[SOLVED] Thinking about upgrading my PC

[ecaza34]

Hi, I'm looking for advice on what components I should upgrade. Most of these components were bought 6 years ago (power supply and the first hdd are 4 and 3 y old respectively ):

• Intel i7 4790k
• Gigabyte z97x-ud5h-bk rev1.0
• Corsair vengeance 2x4gb ddr3 1866mhz c9
• EVGA 650 gq 80+ gold 650w
• CM hyper 212 evo
• WD black 4tb 3.5 7200rpm
• WD blue 1tb 3.5 7200rpm
• CM storm scout 2

As you can see in this list, there's no GPU and that's because I rarely played any games or they didn't require more than the integrated graphics. I have a game that I used to play on and off but since the beginning of the pandemic I've been a more active player. The game doesn't demand good graphics, it has a multiclient system that allows you to play multiple accounts at the same time and it has a function that you can turn on to make your character hunt npcs automatically , so I've been with the PC almost 24/7 for the past six months. Two months ago, I had a couple of Bsods that I managed to prevent by turning off Intel's turbo boost. Also, I've noticed that some programs like the browser can take a bit to open or when I switch between programs they might be unresponsive for some seconds and since I always have 5 instances of the game open, I'm using around 66% of the CPU and 79% of the memory all the time but with acceptable temps (CPU 46 °C). So after a quick investigation I've found that the best upgrades could be: adding a ssd and installing the OS there, adding a GPU or adding more RAM. Please let me know which of these would give me the best value for the money (I can spend around $270). Any suggestions are welcome, thanks.

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[Archaic59]

Hi, I'm looking for advice on what components I should upgrade. Most of these components were bought 6 years ago (power supply and the first hdd are 4 and 3 y old respectively ):

• Intel i7 4790k
• Gigabyte z97x-ud5h-bk rev1.0
• Corsair vengeance 2x4gb ddr3 1866mhz c9
• EVGA 650 gq 80+ gold 650w
• CM hyper 212 evo
• WD black 4tb 3.5 7200rpm
• WD blue 1tb 3.5 7200rpm
• CM storm scout 2

As you can see in this list, there's no GPU and that's because I rarely played any games or they didn't require more than the integrated graphics. I have a game that I used to play on and off but since the beginning of the pandemic I've been a more active player. The game doesn't demand good graphics, it has a multiclient system that allows you to play multiple accounts at the same time and it has a function that you can turn on to make your character hunt npcs automatically , so I've been with the PC almost 24/7 for the past six months. Two months ago, I had a couple of Bsods that I managed to prevent by turning off Intel's turbo boost. Also, I've noticed that some programs like the browser can take a bit to open or when I switch between programs they might be unresponsive for some seconds and since I always have 5 instances of the game open, I'm using around 66% of the CPU and 79% of the memory all the time but with acceptable temps (CPU 46 °C). So after a quick investigation I've found that the best upgrades could be: adding a ssd and installing the OS there, adding a GPU or adding more RAM. Please let me know which of these would give me the best value for the money (I can spend around $270). Any suggestions are welcome, thanks.

I don't recommend putting any money into upgrading your current platform. It can be used as is or completely replaced. Working around it you may be able to improve things. In your situation a GPU and an SSD may give the most benefit. At your budget, you could probably manage a 1TB 2.5" SSD for the OS, programs and games and relegate your old hard drives to secondary storage for files and backups. The remaining budget could go to a GPU.

• Samsung 860 EVO 1TB 2.5" SATA III SSD
• GTX 1650 Super

You should be able to get both of these with your budget. The GPU may be hard to find in-stock right now but normal price is around $169 USD and the SSD is right around $100, perfect for your budget. Be wary of sellers charging more for the GPU because they know stock is low or absent in many places. Do not pay more than the normal price. Black Friday is coming up and you may want to wait till then to find good deals.

If you decide to get an SSD, come back here before you install it to get help with that. A clean windows installation would be best and the other drives will need to be disconnected when you do that, among other things.

Alternatively, you could put all your upgrade budget toward a GPU such as GTX 1660 Super and use the drives you have. This will give you great gaming but the GPU/SSD combo will give better overall system performance with very solid gaming compared to what you have now. You have to choose what you think is best.

 

[ecaza34]

Hey, thanks for your recomendation. And yes, I'm waiting for Black Friday deals, maybe I can get the SSD and GPU for less than my budget. In case I end up buying only one of those, which do you think would be better to have for a future new build (planning to make one in 2 years)?

 

[Archaic59]

Hey, thanks for your recomendation. And yes, I'm waiting for Black Friday deals, maybe I can get the SSD and GPU for less than my budget. In case I end up buying only one of those, which do you think would be better to have for a future new build (planning to make one in 2 years)?

A new build will require fresh windows installation so it may be a good time to get the SSD then and upgrade the GPU now. If you're using a 1080P monitor the GTX 1660 Super is a good card and should be available close to your budget. Performance will be hugely better but load times may lag a bit with regular hard drives for the time being.