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Gaming system for $700.

J

jgn77

n00b
Joined
Oct 8, 2004
Messages
50
Looking to upgrade my rig from 2011 and have about 700 to spend. Mostly using it for 1080p resolution gaming and would like to get into video editing for youtube uploads and twitch streaming as well.

Here's what I need

Chip
Cooler
Mobo
Video Card
Memory
SSD

Here's what I have

Case
500watt PSU
3TB sata 3 hard drive
ps2 keyboard which I love
Microsoft mouse
24 inch monitor

I will be running Win 7 until maybe next year when i upgrade to 10.

I have 700 to spend and want to get the most bang for my buck. I'm techy but I've been out of the game for 4 years and it's a lot to research. Some general direction would be appreciated.

I'm not partial to Intel/AMD or Nvidia/AMD. I can do anything really. Just best bang for my buck.
 
What brand/model is the PSU?

What is your current motherboard/processor/RAM?
 
Thermatake purepower 600

I5 2500k
8 gig ram
AMD 6870
Intel Gigabyte mobo
 
What Gigabyte motherboard do you have?
What case do you have?
Are you using the stock HSF?

You're definitely getting a new PSU. It's a miracle your current PC has lasted as long as it did with that crappy PSU.
 
To be bluntly honest, what you have overall doesn't warrant a wholesale replacement (yes, even the PSU, although upgrading it for a new graphics card might be a nice idea if it fits your budget).

While new tech is nice, the gains from your 2500k to the new skylake haven't exactly been outstanding, and your processor is likely good enough.

If I were in your shoes and only had $700 to spend, I would use the $700 to upgrade the graphics card and get yourself to 16 GB of memory, and then stand pat with everything else. You can actually land a 390x for a little over $400, and still have $300 to upgrade the Memory, and if you wanted (and this would indeed be what I next would suggest upgrading), grabbing a new 750-850 watt PSU.

You'll kill in 1080p games, and your graphics card and PSU will have a bit of future proofing to them.

My strategy would be to see how much it would take to get me to 16 GB of RAM first, then see what I have in my budget to get the best video card I can based on the pricing slots, and with what's ever left, upgrade the PSU.
 
Last edited:
THIS!!! Get another 8GB, maybe OC your cpu if you can, upgrade your GPU, and get an SSD

Zion Halcyon said:
To be bluntly honest, what you have overall doesn't warrant a wholesale replacement (yes, even the PSU, although upgrading it for a new graphics card might be a nice idea if it fits your budget).

While new tech is nice, the gains from your 2500k to the new skylake haven't exactly been outstanding, and your processor is likely good enough.

If I were in your shoes and only had $700 to spend, I would use the $700 to upgrade the graphics card and get yourself to 16 GB of memory, and then stand pat with everything else. You can actually land a 390x for a little over $400, and still have $300 to upgrade the Memory, and if you wanted (and this would indeed be what I next would suggest upgrading), grabbing a new 750-850 watt PSU.

You'll kill in 1080p games, and your graphics card and PSU will have a bit of future proofing to them.

My strategy would be to see how much it would take to get me to 16 GB of RAM first, then see what I have in my budget to get the best video card I can based on the pricing slots, and with what's ever left, upgrade the PSU.
Click to expand...
 
<$50 Ram upgrade to 16GB
$80-$150 250-500GB SSD - recommend Samsung Evo 850. These fly!
<$300 GTX 970 or R9 290X 4GB or 380 8GB. Look for recent sales.
Up $100 650W+ Gold/Platinum. Don't go cheap here. Look into Corsair, Seasonic.
----
$600 or less total. Save the rest for the next upgrade cycle. :D
 
Really considering the advice. Very glad I asked the question. I have never messed with OCing the 2500k and if I upgrade my cooler, that would certainly give me the confidence that I can eek an extra 10 - 15% power out of it.

Is my PSU really that bad? Here is a link to the exact model

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153042

My mobo link as well

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3856#ov

Is the mobo ok to keep?

You guys and your help is amazing..Thanks a bunch!
 
Yes your PSU is that bad.In general, only TT's Toughpower and some of their Smartpower PSUs are ok. The rest are piss-poor.

You can keep your current mobo until it dies. Then you'll have a good excuse to upgrade to a whole new platform :D

Again, what case do you have? No point in upgrading if your case can't provide decent enough cooling for the overclocked CPU or the newer higher-end GPU.
 
OP -

If your rig is running fine as is with the TT 600W PS, then try the upgraded parts with it. 600W should be enough to accommodate the new GPU and some CPU OC. If you encounter any sudden reboots, upgrade the PS as well.
 
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