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Possible PC Upgrade or Rebuild / Need your ideas

OhhPaigeyOhhPaigey Member RarePosts: 1,517
edited October 2015 in Hardware
Hey, so I built a new PC back in late 2012, and got help from the awesome people here.. I'm feeling like it's probably time to upgrade again, I'm going to list my PC specs, and let you guys decide on if you think it's better to just rebuild, or maybe replace a few parts from my current one.

Here's what I have..

i5 3570k 3.4ghz
Antec 80 plus bronze PSU
MSI Z77A GD65 motherboard
GTX 560 GPU
Mushkin frostbyte 16gb of ram. DDR3 1600
240gb SSD
and 1TB HDD

I think it's probably better to just get rid of this PC and buy a new one, since the parts are kinda old now, I was having problems out of the gate with the SSD, and it wasn't really built "properly" to begin with. I think the graphics card is the worst part in my PC, maybe it's just better to upgrade that? Idk, let me know.

If I were to build a new PC my budget would be $1000-1500 or so. Would a notice a big difference building a whole new PC? Should I wait a bit longer?

Thanks!
When all is said and done, more is always said than done.
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Comments

  • RidelynnRidelynn Member EpicPosts: 7,383
    Either entire new PC, or just upgrade the video card. That's really the only thing holding you back right now.
  • jitter77jitter77 Member UncommonPosts: 520
    I would change out the GPU and save yourself some money.  Not sure what you mean about having problems w/ the SSD or the PC being built right?  If your having problems with the SSD maybe wipe it out, check it for errors and go from there. 
  • VrikaVrika Member LegendaryPosts: 7,999
    Just upgrade the GPU. Your CPU + RAM should still be enough to play any game out there at good graphic settings.
     
  • RogoshRogosh Member UncommonPosts: 208
    If you are going for a 4k monitor i would get a gtx 970 or higher, if not get a gtx 960 great card for 1080p resolutions.

    "Its better to look ugly and win than pretty and lose"

  • stayontargetstayontarget Member RarePosts: 6,519
    Just the video card and you should be good for a few more years.

    Velika: City of Wheels: Among the mortal races, the humans were the only one that never built cities or great empires; a curse laid upon them by their creator, Gidd, forced them to wander as nomads for twenty centuries...

  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,531
    To agree with what others have said above, I don't see any sense in replacing the whole computer unless it's defective outright.  You could definitely use a new video card.

    If you're willing to overclock, then the CPU is just a hair shy of today's top end in performance unless you need more than four CPU cores.  Assuming you didn't find some awful SSD, it should be fine so long as it works right.  If you need more storage capacity (whether SSD or hard drive), you can add more without having to replace what you have.  You've got plenty of memory, and there's no sense in upgrading that (either for speed or capacity) unless you have very unusual needs.

    If the case, power supply, and fans work, I'd just let them keep working.  Replacements would only work as well as what they just replaced, so there's nothing to gain there, except for a little bit of energy efficiency on the power supply--and not nearly enough to cover the cost of replacement.

    You didn't specify your power supply, other than to say that it's Antec and it's 80 PLUS Bronze.  The wattage on it could plausibly restrict your video card upgrade options, but probably won't unless you goofed on picking a power supply in the first place.  I would like to know exactly which model you have, though.

    Assuming that the power supply isn't an issue and case size isn't a problem, you could justify getting any of these as your new video card:

    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202043
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500362
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487148
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814202157
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127902
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131675

    If all you care about is price and performance, I'd go with the Radeon R9 290 or Radeon R9 Fury (non-X).  The advantage of the GTX 970 and GTX 980 is that they use considerably less power; how much you care about that is up to you.  Though in a desktop, it doesn't matter that much, and if you bought a GTX 560 before, you're presumably not that sensitive to power consumption and heat output.

    The Radeon R9 Fury X is tougher to make a case for on a pure price/performance basis, but it does give you liquid cooling.  You should also be aware that even the fastest cards listed are only maybe 50% faster than the R9 290, in spite of costing 2-3 times as much.  If you want top end performance, you pay what it costs, but there are diminishing returns to spending more.

    Another thing to consider is a monitor upgrade, whether a bigger monitor or more of them.
  • OhhPaigeyOhhPaigey Member RarePosts: 1,517
    edited October 2015
    Thanks everyone, upgrading the GPU saves me some $ XD. my PSU is http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371059

    I use dual monitors, only one for gaming, other is for like Skype, and these forums, youtube ect. http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B006HIKIG0?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00

    For overclocking, I don't really know how to do it, but I wouldn't mind doing it either. Maybe I could get someone at a PC place to do it for me?

    1 More question: Is it easy to install a graphics card? Or should I get someone to do it.

    As for the graphics cards, I was thinking of getting the GTX 970, but that was awhile ago. If you say the radeon R9 fury is better, then I might just get that. As long as the price vs power makes sense
    When all is said and done, more is always said than done.
  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,531
    Your power supply is not a problem for any single GPU upgrade you want.  If you're happy with your monitors now, go ahead and keep them; I mentioned it as a possibility as there are better monitors now, but there's no dire need to upgrade.

    The other issue is that it's conceivable that your case could be a problem, but it's extremely unlikely that you'd get a bunch of other nice parts in the computer together with a problematic case that could somehow handle a GTX 560 just fine but not fit some newer cards of nearly the same size and power consumption.
  • RogoshRogosh Member UncommonPosts: 208
    You should be able to install it yourself its very easy, just check youtube if you are unsure.

    "Its better to look ugly and win than pretty and lose"

  • OhhPaigeyOhhPaigey Member RarePosts: 1,517
    Andd here's my PC case: http://www.ncix.com/detail/corsair-carbide-series-300r-black-16-66063.htm

    Thanks everyone for your help! :)
    When all is said and done, more is always said than done.
  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,531
    My view of overclocking a CPU is that you shouldn't unless you think your current CPU isn't fast enough at stock speeds.  If your CPU offers plenty of performance at stock speeds (and it probably does), then leave it at stock speeds.

    It's not hard to install a new video card yourself.  You'll probably need a screwdriver, though you might not if your case is heavy enough on thumbscrew usage.



    They exaggerate a little, but only a little.  You can find other sources that will give more detailed instructions, but there's not a lot to do:  open up the case, pull out the old card, put in the new card, close the case.  And then install new drivers, which basically consists of going to AMD's or Nvidia's web site to get new drivers, uninstalling the old drivers, and then running the program you just downloaded to install the new drivers.

    On a performance per dollar basis, the Radeon R9 290 is pretty much the winner today.  You can get more performance, but the price goes up faster than performance, so it's a question of how much more you're willing to spend to get more performance.  You could justify a GeForce GTX 980, Radeon R9 Fury, or GeForce GTX 980 Ti on that basis, but do realize that doubling the price tag might give you 40% more performance, not double the performance.  I wouldn't get a GTX 970 over an R9 290 unless you're sensitive to power consumption or have a strong preference for Nvidia.
  • DXSinsDXSins Member UncommonPosts: 324
    OhhPaigey said:
    Thanks everyone, upgrading the GPU saves me some $ XD. my PSU is http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817371059
    That's a scary coincidence... my Antec HCG-620 PSU just blew a couple hours ago :(.. then i see almost same one linked here lol. Was really good tho.. had no problems with it since i got my system 4-5 years ago until today.
  • OhhPaigeyOhhPaigey Member RarePosts: 1,517
    edited October 2015
    My CPU can get pretty high if I try to stream.. I don't really stream a lot, so I guess it wouldn't hurt to overclock it a bit. I'd probably have to read a guide. Quiz you really like the R9 290, so I guess that will be my next graphics card. That card will work with my current parts and everything, right? :)

    Thanks for the help again. ^_^

    Edit: Why is that r9 290 $240 US and $500 in CAD. Lol, am I looking at the wrong sites?
    When all is said and done, more is always said than done.
  • observerobserver Member RarePosts: 3,685
    OhhPaigey said:
    Hey, so I built a new PC back in late 2012, and got help from the awesome people here.. I'm feeling like it's probably time to upgrade again, I'm going to list my PC specs, and let you guys decide on if you think it's better to just rebuild, or maybe replace a few parts from my current one.

    Here's what I have..

    i5 3570k 3.4ghz
    Antec 80 plus bronze PSU
    MSI Z77A GD65 motherboard
    GTX 560 GPU
    Mushkin frostbyte 16gb of ram. DDR3 1600
    240gb SSD
    and 1TB HDD

    I think it's probably better to just get rid of this PC and buy a new one, since the parts are kinda old now, I was having problems out of the gate with the SSD, and it wasn't really built "properly" to begin with. I think the graphics card is the worst part in my PC, maybe it's just better to upgrade that? Idk, let me know.

    If I were to build a new PC my budget would be $1000-1500 or so. Would a notice a big difference building a whole new PC? Should I wait a bit longer?

    Thanks!
    General Rule on upgrading:

    Start with the motherboard.
    If you get a new one, make sure it fits your PC case.
    If you don't get a new one, make sure to buy the other parts that are compatible.
  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,531
    OhhPaigey said:
    My CPU can get pretty high if I try to stream.. I don't really stream a lot, so I guess it wouldn't hurt to overclock it a bit. I'd probably have to read a guide. Quiz you really like the R9 290, so I guess that will be my next graphics card. That card will work with my current parts and everything, right? :)

    Thanks for the help again. ^_^

    Edit: Why is that r9 290 $240 US and $500 in CAD. Lol, am I looking at the wrong sites?
    Oh, you need a Canadian site.  The reason I recommended the R9 290 was that I was looking at New Egg prices.  At $500, it's ridiculous.  Let me check a Canadian site and I'll have new recommendations based on the prices on that site.
  • Jonas_SGJonas_SG Member UncommonPosts: 475
    OhhPaigey said:
    My CPU can get pretty high if I try to stream.. I don't really stream a lot, so I guess it wouldn't hurt to overclock it a bit. I'd probably have to read a guide. Quiz you really like the R9 290, so I guess that will be my next graphics card. That card will work with my current parts and everything, right? :)

    Thanks for the help again. ^_^

    Edit: Why is that r9 290 $240 US and $500 in CAD. Lol, am I looking at the wrong sites?
    R9 290 is much longer than GTX 560. Check to see if it will fit in your current pc. You might need to move your HDD a bit lower to make some room.
  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,531
    Similar list of GPUs, this time from a Canadian site:

    http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125792
    http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487136
    http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500361
    http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150757
    http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814500376
    http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131675

    Do note the promo codes on the first two cards.  I also checked NCIX, but New Egg Canada has better prices, even with shipping.  NCIX is often better on cheaper components because shipping cheaper stuff across the border can be so expensive.

    The difference between the Radeon R9 290 and R9 390 is basically 4 GB of video memory versus 8 GB.  On New Egg's US site, I linked an R9 290 that was basically on clearance, which made it a great deal.  No such great deals on their Canadian site, so I linked a 390 instead.

    Those prices are relatively more favorable to Nvidia than the US prices pretty much across the board.  The Radeon R9 390 is still the best option on a pure performance per dollar basis, though not by as big of a margin as before.  Still, it's a case of, if you can get perhaps 40% more performance by paying double the price, and it's a question of whether you really want that extra performance enough to pay what it costs.

    At those prices, the Radeon R9 Fury X isn't a good option on a pure price/performance basis, but if you're willing to pay a premium for liquid cooling or a physically small card (which you probably aren't), there it is.
  • OhhPaigeyOhhPaigey Member RarePosts: 1,517
    edited October 2015
    So the R9 390 is better than the GTX 970?
    When all is said and done, more is always said than done.
  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,531
    edited October 2015
    A Radeon R9 390 is typically (but not always!) a little faster than the GeForce GTX 970.  It also has 8 GB of video memory rather than 4 GB--and the GTX 970 only gets full use of 3.5 GB due to some stuff being disabled.  And at today's prices, the R9 390 is a little cheaper than the GTX 970, too.  So if all you care about is price and performance, it's a better deal.

    The main advantage of the GTX 970 is that it uses a lot less power.  Keeping that properly cooled in a desktop isn't a problem, so most people won't care that much--and not enough to justify buying the GTX 970 over the R9 390.  But if you came here saying that the main reason you want a new video card is that the GTX 560 runs too hot and is heating up your room too much and you hate that, I'd dismiss the R9 390 out of hand and point you to the GTX 970.

    If you were looking to build something in an ultra small form factor, or wanted a gaming laptop rather than a desktop, then power consumption becomes massively important, to the degree that the only serious options in a small form factor desktop are various Nvidia Maxwell GPUs (GeForce 900 series) or a Radeon R9 Fury series card.  In a laptop, you'd have to also throw out the Fury cards and the higher end GTX 900 series cards as putting out too much heat.  But in a mid-tower desktop, if a GPU is going to put out 200 W while you're gaming, getting that out of the case is not hard to do.
  • OhhPaigeyOhhPaigey Member RarePosts: 1,517
    edited October 2015
    The biggest problem with my graphics card I think, is it gets really loud when I launch some games, like Path of Exile and WoW.

    Thanks again, I will get the R9 390 in 2 weeks or so. ^_^
    When all is said and done, more is always said than done.
  • GrimulaGrimula Member UncommonPosts: 644

    I just bought a Zotac GTX 750 TI video card


    it is pretty much the most powerfull cheapest card you can buy....Very impressed with how cheap it was


    150 Dollars is all it cost me,  and its a Huge upgrade from a gtx 560   For how cheap it was

    Really nice to see powerfull cards going for cheap now -a-days   good time to be a PC user

  • GrimulaGrimula Member UncommonPosts: 644

    is there a real need to buy the most expansive 900 dollar video card ?  when powerfull ones that can run all games are soo cheap now hahah

    cheap cheap cheap cheap

  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,531
    OhhPaigey said:
    The biggest problem with my graphics card I think, is it gets really loud when I launch some games, like Path of Exile and WoW.

    Thanks again, I will get the R9 390 in 2 weeks or so. ^_^
    If you're going to wait two weeks to buy it, check prices again when you're ready to buy it.  What matters is the price you pay, not the price you could have paid two weeks earlier.  If you're choosing between a Radeon R9 390 and a GeForce GTX 970 and one is a lot cheaper than the other, buy the cheaper one.
  • OhhPaigeyOhhPaigey Member RarePosts: 1,517
    Will do, ty! :)
    When all is said and done, more is always said than done.
  • QuizzicalQuizzical Member LegendaryPosts: 25,531
    Grimula said:

    I just bought a Zotac GTX 750 TI video card


    it is pretty much the most powerfull cheapest card you can buy....Very impressed with how cheap it was


    150 Dollars is all it cost me,  and its a Huge upgrade from a gtx 560   For how cheap it was

    Really nice to see powerfull cards going for cheap now -a-days   good time to be a PC user

    The GTX 750 Ti has just about never been a good deal.  And at $150, it definitely wasn't, as AMD offered substantially faster cards for the same price.  It did beat AMD on energy efficiency, but a 100 W card in a desktop typically isn't a problem even in cases where a 250 W card would be.
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