Mason_3

Reputable
Nov 24, 2015
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4,510
Well after 5 years since my last upgrade I think it is time to bite the bullet and do a fairly large upgrade this time around, please tell me what you think of my build and what/ if I should change anything (I have just about $700 to spend maximum on this new build/ major upgrade).

I plan to keep a couple components from my current build which are:
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Intel Core i5-6500 3.2 GHz Quad-Core Processor

the new parts I was looking at are as follows:
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ASRock B250 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory
Asus GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB STRIX GAMING Advanced Video Card

I also was looking at getting an SSD to load Windows 10 onto for booting but keeping my current HDD that is 1TB to store and play my games.
 
Solution
What is your current motherboard?
I see no reason to change it out if you will reuse a i5-6500
What is your current ram?
2 x 8gb is good but intel does not benefit much from faster ram when using a discrete graphics card.
And, I think the B250 motherboard does not support 3000 speed ram anyway.
But the lpx 3000 speed is a good deal and it will run at slower speeds by default.

What is your current graphics card?
If a GTX1660ti represents a big jump in capability, that is a good upgrade for a gamer.

I like the case. looks count and it has good ventilation.

CX500 is considered as poor quality and prone to failure.
But, since you own it, go ahead and use it.

Have you considered a SSD?
What is your current motherboard?
I see no reason to change it out if you will reuse a i5-6500
What is your current ram?
2 x 8gb is good but intel does not benefit much from faster ram when using a discrete graphics card.
And, I think the B250 motherboard does not support 3000 speed ram anyway.
But the lpx 3000 speed is a good deal and it will run at slower speeds by default.

What is your current graphics card?
If a GTX1660ti represents a big jump in capability, that is a good upgrade for a gamer.

I like the case. looks count and it has good ventilation.

CX500 is considered as poor quality and prone to failure.
But, since you own it, go ahead and use it.

Have you considered a SSD?
 
Solution
What are the complete specs of your existing system, and what resolution are you gaming at, 1080p?

There's no point in upgrading your motherboard just to run the same processor you have now, as that would result in no noticeable performance difference. It's only worth upgrading the motherboard if you need to do so in order to run a newer processor.

Also, at least if you are buying in the US at the prices shown in those PCPartPicker links, that particular model of 1660 Ti is arguably a bit overpriced, considering you can get an RTX 2060 for not much more, or possibly even a bit less if were okay with a single-fan model...

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/video-card/#c=436&sort=price&page=1

A 2060 would offer around 15-20% more performance in most games (at least when not CPU-limited), and has hardware to support raytraced lighting effects, even if only a handful of games support RTX effects at this time.
 
I also was looking at getting an SSD to load Windows 10 onto for booting but keeping my current HDD that is 1TB to store and play my games.
If you are getting an SSD, you might as well get one that's large enough to put some of your most played games on as well. The cost-per-GB of the 500GB and larger models tends to be better than the lower capacities, and if you get an SSD of that size, you might as well install some games on it, since Windows and your applications are unlikely to come anywhere close to using that much space. Something like a 500GB-1TB Crucial MX500 might be a decent option if your motherboard only supports SATA drives, or perhaps an Intel 660p if it can take an NVMe drive.