Build Advice Upgrade advice

kevin07

Distinguished
Oct 25, 2012
84
4
18,635
Hey,

Long overdue an upgrade and since my motherboard is pretty much on its way out I am kindly asking for a few suggestions from the forums that have helped me build this rig to begin with.

Main upgrades I'm looking for are to MOBO and CPU but any recommendations for anything else is welcome.

Got my current GPU during the drought after my old one blew but there seems to be a bit of a bottleneck due to my CPU.

My Pc ..
Case: Corsair Carbide 400R Mid Tower Case
Motherboard: ASrock Z77 Extreme 4
CPU: i5 3570K @ 3.40ghz (overclocked to 4.4)
Cooler: Noctua NH-U14S Ultra-Quiet Slim CPU Cooler with 140mm
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
Monitor: 24" Acer XB240H
Memory: 8GB (2x4GB) Corsair DDR3 Vengeance Jet Black, PC3-12800 (1600)
PSU: 650W Corsair TX650M ATX PSU
SSD: 1TB Crucial 2.5 MX500 SSD
OS: Windows 10, 64 bit

No budget per se, just looking to future proof for a while but not looking to go super crazy

Any help appreciated.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • Like
Reactions: Why_Me
If you've not long had the GPU can I assume you have no intention of replacing it for a while? Do you have a preference for AMD or Intel?
If I was looking for something affordable that was a big upgrade on what I had I would look at the 5600X or 5700X and a decent B550 board + 32GB of RAM. Either of those CPU's would work well with your current CPU cooler.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kevin07
You can probably continue to use the Noctua cooler although you would need to get an adapter to mount it on a new motherboard.

Case and GPU may be reusable.

SSD should be reusable.

How old is the power supply? It may be reusable.

New RAM, motherboard, and CPU for sure. You can do a pretty good job for say 500 bucks if in USA. 800 to 1000 for those 3 parts would be a high end machine.

What's the purpose of the PC? Running benchmarks? Crossword puzzles?

You have to decide on Intel or AMD. Both have introduced new CPUs recently. Either are adequate, but you may have a personal preference?

On the Intel side, look at maybe these CPUs: 12400 or 13600K, depending on what you are willing to spend.

You can likely do OK with a micro ATX motherboard to save a few dollars.

RAM: 16 GB of DDR 4 at the lower end or up to 32 GB of DDR 5 at the top end. No big reason to use DDR 5, but it's not a lot more expensive lately. Purchase 2 sticks in a single kit for a single price.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kevin07 and Why_Me

kevin07

Distinguished
Oct 25, 2012
84
4
18,635
Correct no intention of replacing GPU anytime soon

CPU, MOBO and RAM are my main interests which you all seem to have gave advice on.

PSU is fairly new just over a year or approaching 2 years maybe, had to replace my old one as it blew.

No preference on CPU other than the fact my first and current is intel.

Yeah sorry forgot to mention I use PC for gaming at 1080p at the moment
 
  • Like
Reactions: Why_Me
Parts above suggested by Why_Me total about 350.

Could you just as easily spend 700? Or preferably not? 700 would put you in territory of 13600k processor and 32 GB RAM and maybe a motherboard with more features.

The Noctua adapter I think is around 10 bucks at a retail store, but Noctua will typically send you one for free within a week of so if you prefer. I think you'd have to send them a copy of your invoice for your new socket 1700 CPU to confirm to them that you qualify for the free adapter.

How soon must you buy? Another batch of new Intel CPUs will be launched in late January, according to strong rumor. These will not be "K" series, which probably wouldn't matter at all to you.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kevin07
hmmm, could you suggest a mobo compatible with the 13600k since the 12400 is not?

The 12400 is not what?

For the 13600k, here are your possible range of choices:

DDR 4, full ATX
DDR 4, micro ATX
DDR 5, full ATX
DDR 5, micro ATX

12th generation and 13th generation for each. Total of 8 variations.

Here's the problem:

The 13600k is 13th generation.

If you wanted to use a 12th generation motherboard with the 13600k, you'd have to update the BIOS to get it to boot. SOME 12th generation boards CANNOT do that without a 12th generation CPU, which you don't have.

So, naturally, you'd prefer a board that did not require a BIOS update. A 13th generation motherboard.

There are a limited number of those. As far as I know, all of them as of now have the Z790 chipset. You may have to accept a full ATX board rather than micro ATX. You may have to accept DDR 4 rather than DDR 5. Or vice versa.

I would look at MSI and Gigabyte websites for 13th generation boards.

Decide on what RAM you will accept. Decide on how much you are willing to pay. Decide on what features you need on the board.

Most importantly, decide if you can wait 2 or 3 months for boards other than Z790, such as B series due supposedly in January.

If you cannot wait, you may be forced to full ATX Z790, either DDR 4 or DDR 5. Not a big difference between the two. Or forced to a 12th generation board and deal with BIOS updating.

I'm sorta in your position. I want to rebuild, but I don't need Z790 or full ATX. I am waiting till at least January and hope to go with DDR 5 and micro ATX, with a B series chipset.