[SOLVED] System Upgrade

[colere]

Hey,

I'm looking for some suggestions on the best value plays for upgrading my computer system. i understand its old. There's a few games i would like to play however the computer can't/isnt able to. Ive been looking to play Gears 5 and Phoenix Point.

Current computer is..
Intel Core I7 960 @ 3.2
8 GB DDR3
ASUS Sabertooth X58
AMD Radeon R9 200

do i buy new completely?
Budget can vary depending on whats required to play games.

thoughts..?

 

[Archaic59]

Time for a new computer. The time for an upgrade has come and gone, but opinions vary.

 

[WildCard999]

Agreed, new system time.

Which R9 200 do you have exactly? If it's the R9 290(X) then it would be fine to continue using for 1080P gaming. You could also reuse the Case & Storage if your budget isn't much.

 

[colere]

Agreed, new system time.

Which R9 200 do you have exactly? If it's the R9 290(X) then it would be fine to continue using for 1080P gaming. You could also reuse the Case & Storage if your budget isn't much.

It is the 290x. So far two votes new computer. I’ll start looking at parts.

 

[WildCard999]

It is the 290x. So far two votes new computer. I’ll start looking at parts.

I'd reuse it, friend has the R9 290 4gb and is good enough for 1080P High settings most games.

Price to performance the AMD Ryzen 2nd/3rd gen CPU's are really good and is well worth checking out, just be sure to pair it with fast memory (3000/3200) in dual channel a sit makes a big difference in performance.

 

[colere]

I'd reuse it, friend has the R9 290 4gb and is good enough for 1080P High settings most games.

Price to performance the AMD Ryzen 2nd/3rd gen CPU's are really good and is well worth checking out, just be sure to pair it with fast memory (3000/3200) in dual channel a sit makes a big difference in performance.

I’ll try it then before replacing.

Is 16gb the normal now for ram?

 

[WildCard999]

I’ll try it then before replacing.

Is 16gb the normal now for ram?

Yea 16gb is the norm but honestly if the budget allows without sacrificing another part I'd consider 32gb with pricing being so low.

 

[QwerkyPengwen]

yes. 16GB is pretty much the standard these days because a lot of newer AAA titles are starting to require a full 8GB just for the game at minimum requirements.

New system is a good idea, and can easily find an upgrade that works for a budget with Ryzen.

I'll just throw you a platform upgrade real quick because you already have everything else that can be reused.
This is for a Ryzen 2000 Series upgrade.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI B450M PRO-M2 MAX Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($74.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Aegis 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $249.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-12-07 18:34 EST-0500


And this is for a Ryzen 3000 series upgrade.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI B450M PRO-M2 MAX Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($74.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $324.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-12-07 18:36 EST-0500


This build is also simply reference and theoretical since price and availability of components varies from country to country and I live in the US so this selection of components is based on the assumption that you do too.

Also, this build is simply choosing the more budget friendly options for motherboard, RAM, and CPU.

Could obviously go higher end with components but defeats the purpose of saving money.

Also, this is all assuming that your current PSU is good enough for the newer CPU's.
Otherwise you may want to look at upgrading the PSU.

And one last thing is that while you can overclock on this B450 board that I've chosen (btw, I specifically chose the MAX variant because it's newest and supports 3000 series out of the box) you won't be overclocking all that much.

 

[colere]

Thanks for the references. Keep up the good work. I’m okay spending 500ish no problem.

Christmas gift to myself.

 

[WildCard999]

Christmas gift to myself.

Doing that soon, friends kid needs a gaming system so I'm building him one using my RX 580 and grabbing (probably) a 1660 Super. Not the biggest improvement but will only be paying like $80 for the new card as he's buying some other parts from me for a bit cheaper.

 

[colere]

three pieces i went with. Here's hoping i made okay choices. thanks again.

AMD Ryzen 5 3600 6-Core/12-Thread 7nm Processor
- Socket AM4 3.6GHz/ 4.2 GHz Boost, Wraith Stealth cooler, 65W

2x G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 3200MHz CL16 Dual Channel Kit (F4-3200C16D-16GVKB)

GIGABYTE X570 UD Motherboard with 10+2 Phases Digital VRM, Advanced Thermal Design with Enlarge Heatsink, PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 Connector, PCIe 4.0 x16 Slot Armor with Ultra Durable™ Design, GIGABYTE Gaming GbE LAN with Bandwidth Management, HDMI 2.0