[SOLVED] Which upgrades are needed?

Nuruize

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Jul 19, 2015
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Hello! I'm looking at getting either a 2070 Super or 2080 Super GPU for my PC but i'm not sure if if that means I should upgrade any of my other stuff aswell? (I'm not very clued up when it comes to building computers) I'm looking at wanting to be able to play the latest titles like CoD on my 2560 x 1440 Monitor. I'll list my things that i currently have:

Motherboard: ASROCK Z97 Anniversary
CPU: Intel Core i5 4690K 3.5 GHz (Not overclocked it as I feel like i'll mess up at trying to do it)
PSU: XFX TS 550 Watt 80Plus Bronze Certified
Memory: HyperX 8GB DDR3
Operating System: Windows 10
Monitor: 2560x1440 60hz
Sound Card: Asus Raid Strix Pro
Current GPU: EVGA Gefroce GTX ACX 2.0 SSC 960 2GB GDDR5

So here's all my things, which other things would I need to upgrade, or even a brand new build completely if everything needs replacing?

Thanks in advance for any help, appreciate it!
 
Solution
Kind of asking in reverse. How much are you willing to spend?

I would start with the GPU you want. 1440 at 60hz isn't super difficult to reach these days, but how long do you want it to last? If you buy just enough to do 1440p now, then a few games/years down the road, that might not be the case.

RTX2070 Super is still my recommendation unless you want to go all in on something like a 2080 Super or 2080 Ti. (Then you would really want a new monitor to take advantage of things) But an RTX2060 Super will do 1440p 60hz pretty well.

CPU wise, AMD vs Intel. Intel represents a dead socket, and a high cost of entry for overclocking.
AMD offers low cost overclocking, though the gains are smaller, but certainly more performance per dollar...
Nov 7, 2019
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If you change your GPU (to the 2080 or 2070) you probably need to change your PSU since it uses more power. Also, you probably need to change your ram (in my opinion). Personally, I wouldn't be using a 2080/2070 with just 8GB of ram. Make sure you parts are compatible when you choose them!
 

Eximo

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Ambassador
With a decent heatsink there is little danger in overclocking your CPU. Kind of wasting the potential without doing so. Easily get 300Mhz or more with just a few clicks in the BIOS.

You can easily install a 2070 Super with no issues. Especially with the CPU at stock. XFX made pretty decent power supplies.

I also agree getting some additional memory on the cheap would be a decent idea. There are a few games now that will use 11GB of memory if given the chance.

GPU upgrade will work for now, but it is time to start planning your eventual CPU/Motherboard/RAM upgrade. Only CPU option available to you is an i7-4770k or i7-4790k and they still command fairly high prices. Whereas something like a Ryzen 3600 would be faster and have many more cores/threads that some games can take advantage of.
 
Some games are graphics limited like fast action shooters.
Others are cpu core speed limited like strategy, sims, and mmo.

Try this test:
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.

If think you are cpu limited, The K suffix processors are designed to have their multiplier adjusted.
You do that in the bios.
Try increasing the multiplier from the stock 35 to a nigher number gradually.
you should be able to reach 40 safely if you leave all voltages on auto.
 

Nuruize

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Jul 19, 2015
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Thanks so much for the replies so far. I do also like playing mmos like ffxiv and fps like the new Cod.
How much £££ would I be looking at spending then if I just did a fresh build from scratch seeing as all of my parts seem to be quite old now?
 
Buy your card first. You will do much better in fast action games.
Your psu is ok for a 2070 super, but you might want more for a 2080 super.
If you are inclined to buy a new psu, the seasonic focus in 650 or 750w is excellent.

By buying the graphics card first, you will have a better idea of what you need for a processor.

A balanced gamer will budget about 2x the cost of the processor for the graphics card.
You are looking at a i7-9700K or a ryz3n 3700x I think.
If you play multiplayer games with many participants, favor ryzen with many threads, otherwise the higher intel clock speeds are better.
 

Nuruize

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Jul 19, 2015
152
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Would you be able to put a fresh build together for me please with both mmos and fast paced games in mind at 1440p I only know which gpus are good when it comes to PC parts
 

Eximo

Titan
Ambassador
Kind of asking in reverse. How much are you willing to spend?

I would start with the GPU you want. 1440 at 60hz isn't super difficult to reach these days, but how long do you want it to last? If you buy just enough to do 1440p now, then a few games/years down the road, that might not be the case.

RTX2070 Super is still my recommendation unless you want to go all in on something like a 2080 Super or 2080 Ti. (Then you would really want a new monitor to take advantage of things) But an RTX2060 Super will do 1440p 60hz pretty well.

CPU wise, AMD vs Intel. Intel represents a dead socket, and a high cost of entry for overclocking.
AMD offers low cost overclocking, though the gains are smaller, but certainly more performance per dollar. Since we are only looking at 60hz, than either CPU is fine, which leans me towards AMD.

Ryzen 3600 would be a decent starting point, but the 3700X listed above will have more longevity.

So if we use that as a starting point you are looking at around 1100-1300 depending on if you want an aftermarket cooler, any new storage, etc. And perhaps more if you want a new chassis, new copy of Windows, or anything else.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor (£289.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: Gigabyte X570 AORUS ELITE ATX AM4 Motherboard (£172.97 @ Laptops Direct)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory (£64.98 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER 8 GB AORUS Video Card (£549.99 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: Corsair RM (2019) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£84.98 @ Amazon UK)
Total: £1162.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-11-11 16:21 GMT+0000
 
Solution
Would you be able to put a fresh build together for me please with both mmos and fast paced games in mind at 1440p I only know which gpus are good when it comes to PC parts
Yes, I would be able to do as you asked.
But, no I will not.
It is much better for you to do your research yourself.
You know your budget, where you can shop, your aesthetics and so on.
Do not worry about getting things wrong, it is a learning experience and there will be many helpers on these forums.
If you know what graphics card you want, budget for a cpu at half the cost.
You can go cheap on a case, but do not go cheap on psu quality.
Most here are high on ryzen, me.. not so much.
Look at both a intel and ryzen build.