[SOLVED] Should i upgrade my PC or build a new one/buy a prebuilt one?

[122566737]

Approximate Purchase Date: about 5 years ago

Budget Range: 750-1750

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Building Modelling Software (RSTAB, RFEM), Drawing Sofware (AutoCAD, ArchiCAD), Video and Picture Editing (Lightroom, PS), Games (PUBG, Warzone, League, CS)

Are you buying a monitor: I read about G-Sync monitors. If thats something worth getting, i would. Im using a ASUS VS228 1920x1080.

Parts to Upgrade: My parts are the following:
CPU AMD FX(tm)-6300 Six-Core
RAM 8GB
GPU GeForce GTX 960
MOBO ASUSTeK m5a78l-m lx3
PSU LC500H-12 V2.2
HDD Generic L100 1TB
OS Windows 7 64bit
This is what i managed to put up with my half-day research on this topic. If i missed anything please tell me.

Do you need to buy OS: Yes if i will upgrade to Win10

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Im opened to suggestions. I prefer amazon.de if nothing else.

Location: Vienna, Austria

Parts Preferences: I dont know that much about this domain so im opened to your suggestions.

Overclocking: If you think i need it, but if it increases the price by a lot, then no.

SLI or Crossfire: If this is mainly a gaming feature, then no. If you think it will help my Modelling/Drawing software to run better, then yes.

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080, If i upgraded i would probably like 4k but im still open to suggestions as im not sure whether is worth/needed.

Additional Comments: I would like a quiet PC but also a strong one which will run VERY fast. Ive also read about this RGB Lights feature and it really caught my eye. Id like something in that direction as well. The idea of seeing all these lights at night in my room really interests me. I think that would be a nice view.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading:
Lately since COVID quarantine Ive spend a lot of time home working on uni projects and gaming a little and the biggest problem is the waiting time between switching tabs (from AutoCAD to RSTAB for example) and the time i need to wait when a window freezes and so on. This gets me quite frustrated even if its some seconds (but mostly it takes longer). So speed would be the thing which interests me most.
Secondly, im also thinking about a long term investment (as i go through uni i see that courses require more time and more use of software). And so im thinking about the future, working for a company. I will probably be working mostly with software which is why speed is important, as i would like to optimise the time working.
And thirdly, high quality and clear graphics. Im also a hobby fotographer so i edit pictures once in a while, I would like to see clear (real world reflective) colors. Im also thinking in the future that i might be inclined to work on something which will have to do with Building Graphic Design (im right now studying civil engineering so not much design here haha)

So with that being said, what is the verdict? Is it worth upgrading my PC or get a new one?

 

[FluffyFlounder]

Let me get one thing straight; If you want speed, you 100% need to upgrade that CPU, which would require a motherboard upgrade, and your graphics card is pretty bad so upgrade that, you get where I'm going. I would salvage everything you can (hard drive, is the ram 2x4 sticks? if so, you gotta get new ones) and start all over. New cpu, new ram, ssd for sure, if your into gaming 144 hz monitor if not you don't have to spend an extra 50$ for 144hz, windows 10 100$. Seems like a lot, but you have a pretty good budget. Learning to build a pc is pretty easy and it'll save you a crap ton of money. If you can't, find a good price on a prebuilt and make sure its not crazily overpriced (i once saw a "gaming" pc with a gtx 1650 that was $1600. My pc was 900$ and has a gtx 1660). So here's what i'd do:

1) do a ton of research, watch videos, learn about the brands and different parts. If your too lazy to do that, watch a reputable yt video on $1000-1500 pc builds (linus tech tips, jay2cents, you'll find more).

2) Build it, you'll save a ton of money

3) admire your work, upgrade your monitor if you don't feel it's up to your photography standards.

What I recommend you to do is get a new motherboard, new cpu, new graphics card, you MUST get an SSD, 16gb of ram (if your going ryzen go for faster ram), you can probably keep that psu im not sure though, windows 10 for sure.

If you have extra room in your budget (im sure you will, $1750 is a ton of money) and you really want rgb, go for the corsair ll120 3 pack of case fans. They look AMAZING. They cost a lot, but resell price is high, they look dope and you can always re-use them in the future.
Here's a pc build I made for you to start your research off of:
(I'm not sure how focused you are on gaming but here's one i think that will suit you)

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/npQLK4

CPU: Intel Core i7-9700K 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($379.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI Z390-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($133.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($73.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Blue 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($64.99 @ Walmart)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2060 6 GB OC Video Card ($319.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Thermaltake SMART 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ B&H)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: Asus PCE-AC51 PCIe x1 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi Adapter ($29.31 @ B&H)
Total: $1217.22

This thing wont let you down
Btw I hope i helped stay safe and good luck on your quest

 

[122566737]

Thank you very much for your replay. This is indeed a lot of good and helpful information!

I will take a look at the parts you have listed. I already did at some of them, and i already took a look at some youtube videos. The only problem with shopping for the parts is/will be the shipping since im in Europe. But ill see what to do about that when the time comes. For now ill have to inform myself about the components and prices.

I will probably opt for building my own computer.

Good luck and stay healthy!

 

[MyMindIsBlank]

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/NvJsht
You can get a lower power video card if you want, and save about $200 if you get something like a 2060.
This build is the absolute best you can get for the $1500 range. I would highly recommend Ryzen over Intel. The Ryzen 3700x performs slightly worse in gaming than the comparable core i7. The i7 is slightly better with single-thread applications (such as gaming), but AMD absolutely destroys Intel when it comes to multi-thread applications (such as editing and CAD, significantly reducing the time it takes to render things). The Ryzen 7 3700x is also cheaper than the comparable 8-core i7. I would simply ask you this; What matters more to you, a slightly noticeable increase of game fps, or would you rather have a machine that is a great editing rig, that can game very well? The link I posted is the absolute best you could get for $1500. Also, another thing to note is that I picked an expensive motherboard and CPU cooler. You could save money if you don't need water cooling or an expensive motherboard.

Also, if RGB doesn't matter to you, then you could save a little money on that.