Upgrade Route .... New to forum

[drewmorros8]

First off I am assuming I am in the wrong forum but could not find a good place to post so for that I want to apologize in advance....

Back in May I purchased a "custom built" PC I only paid $250 on letgo and I knew from the start this was by no means a beefy super computer but at the time for the price I knew it would run the game I was getting back into on PC ( World of Warcraft.) I know WoW has never needed a super computer to run it but after buying the computer just like anything else I wanted to start upgrading... So I have decided to make a $1000 budget to either upgrade or Build a new rig. I never have built a computer (that is the main reason I purchased one second hand) nor am I a computer wiz but after doing some reading I think I can figure it out. before people start telling me to follow the guides for 1k pc build I am posting here to see if I can upgrade my existing PC or if someone would recommend just restarting from scratch...

Attached is a Google Docs file of the entire build

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s5g23FmJnE1uDRq_GPxgk_TURoe9iFG0WIz8K1ZYhrE/edit?usp=sharing

Thank You Everyone!!!

 

[Obakasama]

Hm... if you only paid $250 for that build then I'd say that's really good value.

It's not that old, but technically on a dead platform. Which depends on how you may wish to upgrade and how long you plan to keep this build. As it is, I would personally consider dropping an i7-7700, perhaps 16GB of RAM, and depending on graphical needs a more powerful graphics card. I haven't heard of the PSU make so I'd consider something more reputable.

The above suggestion may be countered that it isn't worthwhile because it's a dead platform, and money could be better spent on an entirely new build. This would also be possible.

However, for the price you paid I am a touch sceptical of the apparent specs. Could you perhaps verify by using something like Speccy/HWMonitor/HWiNFO to corroborate the specs?

 

[dontlistentome]

If it was my choice, first I'd look into just dropping an i7 7700 in there. That will certainly be 'enough' CPU for a long time to come. An i3 7xxx is the weak spot in your system.

After that, it's just a matter of figuring out your other needs. Is that 1060 not getting the job done? I would also put an SSD in there. Considering the low SSD prices these days, there's no reason not to get one.

 

[Corwin65]

That was a really good price. I'd worry if the GPU was real.

 

[drewmorros8]

I updated the Google docs file so it now has the speccy info as well. If there is anything else you guys need from me please let me know. How hard is it to swap to an ssd? Could I add another ballistics 8gb ram ? Also how hard is it to swap to an i7? Never done it before but if its not too difficult I can probably figure it out . Would I need to reinstall windows after?

 

[Corwin65]

Find a 7700 and you should be fine.

Installing an SSD is easy
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/15088/windows-create-installation-media
disconnect the current HDDD, connect the SSD
install windows, let it update, sign in with your MS account, make sure all drivers are updated
reconnect your HDD.

 

[drewmorros8]

Corwin, is it that simple to swap the i7? Is there anything I need to check for compatibility ?

 

[Corwin65]

Just replace it and use new thermal paste and you should be fine.

 

[drewmorros8]

thermal paste?...? never done the before ? would it be better for a computer shop to do it?

 

[Corwin65]

Check some youtube videos on installing a CPU cooler and you should be fine.

 

[mdd1963]

If considering a new CPU and if your MB will support it.....the i7-7700K costs $329 on Amazon right now, vs. $303 for the 7700...; as the former's base clock at least allows all cores to run at at least 4.2 GHz (600 MHz higher than base clock of 3.6 GHz the 7700), I'd go that route, even though a cooler will be required....HYper 212EVOs are not that expensive (check mounting height allowed in your case before ordering any cooler, of course), although many opt for Noctua's NH-D15, although this requires a case that allows a 165 mm cooler height.

The 7700K is not merely the 7700 with an overclock allowed and a 100 MHz difference, as many mistakenly assume....it is clocked at much higher speeds even if you do not overclock it. Gaining 600 more MHz on all cores with the "K", and 300 MHz higher single core turbo is worth $26 (and cooler cost)

 

[drewmorros8]

thank you everyone for the help. Hate to say it but a lot of this I don't understand... If I have 3 more ports available for ram would it maybe help to add another 8gb of ram to maybe speed it up to start ? If so I'm assuming it would be best to use the same exact model of ram I currently have?

 

[Obakasama]

It's usually best to have RAM kits which are sold in matching pairs, so ensured to work properly. With most motherboards being 'dual channel' to make the most of them.

And Speccy corroborates the specs are genuine, so the advice in the thread thus far is valid with respect to the CPU options.

SSD will help with loading times as well and give the feeling the PC is faster.

 

[drewmorros8]

Would you recommend then purchasing 2 new rams and replace the existing card I have now ? Can anyone recommend a good ssd?

 

[Obakasama]

For RAM, yes. Replacing your current 1 stick of 8GB RAM with 2 sticks of 8GB RAM (2x8GB) to ensure best performance.

Samsung SSDs tend to be seen as the best. Personally I've used a Crucial SSD and currently a Western Digital SSD. Generally a 250GB SSD is seen as being better as 120GB fills up rather quickly for essential software.

 

[drewmorros8]

How difficult is it to change a hard drive to an ssd?

 

[Obakasama]

Physically? Not very. Just a matter of connecting the relevant cables (depending on specific SSD).

What's potentially trickier is the Windows installation. I ran an old mechanical HDD before installing a new SSD to replace it. The SSD came with cloning software to help the transfer. For me it was a fairly painless process.

 

[drewmorros8]

Also, how do I check to see which processor I can upgrade to ? will any intel i7 work? Or do I need to find the exact model and info ? Sorry for the stupid questions

 

[Obakasama]

Only a selection of CPUs would work. The picture you originally posted lists the motherboard model as an ASRock B250 Pro4.
https://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/B250%20Pro4/index.asp

On this site there will be information specific to the motherboard. This is the list of CPUs compatible with that motherboard:
https://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/B250%20Pro4/index.asp#CPU

Some of us recommended upgrading to an i7-7700 and not the i7-7700k for a specific reason: this particular motherboard does not support 'overclocking'. Consider overclocking as a way of gaining extra performance beyond the normal. However, you can run an i7-7700k on it (it's just seen as wasted potential).

Additionally, only the CPUs with the 'k' suffix allows overclocking. It is possible to upgrade to i7-7700k but wouldn't be overclockable (which many would consider a waste). And to overclock you'd also need a 'Z' motherboard, in this case a Z270 motherboard. To overclock the correct motherboard and CPU is required. There's a bit more but that's the basics.

You may see that the recently release i7-8700k isn't listed as it isn't supported.

 

[dontlistentome]

The CPU thing is straighforward, but DO watch some Youtube videos to get a feel for how it goes. You'll be removing the heatsink/fan from the current one. There will be a goop, 'thermal paste', on the CPU and heatsink. That needs to be cleaned off. Then you remove the CPU, unlocking the lever which holds it in. You drop the new CPU in there and lock it in. Then you add new thermal paste to the CPU. Then reinstall the heatsink/fan. After you do this it's a good idea to test the computer, keeping an eye on temperatures, just to verify everything is working right.

The SSD is even easier. Your computer will have SATA ports. Your current hard drive is undoubtedly connected to one. So you simply buy a SATA cable and plug one end into the motherboard and the other into the SSD. The SSD will also need a power cable from your power supply, I bet your power supply has at least one or two free right now. Most times you can set in the motherboard bios the 'boot order'. This tells the computer which drive to boot from first, in case you have more than one drive. Needless to say, you'll want your SSD to be first on that list.

When deciding which SSD to get you can look at it a couple of ways. One, you can get a cheap 120gb. The advantage is the low cost. The disadvantage is it will have limited space, and smaller SSDs tend to be slower than larger ones. After you install and update Windows on it, then install any programs you use, you won't have much room for modern games which can require 50gb of install space or more. So your games will have to run off the slower mechanical hard drive. If you don't play games like this, or care where they load from, this is not a problem for you.

OR you can spend the money on a larger SSD, like a 256 or 480gb model. The advantages here are larger SSDs can be faster, and you'll have more space for games. The more large programs and games you can load from an SSD, the greater the speed benefits you'll enjoy. The disadvantage is cost of course.

I paired a 120gb SSD with a 1tb mechanical hard drive, and a 256gb mechanical hard drive, and that worked pretty well. But I got used to the speed benefits of the SSD and now I'm looking at 480-512gb SSDs, so I can start retiring my mechanical drives.