[SOLVED] PC Gaming Upgrade Advice

[samdavies97]

Hi

I'm undecided whether it's worth upgrading my current system, or to build a new one. My current situation is I'm a casual gamer who plays games like Arma 3, BF4, Star Wars, Call of Duty etc. My current setup is old now and is beginning to struggle with newer games. So I'm trying to justify the costing of an upgrade or new build to handle future games. What do you guys recommend? My budget is around £1000-£1500 the cheaper the better.

Current System;
Processor: i7 2700K 3.5Ghz 4 Cores, 8 Logical Cores (AIO Watercooled)
RAM: 16GB DDR3 (unsure on speed)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus IV Extreme Z
Graphics: GTX 680 SLi
SSD: 120GB
HDD: 2TB
PSU: Super Flower 850W 6 Years Old
Monitor: Acer 120Hz 1440p

 

[PC Tailor]

If your budget is £1000/£1500 then I believe you should only be looking at a new system.
If you were strapped for cash and really couldn't afford upgrades, even then I'd struggle to recommend any outside of a GPU upgrade as SLI is pretty redundant now.
But with that budget, you can afford an excellent new system, prices aren't so drastic anymore with the rapid release of new platforms.

You can re-use the SSD/HDD.
What is your monitor resolution and refresh rate?
What is your PSU make and model and how long hvae you had it?

 

[samdavies97]

If your budget is £1000/£1500 then I believe you should only be looking at a new system.
If you were strapped for cash and really couldn't afford upgrades, even then I'd struggle to recommend any outside of a GPU upgrade as SLI is pretty redundant now.
But with that budget, you can afford an excellent new system, prices aren't so drastic anymore with the rapid release of new platforms.

You can re-use the SSD/HDD.
What is your monitor resolution and refresh rate?
What is your PSU make and model and how long hvae you had it?

My montior is an Acer 120Hz 1440p
My PSU is Super Flower 850W and its 6 Years Old.

 

[Jason3022]

I suppose the question for me would be, can I comfortably game at 1440p (@120Hz) anymore, with the games I currently play or games I want to be able to play?
Edit: struggling to play newer games, got it.


I'm not completely opposed to a newer GPU in your system, but if 1/2 the budget goes to a new gpu, capable of 1440p @ 120Hz, then does that even make sense?
GTX 2070 Super, or RX 5700 XT I presume would be your choices. Or jump up to the GTX 2080.

I think I'd start with an RX 5700 XT (or 2070 Super) and go from there. If it works well enough, great. If not - then build the rest of your computer. Your CPU is no slouch yet.

Also, I don't know if you put games on your HD or SSD, but if you're low on SSD space, get another one and load some games on that rather than the HD. You've likely already done that though.

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[samdavies97]

I suppose the question for me would be, can I comfortably game at 1440p (@120Hz) anymore, with the games I currently play or games I want to be able to play?
Edit: struggling to play newer games, got it.


I'm not completely opposed to a newer GPU in your system, but if 1/2 the budget goes to a new gpu, capable of 1440p @ 120Hz, then does that even make sense?
GTX 2070 Super, or RX 5700 XT I presume would be your choices. Or jump up to the GTX 2080.

I think I'd start with an RX 5700 XT (or 2070 Super) and go from there. If it works well enough, great. If not - then build the rest of your computer. Your CPU is no slouch yet.

Also, I don't know if you put games on your HD or SSD, but if you're low on SSD space, get another one and load some games on that rather than the HD. You've likely already done that though.

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I’ve gone and splashed out for a 2080 Super. See what this does, if it doesn’t do much I’ll save more money and build a big rig and future proof myself for a while


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[Sheepofdoom]

I'm in a similar place, 3.6 Ghz CPU, 16 GB DDR3, my GPU isn't as old. The only concern I'd say was pushing 1440p, that IS getting close to a struggle, especially for anything 6_0. Might as well get a roomier SSD so you can run windows off it with plenty of room for all your games, cutting those load times will probably make a noticeable difference.

Aaaand you went all out on a card already! Good call. If you wouldn't mind: what sort of FPS are you getting? 1440p shouldn't be an issue, but how close to 120 fps are you getting? That card should definitely get close, but I'm wondering if that CPU/RAM combo is causing bottlenecks yet.

 

[Jason3022]

Yes, please report back with your findings re: the new GTX 2080 Super. You went all out for sure, nice! What a massive jump up from even a 2070 Super.

 

[samdavies97]

The 2080 Super made an incredible difference and I’m more than happy to stick with this setup for a while. Been running every game I play (War Thunder, Arma 3, Battlefield, Call of Duty) at 1440p at 120Hz at a comfortable 100+ fps. I’m well pleased with my purchase and didn’t expect there to be such a vast increase in performance without upgrading anything else.


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[samdavies97]

I'm in a similar place, 3.6 Ghz CPU, 16 GB DDR3, my GPU isn't as old. The only concern I'd say was pushing 1440p, that IS getting close to a struggle, especially for anything 6_0. Might as well get a roomier SSD so you can run windows off it with plenty of room for all your games, cutting those load times will probably make a noticeable difference.

Aaaand you went all out on a card already! Good call. If you wouldn't mind: what sort of FPS are you getting? 1440p shouldn't be an issue, but how close to 120 fps are you getting? That card should definitely get close, but I'm wondering if that CPU/RAM combo is causing bottlenecks yet.

I’m well pleased with the 2080 Super, it’s made a massive difference. And can comfortably run any game Ive played yet above 100fps at 1440p.


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[Sheepofdoom]

Nice, glad it's working out so well. People keep ignoring the fact that processors basically plateaued around 3.7 Ghz back around '10. Bus/Ram speeds have increased a bit, but processors have been stagnant for a while. I'm glad to see there's still plenty of room before older CPUs can't keep up, looks like I've got several more years on my setup as well!