[SOLVED] Wondering if it would be worth upgrading my current setup, or if it would be better to start over with a new build

Delo

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Jul 10, 2013
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Hi everyone. My current PC is about 11 years old now. I primarily use my PC to game and other general workstation things (casual browsing, etc). The only thing I've replaced over the years was the GPU (once in 2016) and memory storage. I feel that my PC has aged pretty well for the most part. I can still play most newer games on a mix of medium high to high settings depending on the game, but I'm noticing some performance issues in more demanding games. For example, I want to play Elden Ring and saw that I don't meet the minimum requirements (I know there's general framerate issues and stuttering regardless of people's rigs). I can play Halo Infinite around 40-60 fps, but my settings are low to medium. I can run Doom Eternal with high settings (around 60 fps with some frame drops). I'm not really looking for 4k gaming at the moment.

Is there anything worth replacing that might give my current build a boost? I'm not opposed to starting over with a new build, but given how expensive parts are right now, it would be nice to hold out for a little longer. I thought about getting 16 gb of DDR3 ram, but didn't know if that would make much of a difference. I know I'm a bit limited to what is compatible with my mobo since it's older. Thanks!

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K
GPU: Nvidia GTX 970 4 GB
RAM: G.SKILL RipjawsX DDR3 1600 C9 2x4GB
MBD: Asus P8P67 DELUXE (LGA1155)
PSU: CORSAIR HX series HX650 650 W ATX12V v2.2
 
Solution
You need to upgrade, depending of course on what you play and what your expectations are?

If your PSU is less than five or six years old then it's probably still ok for a while. If it's more than 6 years old then it's getting close to it's 7 years warranty period, and while technically still useful if it is still working normally I'm not sure I'd recommend using it if you have to upgrade everything else anyhow. You'd want a new power supply for use with a new board and graphics card, which are, yes, astronomically expensive right now. I don't see that there is anything you could upgrade that would really be worthwhile.

You could of course upgrade to 16GB of RAM, which probably isn't terribly helpful with that configuration unless you...
You need to upgrade, depending of course on what you play and what your expectations are?

If your PSU is less than five or six years old then it's probably still ok for a while. If it's more than 6 years old then it's getting close to it's 7 years warranty period, and while technically still useful if it is still working normally I'm not sure I'd recommend using it if you have to upgrade everything else anyhow. You'd want a new power supply for use with a new board and graphics card, which are, yes, astronomically expensive right now. I don't see that there is anything you could upgrade that would really be worthwhile.

You could of course upgrade to 16GB of RAM, which probably isn't terribly helpful with that configuration unless you are specifically running memory intensive applications or games which is a shorter list than you might think unless you do a LOT of heavy multitasking or run VMs, and you should be able to upgrade to a 3570k on that board I think, but honestly it's probably not worth the effort or cost because what you get in return is going to be very little. Even if you upgraded to 16GB or more of memory and got a 3750k or another compatible i7, the gains would be rather minimal except maybe in a few heavily multithread optimized titles and that's going to be an even shorter list since most games, even those well optimized for the use of more threads, run fine on four core CPUs. Particularly when we are comparing OLDER four core CPUs to older 4/4 models like the Sandy and Ivy bridge i7's.

You'd be better off with an Alder lake i3, by miles, or pretty much any Zen3 Ryzen CPU, even a lower end model, than investing in your current platform with no promise that your board is even going to last. Certainly you wouldn't want to have to invest in a replacement board after investing in a replacement CPU, for a platform that old.
 
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Solution
Hi everyone. My current PC is about 11 years old now. I primarily use my PC to game and other general workstation things (casual browsing, etc). The only thing I've replaced over the years was the GPU (once in 2016) and memory storage. I feel that my PC has aged pretty well for the most part. I can still play most newer games on a mix of medium high to high settings depending on the game, but I'm noticing some performance issues in more demanding games. For example, I want to play Elden Ring and saw that I don't meet the minimum requirements (I know there's general framerate issues and stuttering regardless of people's rigs). I can play Halo Infinite around 40-60 fps, but my settings are low to medium. I can run Doom Eternal with high settings (around 60 fps with some frame drops). I'm not really looking for 4k gaming at the moment.

Is there anything worth replacing that might give my current build a boost? I'm not opposed to starting over with a new build, but given how expensive parts are right now, it would be nice to hold out for a little longer. I thought about getting 16 gb of DDR3 ram, but didn't know if that would make much of a difference. I know I'm a bit limited to what is compatible with my mobo since it's older. Thanks!

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K
GPU: Nvidia GTX 970 4 GB
RAM: G.SKILL RipjawsX DDR3 1600 C9 2x4GB
MBD: Asus P8P67 DELUXE (LGA1155)
PSU: CORSAIR HX series HX650 650 W ATX12V v2.2
LGA1155 is dead as disco and has been for some time now. What country are you located, what is your budget and what is your monitor resolution or is a monitor to be included in the budget?
 

Delo

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Jul 10, 2013
7
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LGA1155 is dead as disco and has been for some time now. What country are you located, what is your budget and what is your monitor resolution or is a monitor to be included in the budget?

I'm located in the US. If it makes sense, my budget for upgrading is smaller than just starting over because I feel like investing in old hardware probably isn't the best idea. By the time I start spending money, I might be better off investing in a new system. For a new PC, I'm considering around $1500. I'm hesitant about spending that much on a new GPU, but that might be the new reality for awhile. I've glanced at Pc Parts Picker's suggestions. My current monitor is 1920x1080.
 
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Udyr

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Mar 3, 2021
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As a former i5 2500 (non K) owner myself, your PC aged pretty well because Intel was stagnant for years and we saw little improvements. 8th gen was a breath of fresh air, 10th gen was OK and now Alder Lake is doing alright (personal opinion).

With your budget you could to the PCPP modest Intel gaming build, changing parts as you see fit, and you'd still have spare cash.
 
@Delo choose a case for this build. You can get yourself a cheap USB stick, DL Windows installer and use the free version of Windows or get the retail version linked below.

https://www.antonline.com/Evga/Computers/Video_Cards/Graphic_Cards/1445087
EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti XC GAMING 8GB GDDR6 LHR Graphic Card + EVGA SuperNOVA 650W G5 80 Plus Gold Power Supply + EVGA X17 Wired Customizable Gaming Mouse + Xbox Game Pass For PC 2 Month Membership (Email Delivery) $689.96

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813119543
ASUS PRIME B660-PLUS D4 $139.99

Intel Core i5-12400F $184.99

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B098D84SLF
Thermalright Assassin Spirit 120 CPU Cooler $30.00

https://www.amazon.com/Thermalright-1700-SS2-Mounting-Coolers-Platform/dp/B09LTQYNSL
Thermalright LGA 1700-SS2 Mounting Kit $8.69

https://www.amazon.com/TEAMGROUP-T-Force-Vulcan-3200MHz-Desktop/dp/B07T637L7T/
TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z DDR4 3200MHz 16GB Kit (2x8GB) CL16 $62.99

https://www.amazon.com/PNY-CS2130-Internal-Solid-State/dp/B0869B4Q66/
PNY CS2130 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe Gen3 x4 Internal SSD $98.05

Total: $1216

https://www.amazon.com/Window-Flash-Upgrade-Windоws-available/dp/B09Q8RBL2G/
Window 10 Home USB | 1 PC | Free Upgrade to Windоws 11 $109.00

EvzZHt4zskeq2WvRUVwVHK-970-80.png
 
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https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16824475176
MSI Optix MAG2732 27" Full HD 1920 x 1080 165 Hz HDMI, DisplayPort, USB, Audio G-Sync Compatible IPS Gaming Monitor $219.99

https://ca.msi.com/Monitor/Optix-MAG2732

https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforc...ay-tracing-nvidia-dlss-upgrade-available-now/

 
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Zerk2012

Titan
Ambassador
If your going to upgrade and go fairly big, a bit over budget but you can sell your Pc as a working PC or part it out to get some money back.

Should be enough memory to never need to add more even if you get into some editing work, Big enough PSU to make a video card upgrade in a few years, You will probably need to get the LGA 1700 mounting kit for the cooler there on Amazon for about 10 bucks. The video card is close to a 100% improvement depending on the game.

PCPartPicker Part List

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i5-12600K 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor | $278.99 @ B&H
CPU Cooler | Noctua NH-U14S 82.52 CFM CPU Cooler | $74.99 @ Newegg
Motherboard | Gigabyte Z690 UD DDR4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard | $199.99 @ Newegg
Memory | G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory | $124.99 @ Newegg
Storage | Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive | $109.99 @ Adorama
Video Card | Gigabyte Radeon RX 6600 XT 8 GB GAMING OC Video Card | $559.98 @ Newegg
Case | Corsair 4000D Airflow ATX Mid Tower Case | $103.93 @ Amazon
Power Supply | Corsair RMx (2018) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply | $114.99 @ Amazon
Case Fan | ARCTIC P12 56.3 CFM 120 mm Fan | $8.00 @ Amazon
Case Fan | ARCTIC P12 56.3 CFM 120 mm Fan | $8.00 @ Amazon
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total | $1583.85
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-03-04 19:50 EST-0500 |
 
I personally would do this for 1080p-1440p later on.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12400 2.5 GHz 6-Core Processor ($198.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Scythe Mugen 5 Rev. B 51.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus PRIME B660M-A WIFI D4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Walmart)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($119.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($109.99 @ Adorama)
Video Card: Asus GeForce RTX 3060 Ti LHR 8 GB TUF GAMING OC V2 Video Card ($733.95 @ Amazon)
Case: Lian Li LANCOOL 215 ATX Mid Tower Case ($89.99 @ B&H)
Power Supply: Antec Earthwatts Gold Pro 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($73.69 @ Amazon)
Total: $1516.58
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-03-04 21:31 EST-0500
 

Zerk2012

Titan
Ambassador
@Delo choose a case for this build. You can get yourself a cheap USB stick, DL Windows installer and use the free version of Windows or get the retail version linked below.

https://www.antonline.com/Evga/Computers/Video_Cards/Graphic_Cards/1445087
EVGA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti XC GAMING 8GB GDDR6 LHR Graphic Card + EVGA SuperNOVA 650W G5 80 Plus Gold Power Supply + EVGA X17 Wired Customizable Gaming Mouse + Xbox Game Pass For PC 2 Month Membership (Email Delivery) $689.96

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813119543
ASUS PRIME B660-PLUS D4 $139.99

Intel Core i5-12400F $184.99

be quiet! Pure Rock 2 Black 150W TDP CPU Cooler $44.90

https://www.amazon.com/TEAMGROUP-T-Force-Vulcan-3200MHz-Desktop/dp/B07T637L7T/
TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z DDR4 3200MHz 16GB Kit (2x8GB) CL16 $62.99

https://www.amazon.com/PNY-CS2130-Internal-Solid-State/dp/B0869B4Q66/
PNY CS2130 1TB M.2 PCIe NVMe Gen3 x4 Internal SSD $98.05

Total: $1221

https://www.amazon.com/Window-Flash-Upgrade-Windоws-available/dp/B09Q8RBL2G/
Window 10 Home USB | 1 PC | Free Upgrade to Windоws 11 $109.00

EvzZHt4zskeq2WvRUVwVHK-970-80.png
@Zerk2012

https://www.ebay.com/str/antonline
Antonline
32K Followers
98.8% Positive feedback
1.6M Items sold

ANTOnline has a consumer rating of 4.68 stars from 8,617 reviews indicating that most customers are generally satisfied with their purchases. Consumers satisfied with ANTOnline most frequently mention great experience, xbox series and customer service. ANTOnline ranks 1st among Computer sites.
Fleebay reviews can be manipulated, they have no customer service not a company to be used to buy from.

You would need to live here to know how these companies work.

https://www.ebay.com/fdbk/feedback_profile/antonline?filter=feedback_page:RECEIVED_AS_SELLER

Do you really think you can get the 3060ti, 100 buck power supply, 30 buck mouse, and the Xbox game pass for less than 700 total?
 
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Fleebay reviews can be manipulated, they have no customer service not a company to be used to buy from.

You would need to live here to know how these companies work.

https://www.ebay.com/fdbk/feedback_profile/antonline?filter=feedback_page:RECEIVED_AS_SELLER

Do you really think you can get the 3060ti, 100 buck power supply, 30 buck mouse, and the Xbox game pass for less than 700 total?
They're one of the biggest sellers on Newegg and they supply such stores as Target for electronics.
 
Again the people that live here also know never to buy from a 3rd party seller from Newegg.

Not sure where you live but it's not in the US for sure.
Have had a friend get the exact bundle you mentioned and received it no problem in California... Antonline may have some issues but they seem to me to be a perfectly legitimate seller. Did you notice their bundles are all EVGA related items? They are probably in some partnership with EVGA to sell those bundles at reduced cost.
 
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Zerk2012

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Have had a friend get the exact bundle you mentioned and received it no problem in California... Antonline may have some issues but they seem to me to be a perfectly legitimate seller. Did you notice their bundles are all EVGA related items? They are probably in some partnership with EVGA to sell those bundles at reduced cost.
All that is fine and dandy till you have a problem with what you receive, they have no customer care just Email. and might get back with you whenever just read the negative reviews.

Buy for a known company that you can actually get help from or take the chance I could care less.
 
All that is fine and dandy till you have a problem with what you receive, they have no customer care just Email. and might get back with you whenever just read the negative reviews.

Buy for a known company that you can actually get help from or take the chance I could care less.
While were at it how about we stop recommending components from Newegg.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fnXsmXzphI
 
Hi everyone. My current PC is about 11 years old now. I primarily use my PC to game and other general workstation things (casual browsing, etc). The only thing I've replaced over the years was the GPU (once in 2016) and memory storage. I feel that my PC has aged pretty well for the most part. I can still play most newer games on a mix of medium high to high settings depending on the game, but I'm noticing some performance issues in more demanding games. For example, I want to play Elden Ring and saw that I don't meet the minimum requirements (I know there's general framerate issues and stuttering regardless of people's rigs). I can play Halo Infinite around 40-60 fps, but my settings are low to medium. I can run Doom Eternal with high settings (around 60 fps with some frame drops). I'm not really looking for 4k gaming at the moment.

Is there anything worth replacing that might give my current build a boost? I'm not opposed to starting over with a new build, but given how expensive parts are right now, it would be nice to hold out for a little longer. I thought about getting 16 gb of DDR3 ram, but didn't know if that would make much of a difference. I know I'm a bit limited to what is compatible with my mobo since it's older. Thanks!

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K
GPU: Nvidia GTX 970 4 GB
RAM: G.SKILL RipjawsX DDR3 1600 C9 2x4GB
MBD: Asus P8P67 DELUXE (LGA1155)
PSU: CORSAIR HX series HX650 650 W ATX12V v2.2
When you run your stuff is ram usage bumping up against the top?
If it is then adding ram will give a bump.....about 50 bucks.

If using just a hdd then adding in a ssd will give a bump.

Neither item will give a bump like starting over with a new build but it's a lot cheaper and might be enough to get another year or 2 usage.

Don't overlook a little house cleaning and not running unneeded background stuff.
 

Zerk2012

Titan
Ambassador
While were at it how about we stop recommending components from Newegg.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fnXsmXzphI
That has 0 to do with anything he did one of the things you don't do, buy OPEN BOX, used, refurbished, or from a 3rd party seller.

nothing you can post or say to change my mind about anything I have said so you can stop wasting your time.
My last post on this topic so please DO NOT RESPOND.

we got way off track from helping the original poster and it needs to go back in that direction.
 
Is there anything worth replacing that might give my current build a boost? I'm not opposed to starting over with a new build, but given how expensive parts are right now, it would be nice to hold out for a little longer. I thought about getting 16 gb of DDR3 ram, but didn't know if that would make much of a difference. I know I'm a bit limited to what is compatible with my mobo since it's older. Thanks!

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K
GPU: Nvidia GTX 970 4 GB
RAM: G.SKILL RipjawsX DDR3 1600 C9 2x4GB
MBD: Asus P8P67 DELUXE (LGA1155)
PSU: CORSAIR HX series HX650 650 W ATX12V v2.2

Start over, IMO..

You've gotten your money's worth out of the current build; I'd remove the GPU, and keep it for a TrueNAS build, unless you have a family member that needs it for e-mail/surfing duties...
 
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