System Upgrade Ideas
System Upgrade Ideas
Hello friends,
My system is seven years old now, and I’m thinking about an upgrade. I want to replace the CPU, motherboard, GPU, and RAM to support Windows 11 and stay current with components. Since this build is still running well, I’m considering keeping the tower, power supply, and water cooler. Would it be feasible to retain the tower, PSU, and cooler while adding new parts? (I’m trying to save money).
I plan to stick with Intel and Asus motherboards because they’ve worked well for me before. My new budget is around $1000, aiming to keep the items mentioned above.
I’m located in the Illinois area and prefer purchasing parts from Newegg. I play games mainly on WOW and New World.
Here’s what I currently have running Windows 10:
- Corsair Graphite Series 760T Tower Case
- Intel Core i7-7700K Kaby Lake Quad-Core 4.2 GHz LGA 1151 91W Processor
- Asus Z170-A LGA 1151 Intel Z170 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s Motherboard
- Samsung 960 EVO M.2 500GB SSD
- Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin DDR4 RAM
- Corsair Hydro Series H100i V2 Extreme Performance Water/Liquid Cooler 240mm
- Corsair RMx Series RM750X 750W 80 Plus Gold Haswell Ready Power Supply
- EVGA GeForce RTX 2070 DirectX 12 RTX Ventus GP 8GB 256 Bit GDDR6 GPU
- Seagate 2TB Hard-Drive
I’m thinking of upgrading the 2TB SSD and am still undecided about the rest. Please share your thoughts and confirm if I missed anything.
Thank you,
Jeff
I would add an NVME drive, a CPU cooler, and PSU to your upgrade list because seven years is quite long for a device to be considered worn out, and there will definitely be internal wear. The case can stay, but you’ll lose front panel connectivity with Type-C ports. HD Audio and USB Type-A will remain functional.
Where are you located? The $ symbol isn’t limited to the USA, and regional changes affect your currency and exchange rates. Where would you like to buy?
Hey there,
Here’s what you need to keep:
1. Tower Case – Yes.
2. PSU – If it's seven years old, a replacement might be necessary since it's nearing the end of its warranty.
3. GPU – Given your budget, opting for a top-tier model isn’t feasible right now. It’s worth holding off until you can afford something more powerful. Still, it’s a possibility.
4. Keep the 970 Evo as the boot drive. That works perfectly for that purpose.
Regarding the build, it doesn’t make much sense to stick with Zen3/AM4 right now (though it remains quite capable). A fresh Zen4/AM5 or an Intel 12th/13th Gen setup would offer much better performance. Here’s a suggested list:
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
AMD Ryzen 5 7600 3.8 GHz 6-Core Processor
($193.50 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler:
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler
($33.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard:
MSI PRO B650-S WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard
($143.44 @ Amazon)
Memory:
Corsair Vengeance 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR5-5200 CL40 Memory
($69.98 @ Amazon)
Storage:
Western Digital Blue SN580 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME SSD
($119.00 @ iBUYPOWER)
Video Card:
XFX Speedster SWFT 309 Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Video Card
($289.99 @ Amazon)
Case:
Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case
($59.99 @ B&H)
Power Supply:
Super Flower Leadex III Gold 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
($94.99 @ Newegg Sellers)
Total:
$1004.79
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts where applicable
Generated by
PCPartPicker
2024-07-10 10:44 EDT-0400
This would significantly boost performance and opens the door for better CPU/GPU upgrades when funds allow.
For Intel:
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
Intel Core i5-12600K 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor
($164.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler:
Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler
($33.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard:
ASRock Z790 Pro RS ATX LGA1700 Motherboard
($169.99 @ Newegg)
Memory:
Corsair Vengeance 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR5-5200 CL40 Memory
($69.98 @ Amazon)
Storage:
Western Digital Blue SN580 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME SSD
($119.00 @ iBUYPOWER)
Video Card:
XFX Speedster SWFT 309 Radeon RX 6700 XT 12 GB Video Card
($289.99 @ Amazon)
Case:
Fractal Design Focus G ATX Mid Tower Case
($59.99 @ B&H)
Power Supply:
Super Flower Leadex III Gold 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
($94.99 @ Newegg Sellers)
Total:
$1002.83
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts where available
Generated by
PCPartPicker
2024-07-10 10:46 EDT-0400
Consideration worth noting. Others might have equally impressive builds to share.
Edit: Naturally, these expenses can be balanced by selling your current PC parts.
AMD
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
*
AMD Ryzen 5 7600X 4.7 GHz 6-Core Processor
($171.50 @ Amazon)
Motherboard:
*
MSI PRO B650-S WIFI ATX AM5 Motherboard
($143.44 @ Amazon)
Memory:
*
Silicon Power Value Gaming 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory
($89.97 @ Amazon)
Storage:
*
Silicon Power UD90 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME SSD
($102.97 @ B&H)
Total: $507.88
Costs cover shipping, taxes, and applicable discounts
*Selected lowest-priced items based on criteria*
Created by PCPartPicker
2024-07-10 11:19 EDT-0400
Intel
PCPartPicker Part List
CPU:
*
Intel Core i5-13600KF 3.5 GHz 14-Core Processor
($219.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard:
*
MSI B760 GAMING PLUS WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard
($155.00 @ Amazon)
Memory:
*
Silicon Power Value Gaming 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory
($89.97 @ Amazon)
Storage:
*
Silicon Power UD90 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME SSD
($102.97 @ B&H)
Total: $567.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and available discounts
*Selected lowest-priced components according to settings*
Generated by PCPartPicker
2024-07-10 11:18 EDT-0400
I've included the 6700xt in every build. But the 2070 still works fine as a stop gap.
Some solid options there
👍
For WoW you should opt for a 7800x3d configuration. The game appreciates the 3D v-cache feature. I’ll take a different approach and stick with the PSU. Even after seven years, this model still comes with a ten-year warranty. If you can afford it, upgrade to a new one. I chose a 1TB SSD for gaming purposes right now, so you stay within budget. You can reuse your 970 EVO for your operating system at the moment. Upgrading storage will be simpler later on.
Here’s how I would approach it:
I’d start by gathering the necessary components: a CPU, cooler, motherboard, memory, storage, graphics card, case, and power supply. I’d keep the graphics card, case, and power supply reserved for later upgrades. This way, I can save on the current setup and invest in better parts when they become available. The goal is to plan ahead and avoid replacing older equipment prematurely.