Upgrade Help Based on Current Specs

[ithilien22]

Hey guys,

My current system is at the 3 year mark. I just replaced the original hard drive with an SSD which has been fantastic, but it got me thinking that maybe I'm due some additional upgrades.

I'm a heavy video streaming/multimedia user and a mid-level gamer - the most graphics intensive game I play currently is probably Skyrim, though I would like to keep my system current enough to play newer games as well. So what I'd mainly like to see is better performance and load times on the programs and games I use, if possible (the SSD did help with that some already). My main concern is that someone else built this system for me, and I'm not sure how much massive upgrading I would be comfortable doing on my own.

Hoping someone might be able to look at my current specs and offer some advice/recommendations.

Current system:
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-D3H SLI+CrossFire
CPU: Intel Quad Core i5 3570K 3.4GHz 6MB
Memory: Corsair Vengeance DDR3-1600 8GB(2X4GB) CL9
Graphics: EVGA nVidia GeForce GTX 660 2GB
SSD: Samsung 850 EVO 500GB
Case: Corsair Carbide 500R
PSU: CORSAIR TX 650W
CPU Cooling: Corsair H60 - Watercooling

 

[Barty1884]

What exactly are you quantifying under "video streaming/multimedia"?

Everything is still capable, the CPU especially. A new GPU wouldn't hurt, and increasing your RAM from 8GB to 16GB would help you if you did a lot of multi-tasking.

 

[ithilien22]

So if I did like a gtx 970 and upgraded the ram, everything else would still handle that fine?

Are those difficult upgrades for a newbie to do?

 

[Barty1884]

If you're doing any editing, rendering or live game streaming - a CPU upgrade could be worthwhile, but based on what you've said, I'm assuming that's not the case.

RAM & GPU are two of the easiest upgrades but, honestly, no upgrade is very difficult. Provided you plan it out and take your time.

For RAM, in theory you could buy another 2x4GB 'kit', populate your 2 available slots & call it a day. In the real world though, you have potential problems - mixing & matching does not always work . Some RAM simply does not 'play nice' with others. So if you want to try adding 2x4GB, just ensure wherever you buy from has a decent return policy. Alternatively, you could buy 2x8GB (or 4x4GB) 'kits' and replace all your RAM. I've never personally had a problem of mixing & matching, but plenty people have.

As far as the GPU goes.....it's a matter of uninstalling your GPU drivers, removing the GPU, attaching the new one (ensuring all cables are seated properly) and powering on.

Neither of those two upgrades are remotely difficult........just take your time & don't force anything.