You wouldn't be able to overclock on an H77 motherboard. So the 3770 would make more sense (though nothing wrong with the 3770k in this case. It would boost a little higher.)

From what I am seeing the cheapest CPU in the Philippines is the i5-10400F, which is not a bad choice at all. Though a board, memory, and a decent CPU cooler totals about 30,000 php, which is around $600 USD.

But this is basically from the only seller reporting to partpicker for the Philippines. You might have better luck finding local prices.

Ryzen 3600 is fine, though I think for gaming the 10th Intel will win out.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-10400F 2.9 GHz 6-Core Processor (₱10368.59 @ Newegg Philippines)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (₱4204.54 @ Newegg Philippines)
Motherboard: Gigabyte H470M DS3H Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard (₱9256.35 @ Newegg Philippines)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 CL16 Memory (₱6179.16 @ Newegg Philippines)
Total: ₱30008.64
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-04-22 00:34 +08+0800

 

[Yosef Marcera]

Thanks for the quick response

You wouldn't be able to overclock on an H77 motherboard. So the 3770 would make more sense (though nothing wrong with the 3770k in this case. It would boost a little higher.)

I will keep that in mind, thanks.

Ryzen 3600 is fine, though I think for gaming the 10th Intel will win out.

I've done a little bit more research about the i5-10400 and R5 3600 thru reviews and benchmarks, the i5-10400 does seem to beat the R5 3600 in gaming with about +7.2% FPS in 1080p according to Bitwit's breakdown. Although, the same comparison video shows that the R5 3600 has a significant advantage when it comes to productivity work, and I myself would benefit a lot from that over just a +7.2% increase in FPS for gaming since I do a handful amount of editing and productivity work on my system as my daily driver.

From what I am seeing the cheapest CPU in the Philippines is the i5-10400F, which is not a bad choice at all. Though a board, memory, and a decent CPU cooler totals about 30,000 PHP, which is around $600 USD.

But this is basically from the only seller reporting to part picker for the Philippines. You might have better luck finding local prices.

As for the prices, I shop from Lazada or Shopee (depending on which one has the lower price) since it is personally more accessible and the prices are lower compared to other online marketplaces like Newegg or Amazon when it comes to buying from the Philippines. Both the CPUs and paired motherboards are priced similarly, with the R5 3600 + ASUS STRIX B450-F at $370, and the i5-10400F + H470 STEEL LEGEND at $355. I am converting the prices to USD since it looks simpler, but you can check the actual prices for yourself on the hyperlinks if you want to.

I could get the H470 Phantom Gaming 4 instead for the i5 to lower the CPU+MOBO price to $320 but I prefer having the IO shroud and the more prominent silver accents of the Steel Legend to match my setup (if I could find an ATX B450 Steel Legend I would definitely get that for the R5 3600). Also, I am specifically looking for ATX motherboards to fit in my case, an ATX motherboard already looks small in my spacious case.

Thanks for suggesting the i5-10400F, I will keep it as an option alongside the R5 3600. I might even end up choosing it.

Spoiler: My CPU and RAM options (Not really a spoiler, just extra details)

As for the CPU cooler, I would go for the same Cooler Master Hyper 212 you suggested at $62 (cheaper than your $87 option from Newegg, these prices are crazy), or I could get the Deepcool Gammax 400 PRO for cheaper at $29. Having said about the amount of space in my case (see for yourself), I could go for an AIO cooler to fill in some of the empty areas at the front for a couple more $$$.

For the RAM, I'd get the 16GB 3200 Crucial Ballistix RGB for $113, or a non-RGB 16GB 3600 KLEVV Bolt for cheaper and faster at $100 (2 x $50).

Past the R5 3600 and i5-10400F, is upgrading to the i7-3770 ($109) and another 8GB 1600 stick of RAM ($34) paired with my R9 270x 2GB going to increase the performance over my current i5-3470 and 8GB 1600 RAM enough to justify paying for $143? Or should I just focus on upgrading to the R5 3600/i5-10400F?

 

[Eximo]

Personally I haven't been recommending Ivy Bridge builds for a while now. When entry level Ryzen chips were more readily available it was cheaper to pick up a 2600, 3200G, etc and get on an updated platform. Not just the faster CPU, you are getting a whole new level of I/O capability with NVMe, USB 3.1/3.2, Type-C, potential for 2.5Gbps networking.

Bit more tricky with the low end parts disappearing. But jumping onto that DDR4 bandwagon (oddly at the end of DDR4 as well) is going to make more sense as well.

I would probably just sell the i5-3470 while it still has some value.

 

[InvalidError]

I would probably just sell the i5-3470 while it still has some value.

If OP doesn't have a spare system, I'd set parts aside for that instead of bothering with the hassle of selling parts off. Having only 8GB single-channel on it kind of sucks though, that's probably half the reason he wants to upgrade right there - my i5 is still doing well enough in most things I want it to do today mainly because it has 32GB of DDR3-1600 in it so I can instantly tab between whatever I have open regardless of how many things I have chugging along in the background.

 

[Yosef Marcera]

Personally I haven't been recommending Ivy Bridge builds for a while now. When entry level Ryzen chips were more readily available it was cheaper to pick up a 2600, 3200G, etc and get on an updated platform.

I do see your point, and I undoubtedly will be upgrading to an updated platform sooner or later (leaning more on the "later" end). I'm just trying to figure out what's the best way to go, considering the situation right now amidst this pandemic.

If OP doesn't have a spare system, I'd set parts aside for that instead of bothering with the hassle of selling parts off. Having only 8GB single-channel on it kind of sucks though, that's probably half the reason he wants to upgrade right there - my i5 is still doing well enough in most things I want it to do today mainly because it has 32GB of DDR3-1600 in it so I can instantly tab between whatever I have open regardless of how many things I have chugging along in the background.

Actually true, I feel as if my current rig could do just a little bit better which is why I have the urge to upgrade at least on a small scale. I really just wanted to know if it is worth paying about $143 for the CPU and RAM, or maybe just add another stick of RAM at the very least for $34 to get some dual channel action going on in my miserable life.

 

[InvalidError]

maybe just add another stick of RAM at the very least for $34 to get some dual channel action going on in my miserable life.

If you can get another DIMM similar enough to make dual channel work properly for $34, I'd give that a shot. I know I'd be tearing my hairs out with only 8GB.

 

[Karadjgne]

There's also a difference in IPC with Ivy-Bridge, and on certain motherboards, Ivy-Bridge can be overclocked upto 400MHz, so the i7-3770 is the better deal over the 2600/2700.

But that's a band-aid fix, getting another year out of the platform at the cost of still comparatively slower performance.

Which then becomes the question of value. Is it really worth it to spend that kind of money for ram and cpu upgrade now and have to get another platform in another year, or just bite the bullet, new platform, and sell what you have while it's still worth something, recovering at least a little of the initial cost of the new equipment.

 

[InvalidError]

The RAM upgrades makes some sense since even the fastest CPU in the world will still suck if it needs to use the swapfile or wait after storage much of the time. I wouldn't bother with the CPU upgrade, that's only a 30ish% improvement and only in sufficiently heavily threaded situations to leverage HT.

Right now is very much a do-or-skip moment: either upgrade now before the new crypto causes the prices on everything to go up even more than they already have or wait until 2023 for all the new fabs to hopefully come online on-time and chip away at the demand backlog.