PC Upgrade vs New Build- Need Advice

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming and streaming. Mostly PUBG, also Overwatch and Fallout4
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
~$1000-$2000. This is entirely flexible.
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Detroit, Michigan, U.S. I live well within driving to Microcenter.
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
GPU for sure. I'd consider any other meaningful upgrades as well. I'd also like a bluetooth card to use with wireless headphones.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
My current build is:
Intel Core i5 3570K
Asus P8Z77-V LK Motherboard
G.Skill Ripjaws Series F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL 2 x 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM
eVGA 02G-P4-2670-KR GeForce GTX 670 2GB PCI-E Video Card
Samsung 830 Series 256GB SSD
Samsung Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
LG GH24NS90B DVD Burner
Corsair 650TX V2 650W PSU
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156

I could reuse or not reuse any of this.
6) Will you be overclocking?
No
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1920 x 1080, 24"
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
ASAP
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
N/A
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Current SSD has windows 10 installed. I can easily get a new license as well.



The GPU on my current build has begun to overheat and has become largely unusable. I definitely need to replace that component in order to keep this build running. My overall goal though is to have something that I can play new games on for the next 2-4 years. I don't know if it would be better to upgrade or roll a new build.

I haven't followed hardware advances in many years though, so I thought I might get some advice here.
-If I am upgrading my GPU, are there other components to be added/upgraded as well?
-Would I be wise to add more RAM?
-I am also considering adding a second SSD.
-Will my processor hold me back?

Alternatively I could roll a new build. Would a new MOBO be beneficial so that I can use DDR4?

Advice on upgrades would be fantastic. If a new build is a better option, I can always make a new post, so not to muddle things. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

You've got reasonable stuff. I'd probably go with a 1050Ti and be mostly happy (that would be on the cheap).

Up to you of course.

Obviously "the world" is going to want to push your GPU to bigger (and hotter) things. If you have the power tap(s) you might consider something beefier than the 1050Ti (which is roughly like what you have). I mean, you did say 2 years.... you certainly have the budget to get a higher end card and PSU (if necessary).

wait, you don't overclock your cpu? I'd just start with GPU for now since yours is dying.. could try waiting for gtx 11 series or looking at used market.

admiralperpetual said:

wait, you don't overclock your cpu? I'd just start with GPU for now since yours is dying.. could try waiting for gtx 11 series or looking at used market.

Click to expand...

I'm not opposed to overclocking. It just isn't something I have much experience with, so I'm always hesitant.

As suggested, a 1050 ti will be fine for the games you listed at 1080p. I know because I just replaced mine with a 1080. And not because I needed to, but because I was bored and want to fool around with high res and high framerate tech. A 1050 ti will save you on time and money while providing a great 1080p gaming experience. Of course if you want to wreck the whole thing and start over, can't blame you. That shit is fun, too. Good luck!

I would max out the RAM on ebay and go with a AMD 580 8 gig video card. It will do 2K fine if you decide to upgrade to freesync monitor.

Maybe see how much a used 3770K is as that would get you 4 more threads. If you can get one for under $100 I'd do that and buy a 1060 and call it a day but then i'm cheap lol

A used i7 3770/3770k would be an okay upgrade, but not HUGELY significant for strictly gaming. Edit- I see you mentioned streaming, the extra threads are certainly beneficial with an i7 but might be a good time to consider a new platform for extra cores and threads.

If you stick with your current PC, would definitely advise getting another 8GB of RAM - 16GB total being the sweet spot, and for video card your budget is pretty large so I'd say a GTX 1060 6GB / RX 580 8GB or GTX 1070 would be set you up for a while at 1080p 60hz gaming.

Might be a good time to consider optional upgrades, like newer modern case, new fans/AIO cooler, larger SSD for boot, etc.

If you do decide a new build, the potential is huge with a $2000 budget. Would easily fit in an i7 8700k / GTX 1080 or 1080 Ti setup in that price point, although you may also consider the Ryzen 2600X/2700X.

And here's a full build as reference - 8700k, Z370 board, 16GB of DDR4 3200 RAM, GTX 1070 Ti 8GB card, NVME SSD for $1550. Can transfer your old SSD and HDD over if you want as well.

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ZTDLcY

(Can also go with a Ryzen 2600X/2700X + X470 motherboard setup to save around $100-200ish for slightly less absolute performance in gaming).

If I were you I'd replace the CPU, Mobo, RAM, and GPU. Any money spent on 3rd gen Core or DDR3 is going to mean spending money on technology that would be better spent on its replacement.

That said, you're leaving a lot of performance on the table by not overclocking your CPU. If you can get that to ~4.5 Ghz+ and find an excellent deal on 16GB of DDR3 2400 RAM you might be able to squeeze another year or so out of the system.

Of course you'll want to upgrade the GPU as well but you already know that. Either a GTX 1050Ti, or at best a GTX 1060 6GB card would make sense for your system.

u got a k and running stock? overclock that shit and get back to us.

What heatsink u have?

Replace the thermal interface on the GPU, and clean up the heat sink fans/fins while you are at it.

Or find a deal on a used 780/970.

Here's 11 options, you can reuse that PSU you have if you want. Even the SSD.

AMD and Intel 11 Builds to fit your budget - 5 Intel/6 AMD

My suggestion, go for the AMD $1500 build, and upgrade to a 144hz 1440p Gsync monitor.

And that's pretty much exactly what I did, coming from a build similar to yours with a 3570k.

Cacophony05 said:

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming and streaming. Mostly PUBG, also Overwatch and Fallout4


I haven't followed hardware advances in many years though, so I thought I might get some advice here.
-If I am upgrading my GPU, are there other components to be added/upgraded as well?
-Would I be wise to add more RAM?
-I am also considering adding a second SSD.
-Will my processor hold me back?

Alternatively I could roll a new build. Would a new MOBO be beneficial so that I can use DDR4?

Advice on upgrades would be fantastic. If a new build is a better option, I can always make a new post, so not to muddle things. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Click to expand...

Advice? Everyone's own opinion would be different then yours best to stick to your own design in building a new PC, if you seek advice on budget then you're in the right place. or you can ask the 1180 prediction guys on here they might know a future computer