PC Upgrade Time

[Razorsteam]

Hello.

I am in a state of confusion. I do not know what to upgrade in my PC. I am currently running:

Intel® Core™ i5-2400 Processor
(6M Cache, up to 3.40 GHz)

XFX Radeon HD 7870 2GB

Corsair Vengeance DDR3 1600MHz 8GB CL9

P8Z68-V LX (Motherboard)

XFX ProSeries Core Edition 850W PSU


This is my current setup. I want to upgrade my computer, but I don't know where to start. The thing is, I am on a budget. My budget is €221.


What do you people on the forums recommend that I do? Should I wait and save up some more money?

Thanks in advance!

//Razorsteam

 

[Karsten75]

You can't upgrade the CPU to anything sensible without having to swap out the motherboard. A current i5 will set you back approximately your whole budget.

I think you have a pretty decent build, although it's probably 4-5 years old? Only things that you can salvage are the RAM - for some reason DDR3-1600 is still supported up to now- The power supply - if it will have enough connectors for whatever next CPU and GPU you get - and probably the case - if you want to buy a part to give you USB 3.0.


Yes, wait a while, save up some more. In a few months the very nice Devil's Canyon CPUs will be available, they will run DDR4 memory and there is bound to be a few upgrades or price drops on GPUs. You'll be happy you waited.

 

[Razorsteam]

You can't upgrade the CPU to anything sensible without having to swap out the motherboard. A current i5 will set you back approximately your whole budget.

I think you have a pretty decent build, although it's probably 4-5 years old? Only things that you can salvage are the RAM - for some reason DDR3-1600 is still supported up to now- The power supply - if it will have enough connectors for whatever next CPU and GPU you get - and probably the case - if you want to buy a part to give you USB 3.0.


Yes, wait a while, save up some more. In a few months the very nice Devil's Canyon CPUs will be available, they will run DDR4 memory and there is bound to be a few upgrades or price drops on GPUs. You'll be happy you waited.

Hi and thanks for the response.

I see what you're saying. I've looked around and I can get a Intel Core i5-4670K plus a ''cheap'' motherboard. I don't know if this is a smart buy.

You're probably right in that I should wait and save up a bit more. I think the motherboard and CPU is what's going to be upgraded when I have the money, because the CPU is quite old and holding back performance.

Thanks for replying.

//Razorsteam

 

[Vic 40]

You could go for a second hd 7870 to go crossfire.The second pcie slot at x4 is a slight bottleneck,but it still should give a significent boost in fps.The psu is good enough for it.The cpu should be too imo.
Like this one for new,
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-fx787acdfc
or look second hand.Just saw that you were looking in euro's (very specific number?),anyway look at a hd 7870 in stores near you.

 

[Razorsteam]

You could go for a second hd 7870 to go crossfire.The second pcie slot at x4 is a slight bottleneck,but it still should give a significent boost in fps.The psu is good enough for it.The cpu should be too imo.
Like this one for new,
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-fx787acdfc
or look second hand.Just saw that you were looking in euro's (very specific number?),anyway look at a hd 7870 in stores near you.

Hello and thanks for the response.

I was also considering getting a second 7870 and go crossfire. I think the CPU is what's dragging my PC down though, but I could be wrong.

The reason I put that as my specific budget is because that is the amount of money I have right now I thought I would upgrade my PC.

I will see if more people respond to the thread and see what they say. Otherwise, I will probably go for the 7870 or save up for a new CPU and motherboard.

Please tell me what you think!

Thanks for replying!

//Razorsteam

 

[Vic 40]

It seems to be possible to overclock the i5 2400 on a Z68 motherboard to a certain extent.
https://www.google.nl/?gws_rd=ssl#q=intel+core+i5+2400+overclocking
it probably would be a sensible choice to put a better cooler on it in that case,the hyper 212 evo would do fine..First read some threads about it,like that bit-tech.net review for instance.

 

[Razorsteam]

You could go for a second hd 7870 to go crossfire.The second pcie slot at x4 is a slight bottleneck,but it still should give a significent boost in fps.The psu is good enough for it.The cpu should be too imo.
Like this one for new,
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-fx787acdfc
or look second hand.Just saw that you were looking in euro's (very specific number?),anyway look at a hd 7870 in stores near you.

It seems to be possible to overclock the i5 2400 on a Z68 motherboard to a certain extent.
https://www.google.nl/?gws_rd=ssl#q=intel+core+i5+2400+overclocking
it probably would be a sensible choice to put a better cooler on it in that case,the hyper 212 evo would do fine..First read some threads about it,like that bit-tech.net review for instance.

Hi.

I'll look into more on the overclocking idea. Seems interesting.

Would upgrading my GPU be a smart option, or like you said before, go crossfire? The main game I play is World of Warcraft, so that is what I'm hoping to increase performance in.

//Razorsteam

 

[Vic 40]

I'm not into wow,but fom what i read is it cpu intensive so overclocking is something you could try first.It only requires a better cooler (imo,according to the reviews would the stock already be good enough).
You could see if that gives the boost you're looking for.If not could you upgrade the gpu to either a second hd 7870 or maybe a gtx 760 depending what fits the budget.
If overclocking would give a nice boost could you also consider to buy a "K" series cpu like the 3570K.

 

[Razorsteam]

It seems to be possible to overclock the i5 2400 on a Z68 motherboard to a certain extent.
https://www.google.nl/?gws_rd=ssl#q=intel+core+i5+2400+overclocking
it probably would be a sensible choice to put a better cooler on it in that case,the hyper 212 evo would do fine..First read some threads about it,like that bit-tech.net review for instance.

I'm not into wow,but fom what i read is it cpu intensive so overclocking is something you could try first.It only requires a better cooler (imo,according to the reviews would the stock already be good enough).
You could see if that gives the boost you're looking for.If not could you upgrade the gpu to either a second hd 7870 or maybe a gtx 760 depending what fits the budget.
If overclocking would give a nice boost could you also consider to buy a "K" series cpu like the 3570K.

Hello.

I was also thinking of getting an Intel Core i5-4670K plus a ''cheap'' motherboard. Would this be a smart upgrade? Or will the ''cheap'' motherboard just bottleneck everything? I have water cooling for my current CPU.

Thanks.

//Razorsteam

 

[Vic 40]

With the 4670K would i not buy a "cheap" motherboard.I would look for a solid price/performance deal.
Which motherboard would you look at in that case?

 

[Razorsteam]

With the 4670K would i not buy a "cheap" motherboard.I would look for a solid price/performance deal.
Which motherboard would you look at in that case?

Hello.

I kind of figured if I could get a better CPU, any other motherboard from the one I currently have would be better. But I could be wrong. I am not that good when it comes to motherboards. I was looking at the ASUS B85M-G, Socket-1150. I think I can stretch my budget JUST a bit. Or I can wait til next month when I get another €55.

Any motherboard you recommend? And would the 4670K be an upgrade from my current CPU?

Thanks for helping.

//Razorsteam

 

[Vic 40]

Aagin try to get the most speed out of the current cpu.

The 4670K should be a bit better ,
http://uk.hardware.info/reviews/4437/intel-core-i7-4770k--core-i5-4670k--core-i5-4430-review-haswell-test
look at hitman ... and the ~4430/3470
The B85 motherboard isn't a good one for that cpu,you can't overclock with it.Get a Z87/97 for it.Something like,
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-z87extreme4
or
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-fatal1tyz97killer
for a single card and a bit of overclocking,
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-z87pro4



Ive read a bit more and crossfire doesn't seem to do very good with this game.Nvidia however does better,maybe that a gtx 760 will give better performance.
Well,
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_760/24.html
the hd 7870 should give decent fps though according to this.This is also with a haswell cpu.

 

[Razorsteam]

With the 4670K would i not buy a "cheap" motherboard.I would look for a solid price/performance deal.
Which motherboard would you look at in that case?

Aagin try to get the most speed out of the current cpu.

The 4670K should be a bit better ,
http://uk.hardware.info/reviews/4437/intel-core-i7-4770k--core-i5-4670k--core-i5-4430-review-haswell-test
look at hitman ... and the ~4430/3470
The B85 motherboard isn't a good one for that cpu,you can't overclock with it.Get a Z87/97 for it.Something like,
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-z87extreme4
or
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-fatal1tyz97killer
for a single card and a bit of overclocking,
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asrock-motherboard-z87pro4



Ive read a bit more and crossfire doesn't seem to do very good with this game.Nvidia however does better,maybe that a gtx 760 will give better performance.
Well,
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_760/24.html
the hd 7870 should give decent fps though according to this.This is also with a haswell cpu.

Hello.

Thank you for listing some good motherboards for the 4670K. The last one you linked is one I can get for a good price.

MSI Z87-G45 Gaming, Socket-1150 is -18% off on a website I was looking at. This motherboard plus the 4670K is within my grasp if I save up some more money. Does this seem like a good combo?

I've also read that WoW doesn't like crossfire or SLI. So I think that concludes that I will not be getting a second GPU.

Thanks.

//Razorsteam

Quick edit; I found this http://www.inet.se/produkt/1902424/asrock-z87m-pro4-matx
Is this one ''good''?

Thanks.

 

[Vic 40]

The MSI Z87-G45 Gaming, Socket-1150 is -18% off on a website I was looking at. This motherboard plus the 4670K is within my grasp if I save up some more money. Does this seem like a good combo?

Yes it does.

Quick edit; I found this http://www.inet.se/produkt/1902424/asrock-z87m-pro4-matx
Is this one ''good''?.

No,not for overclocking.

 

[Razorsteam]

The MSI Z87-G45 Gaming, Socket-1150 is -18% off on a website I was looking at. This motherboard plus the 4670K is within my grasp if I save up some more money. Does this seem like a good combo?

Yes it does.

Quick edit; I found this http://www.inet.se/produkt/1902424/asrock-z87m-pro4-matx
Is this one ''good''?.

No,not for overclocking.

Hello and thanks for all the replies! I think I have settled to a conclusion.

Save up more money so I can get a great motherboard with the 4670K.

Thank you all for the help and I hope to see you around on the forums!

//Razorsteam

 

[Vic 40]

By the way,now it seems you will wait could you wait for the i5 4690K too and choose a Z97 motherboard by that time.It should be out by the end of juli afaik.
The z97 motherboards aren't more expensive so ask again or just go for the combo already posted.That choice is up to you,google it a bit yourself,you have the time.