Upgrading My System (Again?)

[Atomicdonut17]

Hi guys;

So, recently, I got a pretty major upgrade from my very outdated Celeron-based laptop. I finally got a newer system that, while it isn't top tier, makes my old system look like absolute ****.

My current specs:

Motherboard: ASRock B250M-VD
Processor: G4560 @3.5GHz
Memory: 1x8GB G.Skill NT Series 2400MHz RAM
GPU: Zotac 1050Ti 4GB VRAM
HDD: WD Blue 1TB 7200RPM

and, other stuff of course, but those are the most important.

I've recently lined up a new job over the summer that could be paying nearly 500 bucks a week, which for being my age, is fantastic. I literally just built this system in April, but I know it's not going to last for more than a few years.

Some of my questions:

Should I stick with the board to save some money, and just upgrade things like RAM, GPU and CPU? Intel's LGA1151 is coming near the traditional 'End of Life' period, as most of their sockets do within 3-4 years, so I've wondered if I should stick with this board or not. It also only has 2 DIMMs, so that means up to 16, or if I'm lucky, 32 GBs of RAM, but only at 2400MHz, as that's what the board stops at.

If I do upgrade, should I stick within the Intel platform (as I'll be doing mostly gaming) or go with Ryzen? I'm no advocate of either AMD or Intel, which means I have no underlying preferences as to what my system will require from any company. It's pretty obvious AMD made a thundering comeback with Ryzen, and it's a very go-to processor series right now. However, in the gaming spectrum, Intel still has the edge. I want a system that is moderately priced (like around, say, 1,200-1,500USD, preferably all from either Amazon or Newegg) and either a Ryzen system or Intel will be fine by me.

What type of storage should I have? I've heard some pretty good things about Intel's Optane NVMe M.2 drives, but they're traditionally more expensive than a SATAIII SSD. Which one should I get? if my budget can contain it, both maybe? I was thinking that if I had both, I'd have a small storage NVMe for stuff like my most used games, and my OS. Also, I'll definitely be using my current drive in conjunction with possibly another new HDD in RAID 1.

Just a few preferences:

I would like to have a blue color scheme, as that is my favorite color and will not change. As well, I don't mind having a water cooled system, but I would prefer to stick to the AIO's. Something about the risk of setting up my own loop scares me a tad.. I'm a bit clumsy.

Thanks for all the assistance! Also, peripherals (excluding a monitor and headphones) would be nice. Try to keep those within the 100USD range.

 

[LucoTF]

First thing I'd get is an SSD, m.2 is a little faster but 2.5" is still hella fast

If you do change motherboard & cpu, you should get most of the value back as the g4560 is a hot hot commodity right now. Do it once, do it right - i7 or ryzen 1600/1700

Your system is nicely balanced too so one upgrade will sureley follow the other, gpu is really your call man you already know what's out there

 

[feelinfroggy777]

I would say that if you get a higher end GPU the current CPU configuration would bottleneck the GPU. So I would start by upgrading the CPU and mobo. I love intel, but it is hard to ignore AMD's price vs performance with the Ryzen chips. Since your system is new you could sell some of the components that you have and get a decent return to help finance some new hardware. If you go the Ryzen route, you will want to upgrade your ram to a higher frequency. With your budget this is what I would look for.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1400 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock AB350M Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($75.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($71.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $426.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-04 11:25 EDT-0400

 

[dark_lord69]

I think you should keep your motherboard.
The B250 chipset is not old.
(You may be right about the socket type but your CPU upgrade can stay relevant for 3 or more years if you get the right one.)

I'd get:
Intel iCore i5 7500 - $199

Samsung M.2 SSD - $111
(I'd pass on the optane drive.)
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA12K3UA7510

Get 16GB of ram 2400Mhz - $122
(Yes, your board can do 32GB but it tends to cost more than it's worth for that capacity.)
(Look for CL14 or less) I recommend CL12 for that speed.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233833

Video Card: I'm not sure you should upgrade that... What resolution will you be running? What games will you be playing? VR?
You can take a look at the bench mark differences with the GTX 1060 vs your current card and also the RX580.

 

[jaslion]

I think you should keep your motherboard.
The B250 chipset is not old.
(You may be right about the socket type but your CPU upgrade can stay relevant for 3 or more years if you get the right one.)

I'd get:
Intel iCore i5 7500 - $199

Samsung M.2 SSD - $111
(I'd pass on the optane drive.)
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA12K3UA7510

Get 16GB of ram 2400Mhz - $122
(Yes, your board can do 32GB but it tends to cost more than it's worth for that capacity.)
(Look for CL14 or less) I recommend CL12 for that speed.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233833

Video Card: I'm not sure you should upgrade that... What resolution will you be running? What games will you be playing? VR?
You can take a look at the bench mark differences with the GTX 1060 vs your current card and also the RX580.

I would actually recommend a i7 due to games really starting to love cpu's that have more than 4 threads.

 

[James Mason]

In a month (or 3/4s) you'd have enough for a top-end system. So... I'd say maybe instead of upgrading and saving only a couple $100, to just build a brand new one and well keep a player 2 / backup system with your old one. Or like, put it in the living room and hook it up to the TV so you can watch YT or Netflix or play some video games on the big screen.

 

[Atomicdonut17]

First thing I'd get is an SSD, m.2 is a little faster but 2.5" is still hella fast

If you do change motherboard & cpu, you should get most of the value back as the g4560 is a hot hot commodity right now. Do it once, do it right - i7 or ryzen 1600/1700

Your system is nicely balanced too so one upgrade will sureley follow the other, gpu is really your call man you already know what's out there

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll keep these in mind as I make my decision.

 

[Atomicdonut17]

I think you should keep your motherboard.
The B250 chipset is not old.
(You may be right about the socket type but your CPU upgrade can stay relevant for 3 or more years if you get the right one.)

I'd get:
Intel iCore i5 7500 - $199

Samsung M.2 SSD - $111
(I'd pass on the optane drive.)
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA12K3UA7510

Get 16GB of ram 2400Mhz - $122
(Yes, your board can do 32GB but it tends to cost more than it's worth for that capacity.)
(Look for CL14 or less) I recommend CL12 for that speed.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233833

Video Card: I'm not sure you should upgrade that... What resolution will you be running? What games will you be playing? VR?
You can take a look at the bench mark differences with the GTX 1060 vs your current card and also the RX580.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll be running at 1080p on a 60hz monitor. I know, what a tragedy, lol. Anyhow, the 1050Ti is a nice card that's been very good to me thus far, but it's not going to play every game how I want it. It's a bit of a high expectation for my budget, but I'd love to play my games at at least all high settings with no lag whatsoever (maybe in very CPU-intensive, high particle areas, etc). I'll be playing WoW: Legion, BF1, FO4, etc. Mainstream titles.

 

[Atomicdonut17]

In a month (or 3/4s) you'd have enough for a top-end system. So... I'd say maybe instead of upgrading and saving only a couple $100, to just build a brand new one and well keep a player 2 / backup system with your old one. Or like, put it in the living room and hook it up to the TV so you can watch YT or Netflix or play some video games on the big screen.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'd most likely be giving the build to one of my sisters, as every time they come in my room when I'm playing a game, I can't get enough of the 'I'm so jealous you have no lag' rhetoric. However, it'd be a bit unfair to dole it out to just one- I think I'd make it a house-wide system. Anyhow, what are your suggestions for a new build?

 

[Atomicdonut17]

I would say that if you get a higher end GPU the current CPU configuration would bottleneck the GPU. So I would start by upgrading the CPU and mobo. I love intel, but it is hard to ignore AMD's price vs performance with the Ryzen chips. Since your system is new you could sell some of the components that you have and get a decent return to help finance some new hardware. If you go the Ryzen route, you will want to upgrade your ram to a higher frequency. With your budget this is what I would look for.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1400 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock AB350M Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($75.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($71.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $426.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-04 11:25 EDT-0400

I'd think I could afford a better R5 or even an R7, yeah? I like the lower-end R5s, but, I think something more like a 1500x or even a 1600x could fit in my budget?

 

[James Mason]

In a month (or 3/4s) you'd have enough for a top-end system. So... I'd say maybe instead of upgrading and saving only a couple $100, to just build a brand new one and well keep a player 2 / backup system with your old one. Or like, put it in the living room and hook it up to the TV so you can watch YT or Netflix or play some video games on the big screen.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'd most likely be giving the build to one of my sisters, as every time they come in my room when I'm playing a game, I can't get enough of the 'I'm so jealous you have no lag' rhetoric. However, it'd be a bit unfair to dole it out to just one- I think I'd make it a house-wide system. Anyhow, what are your suggestions for a new build?

Depends how much you want to spend and also how much value you want to get out of your money.

 

[Atomicdonut17]

In a month (or 3/4s) you'd have enough for a top-end system. So... I'd say maybe instead of upgrading and saving only a couple $100, to just build a brand new one and well keep a player 2 / backup system with your old one. Or like, put it in the living room and hook it up to the TV so you can watch YT or Netflix or play some video games on the big screen.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'd most likely be giving the build to one of my sisters, as every time they come in my room when I'm playing a game, I can't get enough of the 'I'm so jealous you have no lag' rhetoric. However, it'd be a bit unfair to dole it out to just one- I think I'd make it a house-wide system. Anyhow, what are your suggestions for a new build?

Depends how much you want to spend and also how much value you want to get out of your money.

Like I said, 1,200 - 1,500 bucks for the whole of the system, including retail OS. Only peripherals would be a new mouse/keyboard, something mechanical preferably. I want a modest system that will play AAA titles at 1080p 60+ FPS, if that's feasable.

 

[James Mason]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($218.55 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: NZXT - Kraken X52 Liquid CPU Cooler ($144.33 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus - PRIME X370-PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard ($149.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LED 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial - MX300 525GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($146.98 @ Directron)
Video Card: MSI - Radeon RX 580 8GB GAMING X Video Card ($244.99 @ B&H)
Case: NZXT - S340 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home Full - USB 32/64-bit ($106.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Keyboard: Redragon - K552 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($34.19 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Corsair - Sabre RGB Wired Optical Mouse ($49.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1405.38
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-05 11:33 EDT-0400

 

[Atomicdonut17]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($218.55 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: NZXT - Kraken X52 Liquid CPU Cooler ($144.33 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus - PRIME X370-PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard ($149.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LED 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial - MX300 525GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($146.98 @ Directron)
Video Card: MSI - Radeon RX 580 8GB GAMING X Video Card ($244.99 @ B&H)
Case: NZXT - S340 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home Full - USB 32/64-bit ($106.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Keyboard: Redragon - K552 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($34.19 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Corsair - Sabre RGB Wired Optical Mouse ($49.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1405.38
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-05 11:33 EDT-0400

Nice! I might change the GPU just because of the color. A Nitro, maybe?

 

[James Mason]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($218.55 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: NZXT - Kraken X52 Liquid CPU Cooler ($144.33 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus - PRIME X370-PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard ($149.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LED 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial - MX300 525GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($146.98 @ Directron)
Video Card: MSI - Radeon RX 580 8GB GAMING X Video Card ($244.99 @ B&H)
Case: NZXT - S340 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G3 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Home Full - USB 32/64-bit ($106.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Keyboard: Redragon - K552 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($34.19 @ Amazon)
Mouse: Corsair - Sabre RGB Wired Optical Mouse ($49.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1405.38
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-05-05 11:33 EDT-0400

Nice! I might change the GPU just because of the color. A Nitro, maybe?

Perfectly acceptable.
The MSI has some rgb lights you can change on it, but it does have red plastic.
All GPUs in the same series are virtually the same performance wise, their only differences are looks and temperatures. MSI is a good mix of low temps and low sounds, others are typically a trade off one way or the other.