Build Advice Upgrade my 8-year old computer -- practically a new build.

[Zim84]

Hello from Switzerland!
I built my current computer roughly 8 years ago. I use my computer mainly to browse the webs, watch Youtube videos, play some games and do some office works. My current computer can do that very well, nothing is really demanding. Except of course gaming. I currently play mostly only Battlefield 4. I'd like to play a few newer games as well, like GTA V and Red Dead Redemption, but can't really try them out with my old build.

Current Hardware:
Case: Corsair Carbide 300R (will remain) - (German description - product no longer available on corsair website)
PSU: Coolermaster G 450 M (450W)
Mainboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H
CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
CPU-Cooler: came with the processor
RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport (2x4GB, DDR3-1600)
GPU: MSI Nvidia® GeForce™ GTX970 Gaming
SSD: 2x 256 GB SSD (SATA) + 1TB Maxtor M3 (HDD) + NAS - no need for more storage.

Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next week

Budget Range: 1'000 CHF / USD / EUR approx.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Video games, surfing, office, movies

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: All, but my Case. Current wishilst:
PSU: be quiet! PURE POWER 12 M 750W ( https://www.bequiet.com/de/powersupply/4068 )
Mainboard: GIGABYTE B550 GAMING X V2 (rev. 1.3) ( https://www.gigabyte.com/ch/Motherboard/B550-GAMING-X-V2-rev-13/sp#sp )
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X ( https://www.amd.com/de/products/cpu/amd-ryzen-7-5700x )
CPU-Cooler: be quiet! Pure Rock 2 ( https://www.bequiet.com/de/cpucooler/1841 )
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX (2x16 GB kit, DDR4 3600 CL18) ( Corsair website to product - long URL )
GPU: undecided! Maybe a Radeon RT 6750 XT - please advise on this one.
SSD: I might upgrade to M2 SSD, is this worth the money? WD Blue SN570 1TB ( https://www.westerndigital.com/de-de/products/internal-drives/wd-blue-sn570-nvme-ssd#WDS100T3B0C )

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Platform to compare prices: Toppreise / Shop I use mostly: Digitec

Location: Rapperswil, Switzerland

Parts Preferences: No prefernce, whatever is cost effective but gives good bang for buck

Overclocking: Rather not

SLI or Crossfire: Does that still exist in 2023?

Your Monitor Resolution: 3440x 1440

Additional Comments: Prefer a system that runs quietly. Can become a bit louder in older games, but should not be a dominant noise.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Current computer is doing the job however would like to upgrade for gaming purposes.

I mostly need input regarding a new GPU and whether the M2 is worth the money for my built. I'm not vidoe editing, streaming or something like that.

Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

Kind regards,
Markus

 

[turtletarget111]

I would personally go with the AMD RX 6800 over the 6750XT. It's about 30 dollars more compared to your current selection, and is a lot more GPU for the price. You will be going from 12 gigs of video memory to 16, meaning it will play nicer with games as it ages.

As far as your SSD, NVME drives are not very expensive anymore, and can be found for less than 100 dollars. WD drives are fine, but I would stick with Samsung or Sabrent. Their drives have outstanding performance and durability is unparalleled. The 970 Evo Plus is an excellent bang for buck drive; the 1TB model is about 50 bucks.

You might also want to consider going with the 5800X over the 5700X. The 5800X is only about 5% faster on average, but for me personally, the twenty dollar price difference is worth the slight edge. Whether or not that extra power is worth it is something you will have do decide.

If all you are doing is browsing the web and occasional gaming, 32 gigabytes is overkill. You would be just fine with a 16 gigabyte kit. This G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x8 kit runs at 3600 CL16 latency. Ryzen heavily relies on memory with low latency, so I would recommend sticking with CL16 or less. The same kit comes in 2x16 if you still want 32 gigabytes.

All the prices listed here are in USD, you might have to do some converting. Hope this helped, take care.

 

[Dj0gany]

This is the best I came up with using your shops:
Intel Core i5-12600KF 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor
be quiet! Pure Rock 2 Black CPU Cooler
Gigabyte B760 GAMING X AX

G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) Samsung 980 1TB Sapphire RX 6700 XT Pulse The tolal comes around 900euro or smth like that. This is a pretty solid mid-range gaming system that will last you for many years to come. I wanted to up the GPU to 6800 XT but the cheapeast one is 550euro in your shops so its over half the budget xD. YTou can keep the PSU, and the case you mentioned. I put a 1TB fast m.2 SSD for you store windows and other programs, either way you will have to do a clean windows install since you are building a new system, you can later on attach you SSD's if you need more storage. This build is based on DDR5 which is a new platform and will be used for many years to come, so its good for future proofing. I think i nailed down the prices pretty well, you check, see if have some more headroom for upgrades.

 

[Zim84]

Hey guys.
Thank you so far for your feedback. However, I cannot follow them fully.

RX 1800 insteaad of RX 1750:
It seems that it is indeed more powerfull, however, I pay over 150$ more in the shops I have available. Are my 350$ even worth all the money or shall I stick with a RTX 3060 for only 244$?

SSD/M2:
The big question is/was: will I notice a difference in speed/fps with my games? As I said, I'm not using my computer for any other intensive work than gaming. I have seen a video on youtube now comparing the same machine on a SSD and on a M2. The M2 was maybe 10% faster some times, but not always. As my m2 SSD that I want to buy is only 50$, that would be worth my money. The big question is only, if I feel the difference between this rather slow m2 or the high-performance 980 evo pro models, that cost more than double the money.

CPU 5700X or 5800X
I have seen and read, that the 5800X is a bit faster on single core use, but is mostly also a lot more power consuming and heat generating. That also means more heat, probably more expensive cooler or louder noises of the existing one. For my use cases, do I really need more CPU power?

RAM 32 vs 16gb:
In my shops, my favourite DDR4 3600 2x16 setup costs 65$. The 2x8 option costs 42$. +50%$ but +100% memory. I may not need it, but I think that is some future proofing for little money.

RAM DDR4 vs DDR5:
DDR5 is still more expensive, plus it is not on my favourite board/processor. So I'd have to upgrade the whole setup like Dj proposes. I could do that, but I think I spend a lot of money for future-me that might not need it.


Give my uscase: I'm working 100%, married, got 2 kids (so not very much free time) and playing currently rather older games, not hoping on all new trains and probably not playing stuff like cyberpunk ... are my decisions reasonable? Could I save on some components where I totally waste my money?

 

[turtletarget111]

RX 6800 insteaad of RX 6750: If the RX 6750XT is over 150 dollars less than the RX 6800, then you may want to stick with the 6750XT. I would not buy the RTX 3060, even if the RX 6750 is a little more expensive. It will blow the 3060 right out of the water when gaming. The 6750XT will be perfect for your needs. If you are willing to pay a little more, just keep in mind the RX 6800 is significantly more powerful. Do you need the extra performance? Based on your use case, probably not. You would be just fine sticking with the 6750XT.

SSD/M2: You will notice a difference. Having a fast SSD is not just for loading into games faster, but also for system responsiveness. If you have Windows running off a slow drive, programs will open slower, the system will take longer to boot, and it will not feel as snappy. Also consider the durability of the product. Western Digital SSD's do not last as long as one from Samsung or Sabrent. As such, some of the extra upfront cost is paying for the extra amount of time the SSD will run. You do not need to buy something super expensive, like the Samsung 980 Pro, but a mid-tier SSD like the Samsung 970 Evo will be more than enough.

CPU 5700X or 5800X: If you are on a tight budget you by no means need the 5800X. The 5700X will be just fine for casual gaming. The 2-3% improvement in performance is not something you will ever notice. Stick with your original choice.

RAM 32 vs 16gb: If you insist on getting 32 gigabytes that will be just fine. You will have more headroom to run more programs or tabs in a browser at the same time. Just make sure you do not get a kit with CAS latency over 18, as this will severely hurt the performance of your CPU. Just to reiterate, Ryzen heavily relies on RAM with low latency to perform well.

RAM DDR4 vs DDR5: You by no means need DDR5 and a current gen system. You can have a great gaming experience on last generation hardware. It will cost you a few hundred dollars more to get those next-gen features, and if you are casually playing games you will never notice or use them.

I hope I was able to clear some things up for you. If you need help, don't hesitate to reach out. Take care.

 

[Lucky_SLS]

Between 5700X and 5800X, like said above go for the 5700X. But if you have the option of goinf for the 5800X3D, choose the X3D.

Regarding SSD, look for the random read write speeds. Not the sequential speeds. a good top tier SSD will have 1500 mbps read and 500 mbps write speeds.

Regarding PSU, choose a tier 1 from this list: https://cultists.network/140/psu-tier-list/

With the release of 7800XT, the 6800 or the XT might have some stock clearance sales...