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Rig getting old, replace/hadware advice

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AndrewKluger

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Jan 11, 2010
Hey guys, I built a rig about 4 years ago, with the advice of some people from here. Time to refresh the build, and figured where better then here to get advice.

Basically, let me know what you would upgrade, buy new, overclock, etc. I'm so out of the loop on whats current.

I'm not looking for "the best" of anything, looking for value. Not cheapest! But the area that gives me best performance, for best price. :thup: This is a universal rig: Gaming, Streaming, Converting, etc.

Here's the current system:



-GigaByte P55A-UD3
-4GB Patriot DDR3
-ATI 4890
-Disk HDD's
-Corsair 1200w PSU
-Antec 900 Case


Obviously the GPU needs to go. I'm amazed how well it's done up to this point...
Ram: Add 4gb? new 8gb?
Cpu: New? OC? Okay?
Mobo: New socket/new cpu?

I'm all ears! Thanks in advance.
 
Budget is flexible... I can go as high as needed to reach the "value-performance". I don't really want to just throw out a $ value and fill to that spec.

Focusing on gaming, what out of the hardware is completely outdated?

I know how budgets help solve these questions, so say 400- 800?
 
This is what I am seeing in your budget:

GPU: GTX 770 or AMD 280x or HD 7970 (~$330ish)
CPU: i5 3570k or 4670k (~$220ish)
RAM: 8 GB DDR3 1600 (~80ish)
MOBO: ? ($80 - $150ish)


Also, what resolution do you game at?
 
So mobo+CPU are useless at this point? Past the point of squeezing a year or two out of it?
 
AndrewKluger said:
So mobo+CPU are useless at this point? Past the point of squeezing a year or two out of it?
Click to expand...

You may be able to, but it WILL bottleneck a newer GPU.

EDIT: Not too badly though. You may be better off grabbing a GTX 780 or AMD 290x, and holding off on the processor / mobo.
 
Thank you, noted.

Maybe I'll get the GPU, see how it is. I have very little hands on experience overclocking, but am willing to learn. Is the current setup possible to have a worthwhile outcome?
 
AndrewKluger said:
Thank you, noted.

Maybe I'll get the GPU, see how it is. I have very little hands on experience overclocking, but am willing to learn. Is the current setup possible to have a worthwhile outcome?
Click to expand...

Most definitely, but you will also most definitely see bottlenecking to an extent, due to the CPU and PCIE 2.0 slot.
 
Due to the release of Haswell and Ivy-E you should consider the CPU/mobo upgrade, the prices aren't bad now. You really need to get a SSD, biggest bang for your buck. Get a 250-256 Gb SSD and put your OS and utilities on it, leave you HDDs for storage.
 
Have to restructure and add another 2TB anyway, so i'm throwing the OS on a SSD for sure.


Isn't that build sheet a little light on the GPU? I'm completely oblivious to AMD's current cards, but can a 150$ card really handle the current games?

Thanks for the feedback, this helps a ton.
 
You said "Value Performance" It all depends on what resolutions you're playing at and how much eye candy you want turned up. If you want to "future proof" and have a rig that you wont need to upgrade anytime soon spending more money on a Gpu is definitely a good idea.
 
Sorry... My fault. That was horrible information from my end.

Read up a bit on the gtx770. For 400$, seems like the price- performance i'm looking for. Is the 4gb vs 2gb version worth the extra 80$?

I'm going to pick up the SSD, HDD, and a GPU this weekend. Then Ram, depending on if I'm going to swap Mobo.
 
AndrewKluger said:
Sorry... My fault. That was horrible information from my end.

Read up a bit on the gtx770. For 400$, seems like the price- performance i'm looking for. Is the 4gb vs 2gb version worth the extra 80$?

I'm going to pick up the SSD, HDD, and a GPU this weekend. Then Ram, depending on if I'm going to swap Mobo.
Click to expand...

You only need the 4GB if you are gaming at 2560x1440+. Absolutely pointless at 1080p. 3 GB would be nice, but spending the extra for 2GB more is a waste.

The AMD 280x has 3 GB of VRAM and is about the same price. It outperforms the 770 by a small margin.


EDIT: Be sure to check out the Newegg Sales thread. Might save you a few bucks.
 
Hey guys, re-visiting this thread to finally finish what I wanted to get done.

Didn't end up upgrading, have been working out of town instead. Back home, time to buy!

SSD is in, "won" 8GB Corsair Vengence 1600mhz ram, beefed up the cooling a bit.


Need a CPU+Mobo, and a GPU. I'm lost in the sea of product out there. Budget of about 700$, very loose, can go higher.

I don't think I need to change or up the ram? I have the 4GB patriot stick still, at the slower speed...is there any benefit to adding them/ buying totally new?


My best research looks like a 280, or 290, with possibly an i5-4690?



**I may possibly run multiple monitors in the future, for a racing set up. If possible in this budget...

Thanks!
 
Last edited:
Nvidia's Next-gen cards have released.

I suggest:
i5 4670k ($230)
GTX 970 ($330)
Mobo (~$100)
8 GB DDR3 1600 ($80)
 
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