Upgrade this Gaming rig, or gut it and rebuild?

Operaghost

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jun 4, 2004
Messages
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*UPGRADE GOAL* Be able to play modern games at near max graphical settings (as aesthetically pleasing as possible) on a 1440p display @ 120 Hz or more with acceptable frame rates all while spending the least amount of money and re-using as much of current system as possible

Current System:
Asus Rampage III Mobo
Core i7 920 Bloomfield (1st Gen.), LGA1366 Socket
6 gb DDR3 RAM
EVGA GeForce 560 Ti
PCP&C Silencer 750W PSU

- Your budget/location/time of purchase? $700 Budget, within next 6 months
- Which local retailers? Microcenter, BestBuy
- What is the PC for? Would like to upgrade to 1440p 120+ Hz Gaming, mostly ARPG’s such as Diablo 4, Path of Exile 2, as well as Elden Ring, Witcher 3 and the like. Maybe some light editing of home videos.
- Any aesthetic preferences? No
- Interest in overclocking? Would be nice to have the option to, but not necessary
- Extras/peripherals required? Will need to upgrade my display as I’m currently on a basic 1080p TV
- Existing parts to reuse? I’d like to re-use as much of the existing system as possible FOR NOW, while reaching the goal of the upgrade. While still being future-proofed on the parts that I am purchasing now.
 
Yes, I've now come to terms, it's time to upgrade it all, except the case.

So new budget is $1300, to include a new display as well.
thats a more realistic budget but if you not building for 6 months, id wait for the new gens coming in the fall and probably for black friday sales...
 
thats a more realistic budget but if you not building for 6 months, id wait for the new gens coming in the fall and probably for black friday sales...
In this case, I'd strongly disagree. I strongly recommend the purchase ASAP because the GTX 560 Ti in now completely obsolete in the eyes of Nvidia. There have been no new driver releases at all for that GPU in more than four years. Not even security patches. And that is because Nvidia had completely EOL'd all support for Fermi GPUs in 2018.
 
In this case, I'd strongly disagree. I strongly recommend the purchase ASAP because the GTX 560 Ti in now completely obsolete in the eyes of Nvidia. There have been no new driver releases at all for that GPU in more than four years. Not even security patches. And that is because Nvidia had completely EOL'd all support for Fermi GPUs in 2018.
thats been the case for a while now, waiting a few more months doing what he doing isnt gonna be a prob.
 
In this case, I'd strongly disagree. I strongly recommend the purchase ASAP because the GTX 560 Ti in now completely obsolete in the eyes of Nvidia. There have been no new driver releases at all for that GPU in more than four years. Not even security patches. And that is because Nvidia had completely EOL'd all support for Fermi GPUs in 2018.
Yeah I'm not even using the rig right now. I've been playing on my laptop.
 
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looks pretty solid. i would go a bit better on the cooling, that one is decent, but this one will keep you way cooler and offer better cpu support for the future and is only $10 more for noctua beating perf.
https://www.amazon.com/Thermalright-Peerless-Assassin-Aluminium-Technology/dp/B09S35X72H/ref=sr_1_7?c=ts&keywords=Computer+CPU+Cooling+Fans&qid=1657466175&refinements=p_89:Thermalright&rnid=2528832011&s=pc&sr=1-7&ts_id=11036281
Holy shit, that thing looks huge. I'll have to do the measurements math to make sure it'll fit. Since my mobo is micro-atx (puke)
 
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Holy shit, that thing looks huge. I'll have to do the measurements math to make sure it'll fit. Since my mobo is micro-atx (puke)
thats what she said ;)
it'll fit the mobo, case though... you didnt mention what youve got.
 
looks pretty solid. i would go a bit better on the cooling, that one is decent, but this one will keep you way cooler and offer better cpu support for the future and is only $10 more for noctua beating perf.
https://www.amazon.com/Thermalright-Peerless-Assassin-Aluminium-Technology/dp/B09S35X72H/ref=sr_1_7?c=ts&keywords=Computer+CPU+Cooling+Fans&qid=1657466175&refinements=p_89:Thermalright&rnid=2528832011&s=pc&sr=1-7&ts_id=11036281
Noctua coolers of the win. When it comes to air cooled, go with one of those.. I have chrome one that I can sell you for 30.00 . Its barely used because I went Chromax black chrome with in a couple of weeks of completing my build. Also maybe wait a month on the video card. You may be able to "Level up" for the same money once the new shit is released. The monitor? Go with this: I have a similar one as one of my mine. You will appreciate the extra realestate
 
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that one i linked surprisingly beats a d15, for a lot less money.
Fair enough but I have used alot of so called coolers that beat Noctua and there is a palatable difference in quality . Get the Noctua fans for your cooler and you will not regret it.
 
Fair enough but I have used alot of so called coolers that beat Noctua and there is a palatable difference in quality . Get the Noctua fans for your cooler and you will not regret it.
You don't have any experience with Thermalright? Wow, I thought everyone had tried one by now. Pendragon1 speaks the truth. Reviews are out there for the assassin, check one out. Heres a quick rundown of Thermalright. Their fans are top notch and their heatsink quality equals or exceeds the best in the business. Don't let the price of the assassin fool you, its badass. They've been producing excellent heatsinks, fans, thermal pastes/pads and accessories longer than most companies have been around, including Noctua.
There aren't many companies I will recommend over Noctua but Thermalright is usually #1.
 
Noctua coolers of the win. When it comes to air cooled, go with one of those.. I have chrome one that I can sell you for 30.00 . Its barely used because I went Chromax black chrome with in a couple of weeks of completing my build. Also maybe wait a month on the video card. You may be able to "Level up" for the same money once the new shit is released. The monitor? Go with this: I have a similar one as one of my mine. You will appreciate the extra realestate
The link for the display took me to ALL the dell monitors, not a particular one. I was considering a Dell, as I generally love thier displays. My first IPS panel was a 24" Dell that costed me like $700 back in.....I dunno......2008, maybe earlier. lol

This is the display I'm currently going with: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/k9cG3C/msi-optix-g273qpf-270-2560x1440-165-hz-monitor-optix-g273qpf
Unless I find something at a similar price point in a larger size, or with a better warranty (like Dell), without compromising on any of the specs. Most the displays in this price range have much worse contrast ratings from my understanding.
 
Depending on what case your using, you might not even want to keep that. Cases of that era aren't as good as modern ones in terms of airflow and they may not necessarily be able to handle the larger graphics cards of today.
 
Cooler Master HAF 930.
She's a beast. Plenty of room in there.
Not quite. Because of its interior design that was typical of computer cases of its era, you will not be able to fit any modern triple-fan graphics cards at all without major metal cutting. Newer cases often come with no accessible front bays or internal front drive bays at all whatsoever, which is far better suited to today's GPUs. As a result of those two factors, you are effectively restricted to dual-fan GPU cards.
 
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Not quite. Because of its interior design that was typical of computer cases of its era, you will not be able to fit any modern triple-fan graphics cards at all without major metal cutting. Newer cases often come with no accessible front bays or internal front drive bays at all whatsoever, which is far better suited to today's GPUs. As a result of those two factors, you are effectively restricted to dual-fan GPU cards.
Indeed. That was where I was going with that question. You can have an absolutely huge case from yesteryear and it simply be inadequate due to the size of modern GPU's.
 
Not quite. Because of its interior design that was typical of computer cases of its era, you will not be able to fit any modern triple-fan graphics cards at all without major metal cutting. Newer cases often come with no accessible front bays or internal front drive bays at all whatsoever, which is far better suited to today's GPUs. As a result of those two factors, you are effectively restricted to dual-fan GPU cards.
Nah, he has options. IF there isn't enough room without modding (unlikely). The CM 930/932 is an excellent BIG air cooling case and worth hanging onto IMO. Its only a bit smaller than the CM HAF-X that allows up a 14inch long gpu. The hdd rack is riveted in place on the X and is easy to take out (and screw back in if needed). There's a total of ten rivets I believe. My HAF-X, same case, different faceplate. The 932 isn't as tall or wide. I modded mine to add another 360 in front (cutting was required). If I had simply pulled the entire hdd tray it would have been easy as pie. Drilling rivets is all that was needed.
Anyhow, my point is, don't give up on your case just yet Operaghost! It's still got some miles left in it. With the mesh front and side fan mount. Combined with the ability to run anything from 230mm, 200mm, 140mm or 120mm fans in front. You know as well as I that you can keep anything connected to your mb nice and cool and do it without going deaf. There are MAYBE two or three modern cases that can hang with it's cooling ability.

I'll be reusing my X once I finally get around to upgrading my main rig. I'll be swapping everything from this tt case into the X and switching it to air.

BTW- That id-cooling 224 heatsink you originally chose is a great option! I wasn't bashing it by any means. I actually use the 224 exclusively on my client builds. The Thermalright peerless assassin is just THAT good. For only $10 (just crazy) more you will likely never have to buy another hsf again, as Thermalright is among the very best at updating their brackets.

Edit- Sorry for the longass post.
 
Nah, he has options. IF there isn't enough room without modding (unlikely). The CM 930/932 is an excellent BIG air cooling case and worth hanging onto IMO. Its only a bit smaller than the CM HAF-X that allows up a 14inch long gpu. The hdd rack is riveted in place on the X and is easy to take out (and screw back in if needed). There's a total of ten rivets I believe. My HAF-X, same case, different faceplate. The 932 isn't as tall or wide. I modded mine to add another 360 in front (cutting was required). If I had simply pulled the entire hdd tray it would have been easy as pie. Drilling rivets is all that was needed.
Anyhow, my point is, don't give up on your case just yet Operaghost! It's still got some miles left in it. With the mesh front and side fan mount. Combined with the ability to run anything from 230mm, 200mm, 140mm or 120mm fans in front. You know as well as I that you can keep anything connected to your mb nice and cool and do it without going deaf. There are MAYBE two or three modern cases that can hang with it's cooling ability.

I'll be reusing my X once I finally get around to upgrading my main rig. I'll be swapping everything from this tt case into the X and switching it to air.

BTW- That id-cooling 224 heatsink you originally chose is a great option! I wasn't bashing it by any means. I actually use the 224 exclusively on my client builds. The Thermalright peerless assassin is just THAT good. For only $10 (just crazy) more you will likely never have to buy another hsf again, as Thermalright is among the very best at updating their brackets.

Edit- Sorry for the longass post.

Thanks for the awesome reply! Yeah I love my HAF case, and I have no problem modding it if need be to fit the GPU. Nothing a dremel and a lil duct tape can't fix.

I'm hesitant to replace it, not that I know much about current cases, but the HAF is just SOOOO quiet, I would be disappointed if I replaced it with anything louder, when I could just cut half the HDD rack out or whatever to fit the GPU in there.

I'll have to take some measurements, and such to see how much if any I'll need to cut out. I haven't decided on which 6700XT I'm getting yet, as I'm going to wait for next gen cards to hit and hope for a 6700 price drop.
 
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Thanks for the awesome reply! Yeah I love my HAF case, and I have no problem modding it if need be to fit the GPU. Nothing a dremel and a lil duct tape can't fix.

I'm hesitant to replace it, not that I know much about current cases, but the HAF is just SOOOO quiet, I would be disappointed if I replaced it with anything louder, when I could just cut half the HDD rack out or whatever to fit the GPU in there.

I'll have to take some measurements, and such to see how much if any I'll need to cut out. I haven't decided on which 6700XT I'm getting yet, as I'm going to wait for next gen cards to hit and hope for a 6700 price drop.
Np, Glad to help!
I've been keeping an eye on 6800/6900xts for a while and man, prices are finally getting reasonable again. I'm a greedy sob, so I'm waiting until I see something hit my magic number hehe. Stick to your guns and you will eventually find the right priced card ;)
Everyone is holding off for next gen so stock is just sitting on shelves 😁
 
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Np, Glad to help!
I've been keeping an eye on 6800/6900xts for a while and man, prices are finally getting reasonable again. I'm a greedy sob, so I'm waiting until I see something hit my magic number hehe. Stick to your guns and you will eventually find the right priced card ;)
Everyone is holding off for next gen so stock is just sitting on shelves 😁
So whats your magic number/s? Haha
 
I'm probably the crazy one for posting this but I'm also the definition of frugal (my 2009 Lynnfield CPU system in signature plays the modern games I like at acceptable performance), but why not check out Tech Yes City on youtube, who still does a lot of X58 related videos on his channel. https://www.youtube.com/c/techyescity/videos

You have a classic X58 overclockers motherboard that has a lot of capability with something like a $7 six-core/12-thread Xeon X5660 or preferably a $15 six-core/12-thread Xeon X5675:
https://hardforum.com/threads/asus-rampage-iii-formula-overclock-guide.1951200/
https://hardforum.com/threads/1366-x58-xeon-enthusiast-overclocks-club.1820772/
https://overclock-then-game.com/index.php/benchmarks/1-x5660-full-review

One problem to consider is the lack of AVX instruction set on these old CPUs....

If you don't want to overclock, pick up a $35 six-core/12-thread 3.46 GHz Xeon X5690

DDR3 1600 is dirt cheap on ebay, and upgrading to 16GB dual channel or 24GB triple channel really wouldn't cost much.....or keep your 2GB sticks and pick up three 4GB sticks for 18GB triple channel.

I can't offer much suggestion on video card's, but Tech YES City can probably offer some guidance there on a card that would match the old Xeon in an X58 motherboard! Something like a 1080Ti, RTX 2070, or RTX 3060 would probably be the limit.

https://overclock-then-game.com/ind...iew-kana-s-finewine-edition?showall=&start=14

If you are really being budget conscious, upgrading what you have may hold you over awhile until Zen4, DDR5, etc really gets established!
 
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If you want a cooler from ID-COOLING.. take it up a notch to the SE-226-XT instead of the 224.
You also have DDR4-3000 in your partpicker link... not sure if it matters with Intel.. but thought that was an odd choice.



 
If you want a cooler from ID-COOLING.. take it up a notch to the SE-226-XT instead of the 224.
You also have DDR4-3000 in your partpicker link... not sure if it matters with Intel.. but thought that was an odd choice.



I ended up getting 3200, but why would that be an "odd choice" is I got 3000?
 
I went with my Lian Li Dynamic XL so i'm not limited on GPU size whatsoever. Just a reminder don't skimp on the PSU go over the recommended specs go for 1000 watt+.

Edit: Don't upgrade to 6-core CPU, it would be a bad upgrade path as Consoles right now are at an 8-core setup and the Pros may come out and increase the core counts as well. You are better off getting 12+ cores so you have better use case out of your computer. You would be upgrading multiple times if you go budget on the cpu. Save yourself time and money.
 
I went with my Lian Li Dynamic XL so i'm not limited on GPU size whatsoever. Just a reminder don't skimp on the PSU go over the recommended specs go for 1000 watt+.

Edit: Don't upgrade to 6-core CPU, it would be a bad upgrade path as Consoles right now are at an 8-core setup and the Pros may come out and increase the core counts as well. You are better off getting 12+ cores so you have better use case out of your computer. You would be upgrading multiple times if you go budget on the cpu. Save yourself time and money.
I'm sorry but I find your advice to be terrible.
Paying up for a 1000+ watt PSU when my system will draw maybe 550 at any given time is just a flat waste of money.
So is buying a "better" CPU because it has more cores. Cores are for multi-threading. I'm not using my PC for compiling code, or video compression, or high demand editing, none of that. So it makes zero sense to spend up on a CPU for features I won't use.
 
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