Discussion Pc components upgrade suggestions

[davidipek]

Hi,
I currently use a PC with the following specs:

Motherboard: MSI Z370 SLI PLUS


RAM: Crucial DDR4 2400 MHz 8GB


CPU: Intel Core i3-8100


Nvidia GTX 1060 3GB


Storage: Kingston Ssd 120GB + 1TB HDD

Cooler Master MasterWatt 500W

I’m fairly happy with this setup as it handles my primary needs well:

• Work: Running multiple applications at once.

• Gaming: Playing lighter games.

That said, I’d like to improve my experience slightly. My main focus is smoother gameplay (without aiming for higher than 144fps) and better multitasking performance.

Storage isn’t a concern since I have plenty of space available, even though not all of it is on an SSD.
With a budget of $350, what upgrades would you recommend? I’d appreciate specific component suggestions.

+ In case of more RAM installation, do i need to buy a new 16 gb set or can i add two sticks of total 8 to get to 16, what do you think?

Thanks for your help!
David

 

[geofelt]

8gb is not enough to run multiple applications concurrently.
Fortunately, DDR4 ram is relatively cheap.
Buy a 2 x 16gb DDR4 kit. 2400 or 3200 speed. About $50.
https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-32gb-ddr4-3200/p/N82E16820232885?Item=N82E16820232885

The strongest cpu upgrade that your motherboard will support is a i7-9700K, About $150 used on ebay.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2264677949...xhFhKGQvaN6CVhQvmMkUPKRg==|tkp:Bk9SR5DCp-DvZA
You probably need a better cpu cooler than the stock cooler.
Thermalright peerless assassin is an excellent one for about $50.
https://www.newegg.com/p/13C-000Y-0...MIy-z0qMaEigMV_F1_AB037wKnEAQYASABEgJaqvD_BwE

Monitor the space available on your C drive. At 90% full, it will start to slow down and lose endurance.
Samsung 870 EVO is a good replacement; their ssd migration aid works well.

 

[Why_Me]

Hi,
I currently use a PC with the following specs:

Motherboard: MSI Z370 SLI PLUS


RAM: Crucial DDR4 2400 MHz 8GB


CPU: Intel Core i3-8100


Nvidia GTX 1060 3GB


Storage: Kingston Ssd 120GB + 1TB HDD

Cooler Master MasterWatt 500W

I’m fairly happy with this setup as it handles my primary needs well:

• Work: Running multiple applications at once.

• Gaming: Playing lighter games.

That said, I’d like to improve my experience slightly. My main focus is smoother gameplay (without aiming for higher than 144fps) and better multitasking performance.

Storage isn’t a concern since I have plenty of space available, even though not all of it is on an SSD.
With a budget of $350, what upgrades would you recommend? I’d appreciate specific component suggestions.

+ In case of more RAM installation, do i need to buy a new 16 gb set or can i add two sticks of total 8 to get to 16, what do you think?

Thanks for your help!
David

Next upgrade would be your graphics card but for now I would make this my first upgrade option while gaming at 1080P.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: *Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor ($111.34 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: *ASRock B660M Pro RS Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Memory: *Silicon Power XPOWER Turbine 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($43.97 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: *MSI MAG A750GL PCIE5 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $305.28
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-11-30 13:30 EST-0500

 

[Moonstick2]

I'd echo the above suggested system. As well as the x4 increase in RAM, you'll have x3 the threads and cache, ~20% higher clock speed not to mention jumping several generations.

Some would recommend paying the ~$10-$15 for the non-F 12400 so that you have onboard graphics for GPU troubleshooting, but it's very much a personal judgement call.

You can offset some of the cost by selling your current CPU, motherboard and RAM as a bundle on eBay. I've done this each time. People do buy such things even when years old.

Lastly, don't underestimate the difference going all SSD can make, even if your OS is on SSD. (SSD write performance also suffers if the drive approaches full, and 120 GB doesn't go far these days). If you can't stretch to 1 TB with your budget, 0.5 TB is still worth considering depending on how much space you need.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

Also good call on the peerless assassin cooler. Check Amazon though. They go for 35-40 over there. I’ve got one in my own system and it’sa great cooler.

You might also check out their phantom spirit cooler. I think it’s supposed to be slightly better than the assassin but looks about the same.

https://a.co/d/f2n9f2f

 

[Bob.B]

Hi,
I currently use a PC with the following specs:

Motherboard: MSI Z370 SLI PLUS


RAM: Crucial DDR4 2400 MHz 8GB


CPU: Intel Core i3-8100


Nvidia GTX 1060 3GB


Storage: Kingston Ssd 120GB + 1TB HDD

Cooler Master MasterWatt 500W

I’m fairly happy with this setup as it handles my primary needs well:

• Work: Running multiple applications at once.

• Gaming: Playing lighter games.

That said, I’d like to improve my experience slightly. My main focus is smoother gameplay (without aiming for higher than 144fps) and better multitasking performance.

Storage isn’t a concern since I have plenty of space available, even though not all of it is on an SSD.
With a budget of $350, what upgrades would you recommend? I’d appreciate specific component suggestions.

+ In case of more RAM installation, do i need to buy a new 16 gb set or can i add two sticks of total 8 to get to 16, what do you think?

Thanks for your help!
David

An option.

i5-9500........100 bucks.
2x16GB @ 3200 ram.....50 bucks.

Should help move things along without having to reinstall a bunch of software.

 

[logainofhades]

8700k for about $90 on Ebay. See if you can find a good deal on a used GPU on your local FB marketplace. Might want to look there for CPU and ram as well.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-8700K 3.7 GHz 6-Core Processor ($90.00)
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($44.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 TT Premium 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($88.49 @ Amazon)
Total: $223.48
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-12-04 11:50 EST-0500