Enhance your 8-year-old machine – it’s essentially a brand-new setup.
Enhance your 8-year-old machine – it’s essentially a brand-new setup.
Hello from Switzerland!
I assembled my present machine about eight years back. It serves me well for browsing the internet, watching YouTube clips, playing games, and handling office tasks. It performs admirably, with nothing particularly challenging. The only exception is gaming, where I mostly stick to Battlefield 4. I also aim to try some newer titles such as GTA V and Red Dead Redemption, though my setup isn’t suited for them at the moment.
Current Hardware:
Case: Corsair Carbide 300R (will stay) -
(Product no longer available on corsair website)
PSU: Coolermaster G 450 M (450W)
Mainboard: Gigabyte GA-H97-D3H
CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 v3
CPU-Cooler: Included with the processor
RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport (2x4GB, DDR3-1600)
GPU: MSI Nvidia® GeForce™ GTX970 Gaming
SSD: 2x 256 GB SSD (SATA) + 1TB Maxtor M3 (HDD) + NAS – no extra storage needed.
Approximate Purchase Date: Within the next week
Budget Range: ~1'000 CHF / USD / EUR
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Video games, surfing, office work, movies
Monitor: No
Parts to Upgrade: All, except the case. My current thoughts:
PSU: be quiet! PURE POWER 12 M 750W
Mainboard: GIGABYTE B550 GAMING X V2 (rev. 1.3)
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700X
CPU-Cooler: be quiet! Pure Rock 2
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX (2x16 GB kit, DDR4 3600 CL18)
GPU: possibly a Radeon RT 6750 XT – please advise
SSD: Could consider an M2 SSD? Worth the investment? WD Blue SN570 1TB
OS: No need
Preferred Parts Sites: Digitec
Location: Rapperswil, Switzerland
Pricing Comparison: Toppreise / Shop
Main Platform for Prices: Digitec
Additional Notes:
I prefer a quiet system that runs smoothly. It might get slightly louder in older titles, but shouldn’t be the main distraction. Most importantly, I’m upgrading mainly because gaming feels more important now.
Feel free to share your thoughts.
Kind regards,
Markus
I’d choose the AMD RX 6800 instead of the 6750XT. It’s roughly thirty dollars more than what you’re using now, but offers significantly more GPU power for its cost. Your video memory will jump from 12 gigs to 16 gigs, which should improve performance as it ages.
Regarding your SSD, NVME options are now quite affordable, often under a hundred dollars. WD drives are acceptable, but I’d prefer Samsung or Sabrent models. Their drives deliver strong performance and reliability. The 970 Evo Plus offers great value; the 1TB version costs around fifty dollars.
You might also look into the 5800X instead of the 5700X. It’s only about five percent faster on average, but for me, the extra twenty dollars is a nice advantage. Whether this added power matters depends on your needs.
If you’re mainly browsing and playing games occasionally, 32 gigabytes isn’t necessary. A 16-gigabyte setup would suffice. The G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x8 kit runs at 3600 CL16 latency. Since Ryzen depends on fast memory with minimal delay, I’d suggest sticking with CL16 or lower. This kit is also available in a 2x16 configuration if you still want 32 gigabytes.
All prices are in USD, so you may need to adjust for conversion. Hope this information is useful, stay safe.
This is the best I came up with using your shops:
Intel Core i5-12600KF
3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor
be quiet! Pure Rock 2 Black CPU Cooler
Gigabyte B760 GAMING X AX
G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32 GB
(2 x 16 GB)
Samsung 980 1TB
Sapphire RX 6700 XT Pulse
The tolal comes around 900euro or smth like that.
This is a pretty solid mid-range gaming system that will last you for many years to come.
I wanted to up the GPU to 6800 XT but the cheapeast one is 550euro in your shops so its over half the budget xD.
YTou can keep the PSU, and the case you mentioned. I put a 1TB fast m.2 SSD for you store windows and other programs, either way you will have to do a clean windows install since you are building a new system, you can later on attach you SSD's if you need more storage.
This build is based on DDR5 which is a new platform and will be used for many years to come, so its good for future proofing.
I think i nailed down the prices pretty well, you check, see if have some more headroom for upgrades.
Hey everyone.
Thanks for your comments so far. But I’m having a bit of trouble understanding them all at once.
RX 1800 versus RX 1750:
It looks like it’s actually more powerful, yet I’m spending over $150 more in stores I have. Is my $350 really worth it, or should I go with a RTX 3060 for just $244?
SSD/M2:
The main concern is whether I’ll notice any improvement in speed or frames per second when playing games. I mentioned I don’t use the computer for anything else besides gaming. I found a YouTube video comparing the same machine on an SSD and an M2. The M2 seemed to be about 10% faster sometimes, but not consistently. With my M2 SSD I’m planning to buy for $50, that would make sense. The real question is whether the difference between this slower M2 and the high-end models costing more than double is worth it.
CPU 5700X or 5800X:
I’ve read that the 5800X performs better on single-core tasks, but it also uses more power and generates more heat. That could mean a more expensive cooler or louder fan noise. For my needs, do I really need that extra CPU power?
RAM 32 vs 16GB:
In stores, a DDR4 3600 with two 16GB sticks costs $65. The 2x8 option is $42, which is a 50% increase but doubles the memory. I might not need it, but it could be a good investment for the future.
RAM DDR4 vs DDR5:
DDR5 is pricier and not on my preferred board/processor setup. Upgrading everything like Dj suggests would be costly. I could make that change, but I think I’m spending a lot now for something I might not need.
My situation: I work hard, am married with two kids, have limited free time, and mostly play older games. I’m not looking to upgrade everything just for the latest trends or cyberpunk stuff. Are my choices reasonable? Could I cut costs on some parts that don’t add much value?
RX 6800 versus RX 6750:
If the RX 6750XT is more than 150 dollars cheaper than the RX 6800, it might be better to choose the 6750XT. I wouldn’t purchase the RTX 3060 even if the RX 6750 is slightly pricier. It will overshadow the 3060 in gaming performance. The 6750XT suits your requirements well. If you’re okay spending a bit more, remember the RX 6800 offers much stronger power. Do you really need that extra boost? Depending on what you use it for, probably not. You’ll be perfectly satisfied with the 6750XT.
Between 5700X and 5800X, opt for the 5700X as mentioned earlier. However, if you can choose between the 5800X3D and the X3D, pick the X3D.
For SSDs, focus on random read and write speeds rather than sequential speeds. A high-end SSD should offer around 1500 mbps for reading and 500 mbps for writing.
When selecting a PSU, select a tier 1 from this list: https://cultists.network/140/psu-tier-list/. With the release of 7800XT, the 6800 or XT might have some stock clearance sales.