[SOLVED] PC Upgrade Advice

[OnyxPanda]

Hey guys, my name is Pedro, i'm looking to upgrade my PC but unsure what to get. My current set up isn't bad but I want to from 1080p to 1440p @144hz so i'd want something that can run most games on Ultra settings like Red dead 2 and the upcoming cyberpunk. I also tend to play games where the CPU bottlenecks me so I want something that would last me a few years and is great for gaming! Ultimately however I'm not too bothered with flashy LED's or RGB, I want parts that are great value for money but pack a punch, and is good value for money. So i'd rather not pay an extra £100 for 1% boost if that makes sense.

So my current setup:

GPU: MSI Radeon RX Vega 56 8GB OC Edition
CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-5820K CPU @ 3.30GHz, 3301 Mhz, 6 Core(s), 12 Logical Processor(s) - WATER COOLED BY ALIENWARE
RAM: 16GB Corsair Vengeance @2400mhz
Motherboard: Alienware A14 from the Area 51 range
PSU: fX Pro 700W, rated 80+ Bronze
STORAGE: 250GB Crucial SSD, 1TB SSHD Firecuda

Ideally i'd want to just upgrade the motherboard, CPU and GPU. I'm thinking of getting an RTX3070 (or the AMD equivalent if its cheaper) so i'd need a motherboard that doesnt bottleneck that GPU and a CPU to match it in power so I can actually play games like Arma 3 (and other CPU intensive games) at good framerates. Intel or AMD I'm not really bothered on brand, just price for performance. Also if someone could let me know how to upgrade alienware pc's as im not sure if the stock alienware water cooler will be compatible with the new CPU. Anything else you guys wanna add (Like you should increase your PSU or RAM etc let me know). Also im kind of a newbie so if you're recommending a part can you explain why that part is good vs something else so I can understand what im buying? Especially the motherboard, I don't understand what's good or what I need when it comes to motherboards.

Budget: Don't really have one but would like or expect to pay something like £150-200 for motherboard and 200-400 for the CPU (unsure how much a good one costs but let me know how much i should be spending on either)

Really appreciate you guys for your help!

 

[Dj0gany]

I'd upgrade everything,but i'd keep the vega 56 8gb for now since it can still game rdr2 on high/ultra at 1440p.The reason i would upgrade everything is to get away from that OEM computer as far away as possible.OEM motherboard often tend to have extremely difficult problems when upgrading CPU since they are ussually made to just run that CPU,that is already in it.I've had prebuilts form lenovo,dell,hp,you name it and when a customer wanted to upgrade the CPU,it didnt work.Also the ram in that pc is super slow,idk about that psu but it looks sus,and no im not one of those guys who hate psus that are not a top tier brand.The storage on the other hand is great and you can keep that.So here is what i suggest u should do: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/tybLy4 it all comes around at around 700$ and its all available now (or it should be)
Its a great performer for its money the thing that i like is that u can overclock the processor since its a K model of intel cpu and i put in a Z motherboard so it will all work great.The reason i didnt go with RYZEN is that 10600K smashes every ryzen cpu in its price range THAT IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE,the new ryzen 5600X is great and its better than the 10600K but its more expensive and its far less available (or should i say unavailable).The ram is 2x8gb 3600MHz so its perfect for gaming,no storage since as i said since u already have that,no new GPU since u can still use your VEGA 56 8GB,a new good,cheap,no RGB,with good airflow case for ur new pc and a new psu.
If u cant build this on your own,just go to your local pc shop and ask them if they can build it for you.

Oh yeah one thing i should mention is that p300a comes with only 1 fan,but you can always add fans.
What do you think?

 

[Prad_Bitt]

Hey guys, my name is Pedro, i'm looking to upgrade my PC but unsure what to get. My current set up isn't bad but I want to from 1080p to 1440p @144hz so i'd want something that can run most games on Ultra settings like Red dead 2 and the upcoming cyberpunk. I also tend to play games where the CPU bottlenecks me so I want something that would last me a few years and is great for gaming! Ultimately however I'm not too bothered with flashy LED's or RGB, I want parts that are great value for money but pack a punch, and is good value for money. So i'd rather not pay an extra £100 for 1% boost if that makes sense.

So my current setup:

GPU: MSI Radeon RX Vega 56 8GB OC Edition
CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-5820K CPU @ 3.30GHz, 3301 Mhz, 6 Core(s), 12 Logical Processor(s) - WATER COOLED BY ALIENWARE
RAM: 16GB Corsair Vengeance @2400mhz
Motherboard: Alienware A14 from the Area 51 range
PSU: fX Pro 700W, rated 80+ Bronze
STORAGE: 250GB Crucial SSD, 1TB SSHD Firecuda

Ideally i'd want to just upgrade the motherboard, CPU and GPU. I'm thinking of getting an RTX3070 (or the AMD equivalent if its cheaper) so i'd need a motherboard that doesnt bottleneck that GPU and a CPU to match it in power so I can actually play games like Arma 3 (and other CPU intensive games) at good framerates. Intel or AMD I'm not really bothered on brand, just price for performance. Also if someone could let me know how to upgrade alienware pc's as im not sure if the stock alienware water cooler will be compatible with the new CPU. Anything else you guys wanna add (Like you should increase your PSU or RAM etc let me know). Also im kind of a newbie so if you're recommending a part can you explain why that part is good vs something else so I can understand what im buying? Especially the motherboard, I don't understand what's good or what I need when it comes to motherboards.

Budget: Don't really have one but would like or expect to pay something like £150-200 for motherboard and 200-400 for the CPU (unsure how much a good one costs but let me know how much i should be spending on either)

Really appreciate you guys for your help!

Let's go over the motherboard thing first

How I define a good motherboard personally is:
8 pin CPU power connector
4 DIMM slots at least
Good VRMs (necessary for OC)
ATX (I do not like small boards unless it's a case and build specifically for small form factor)
Tons of fan headers
Tons of RGB (you don't care)

Would not recommend retaining that PSU, cause sketchy quality. Would recommend a Corsair RM650 off of personal experience and I have no clue about the water cooler, sorry about that one. I can recommend coolers if you want though.

You can retain the RAM if you wanna save costs. It does make a performance difference but this would probably be the last thing I upgrade on a build like yours.

For CPU - Ryzen 5000. Whatever fits your budget. 5600X is ideal value wise imo

Mobo choice - judging from a random B450 listing, I'd say Strix B550 F or Aorus B550 Pro should fit your budget, they're good boards I have the Aorus one.

GPU - 3070 is great

 

[OnyxPanda]

I'd upgrade everything,but i'd keep the vega 56 8gb for now since it can still game rdr2 on high/ultra at 1440p.The reason i would upgrade everything is to get away from that OEM computer as far away as possible.OEM motherboard often tend to have extremely difficult problems when upgrading CPU since they are ussually made to just run that CPU,that is already in it.I've had prebuilts form lenovo,dell,hp,you name it and when a customer wanted to upgrade the CPU,it didnt work.Also the ram in that pc is super slow,idk about that psu but it looks sus,and no im not one of those guys who hate psus that are not a top tier brand.The storage on the other hand is great and you can keep that.So here is what i suggest u should do: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/tybLy4 it all comes around at around 700$ and its all available now (or it should be)
Its a great performer for its money the thing that i like is that u can overclock the processor since its a K model of intel cpu and i put in a Z motherboard so it will all work great.The reason i didnt go with RYZEN is that 10600K smashes every ryzen cpu in its price range THAT IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE,the new ryzen 5600X is great and its better than the 10600K but its more expensive and its far less available (or should i say unavailable).The ram is 2x8gb 3600MHz so its perfect for gaming,no storage since as i said since u already have that,no new GPU since u can still use your VEGA 56 8GB,a new good,cheap,no RGB,with good airflow case for ur new pc and a new psu.
If u cant build this on your own,just go to your local pc shop and ask them if they can build it for you.

Oh yeah one thing i should mention is that p300a comes with only 1 fan,but you can always add fans.
What do you think?

Heya , thanks for getting back to me! A few questions, 1. Do I need to replace the case? I’m in love with the current Alienware case, it’s big and looks really cool. 2. You recommended the i5, I’m not too sure how cpus work but there are i9s out for similar price, are they not better than i5, probably is a stupid question but as a noob my brain sees bigger number and assumes it’s better xD. To clarify the Alienware prebuilt has already been upgraded, only the motherboard is stock tbh everything else has been changed and works okay, I’m currently playing red dead 2 at about 60fps on high, sadly I want to play kingdom come deliverance on high or ultra but currently on high settings I’m playing at around 30fps, which is sad for the vega hence trying to upgrade by mobo and cpu as it might be a cpu bottleneck? Either way, will going with an i5 give me upgradeability for the future or should I spend abit extra and wait for the Ryzen? Many thanks again! Ps. How important is it to get a decent motherboard ? Like other than linking parts together what does it do?

 

[Dj0gany]

Heya , thanks for getting back to me! A few questions, 1. Do I need to replace the case? I’m in love with the current Alienware case, it’s big and looks really cool. 2. You recommended the i5, I’m not too sure how cpus work but there are i9s out for similar price, are they not better than i5, probably is a stupid question but as a noob my brain sees bigger number and assumes it’s better xD. To clarify the Alienware prebuilt has already been upgraded, only the motherboard is stock tbh everything else has been changed and works okay, I’m currently playing red dead 2 at about 60fps on high, sadly I want to play kingdom come deliverance on high or ultra but currently on high settings I’m playing at around 30fps, which is sad for the vega hence trying to upgrade by mobo and cpu as it might be a cpu bottleneck? Either way, will going with an i5 give me upgradeability for the future or should I spend abit extra and wait for the Ryzen? Many thanks again! Ps. How important is it to get a decent motherboard ? Like other than linking parts together what does it do?

Do I need to replace the case? No,but i bet it doesnt have as much as airflow p300a,but if you like it use it,just beware and monitor the temps.
2. You recommended the i5, I’m not too sure how cpus work but there are i9s out for similar price, are they not better than i5?
i9 for 250???? are i9 really that cheap xD??? How much is that i9 thou,if its below 300$ then deffinitelly get the i9,you are just gonna need to replace the motherboard with this: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/Gq2rGq