Upgrading my 2013 machine (SSD,RAM, GPU, maybe MB + CPU etc..)

[mana1111]

Hey guys, new here..
Here is the required form:

Approximate Purchase Date: N/A (I'll buy the parts one by one in a period of some months)
Budget Range: $(300-500) (excluding monitor which I chose already)
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming (WoW, Witcher etc..) ,Graphical editing (Adobe Photoshop, Flimora etc..)
Are you buying a monitor: Yes
Parts to Upgrade: 1st priority: RAM, GPU, SSD. potentialy: CPU, MoBo etc..
Do you need to buy OS: No
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: TMS
Location: Tel Aviv, Israel.
Parts Preferences: N/A
Overclocking: No
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe
Your Monitor Resolution: Dell ‏U2312HM 1920x1080.
Additional future monitor: Dell U2913WM 2560x1080
Additional Comments: (e.g.: Need to have a window and lots of bling, I would like a quiet PC. Please also list specific software or games you're using)
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: (For better general gaming performance.

My current system:

Intel Core i5 4670K 3.4Ghz (3.8Ghz Turbo) LGA1150 Tray -CPU
NZXT Respire T20 -CPU Cooler
Gigabyte GA-Z87X-D3H for 1150 -Mother board
Fractal Design Define R4 + FSP RAIDER 650W -Case + Power supply.
Crucial 8GB DDR3 1600Mhz 1.5V CL11 -RAM
Sparkle GTX660 TI 2GB GDDR5 HDMI - GPU
Seagate Barracuda 7200.14 1TB SATA3 - HDD
Plextor PX-128M5S Sata3 Marvell+24nm M5 -SSD

My main operating system is OS X Yosemite and my second is Windows 7.

I wanna improve my machine performances for new games such as the new WoW Legion and to prepare it for another 29" monitor (see above). However, I don't think it's time to make a new build since my system is stable, working pretty well and basically good So my main goal is to improve RAM, GPU etc..

thank you in advanced!

 

[ComputerSecurityGuy]

Well, we have a hackintosh. I would recommend a GPU upgrade. GTX 970 and R9 390 are both good picks and very cheap now.

 

[mana1111]

Well, we have a hackintosh. I would recommend a GPU upgrade. GTX 970 and R9 390 are both good picks and very cheap now.

That's actually a very good advice! The gtx 970 is quite cheap compared to its advantages. I'd already ordered a new Samsung EVO 250GB SSD which I'll install the new El capitan OS so I should only verify with Tonymacx86 about this GPU compatibility.

any advices regarding the RAM?

Thanks.

 

[DSzymborski]

I agree in the lack of a need to upgrade the CPU. Thrown in a 1060 and an SSD and a 2x8 RAM kit and you can call it a day.

 

[ComputerSecurityGuy]

The 1060 almost certainly won't like OS X now, and who knows later? The RAM isn't urgent, and SSD to faster SSD isn't much of an improvement compared to HDD--> SSD.

 

[ComputerSecurityGuy]

That is, 16GB is nice but hardly neccessary unless you are doing heavy work. If so I would pick up a kit, 2x4GB and add it on. Or really 2x8GB- the RAM market is showing warning signs of rising, so now might be your chance.

 

[spentshells]

My 2 cents,

Get a 16GB kit of ram, that's a given, the prices are low and the densities are high, make sure the sticks fit your board fit = compatible pay special attention to voltage.

If you plan to go with a R9390 GPU for ease of use with hackintosh, please make sure your psu can handle it, I do not see any psu information. IF the current psu can handle a 660ti then it should have no issues with a GTX970 or better yet a GTX1060, the 390 however has a considerably larger power draw and a new psu may be required. You may want to look at a RX 480 in place of the 390 although I can't comment on hackintosh compatibility for the 480 or the gtx 1060

256/240GB SSD's are affordable now 5480-500GB less so, but you might be able to squeeze one in there.

 

[mana1111]

I agree in the lack of a need to upgrade the CPU. Thrown in a 1060 and an SSD and a 2x8 RAM kit and you can call it a day.

The 1060 almost certainly won't like OS X now, and who knows later? The RAM isn't urgent, and SSD to faster SSD isn't much of an improvement compared to HDD--> SSD. That is, 16GB is nice but hardly neccessary unless you are doing heavy work. If so I would pick up a kit, 2x4GB and add it on. Or really 2x8GB- the RAM market is showing warning signs of rising, so now might be your chance.

My 2 cents,

Get a 16GB kit of ram, that's a given, the prices are low and the densities are high, make sure the sticks fit your board fit = compatible pay special attention to voltage.

If you plan to go with a R9390 GPU for ease of use with hackintosh, please make sure your psu can handle it, I do not see any psu information. IF the current psu can handle a 660ti then it should have no issues with a GTX970 or better yet a GTX1060, the 390 however has a considerably larger power draw and a new psu may be required. You may want to look at a RX 480 in place of the 390 although I can't comment on hackintosh compatibility for the 480 or the gtx 1060

256/240GB SSD's are affordable now 5480-500GB less so, but you might be able to squeeze one in there.

First Thank you all for the good advices. The GTX 1060 is great, however I have checked on Tonymacx86 for its compability with OS X and apparently it will be optional for the new Mac Pro, there are rumors about Nvidia releasing drivers for mac during August. Do you guys think I should wait for the drivers to be released or to just go for the 970? or R9390 even?

As for the RAM, I guess I'll go for this 2X8GB https://www.amazon.com/Kingston-HyperX-FURY-2x8GB-1600MHz/dp/B00J8E8YES which are indeed cheap atm. 1.5V DDR3 seems to suit my mother board. no problem adding them with my other 8GB fot a total RAM of 24GB right?

my psu is FSP RAIDER 650W which I have actually chosen for optional future upgrades, guess I made the right choice.

I have also already ordered a new 250GB SSD http://www.ebay.com/itm/141634016737?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT so I could install the new OS X El capitan easily without risking my system.

So All in all seems compatible?

Thanks again!

 

[spentshells]

Looks good, I've been looking at the performance between the the 390 and the 480 they seem to be almost on par for 1080p they are priced quite similarly and have very similar performance, only you could later run 2 480's on your current psu. As for mac support.... could be a while I'd have a look before I spent any cash on the power hog 390.

 

[mana1111]

Looks good, I've been looking at the performance between the the 390 and the 480 they seem to be almost on par for 1080p they are priced quite similarly and have very similar performance, only you could later run 2 480's on your current psu. As for mac support.... could be a while I'd have a look before I spent any cash on the power hog 390.

Well According to Tonymacx86 the 970 would be the best to go for so think I'll take that. I have already ordered myself an SSD and 2X8GB of RAM but I find it hard to decide which brand to choose for the GPU. Can you guys plz advice which of the following to pick?

Gigabyte GTX 970 , Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 gaming , EVGA GTX 970 SC ACX 2 or MSI GeForce GTX 970

All of them seem so nice so your thoughts which is the best for its price please.

Thanks!

 

[spentshells]

G1 will be the fastest, not a huge leap over lets say the evga who If I lived in the usa I would deal with solely when purchasing gpu's due
to the service they provide to customers.

 

[mana1111]

G1 will be the fastest, not a huge leap over lets say the evga who If I lived in the usa I would deal with solely when purchasing gpu's do to the service they provide to customers.

so if I get you right the ratio price/benifit is best for the G1 even though the difference isn't that high, I don't live in the US so I don't worry much about the EVGA. Won't the G1 be noisy with those trio-fans? my case was made to block some noise but still I highly prefer a quiet system as I have atm.

 

[Karadjgne]

The MSI 970 gaming 4G or Asus STRIX are the quietest of the bunch and generally run the coolest. Not the MSI 970 Armor 2, its junk. The Giga G1 is the more powerful, then MSI, Evga SC, Asus, but the differences are in reality negligible a few fps at best and on 1080p you'll never see them anyways.

Just use the 16Gb kit of ram. You could try adding, but 2 things to remember. The memory controller is now part of the cpu itself, and using all 4 lanes will jack up the heat on the cpu. 2nd,it may not play well if at all. Different batches can and do have incompatibility issues, sometimes requiring an increase in ram voltage to fix or sometimes relaxing timings or even speed. Try it if you want to, can't hurt, but if it doesn't work out, you'll have plenty with the 16Gb.

Not a big fan of the FSP Raiders, but yours seems to work fine, however, that 660ti and i5 really aren't stressing it like an r9 390 would. Best bet would be the Rx 480, but it's not much more powerful than the 970 in most applications. Again, a few fps difference either way. But you are looking at @$50 price difference in favor of the 480. Kinda depends on just how much a rush the upgrade is in.

For a slight increase in cpu performance, a small OC to @4.2GHz wouldn't hurt and is extremely easy to do, just make the multiplier 42 in bios. But, the T20 really isn't built for it. To keep the noise down I'd use a Cryorig H7 or its bigger brother the H5. Overcooling a cpu just means that the fans never really spin up fast, which is where all the noise comes from.

So, MSI gtx970 Gaming 4G, bigger cooler, little OC, 16Gb ram 1866 / 2133 1.5v and you'll be good for another 3 years easily.

 

[spentshells]

No the g1 is quite slient due to the 3 fans

 

[Karadjgne]

Only at low rpm. It's a thing that smaller fans need to spin a little faster than larger fans to provide an equitable amount of airflow. Once that cards warms up, those fans spin up. They are louder than the MSI by a decent amount. And it's a higher pitched whine than the MSI too, which many find annoying comparatively.

http://www.overclock.net/t/1516121/gtx-970-comparison-strix-vs-msi-gaming-vs-gigabyte-g1

 

[mana1111]

The MSI 970 gaming 4G or Asus STRIX are the quietest of the bunch and generally run the coolest. Not the MSI 970 Armor 2, its junk. The Giga G1 is the more powerful, then MSI, Evga SC, Asus, but the differences are in reality negligible a few fps at best and on 1080p you'll never see them anyways.

Just use the 16Gb kit of ram. You could try adding, but 2 things to remember. The memory controller is now part of the cpu itself, and using all 4 lanes will jack up the heat on the cpu. 2nd,it may not play well if at all. Different batches can and do have incompatibility issues, sometimes requiring an increase in ram voltage to fix or sometimes relaxing timings or even speed. Try it if you want to, can't hurt, but if it doesn't work out, you'll have plenty with the 16Gb.

Not a big fan of the FSP Raiders, but yours seems to work fine, however, that 660ti and i5 really aren't stressing it like an r9 390 would. Best bet would be the Rx 480, but it's not much more powerful than the 970 in most applications. Again, a few fps difference either way. But you are looking at @$50 price difference in favor of the 480. Kinda depends on just how much a rush the upgrade is in.

For a slight increase in cpu performance, a small OC to @4.2GHz wouldn't hurt and is extremely easy to do, just make the multiplier 42 in bios. But, the T20 really isn't built for it. To keep the noise down I'd use a Cryorig H7 or its bigger brother the H5. Overcooling a cpu just means that the fans never really spin up fast, which is where all the noise comes from.

So, MSI gtx970 Gaming 4G, bigger cooler, little OC, 16Gb ram 1866 / 2133 1.5v and you'll be good for another 3 years easily.

Thank you for the detailed advices.
I still find it hard to choose between the MSI gaming and the G1 which both sold for the same price on Amazon. would you say the G1 makes much more noise than the MSI?
As for the RAM I've bought exacly the same Crucial modules. do you think it's still won't cooperate nicely having all the 3 combined?
Can you please reccomend on other CPU cooling systems? would you say a hydro type would suit my system?

 

[mana1111]

Your thoughts/opinions of this CPU cooler? Arctic Freezer i30 CO

 

[Karadjgne]

Very good budget cooler, every review I've read has said it does a great job on stock to @4.3GHz OC.

Ever listen to cars on the street? Your 1970s muscle car is loud, but has a much lower tone than a 2010 tuner Honda. Physically the Honda could be quieter, but for some reason, ppl find that higher pitch far more annoying than the chop from the muscle car. Some ppl prefer the tuner sound. Same with the Gaming 4G and the G1, the MSI is lower pitched with its twin fans and the G1 higher. I personally don't like that pitch on the G1, same as the triple fan Sapphire cards. It's basically a matter of taste. Both are excellent cards, but for me, the MSI wins easily. Maybe different for you, but I also grew up with muscle cars, tuners just irritate me.

 

[mana1111]

Very good budget cooler, every review I've read has said it does a great job on stock to @4.3GHz OC.

Ever listen to cars on the street? Your 1970s muscle car is loud, but has a much lower tone than a 2010 tuner Honda. Physically the Honda could be quieter, but for some reason, ppl find that higher pitch far more annoying than the chop from the muscle car. Some ppl prefer the tuner sound. Same with the Gaming 4G and the G1, the MSI is lower pitched with its twin fans and the G1 higher. I personally don't like that pitch on the G1, same as the triple fan Sapphire cards. It's basically a matter of taste. Both are excellent cards, but for me, the MSI wins easily. Maybe different for you, but I also grew up with muscle cars, tuners just irritate me.

Thank you very much for your help. I'll go for the i30 cooler as well as the MSI 970. will update later on as I installed all the new components.

Thank you all again!