[SOLVED] PC Upgrade advice

[Nemalp031]

Hello, I would like to get some advice on PC upgrades. I originally built my PC 5+ years ago and it's a bit of a mixed bag, because some things have been replaced and some haven't. I play a lot of different games but the heavier ones I frequent are Rainbow Six Siege, Mordhau, Dark Souls 3 for example. I live in Germany. My budget is yet to be determined, because I'm a student who only makes enough money to cover his monthly expenses (excluding rent) and need to talk to my parents about it. I'd like to know though what upgrades would result in the biggest improvements. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are coming up and I might be able to get a good deal on something. Here's my build:

• Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro4
• PSU: FSP Raider 750
• CPU: Intel i7-3770 (non K)
• GPU: Gigabyte Windforce (3xFan) GTX970
• RAM: Evo Corsa GeIL 2x4GB DDR3-1866MHz
• SSD: Intel 330 Series 120 GB (SSDSC2CT120A3) + Samsung Evo 850 500GB
• HDD: Western Digital Green WD20EARX 2TB, 5400RPM, 64MB cache
• Case: Cooler Master Silencio 550
• Cooling: 2 Cooler Master case fans (the ones that come with the case I believe), Hyper Evo 212 for the CPU but with a Noctua NF-P12 redux fan because the original Cooler Master one wasn't working properly after a while (probably the bearings).
• Monitor: Samsung 24" S24B350H, 1920x1080, LED, 60Hz

Thank you very much in advance.

 

[bmockeg]

What is your goal? Your games aren’t playing as you like or you just want better performance?

 

[Nemalp031]

What is your goal? Your games aren’t playing as you like or you just want better performance?

My games are generally running ok at mid to high settings depending on the game although it could be better. I guess I'm just looking for overall better performance. And as I said I could potentially get a good deal on something so I wanted to know what's worth it. From what I understand my GPU is still mostly fine and probably isn't my top priority to upgrade. I've been told though that a good idea would be to get a new motherboard, new cpu and DDR4 RAM. Would you suggest anything in particular? I'm just spitballing here but let's say I have a budget of about 400-500 euros for these three components.

 

[gamerbrehdy]

Upgrade that GTX 970. Definetly.
(That i7 will keep up for some time. I have the i7-7700 and it still performs well with a 4.2Ghz clockspeed).

• If you want RTX, go for the 2060 Super or 2070.
• If you're not looking for ray-tracing, and want to be more price wise, go for the 1660 Super (The super-version is around the same price as the normal 1660 most of the time, the only difference is that the super now has GDDR6 videomemory)

 

[SkyNetRising]

I guess I'm just looking for overall better performance. Would you suggest anything in particular?

First upgrade your ram to 16GB (2x8GB). This seems to be main issue with your system.
Then consider GPU upgrade. RTX 2060 super would be a good candidate.
After that - possibly a new monitor 27" 144Hz (1080p or 1440p). But this won't fit into your current budget.

 

[Nemalp031]

First upgrade your ram to 16GB (2x8GB). This seems to be main issue with your system.
Then consider GPU upgrade. RTX 2060 super would be a good candidate.
After that - possibly a new monitor 27" 144Hz (1080p or 1440p). But this won't fit into your current budget.

My motherboard doesn't support DDR4 though. Is there any point in upgrading DDR3 RAM instead of getting a new mobo and DDR4 RAM?

 

[SkyNetRising]

i7-3770 is still good 4 core/8 thread cpu. It will probably will still be relevant for another 2-3 years (at least).

But yes, after you decide, it's not enough for you anymore, then new DDR4 ram will be required (along with new cpu and motherboard).
May be we will even have DDR5 at that time.

 

[Nemalp031]

Alright but you were suggesting a RAM upgrade. So you're saying I should first upgrade to 16GB DDR3 RAM and then maybe GPU?

 

[logainofhades]

Definitely agree on getting a GPU upgrade.

 

[SkyNetRising]

So you're saying I should first upgrade to 16GB DDR3 RAM and then maybe GPU?

Yes. Ram first, then GPU.

 

[Nemalp031]

Dont I want DDR4 though? And therefore a new motherboard?

 

[logainofhades]

Dont I want DDR4 though? And therefore a new motherboard?

You would need to do a new cpu, motherboard, and ram.

 

[Nemalp031]

You would need to do a new cpu, motherboard, and ram.

Yeah isn't that porbably more worth it than a GPU right now?

 

[logainofhades]

I would say a GPU would be a larger upgrade, for gaming.

 

[Nemalp031]

I would say a GPU would be a larger upgrade, for gaming.

Alright. A friend of mine said that the AND RX5700 is very good and it would go well with an AMD Ryzen processor that I might buy eventually. Is that a good choice or should I stick to Nvidia for the GPU?

 

[logainofhades]

The RX5700 is a nice card, for the money. Sometimes you can get the 5700xt for similar cost. Just avoid the blower cooler models. GPU doesn't care which CPU brand you use.

 

[Nemalp031]

Yup I checked and I could get the xt version for about 390€ not discounted. Is something like an Nvidia 2070 or 2070 super worth the roughly 150€ difference? Is raytracing the main difference?

 

[logainofhades]

I don't feel it is worth it, especially given your monitor's resolution and refresh rate.

 

[Nemalp031]

Yeah after a GPU upgrade like that I'll want a new monitor too 😁. Alright well thanks for the help everyone. I think I'll check out the deals around Black Friday and Cyber Monday and I'll figure it out. If I don't find good discounts I might wait a bit longer. I'm not really in a big rush to upgrade - just wanted to know what my options are.

 

[punkncat]

Something to consider here based on a YouTuber I like to follow and who specializes in building older gaming machines. Run the Spectre and Meltdown mitigation disable program(s) and see how much your performance increases?

Personally I feel like your current GPU should pull respectable performance given the 1080p/60hz monitor you are on. Perhaps tweak some settings downward?
I would double your RAM first and then see where you stand afterward.

 

[Nemalp031]

Something to consider here based on a YouTuber I like to follow and who specializes in building older gaming machines. Run the Spectre and Meltdown mitigation disable program(s) and see how much your performance increases?

Personally I feel like your current GPU should pull respectable performance given the 1080p/60hz monitor you are on. Perhaps tweak some settings downward?
I would double your RAM first and then see where you stand afterward.

I do actually get decent FPS on the games I play but was jsut wondering what I could upgrade given that I find good deals.

What are the Meltdown and Spectre disable programs? I'm not familiar with this.

 

[punkncat]

I do actually get decent FPS on the games I play but was jsut wondering what I could upgrade given that I find good deals.

What are the Meltdown and Spectre disable programs? I'm not familiar with this.

Check a YouTube channel for TechYesCity. The guy there does loads of older builds and one of his semi recent videos shows the results with a 3rd or 4th gen (I think 3rd) gaming with and without the mitigations for Spectre and Meltdown enabled. It was enough of an improvement to consider during gaming. I am not specifically familiar with the names of the program or programs he uses to do so but know he has some deets on his channel.

 

[Nemalp031]

The RX5700 is a nice card, for the money. Sometimes you can get the 5700xt for similar cost. Just avoid the blower cooler models. GPU doesn't care which CPU brand you use.

Quick question. So I've read/watched a decent amount about the gpu options and it seems to me that a Gigabyte Gaming OC or a Powercolor Red Dragon (slightly cheaper) 5700xt would be a good choice. They both have good cooling and don't run too loud either. I don't really see why 2070 Super would be worth the price difference if i don't care so much about ray tracing. How much of a bottleneck would the rest of my build be if I went for one of these GPUs for now?

 

[Nemalp031]

Check a YouTube channel for TechYesCity. The guy there does loads of older builds and one of his semi recent videos shows the results with a 3rd or 4th gen (I think 3rd) gaming with and without the mitigations for Spectre and Meltdown enabled. It was enough of an improvement to consider during gaming. I am not specifically familiar with the names of the program or programs he uses to do so but know he has some deets on his channel.

Alright I'll have a look. Thanks