[SOLVED] What should I upgrade/do? 1K budget

[Sumyung]

Okay, so built my computer with a friend around 6 years ago and still have the same motherboard. upgraded my GPU and CPU but never bothered with the motherboard (lmao).

Current build is:

NVIDIA GTX 970
i7-4790 (nonk)
ASrock H97m Pro4 Motherboard
24 Gb of RAM
and I think a measly 500W PSU can't recall...

1TB HD
I think a 125GB SSD for my local drive,
and a 500GB SSD as well for an /A: drive.

I feel like this set up is getting to be, for a lack of better terms, retarded as hell.
I'm asking for some advice for which routes to take and whether or not I should upgrade to 1151?

Can't seem to find anything even relatively new for an 1150 socket type board. . .

I'm at a loss here folks!
Any advice would do, oh gurus of the computer-ing world!

Edit: I think I have 2 fans for "cooling" that don't do much I don't think. Not to mention the cooler master fans are also.... 6 years old. . . . and my tower is a medium size but also 6 years of age....
hellllpp meeeee haha

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

Well, your system is still mid-range even by today's standards. You can start by buying a good quality power supply to ensure continued protection and operation of your system or future system. Let us help you with picking the PSU once we establish a budget and plan. Or, maybe you are wrong about your power supply? If it was high-quality it might still be usable. But if it is like you say 500W (and not 550W) it likely needs to be replaced. Manufacturer's moved to higher quality 550W models in recent years.

Speaking of budget, that will determine what you can do. Also, what is your monitor/display?

 

[gn842a]

If your C: drive (OS drive) is 128 gigs it may be getting too full. Mine was showing a red line I guess because of the games my kid loaded. Anyhow it wasn't worth trying to figure out what was using all the space so I just installed a 500 gig SATA ssd. Clone the 128 gig SSD to a 500 gig SSD and keep the 128 as a backup in case your future alterations have unforeseen consequences and you just want something that will boot you up with your old drivers.

MrN1 is right if you don't know what power supply you have you probably don't have a good one. And 500 watts is trying a little too hard to save money. Maybe shoot for 750 to 800.

 

[Sumyung]

Well, your system is still mid-range even by today's standards. You can start by buying a good quality power supply to ensure continued protection and operation of your system or future system. Let us help you with picking the PSU once we establish a budget and plan. Or, maybe you are wrong about your power supply? If it was high-quality it might still be usable. But if it is like you say 500W (and not 550W) it likely needs to be replaced. Manufacturer's moved to higher quality 550W models in recent years.

Speaking of budget, that will determine what you can do. Also, what is your monitor/display?

Hmmm...let's see, I'm running dual monitors with a BenQ as the main. I believe I bought this one around 3.5 years ago? BenQ XL2411Z 144Hz.

The second monitor is an old toaster.. Haha, a Dell ST2010 60Hz 8-bit

Let's see, my budget would be around 1K. And my power supply is most definitely not a 550W. Although, I think the PSU is of "Gold" value?

Edit: btw thanks for the quick reply

 

[Sumyung]

If your C: drive (OS drive) is 128 gigs it may be getting too full. Mine was showing a red line I guess because of the games my kid loaded. Anyhow it wasn't worth trying to figure out what was using all the space so I just installed a 500 gig SATA ssd. Clone the 128 gig SSD to a 500 gig SSD and keep the 128 as a backup in case your future alterations have unforeseen consequences and you just want something that will boot you up with your old drivers.

MrN1 is right if you don't know what power supply you have you probably don't have a good one. And 500 watts is trying a little too hard to save money. Maybe shoot for 750 to 800.

Okay for sure.
Yeah I know... It's been years since I properly upgraded and the parts that I did... were mostly impulse buys without real process of upgrading a pc. Any good PSU you'd recommend?

Edit: Also, how would I "clone" my C: drive to my A:?

 

[gn842a]

Okay for sure.
Yeah I know... It's been years since I properly upgraded and the parts that I did... were mostly impulse buys without real process of upgrading a pc. Any good PSU you'd recommend?

Edit: Also, how would I "clone" my C: drive to my A:?

Cloning requires software like Macrium (there are a bunch out there). Watch a few videos before you do it. Cloning from a small SSD to a large one should not be a problem. Just be sure that you have copied all your data files to a third drive where they will be safe. And when you do cloning, as with an OS installation, it is always smartest to disengage any other drive (optical, storage, whatever) so as not to get anything confused. Your Macrium program will be installed on your 128 gig OS.

The A: drive is your TARGET DRIVE and what I first is copy my data files OFF the target drive to somewhere else. Then I format the target drive in disk manager. Just a quick format to clean up the junk. Then I open the cloning software to do the rest.

Greg N

 

[gn842a]

Incidentally I have an F2 A85 V pro motherboard with A10 5800k cpu upstairs it is five years old and I hope to keep it going till Win 8.1 is taken away from us.

Unfortunately I had to upgrade my downstairs build.

Greg N

 

[gn842a]

After your C: drive is cloned to the A: drive take it out and see if computer boots to the A: drive. Don't have any other drives connected for that boot. If your A: drive is now working as your new C: drive then you're in business.

If it's not working disconnect it, put the old drive back in, boot up, format the A: drive to be clear of all crap from the previous (failed) effort, and go back to clone school to figure out what you're doing wrong/right.

But if it is working, put the old 128 gig C: drive in the closet in case you need it. And buy a new drive for additional storage, as it is not a good idea to have the operating system AND your storage on the same drive. Well, some people think so. In the old days it was the only way it was done. But I keep them separate. When I want to mess with my files I mess with my files. When I want to mess with my operating system I mess with my operating system. I don't like having them on the same drive. Not even with a partition.

 

[MrN1ce9uy]

A list I picked out pretty quickly. I'd be aiming for something like this with a $1K budget.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($198.90 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition 42 CFM CPU Cooler ($36.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI X570-A PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard ($159.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($77.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 860 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($86.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce RTX 2060 6 GB SC ULTRA GAMING Video Card ($349.99 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT H500 ATX Mid Tower Case ($69.99 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA G2 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($84.85 @ Walmart)
Total: $1065.69
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-08-12 11:21 EDT-0400

 

[geofelt]

What is your budget?
In what way is your current setup not doing the job.
I presume your main interest is in gaming.

Some games are graphics limited like fast action shooters.
Others are cpu core speed limited like strategy, sims, and mmo.
Multiplayer tends to like many threads.

You need to find out which.
------------------------------------------------------------
To help clarify your CPU/GPU options, run these two tests:

a) Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

b) Limit your cpu, either by reducing the OC, or, in windows power management, limit the maximum cpu% to something like 70%.
Go to control panel/power options/change plan settings/change advanced power settings/processor power management/maximum processor state/
This will simulate what a lack of cpu power will do.
Conversely what a 30% improvement in core speed might do.

You should also experiment with removing one or more cores/threads. You can do this in the windows msconfig boot advanced options option.
You will need to reboot for the change to take effect. Set the number of threads to less than you have.
This will tell you how sensitive your games are to the benefits of many threads.
If you see little difference, your game does not need all the threads you have.



It is possible that both tests are positive, indicating that you have a well balanced system,
and both cpu and gpu need to be upgraded to get better gaming FPS.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Your setup is, I think relatively well balanced.
Some thoughts:

I think 120gb for windows C drive is too small.
Many things default to the C drive.
When a ssd fills up to 90% it starts to lose performance and endurance.
The solution is simple.
Buy a Samsung evo of the capacity you need. A 500gb unit is $90.
Use the free Samsung ssd migration app to move your C drive to the new ssd and boot from it.
After, you can wipe the old ssd and do what you wish with it.
'4970 and GTX970 are still ok devices.

What is the make/model of your 500w PSU?
If it is good quality, it can run a stronger graphics card.
If the tests above show you to be graphics limited a graphics upgrade is easy.

If, however, you need stronger cpu power, you are looking at not only a modern intel or ryzen processor, but also at a new motherboard and ddr4 ram.