[SOLVED] Running out of ideas for what I can do to my computer next. Need recommendations.

I just recently installed my first NVMe drive (Actually its the first Solid State Drive I have ever owned). Next I plan to put an inexpensive heatsink on the NVMe drive mainly for aesthetics but I figure it will help the temps some under sustained loads.

My next larger upgrade is to finally install my brand new Seasonic S12ii 520W Bronze PSU I have ready to install along with purchasing and installing a Noctua NH-C14S CPU Cooler. I think doing both at the same time makes the most sense since I have to disconnect the power supply anyways to perform the CPU Cooler install. I would have to remove the motherboard to perform this install correct? I chose the NH-C14S because it will fit in my case and blow air down towards the VRM's as well. If you have a better suggestion that will fit the Corsair 100r I'd be interested in hearing your opinions.

After that I'm not sure what else I can do to this PC, I'm not interested in LED's/RGB. I could add e few more Noctua NF-S12B redux-1200 PWM fans I suppose. I already have one such fan in the system pulling air out of the top of the case. The rear case fan is a 120mm stock fan that came with the case. It seems to be holding up well 1.5 years later and I never hear it.


TL/DR - What else should I add to my computer besides an NVMe heat sink, CPU Cooler and Noctua Redux fans.


PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 3.2 GHz 6-Core Processor (Purchased For $169.99)
Motherboard: ASRock AB350 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard (Purchased For $120.00)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (Purchased For $120.00)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory (Purchased For $69.99)
Storage: MyDigitalSSD BPX Pro 240 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive (Purchased For $44.99)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (Purchased For $39.99)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 950 2 GB FTW ACX 2.0 Video Card (Purchased For $179.99)
Case: Corsair 100R ATX Mid Tower Case (Purchased For $59.99)
Power Supply: Thermaltake TR2 600 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $60.00)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer (Purchased For $18.89)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit (Purchased For $109.99)
Wireless Network Adapter: Gigabyte GC-WB867D-I PCIe x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter (Purchased For $35.11)
Case Fan: Noctua NF-S12B redux-1200 PWM 59.1 CFM 120 mm Fan (Purchased For $14.99)
Monitor: AOC e2752Vh 27.0" 1920x1080 60 Hz Monitor (Purchased For $243.79)
Mouse: Logitech MX Anywhere 2 Wireless Laser Mouse (Purchased For $53.38)
Headphones: SteelSeries Siberia V2 Headset (Purchased For $60.85)
Speakers: Logitech Z623 200 W 2.1 Channel Speakers (Purchased For $129.99)
Custom: Chicony KB-5911 rebranded as Micro Inovations - Model # KB-5911 (Black) (Purchased For $4.24)
Total: $1536.17
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-15 10:07 EDT-0400
 
Solution
I would love to have one Vega 56, my 950 FTW can't come close to it in performance. I don't have a free slot for a 2nd one however.

So in summary - you all think I should upgrade the video card before doing anything else to the computer?
Yes seems like the best thing to do
The Seasonic S12ii is a higher quality Power Supply then the Thermal Take TR2, the wires look nicer and the Brand has been around longer then I've been alive and that is saying something now that I'm approaching 40 years old.

I am seriously considering the AMD Ryzen R7-3800X just right now its out of my price range of what is feasible. I'm hoping Black Friday / Holiday deals will impact the prices a bit and I'll be able to get one at that point.

As for the video card I don't play newer games for the most part and so I don't really have a need to upgrade my EVGA GTX 950 FTW at this time. Perhaps a 1660ti or similar in the future after I've upgraded the CPU.

The next larger purchase I will be making will be to replace my cellphone since the non-removable battery is on its last leg and won't accept a proper charge.

I was interested in upgrades to my PC that are < $100.00 USD at least for now with plans to do the CPU upgrade eventually, perhaps in a month or month and a half.
 
Upgrading from that slow GTX950 would be my recommendation. Even a RX570 4GB for $120 would be a significant upgrade (approximately equal to GTX970).

144Hz FreeSync monitor = $150. (Your GTX950 won't be able to do the variable refresh, but a newer AMD or Nvidia card would)
 
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Also be carefull with the 3800X I don't think its worth it the extra cash over the 3700X. Also the Noctua cooler you mention seems to be good enough for 3700X but it will be a bit on the limit for the 3800X (do to higher frecuency boost and highter thermals, unless you don't mind having temps over the average).

But one question comes to my mind, if you don't play newer games, and youre thinking to go with a 1660Ti or 1070 level GPU, why bother with a Ryzen 7 3700X or 3800X? you can have a lot of extra horse power from a cheap but very capable Ryzen 5 3600 upgrade.

Do you use your PC for rendering task or any other heavy load that need one of the high end side Ryzen 7 CPUs?
 

Tigerhawk30

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Just my TwoCents worth...

If you end up choosing the RX 570/580/590, stay away from the MSI Armor series...those have thermal issues written all over them as a lot of review seem to reflect. XFX seems to have a lot of the same issues. If you want to stick with MSI, I would recommend the Armor Mark II which seems to have a lot less problems where thermals are concerned. I bought a used RX 570 Armor Mark II 8 GB for my wife off of eBay for around $100 a few months ago and no problems with it at all.

I recently upgraded from a R5 1600 to an R7 2700X. I didn't need to, but...POWER, baby! Plus I've gotta say, that Prism cooler seduced me pretty hard. No regrets. Funny thing is, of course it's faster but I've even noticed that the computer shuts down faster. That's something I've never noticed before.
 
^+1
There's a reason the MSI Armor (Mark...1?, black and white color scheme) is almost always the cheapest option. They messed up pretty bad, hence why they released the red and black Mk.2 (mulligan), which is a good cooler. Their GamingX coolers are top notch. That's what I own.
 
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^+1
There's a reason the MSI Armor (Mark...1?, black and white color scheme) is almost always the cheapest option. They messed up pretty bad, hence why they released the red and black Mk.2 (mulligan), which is a good cooler. Their GamingX coolers are top notch. That's what I own.

I'm not bound to any brand. But I would like all black or black white since my build is all black with some white. Do you have any recomendations?
 
Also be carefull with the 3800X I don't think its worth it the extra cash over the 3700X. Also the Noctua cooler you mention seems to be good enough for 3700X but it will be a bit on the limit for the 3800X (do to higher frecuency boost and highter thermals, unless you don't mind having temps over the average).

But one question comes to my mind, if you don't play newer games, and youre thinking to go with a 1660Ti or 1070 level GPU, why bother with a Ryzen 7 3700X or 3800X? you can have a lot of extra horse power from a cheap but very capable Ryzen 5 3600 upgrade.

Do you use your PC for rendering task or any other heavy load that need one of the high end side Ryzen 7 CPUs?


Say I was to get the 3800X after all what CPU Cooler under 150mm would you suggest?