Question Upgrade the current setup, or buy new?

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Mr.CJ

Mr.CJ

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Jan 27, 2022
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Hello :)

My aging setup might be due for an upgrade. Built summer 2016. Only internal upgrade since is OS SSD and the addition of an M2 for storage. I am wondering if I should upgrade my current setup, or go for a new one?

OS: Windows 10 Pro 64bit
Monitor: AOC 27" something 1080p 144Hz
Motherboard: ASUS MAXIMUS VIII RANGER
CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K Skylake
GPU: Palit GeForce GTX 1070 Super JetStream - 8GB GDDR5
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3000 DC 16GB
Storage: Samsung 870 EVO 500GB SSD (OS)
Storage 2: Kingston NV2 M.2 NVMe SSD, 2TB (Storage)
Power supply: Cooler Master V 750W

I see that the best CPU I can put in this configuration is an I7 7700K, but that does not seem like a huge difference performance-wise. I also read that an RTX 3070 could be installed with little degradation of performance with the MB I have, but I have no clue regarding other potential bottlenecks. If I understand correctly the PSU should be able to deliver enough power, but I am not sure if there might be other things to take into account. I am currently running 1080p. Might upgrade to 1440p. The PC is mainly used as a workstation but I like the possibility to do some gaming now and then. What would be the best solution here? Just get a new GPU? Get a new MB to upgrade both GPU and CPU? Just build a new one?

All inputs are appreciated :)

Cheers!
 
If it is mainly for work, then going to a i7 from i5 might be beneficial depending on the kind of workload involved. For simple office work, 4 extra threads can accommodate lot more stuff while multitasking. If your work is graphic intensive like rendering or modelling, then you might have to think of newer hardware.
 
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It all depends on your budget.

But if I was in your place, I would just use NVME drives in the new computer. All other parts should be sold.

You can continue to use your monitor for some time, but QHD monitors are now the new norm.
 
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All in all, half of your system is in good shape to be re-used (minus the case because I don't know what case you have and that can affect what GPU options you can get due to size restraints)

Your PSU, Storage, and RAM are all good to go for swapping to a new platform.

If you wanted to "upgrade" but stay conscious of a tighter budget, I might recommend you to not try and be on the latest and greatest but rather switch it up to that of a B400/500 series board for AMD and get a Ryzen 7 3700(x) second hand for your upgrades (that's what I did going from a 6700K to a Ryzen 7 3700x).

Your GPU can be upgraded if you are a gamer that wants to be able to keep up with the newer AAA games, and a 4060/Ti might benefit you greatly there as well because something like the Ryzen 7 3700 will work well with that card, your PSU is enough for it, and with DLSS 3.0 you can be able to play the latest games with decent graphics and framerates for years to come.

If not doing all that much gaming on the high end market, and you maybe only play lower spec games, you may not even need to bother with a GPU upgrade, but going to a higher core/thread CPU will definitely benefit you in regards to multitasking/general workload stuff.

Then you can try to sell off your previous parts afterwards once you've made sure nothing you upgraded to was defective in any way.

Note:
if upgrading to something newer than the Ryzen I mentioned you may need to get DDR5 memory to replace your DDR4. Keep this in mind when looking at options on the market.
 
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its better to get a new PC.

i would suggest looking at the AM5 platform. a 7700X would be perfect. if you need more cores, look at 7950X.

as for GPU, for 2k gaming, i would suggest 7900X from AMD or the 4070ti/4080 from nvidia. those GPUs will last a good while before needing upgrades.
 
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Lucky_SLS said:
its better to get a new PC.

i would suggest looking at the AM5 platform. a 7700X would be perfect. if you need more cores, look at 7950X.

as for GPU, for 2k gaming, i would suggest 7900X from AMD or the 4070ti/4080 from nvidia. those GPUs will last a good while before needing upgrades.
Click to expand...
For 2K gaming these GPUs are overkill. And even it will be fine with a 4060.
 
Hellfire13 said:
If it is mainly for work, then going to a i7 from i5 might be beneficial depending on the kind of workload involved. For simple office work, 4 extra threads can accommodate lot more stuff while multitasking. If your work is graphic intensive like rendering or modelling, then you might have to think of newer hardware.
Click to expand...
Appreciate the input. Do not need graphic intensive capabilities like described. Will consider getting an I7 7700K second hand if I decide to stay with my current MB :)
 
QwerkyPengwen said:
All in all, half of your system is in good shape to be re-used (minus the case because I don't know what case you have and that can affect what GPU options you can get due to size restraints)

Your PSU, Storage, and RAM are all good to go for swapping to a new platform.

If you wanted to "upgrade" but stay conscious of a tighter budget, I might recommend you to not try and be on the latest and greatest but rather switch it up to that of a B400/500 series board for AMD and get a Ryzen 7 3700(x) second hand for your upgrades (that's what I did going from a 6700K to a Ryzen 7 3700x).

Your GPU can be upgraded if you are a gamer that wants to be able to keep up with the newer AAA games, and a 4060/Ti might benefit you greatly there as well because something like the Ryzen 7 3700 will work well with that card, your PSU is enough for it, and with DLSS 3.0 you can be able to play the latest games with decent graphics and framerates for years to come.

If not doing all that much gaming on the high end market, and you maybe only play lower spec games, you may not even need to bother with a GPU upgrade, but going to a higher core/thread CPU will definitely benefit you in regards to multitasking/general workload stuff.

Then you can try to sell off your previous parts afterwards once you've made sure nothing you upgraded to was defective in any way.

Note:
if upgrading to something newer than the Ryzen I mentioned you may need to get DDR5 memory to replace your DDR4. Keep this in mind when looking at options on the market.
Click to expand...
Appreciate the solid reply :)

My current case is a Fractal Design Define S Black which I will be reusing. It seems to be an ok size, but I am not sure how it handles the newer cards that have grown considerably in size.

Interesting with the Ryzen proposal. I checked UserBenchmark and it showed the I7 7700k as faster, though with slower multi-thread speeds. Guess that is where the Ryzen gives bang for the buck. Not sure how this would play out in real life. If I get an 7700K I would not have to get a new MB, but I also assume a new MB would bring other positive upgrades as well. Where I live I found an 7700k for 80$ and a Ryzen CPU MB combo for 200$.

Currently I cant find a 4060 second hand and it will be cheaper in this case to get a 3070. Not sure how big the performance difference will be here. I will also have to do some thinking regarding what I really need. If I will be staying with 1080p, I guess there is no need for an upgrade, or maybe a cheaper upgrade. Will my case give me any GPU restraints?

Cheers!
 
Mr.CJ said:
Hello :)

My aging setup might be due for an upgrade. Built summer 2016. Only internal upgrade since is OS SSD and the addition of an M2 for storage. I am wondering if I should upgrade my current setup, or go for a new one?

OS: Windows 10 Pro 64bit
Monitor: AOC 27" something 1080p 144Hz
Motherboard: ASUS MAXIMUS VIII RANGER
CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K Skylake
GPU: Palit GeForce GTX 1070 Super JetStream - 8GB GDDR5
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4-3000 DC 16GB
Storage: Samsung 870 EVO 500GB SSD (OS)
Storage 2: Kingston NV2 M.2 NVMe SSD, 2TB (Storage)
Power supply: Cooler Master V 750W

I see that the best CPU I can put in this configuration is an I7 7700K, but that does not seem like a huge difference performance-wise. I also read that an RTX 3070 could be installed with little degradation of performance with the MB I have, but I have no clue regarding other potential bottlenecks. If I understand correctly the PSU should be able to deliver enough power, but I am not sure if there might be other things to take into account. I am currently running 1080p. Might upgrade to 1440p. The PC is mainly used as a workstation but I like the possibility to do some gaming now and then. What would be the best solution here? Just get a new GPU? Get a new MB to upgrade both GPU and CPU? Just build a new one?

All inputs are appreciated :)

Cheers!
Click to expand...
Hey there,

I'd go with a different angle.

For me upgrading anything on your current system is a waste of money. A marginal increase in performance with a changed CPU. Even the i7 7700k. It's more of a sidegrade. You're still only talking about 1080p gaming here. The GTX1070 is getting long in the tooth, and 1080p is where it's at. 4 core CPU's and those with Hyperthreading are found wanting in modern AAA gaming.

I would be thinking about selling the current system as is, to get at least a good portion of your outlay for a newer system. If you plan on going 1440p then your current GPU will suffer.

I wouldn't be using a 7700k with a 3070. There would be a bottleneck.

Do you have a budget for any recommendations? You could get a much more modern build that would stay relevant for a while.
 
I upgraded from an I5 6500 to an I7 7700 and an RX 580 to a RX 6600 and saw huge improvements in gaming. I think You could get a couple more years out of your rig with a new CPU and just check around maybe on ebay for an I7 7700. The GPU is for sure the first upgrade though.
 
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Roland Of Gilead said:
Hey there,

I'd go with a different angle.

For me upgrading anything on your current system is a waste of money. A marginal increase in performance with a changed CPU. Even the i7 7700k. It's more of a sidegrade. You're still only talking about 1080p gaming here. The GTX1070 is getting long in the tooth, and 1080p is where it's at. 4 core CPU's and those with Hyperthreading are found wanting in modern AAA gaming.

I would be thinking about selling the current system as is, to get at least a good portion of your outlay for a newer system. If you plan on going 1440p then your current GPU will suffer.

I wouldn't be using a 7700k with a 3070. There would be a bottleneck.

Do you have a budget for any recommendations? You could get a much more modern build that would stay relevant for a while.
Click to expand...
That same thought struck me, which is the reason I am in between getting a new system or doe some cheap minor upgrade on my current one. Based on the response so far it seems it would be sufficient to get a new MB/CPU and GPU, why would you swap out the other parts as well? Or would you do that as it would be easier to sell a working computer instead of parts?

Regarding budget, it's actually not a big concern. I am trying to get the most bang for the buck for my current use which only involves occasional gaming as "life" is too time-consuming 😉 I could just splurge and go get a hi-end desktop, but I would be very annoyed with myself for not using it enough or having too much power compared to what I really need. so, to try and give an answer, best value for money 1440p system?

I have an Quest 2 VR I can connect to my pc, but I have never tried it. If I decide I want to have that option too, how would that affect my build?

Cheers.
 
Lucky_SLS said:
^ why indeed? and yet why do all the reviews still test with ultra settings and give their conclusions based on it? strange indeed...
Click to expand...
they do it so you can see the maximum potential in a worst case scenario of performance? not so you can just go an play at ultra as your default general graphics settings.
It's called benchmarking dude.

And any reputable card reviewer doesn't just test at ultra/max settings, they show results for different resolutions at different quality presets, usually medium and high alongside the ultra/max
 
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and how many build questions have you seen been asked for 1080p or 2k or 4k with medium settings? 1 in 10 ? 1 in 15?
did the OP ask for medium settings 120hz? or when ppl recommend GPUs, do they recommend based on default GPU settings? Or do you automatically understand it would be for medium settings and typically give GPU recommendation based on 'medium' performance?

I would not have questioned the above remark if he specified the 4060ti performance with medium settings, and even then it would fall short in today's AAA games. So i dont see a problem calling out an incorrect suggestion/recommendation. If you do, plz report me n call a mod. I am happy to explain my behaviour.
 
Lucky_SLS in a perfect world, where everybody is rich and capable of buying the very best GPU and CPU, you are right. But in this perfect world we would not have such a discussion because we all would have RTX 4090 and 4K or even 8K monitors.

Unfortunately, we are not living in a perfect world. So most of us (I don't know you but maybe you are not) want to make best use of our money. So we make concessions to make better use of our GPU.

If you want to play Ultra all the time RTX 4090 is the way to go. But it is also waste of money if your monitor is only QHD. This also applies to 4080.
 
"If you want to play Ultra all the time RTX 4090 is the way to go. But it is also waste of money if your monitor is only QHD. This also applies to 4080." agree 100%

"Why Ultra? With my RTX 3070 I can easily get 120 or 144 fps, playing with some settings these are hard on GPU but visually not adding something much or recognizable." - questionable at best. unless those titles use DLSS and you have RTX off.

So how many threads have you seen asking for medium settings suggestions till now? cuz i have been here in the forums for quite some time and the rate of 1 in 10 or 15 stands good. and like i said, the OP did not request for a medium settings. or a budget was quoted for the GPU. So in such cases, it is the norm to assume best quality at a certain resolution in forum discussions. This is what many ppl here follow. So consider me surprised when you said "For 2K gaming these GPUs are overkill. And even it will be fine with a 4060." - disagree 100%

So i hope now you understand why i took objection to your suggestions.
 
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