[SOLVED] Upgrading a prebuilt gaming pc

[CoolLemon420]

Hi, I bought the Lenovo IdeaCentre Y700 Prebuilt gaming pc about 2 years ago when the GTX 1060 was 400 dollars and a prebuilt was the best choice. So its been 2 years and I want to upgrade my rig but I don't know what to upgrade maybe you guys can help me choose? My budget is 600-700 dollars.
PC Specs:
CPU-i5 7500
Cooler-Weird AVC cooler (not good)
Motherboard- Skybay 40700 WIN 32580845 ??? H170 chipset
Ram-1x8 2400mhz Samsung
SSD-Samsung mz7ty128hdhp-000l1 (128gb)
HDD-We 1tbB Blu
GPU-GTX 1060 6gb Blower style cooler from Lenovo
Case-Ugly y700 case
PSU-450w Acbel? 80 Plus bronze
I prefer to upgrade the case to one with a tempered glass side panel.

Thanks in advance

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

TBH, that would be a mistake to upgrade that system.

I would take the $700 and get this, which will be much better:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($117.59 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock B450 Pro4 ATX AM4 Motherboard ($79.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($77.98 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT H500 ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.98 @ NZXT)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G3 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($94.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $460.32
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-24 09:01 EDT-0400

Then use your SSD/HDD and GPU from your current build. You will have a solid gaming experience and a nice upgrade path for another year or two.

You could also sell your GTX1060, then with the 240 left from the 700 plus the price you get for the GTX1060 you could get something like this for your GPU:

PCPartPicker Part List

Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER 8 GB WINDFORCE OC Video Card ($399.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $399.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-24 09:05 EDT-0400

 

[logainofhades]

I agree on building something new, vs trying to upgrade what you have. What exactly are you unhappy with, performance wise? Your GPU is still ok, for 1080 gaming, but might start to show its age, in upcoming titles. If you want to set yourself up, for a better GPU, at a later date, and have better multicore support for newer titles, you could go with Ryzen now, and get a GPU later.


If you want CPU and GPU.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($117.68 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B450 Steel Legend ATX AM4 Motherboard ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB VENTUS XS OC Video Card ($269.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Phanteks P300 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: EK Vardar F2-140 84 CFM 140 mm Fan ($9.69 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: EK Vardar F2-140 84 CFM 140 mm Fan ($9.69 @ Amazon)
Total: $697.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-24 09:29 EDT-0400


If you want to hold onto your GPU, for a little while longer, and give you the most multicore support possible, but it is a little over the $700 ceiling.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($327.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 GAMING X ATX AM4 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Phanteks P300 ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: EK Vardar F2-140 84 CFM 140 mm Fan ($9.69 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: EK Vardar F2-140 84 CFM 140 mm Fan ($9.69 @ Amazon)
Total: $712.22
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-24 09:30 EDT-0400

 

[geofelt]

In what way is your current setup not doing the job for you?

Of course, you can change out the case for something that appeals to you.
In the process you will have a case with better ventilation, suitable for a hotter cpu and gpu.


You have a reasonably good balance between cpu and gpu capability.
Which is more important will depend on the types of games you play.

Some games are graphics limited like fast action shooters.
Others are cpu core speed limited like strategy, sims, and mmo.
Multiplayer tends to like many threads.

You need to find out which.

Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

Your pc is fine for what it is.
But there are limitations.

single channel ram and only 8gb is not best.

A 450w psu does not allow you a strong graphics card upgrade.

120gb for a windows C drive is too small.

A H170 motherboard does not give you significant processor upgrade capabilities.

It is probably a good time for a new build.
I love blower coolers so the GTX1060 and the 1tb HDD would be the only reuseable parts.

 

[CoolLemon420]

In what way is your current setup not doing the job for you?

Of course, you can change out the case for something that appeals to you.
In the process you will have a case with better ventilation, suitable for a hotter cpu and gpu.


You have a reasonably good balance between cpu and gpu capability.
Which is more important will depend on the types of games you play.

Some games are graphics limited like fast action shooters.
Others are cpu core speed limited like strategy, sims, and mmo.
Multiplayer tends to like many threads.

You need to find out which.

Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

Your pc is fine for what it is.
But there are limitations.

single channel ram and only 8gb is not best.

A 450w psu does not allow you a strong graphics card upgrade.

120gb for a windows C drive is too small.

A H170 motherboard does not give you significant processor upgrade capabilities.

It is probably a good time for a new build.
I love blower coolers so the GTX1060 and the 1tb HDD would be the only reuseable parts.

Thanks for the suggestion I think ill upgrade the mobo, CPU, ram, PSU, case and get a 1tb m.2 ssd. Are these part list good? (I will buy the SSD later. and ignore the prices I'm buying from a store in Israel so it all comes to 682 dollars enough for me)
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/RHGXPn
Can I improve? maybe get an x570 and a ryzen 7 3700x and cheap out on some things?
I don't care for rgb on ALL things, an rgb strip is enough for me I just want a black and red gaming pc maybe it will be cheaper I don't know.

 

[geofelt]

Your list is reasonable.
For active storage, abandon the HDD.
You can buy an intel 660P 1tb m.2 pcie ssd in the usa for $99.

I am not so hot for ryzen for pure gaming as some are on these forums.
They are a very good value for those who need many threads.
But, the boost values and overclocks top out lower than the intel K suffix processors.