Refresh 2012 computer

matt1

matt1

matt1

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2 May 2004
Posts
2,635
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Nottingham
I only use my desktop for gaming, which is very sporadic these days. After buying PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUND it has become apparent I need to think about change.

Current:
Intel Core i3-3220 3.30GHz (Ivybridge)
Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77
Kingston HyperX Genesis DDR3 8GB
MSI HD 7850 Power Edition Twin Frozr IV OC 2048MB GDDR5
Intel 330 Series 180GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s SSD
Seasonic G series 550w '80 Plus Gold' Modular Power Supply
Dell UltraSharp U2713HM 69cm 27" (2560x1440)

The aim is to replace CPU, motherboard, RAM and graphics card. I think I should be able to keep the SSD, PSU and monitor as they all still work fine. As a casual gamer I want to keep it as cheap as possible definitely < £600.

My knowledge is quite out of date but looking around I've come up with a potential build.

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £607.06 (includes shipping: £11.10)
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Uncle_Gravy

Uncle_Gravy

Uncle_Gravy

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11 Aug 2012
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S.E Wales
Another option which is a cheaper route since you have a Z77 based board, i5 3570k or i7 3770k overclock to 4.2-4.5ghz and upgrade to a 1050ti/1060 and you'll see that system last a good few years more @ 1080p, I've recently upgraded my 3770k to some shiny new 7700k kit and honestly can't see/feel that much of a performance increase in games, Other tasks such as video rendering and single PC streaming to twitch I have noticed a performance increase.

If you have the upgrade bug however, the Ryzen kit is a good shout.
 
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southernorth

southernorth

southernorth

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1 Jul 2016
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Since you're playing at 1440p, you'll need all the GPU power you can get - ideally a GTX 1070 or better for 1440p.

But your budget is too low for that, so try this:

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £641.46 (includes shipping: £10.50)
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The suggestion from @Uncle_Gravy about getting a 3770k is a great idea, as it would allow you to spend more on a much better GPU. Such as this:

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £449.89 (includes shipping: £9.90)



You could then upgrade your CPU + motherboard + RAM later on, to coincide with Ryzen 2/Intel 9th gen - both are which are expected to offer the biggest performance leaps in recent years.

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matt1

matt1

matt1

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OP
Joined
2 May 2004
Posts
2,635
Location
Nottingham
Thanks for your advice.

I think upgrading the CPU to free up money for the graphics card is a great idea and should work out cheaper overall.

In terms of overclocking (which I've done before but not really since 2008), getting another 2x4GB of DDR3 should be quite easy but would that limit the overclock I could achieve? Alternatively I could try to find 2x8GB DDR3? I don't think changing the RAM is essential but worth considering.
 

errata

errata

errata

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Joined
15 Apr 2004
Posts
1,815
best gpu you can afford, works in your current board or a new one, maybe user 4 core series in this one then dump the lot when ddr4 becomes affordable again (not happin soon)
 

tamzzy

tamzzy

tamzzy

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Joined
26 May 2012
Posts
16,382
as others have alluded to...
get a preowned i7 3770k
another 2x4gb sticks of ddr3 ram (preowned) - to make 16gb ram total. don't worry if the sticks are not matching...most ram these days will play nice with each other as long as you're not looking for monster overclocks.
and the best graphics card you can afford.

(i'm still using my i7 3770k nearly 6 years down the line...albeit with a gtx 1080ti...lol :p)
 
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