[SOLVED] Upgrading PC - Need Assistance

[AustinTheChin]

I bought a prebuilt PC a while back and all I've upgraded so far has been the graphics card. Currently I can stream Fortnite and CSGO at a fairly good quality but with slight lag depending on the settings. After this next upgrade, I hope to be able to stream those games and possibly some other games at at least 720p and 60fps. Here are my current specs:

PSU: ATX SL-8360BTX (350W)
GPU: Gigabyte GTX 1050 Ti 4GB
CPU: AMD-FX 4300 Quad Core 3.80 GHz
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-7LMT-USB3 (AM3, AM3+)
Storage: 1TB HD
RAM: ADATA 8GB

Upgrades I plan on buying as of now (~$315):

Motherboard: Gigabyte B540 AORUS PRO
CPU: AMD RYZEN 5 2600X 3.60 GHz

Some questions I have about these upgrades:

• For streaming, would it be worth it to spend the extra money to buy an intel motherboard and cpu?
• At the moment I have to use an adapter for my gpu because my psu doesn't have PCI-E connectors. Should I upgrade my PSU?
• Is this upgrade worthwhile for the purpose of streaming, recording, and gaming in general?
• What would be the smallest case I could fit these components in? I currently can't fit the case on my desk and have to put it on the carpet underneath which isn't the best.
• Any other suggestions you might have for my upgrade (My budget for this is around $450.)

 

[doolittle]

• For streaming, would it be worth it to spend the extra money to buy an intel motherboard and cpu?

No, although I would recommend the 2700 or 2700x, or better yet wait for the end of summer when the next-gen ryzen are released (and 8c/16t will be even cheaper)

• At the moment I have to use an adapter for my gpu because my psu doesn't have PCI-E connectors. Should I upgrade my PSU?

YES the Aliied brand of PSU is one of the worst - I would even pull it out of your current rig.

• Is this upgrade worthwhile for the purpose of streaming, recording, and gaming in general?

Yes, and even more so with the 2700/2700x

• What would be the smallest case I could fit these components in? I currently can't fit the case on my desk and have to put it on the carpet underneath which isn't the best.

Well you are very limited with the full size ATX board so mid-tower is going to be the smallest. There are decent mATX and mini-ITX boards if you want to go that route. Old shelves, shoe racks, etc make good PC "stands" or if you have to put it on carpet, simply mount the PSU fan-up so it's not blocked by the carpet.

• Any other suggestions you might have for my upgrade (My budget for this is around $450.)

mATX board and case will save you some $$, but first order of business is getting a good PSU, the Corsair CX 450 / 550 / 650 are constantly on sale with rebates, would be far, far better than the Allied unit.

Something I threw together

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/WPpGCb
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/WPpGCb/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600X 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($184.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI - B450M GAMING PLUS Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill - TYRFING ATX Mid Tower Case ($31.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $425.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-03-25 20:38 EDT-0400

 

[AustinTheChin]

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600X 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($184.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI - B450M GAMING PLUS Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill - TYRFING ATX Mid Tower Case ($31.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $425.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-03-25 20:38 EDT-0400

Wow--these parts look great and I'm surprised that they can all fit into my budget. I'll definitely look into all of these suggestions. Thank you!

 

[julienruc]

No, although I would recommend the 2700 or 2700x, or better yet wait for the end of summer when the next-gen ryzen are released (and 8c/16t will be even cheaper)


YES the Aliied brand of PSU is one of the worst - I would even pull it out of your current rig.


Yes, and even more so with the 2700/2700x


Well you are very limited with the full size ATX board so mid-tower is going to be the smallest. There are decent mATX and mini-ITX boards if you want to go that route. Old shelves, shoe racks, etc make good PC "stands" or if you have to put it on carpet, simply mount the PSU fan-up so it's not blocked by the carpet.


mATX board and case will save you some $$, but first order of business is getting a good PSU, the Corsair CX 450 / 550 / 650 are constantly on sale with rebates, would be far, far better than the Allied unit.

Something I threw together

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/WPpGCb
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/WPpGCb/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600X 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($184.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: MSI - B450M GAMING PLUS Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Sport LT 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($89.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill - TYRFING ATX Mid Tower Case ($31.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair - CX (2017) 550 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $425.95
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-03-25 20:38 EDT-0400

This build is very good. AMD is defo the right option over an Intel CPU for Streaming at this budget. I also agree with @austin, please try and allocate a decent budget for your PSU, we wouldn't want to fry our components now. I think what he suggested should be considered the minimum in terms of quality.

 

[AustinTheChin]

I’ve considered all of these suggestions and I think I’m going to buy the motherboard, cpu, and RAM suggested by @doolittle . I also want to upgrade my PSU, so I was wondering if the Corsair CX550M would be as good as the one you suggested.

 

[doolittle]

I’ve considered all of these suggestions and I think I’m going to buy the motherboard, cpu, and RAM suggested by @doolittle . I also want to upgrade my PSU, so I was wondering if the Corsair CX550M would be as good as the one you suggested.

Yes the new "gray-label" CX with 450w / 550w / 650w ratings now use Great Wall as the OEM for the unit, the are much improved over the older green-labels that use CWT as the oem. Most vendors also note the "2017" year to denote the new gray models vs "2015" for the old green models.

Of course, if you want to put a bit more $ into the PSU that is never a bad idea, CX grays are the "minimum" quality and the rebates simply give you that much more value. The Antec Earthwatts Pro 550w is $70 ($60 + $10 shipping), the Seasonic G550 is $75, and the Seasonic Focus Gold Plus 550w is $80.