PC Refresh / Update

[Beege]

Hi all,

I know you probably get this type of thread a lot, and I am sorry if it is a hassle however I would really like your advice on my PC. It is getting a little bit old (around 5/6 years old) and I am wondering where the upgrades would be best prioritised as I don't have a stack of cash to immediately plough into a new build - though I can dream.

Before I go into the specs of my system, I would like to say that I mainly game on my PC (WoW, BF, CoD etc) and would like to swap from my Xbox One console to be a complete master race gamer however I feel my PC would hold me back. I also frequently use Photoshop CS6, Dreamweaver and some video editing software - with that in mind, here are my specifications;

Case: Xitmatek Utgard w/ default cooling
CPU: Intel i5-2500k 3400Mhz (Sandy Bridge)
Motherboard: Gigabyte H67MA-UDH2
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 2x4Gb sticks
GFX: XFX AMD Radeon HD 5830
Primary HDD: Seagate 640Gb 7200RPM SATA-II
Secondary HDD: Samsung 1000Gb 7200RPM SATA-II
Power Supply: Corsair 650W (Not sure which model exactly)

Out of this I get around 58 fps on WoW, but in combat particularly raid combat this lowers quite a bit. Are there particularly any areas that stand out, that could be strengthened easily or would it be best to just go that whole hog and build completely new?

Thanks in advance,

Bryan

 

[Woody1999]

It seems that your video card is holding you back. The HD 5800 series, while top of the range at their time, are now utterly obsolete. As you use Adobe software, a Nvidia graphics card (with CUDA cores) would definitely improve your system. How much money are you looking to spend?

In addition to that, you could get a Z77 motherboard and a decent aftermarket cooler, to try overclocking your i5 2500K. This would improve thermal performance, reduce noise, and increase CPU performance.

Woody

 

[Beege]

Thank for the quick response Woody. That was my thinking, that and my CPU. I didn't have a set price in mind, just to get as much bang for my buck as I could. If I went down the Z77 route, would it not be better just to do a complete overhaul?

 

[Woody1999]

Overclocking would not give a significant performance increase, but it could be an option. Your power supply isn't the highest of quality though, so overclocking might strain it a little more than you might want. As for a complete system overhaul, the Sandy Bridge i5 chips are still very good, even if they're pretty old now. It is probably worth waiting for Skylake before you think of upgrading CPU + Mobo.

For a decent mid-level graphics card, I recommend the GTX 960. It's on par with the very good R9 280 of AMD, but supports CUDA cores (so much better for Adobe programs) and has a lower TDP (less strain on your not-so-good power supply). There are plenty of good aftermarket coolers around, pick one that you like and show me it so I can let you know if it is good or not

Woody

 

[Beege]

Okay, I shall keep that in mind. So would upgrading the power supply be a decent option, as well as other changes obviously.

Could I run the GTX 960 without making any other changes? I quite like the look of this cooler, if it was this sort of thing you meant: https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-084-AK&groupid=701&catid=2330

 

[Woody1999]

That's a CPU cooler - if you tried to mount that onto a graphics card, you'd probably snap it in half! 😛

When I meant aftermarket cooler, I meant a graphics card like this:

Rather than like this:

Here's a list to help: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/parts/video-card/#c=208&sort=d6&page=1&r=2048

Woody

 

[Beege]

Sorry about the delay in getting back to you Woody, but I quite like the look of this one (http://www.scan.co.uk/products/2gb-evga-gtx-960-ssc-acx-20plus-pcie-30-7010mhz-gddr5-gpu-1279mhz-boost-1342mhz-cores-1024) - it was top of the pcpartpicker list you sent across so would this work in my system?

I also wouldn't mind spending the extra little bit of money on:- http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00UI24Y3Y/?tag=pcp0f-21 to get the extra performance in BF / CoD type games. However would my PSU be able to handle it? The reviews I've seen say this has a lower TDU than the one above.

Thank you

 

[Woody1999]

The 4GB GTX 960 offers no performance increase over the 2GB version. It's just marketing "scam" by Nvidia. As far as I know, they both have the same TDP.

Woody

 

[Beege]

The 4GB GTX 960 offers no performance increase over the 2GB version. It's just marketing "scam" by Nvidia. As far as I know, they both have the same TDP.

Woody

Okay thank you for the clarification - would it be fruitless to have a look into the R9 280? Or am I being completely stupid that it would work in my system?

 

[Woody1999]

The R9 280 is equal to the GTX 960 in performance, however it uses more power and produces more heat. It's also a previous generation card - there is now a newer R9 380.

The R9 380 performs better than the GTX 960, and has a power consumption and heat dissipation somewhere between the 280 and 960. If you can afford it, go for it! Your power supply should be enough.

Woody