Question Upgrading Gaming PC ~1000€

[Rhaegar Storm]

Hey everybody,

I have a gaming PC with some rather old parts in need of upgrading. In my opinion, that's especially true for the CPU and motherboard. Over the years, I already added a bigger SSD and upgraded the GPU. My device is currently not eligible for Win 11 and I'd like to change that. The current setup struggles with more demanding games, which lead me to avoid these games in the last few years. Not a happy gamer.
Most annoyingly, I have more and more crashes and blue screen errors. General stability is decreasing.

I have just started reading up on current PC parts and recommendations after being out of the loop for a while and would like your input. If you need any further information, feel free to ask. Thanks in advance!

Current PC

• CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K
• GPU: MSI GeForce GTX 1070
• Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme6
• RAM: DIMM 16 GB DDR3-1600 Kit
• PSU: Corsair RM750 750W
• Hard drives: SanDisk 840 EVO 2,5" 120 GB, SanDisk Extreme Pro SSD 480GB, Seagate ST2000DM001 2TB
• Fans: Mugen 4 SCMG-4000
• Case: Define R4 PCGH-Edition
• Misc: Asus PCE-AC88 network adapter, DRW-24F1ST optical drive

Approximate Purchase Date: coming two weeks if possible
Budget Range: ~1000€ after rebates & shipping
Location: Germany
System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming, surfing, simple programming work, picture editing
Monitor Resolution: 3440 x 1440
Overclocking: Maybe
SLI or Crossfire: No

Parts to Upgrade: HDD drive since it is dying of old age; probably CPU and motherboard, but that's just an educated guess; anything that appears necessary

 

[Eximo]

Not really enough budget for a decent GPU upgrade, so you can look at that later.

This should take care of your performance and storage problems. Recommendation would be to re-install the OS from scratch on the NVMe drive. You could either sell or attach your SATA SSDs for additional storage. (No idea why that 4TB drive is so cheap, get it now is all I can say, even if it is slow, it will make a great bulk storage drive for games or media.)

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-13600KF 3.5 GHz 14-Core Processor (€328.03 @ notebooksbilliger.de)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Ultimate 76 CFM CPU Cooler (€50.30 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Motherboard: ASRock Z790 PG LIGHTNING ATX LGA1700 Motherboard (€225.80 @ Computeruniverse)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-5600 CL36 Memory (€156.89 @ Alternate)
Storage: Western Digital Black SN770 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (€101.84 @ Computeruniverse)
Storage: Kingston NV2 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (€124.85 @ Computeruniverse)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 ATX Mid Tower Case
Total: €987.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-09 17:46 CET+0100

 

[Vic 40]

Storage: Corsair MP600 PRO NH 4 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (€132.41 @ Amazon Deutschland)

When that off to other prices click the link, right now you'll see a very much higher price than in the pcpartpicker.

 

[Eximo]

Ah, disappointing.

 

[Vic 40]

Yeah, but that 2tb is already alot for the price so not too shabby.

 

[Eximo]

I've been kind of waiting on that price point myself, but ideally it would be a 4TB drive. I could make a much smaller HTPC if I didn't still have a spinning disk in there.

 

[Rhaegar Storm]

Not really enough budget for a decent GPU upgrade, so you can look at that later.

This should take care of your performance and storage problems. Recommendation would be to re-install the OS from scratch on the NVMe drive. You could either sell or attach your SATA SSDs for additional storage. (No idea why that 4TB drive is so cheap, get it now is all I can say, even if it is slow, it will make a great bulk storage drive for games or media.)

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-13600KF 3.5 GHz 14-Core Processor (€328.03 @ notebooksbilliger.de)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H5 Ultimate 76 CFM CPU Cooler (€50.30 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Motherboard: ASRock Z790 PG LIGHTNING ATX LGA1700 Motherboard (€225.80 @ Computeruniverse)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-5600 CL36 Memory (€156.89 @ Alternate)
Storage: Western Digital Black SN770 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (€101.84 @ Computeruniverse)
Storage: Kingston NV2 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (€124.85 @ Computeruniverse)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 ATX Mid Tower Case
Total: €987.71
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-09 17:46 CET+0100

Thanks for the quick reply! I've been reading up on the parts you suggested and so far it sounds good. Just a few questions to help me understand your thought process and get some input:

• Why did you pick that CPU cooler? It seems like a good, if niche, pick so I am curious.
• You picked the case just to check if everything fits, right?
• How would you roughly rate this PC for gaming?
• And finally, how much of a difference would a bigger budget (300-400€) make to future-proof the upgrade?

 

[helper800]

How Old is that Corsair PSU? Would you be interested in a new case?

 

[Rhaegar Storm]

How Old is that Corsair PSU? Would you be interested in a new case?

Pretty old. It's the original one I used for this build in 2013.

And I'm only interested in a new case if there is a benefit or need. I like the simple, sleek black of my current one.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Hey there,

Alternatively you could go for something like this:

AMD

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600G 3.9 GHz 6-Core Processor ($128.97 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI MPG B550 GAMING PLUS ATX AM4 Motherboard ($159.99 @ GameStop)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($82.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: ASRock Radeon RX6700XT CLD 12G Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Video Card ($359.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RM750x (2021) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ Corsair)
Total: $841.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-10 11:59 EST-0500

Keep your SSD/HDD and case. This will be a huge upgrade for FPS and performance in general. Yeah you could go with a 12/13th gen Intel which are great.


Intel

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor ($166.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AK620 68.99 CFM CPU Cooler ($76.89 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B660-A DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($82.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: ASRock Radeon RX6700XT CLD 12G Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Video Card ($359.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RM750x (2021) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ Corsair)
Total: $936.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-10 12:03 EST-0500
Edited for cooler


Both systems will be huge jump. With both systems you can pop another stronger CPU to get some more legs down the line.

 

[helper800]

Pretty old. It's the original one I used for this build in 2013.

And I'm only interested in a new case if there is a benefit or need. I like the simple, sleek black of my current one.

In this instance I would opt for a newer PSU. A good rule of thumb is that if the PSU is out of its warranty period it is time to replace it. Newer parts are very high power and require good cooling and case airflow, personally I would get a nice new case as well. With a 1400 € budget I would do this;

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-13600KF 3.5 GHz 14-Core Processor (€319.90 @ Alza)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 240 56.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (€86.89 @ notebooksbilliger.de)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z790 UD AX ATX LGA1700 Motherboard (€247.90 @ Alza)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory (€166.89 @ Alternate)
Storage: Kingston NV2 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (€122.89 @ Mindfactory)
Case: Fractal Design Focus 2 ATX Mid Tower Case (€83.89 @ notebooksbilliger.de)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS GX 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (€133.89 @ notebooksbilliger.de)
Total: €1162.25
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-10 20:43 CET+0100[/i

Added a "better" PSU.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Yikes, I just converted those to Euro's!!!:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor (€178.85 @ Azerty)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AK620 68.99 CFM CPU Cooler (€73.85 @ Megekko)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B660-A DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard (€171.00 @ Amazon Netherlands)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory (€101.85 @ Azerty)
Video Card: ASRock Radeon RX6700XT CLD 12G Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Video Card (€674.17 @ Amazon Netherlands)
Power Supply: Corsair RM750x (2021) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (€149.90 @ Amazon Netherlands)
Total: €1349.62
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-10 18:06 CET+0100

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600G 3.9 GHz 6-Core Processor (€149.00 @ Paradigit)
Motherboard: MSI MPG B550 GAMING PLUS ATX AM4 Motherboard (€168.00 @ Azerty)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory (€101.85 @ Azerty)
Video Card: ASRock Radeon RX6700XT CLD 12G Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Video Card (€674.17 @ Amazon Netherlands)
Power Supply: Corsair RM750x (2021) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (€149.90 @ Amazon Netherlands)
Total: €1242.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-10 18:07 CET+0100

But you do get a much stronger GPU with those builds though. Perfect for max 1080p/1440p high settings.

 

[Rhaegar Storm]

Hey there,

Alternatively you could go for something like this:

AMD

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600G 3.9 GHz 6-Core Processor ($128.97 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI MPG B550 GAMING PLUS ATX AM4 Motherboard ($159.99 @ GameStop)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($82.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: ASRock Radeon RX6700XT CLD 12G Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Video Card ($359.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RM750x (2021) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ Corsair)
Total: $841.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-10 11:59 EST-0500

Keep your SSD/HDD and case. This will be a huge upgrade for FPS and performance in general. Yeah you could go with a 12/13th gen Intel which are great.


Intel

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor ($166.98 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AK620 68.99 CFM CPU Cooler ($76.89 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B660-A DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($82.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: ASRock Radeon RX6700XT CLD 12G Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Video Card ($359.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RM750x (2021) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($109.99 @ Corsair)
Total: $936.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-10 12:03 EST-0500
Edited for cooler


Both systems will be huge jump. With both systems you can pop another stronger CPU to get some more legs down the line.

So in your opinion, the downgrade in CPU and to DDR4 RAM to fit in a new GPU is worth it? Isn't the GTX 1070 still decent-ish for current games?

 

[Rhaegar Storm]

In this instance I would opt for a newer PSU. A good rule of thumb is that if the PSU is out of its warrantied period it is time to replace it. Newer parts are very high power and require good cooling and case airflow, personally I would get a nice new case as well. With a 1400 € budget I would do this;

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-13600KF 3.5 GHz 14-Core Processor (€319.90 @ Alza)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Liquid Freezer II 240 56.3 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (€86.89 @ notebooksbilliger.de)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z790 UD AX ATX LGA1700 Motherboard (€247.90 @ Alza)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X5 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL36 Memory (€166.89 @ Alternate)
Storage: Kingston NV2 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (€122.89 @ Mindfactory)
Case: Fractal Design Focus 2 ATX Mid Tower Case (€83.89 @ notebooksbilliger.de)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G5 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (€105.90 @ Alza)
Total: €1134.26
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-10 18:03 CET+0100

I feared as much... So by now I am looking at almost a complete rebuild, eh? 😀 Why the new case? Any benefits?

 

[Multyspeed]

I feared as much... So by now I am looking at almost a complete rebuild, eh? 😀 Why the new case? Any benefits?

With your current PC, there is not much room for just an upgrade. 4670K was a great CPU (owned one ) but it's showing its age.
Dependes what games are you playing - you can still use the GTX 1070. Friend of mine is using 1060 and plays shooters like CS:GO, PUBG and few other games.
As helper800 said - new parts parts are much more powerfull, so you need better case with better airflow to keep them cool.
If it was me - I would buy the second Intel cofig that was posted above and enjoy it. 12th gen intel is strong enough to serve you years ahead and the RX6700XT is great card.
In one word - you buy it now and enjoy it years after without upgrades. And you can still sell your 1070 for some money to someone with low budget.

 

[helper800]

I feared as much... So by now I am looking at almost a complete rebuild, eh? 😀 Why the new case? Any benefits?

As I said in the original post, a new case for much improved airflow and acoustics. These now older cases were typically not min/maxed for airflow. Ohh, and new I/O like USb type C and the faster USB 3 standards.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

So in your opinion, the downgrade in CPU and to DDR4 RAM to fit in a new GPU is worth it? Isn't the GTX 1070 still decent-ish for current games?

Well, if you mean a downgrade in CPU from a 13600k to a 5600g. Yes. But both are a massive upgrade on your current one. Along with the 6700XT, will make your eyes pop with the increase in FPS.

The 1070 is like the equivalent of a 3050ti 8gb now. In it's day was stellar. We've moved on from then though

With the AMD build you can upgrade CPU to a 5800x 3d for another big boost in FPS.

FOr the Intel build, it's using a 12th Gen CPU (awesome) but could also use 13th Gen (Raptor Lake) and rumour has it Raptor refresh too. Solid paths to further peformance. But slightly limited nonetheless.

The 6700xt over a 1070 is a no brainer. Both the Ryzen 5 5600g and 12400f have enough IPC uplift to drive a 6700xt very well. Nicely balanced.

 

[helper800]

Well, if you mean a downgrade in CPU from a 13600k to a 5600g. Yes. But both are a massive upgrade on your current one. Along with the 6700XT, will make your eyes pop with the increase in FPS.

The 1070 is like the equivalent of a 3050ti 8gb now. In it's day was stellar. We've moved on from then though

With the AMD build you can upgrade CPU to a 5800x 3d for another big boost in FPS.

FOr the Intel build, it's using a 12th Gen CPU (awesome) but could also use 13th Gen (Raptor Lake) and rumour has it Raptor refresh too. Solid paths to further peformance. But slightly limited nonetheless.

The 6700xt over a 1070 is a no brainer. Both the Ryzen 5 5600g and 12400f have enough IPC uplift to drive a 6700xt very well. Nicely balanced.

Something like this is what I believe Roland was trying to build but in Euros;

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor (€168.61 @ notebooksbilliger.de)
CPU Cooler: ARCTIC Freezer 34 eSports DUO CPU Cooler (€48.49 @ Aquatuning)
Motherboard: Asus TUF GAMING B660M-PLUS WIFI Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard (€183.90 @ Alza)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-5600 CL36 Memory (€156.88 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Storage: Kingston NV2 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive (€122.89 @ Mindfactory)
Video Card: ASRock Radeon RX6700XT CLD 12G Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Video Card (€457.99 @ Mindfactory)
Case: Fractal Design Focus 2 ATX Mid Tower Case (€83.89 @ notebooksbilliger.de)
Power Supply: SeaSonic FOCUS GX 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (€133.89 @ notebooksbilliger.de)
Total: €1356.54
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-10 20:32 CET+0100

Added a "better" PSU.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Something like this is what I believe Roland was trying to build but in Euros;

Yup!

Yikes, I just converted those to Euro's!!!:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor (€178.85 @ Azerty)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AK620 68.99 CFM CPU Cooler (€73.85 @ Megekko)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B660-A DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard (€171.00 @ Amazon Netherlands)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory (€101.85 @ Azerty)
Video Card: ASRock Radeon RX6700XT CLD 12G Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Video Card (€674.17 @ Amazon Netherlands)
Power Supply: Corsair RM750x (2021) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (€149.90 @ Amazon Netherlands)
Total: €1349.62
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2023-01-10 18:06 CET+0100

But without storage, as the OP already has that. Some nice additions on the build though. The RMX is defo the better PSU than the EVGA. The EVGA is pretty decent though.

 

[helper800]

Yup!



But without storage, as the OP already has that. Some nice additions on the build though. The RMX is defo the better PSU than the EVGA. The EVGA is pretty decent though.

The rmx being, "better," in what significant way? Both have 10 year warranties and EVGA is better for it IMO than corsair as far as customer service goes. The OP also said specifically he wanted a new storage device.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

The rmx being, "better," in what significant way? Both have 10 year warranties and EVGA is better for it IMO than corsair as far as customer service goes. The OP also said specifically he wanted a new storage device.

Customer service aside (too subjective IMO):

EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G5 Power Supply Review - Tom's Hardware | Tom's Hardware (tomshardware.com)

Corsair RM750x (2021) Power Supply Review | Tom's Hardware (tomshardware.com)

Seems better overall to me! No?

 

[helper800]

Customer service aside (too subjective IMO):

EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G5 Power Supply Review - Tom's Hardware | Tom's Hardware (tomshardware.com)

Corsair RM750x (2021) Power Supply Review | Tom's Hardware (tomshardware.com)

Seems better overall to me! No?

The negatives there have almost no real world repercussions on both PSU's. They are both good PSU's that have a very small chance of dying and an even smaller chance of taking parts with them. At the end of the day they both have 10 year warranties. Unit to unit variance is also a thing with PSUs. You can find multiple PSUs of the exact same model from either company that will test with better or worse aspects but within a margin of error.

I have never had an EVGA or a Corsair PSU die on me within warranty. Personally I prefer Seasonic units but the way I search for PSUs on PCPP is like this. I then pick the first quality unit with a decent unit by price. If the RMx unit was cheaper I would have chosen that one.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

The negatives there have almost no real world repercussions on both PSU's. They are both good PSU's that have a very small chance of dying and an even smaller chance of taking parts with them. At the end of the day they both have 10 year warranties. Unit to unit variance is also a thing with PSUs. You can find multiple PSUs of the exact same model from either company that will test with better or worse aspects but within a margin of error.

I have never had an EVGA or a Corsair PSU die on me within warranty. Personally I prefer Seasonic units but the way I search for PSUs on PCPP is like this. I then pick the first quality unit with a decent unit by price. If the RMx unit was cheaper I would have chosen that one.

I don't disagree with you. However, one being 3 star, and the other being 4.5 stars in terms of the reviews quoted are clear enough. Personal opinions aside, the RMX is the better PSU IMO. If you don't agree, that's fine. If i doesn't fit into your idea of price performance ratio, that's also fine. However that doesn't change that the RMX is better rated. And not only on Tom's! Pretty much across the board.

For the most part, when I recommend a PSU, I primarily don't factor price in. This is because I believe the PSU to be literally THE most important component. It's the heart of the system. That's where I'm coming from.

Although we look at things differently, we are more or less saying the same thing.

 

[helper800]

I don't disagree with you. However, one being 3 star, and the other being 4.5 stars in terms of the reviews quoted are clear enough. Personal opinions aside, the RMX is the better PSU IMO. If you don't agree, that's fine. If i doesn't fit into your idea of price performance ratio, that's also fine. However that doesn't change that the RMX is better rated. And not only on Tom's! Pretty much across the board.

For the most part, when I recommend a PSU, I primarily don't factor price in. This is because I believe the PSU to be literally THE most important component. It's the heart of the system. That's where I'm coming from.

Although we look at things differently, we are more or less saying the same thing.

I was focused on the cheapest good unit that suited the needs of the OP. I edited the build by adding the, IMO, best premium PSU for the cost to the build.

You are correct that in the most clinical of terms, the RMx from 2018 or 2021 are better units than EVGA's G5 unit. My point was that they are functionally the same while one costs 22% more. I personally prefer the Seasonic Focus Gold 750-GX over the RMX 2021 for a much more similar price.

 

[Rhaegar Storm]

As I said in the original post, a new case for much improved airflow and acoustics. These now older cases were typically not min/maxed for airflow. Ohh, and new I/O like USb type C and the faster USB 3 standards.

Sorry, must have skipped that part of your answer.