6 yr Upgrade Advice

[Noakesy85]

Hi all,

As the thread title suggests I'm looking to upgrade my current setup.

I built my current setup back in 2015 and its served me well, but since lockdown its been getting a lot more use (Elite Dangerous / Planet Zoo with a small amount of web browsing) Its become evident that whilst it still works, its falling behind the times when it comes to performance. Especially with some of the more recent releases having minimum recommended systems greater than what I'm currently running. I don't want to get to a point where I download a game and find it doesn't run correctly.

Current Build includes...
ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming MoBo
Intel I5 5600
16GB DDR4 Ram
MSI Geforce GTX 980 GPU
Corsair H100i AIO
1TB SSD
2TB HDD
Superflower Leadex Gold 550w PSU

I'm looking to spend about £700-800 to bring it kicking and screaming into the present. The bits I'm looking to update are the MoBo, Graphics Card and CPU. I believe the H100i is cross platform so can be used on an AMD or intel Chip and the RAM is still good. If the PSU needs upgrading then so be it

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Joxeon]

An i5 11400F + B560 motherboard with the rest being spent on a GPU would give you the most bang for your buck.

 

[mickyflinn]

The first problem is gpu availability and pricing you not going to find much at the moment.

Memory what speed most modern motherboard use aroungc 3200mhz whats yours ?

11400 6 core and a b560 motherboard would be a good option.

 

[Noakesy85]

The first problem is gpu availability and pricing you not going to find much at the moment.

Memory what speed most modern motherboard use aroungc 3200mhz whats yours ?

11400 6 core and a b560 motherboard would be a good option.

Cheers for the reply, my RAM runs at 2400mhz so may need to include that in the upgrade options.

 

[mickyflinn]

Cheers for the reply, my RAM runs at 2400mhz so may need to include that in the upgrade options.

I would reuse it for now and focus on getting a better gpu.

The 11400f has no graphics the 11400 does so i often recommended that as a back up.

Do you need Wi-Fi ?


ASRock Intel B560 PRO4 is good value if you don't need WiFi could add a Wi-Fi card if needed.

As @Joxeon says use the rest of the budget to gey a better gpu.

 

[Noakesy85]

I would reuse it for now and focus on getting a better gpu.

The 11400f has no graphics the 11400 does so i often recommended that as a back up.

Do you need Wi-Fi ?


ASRock Intel B560 PRO4 is good value if you don't need WiFi could add a Wi-Fi card if needed.

As @Joxeon says use the rest of the budget to gey a better gpu.

Luckily Wi-Fi is not required as I currently have it hardwired.

I plan to be buying the upgrade items in 'Slow-Time' over the course of a few months so my finances don't take too much of a hit in one go

I could potentially stretch the budget to include a higher performing CPU for future proofing?

 

[nlel1975]

Cheers for the reply, my RAM runs at 2400mhz so may need to include that in the upgrade options.

No need to upgrade the RAM. I’m running 2x 16GB DDR4 2133mhz @ 2400mhz in my Ryzen 5 2600.

 

[Noakesy85]

No need to upgrade the RAM. I’m running 2x 16GB DDR4 2133mhz @ 2400mhz in my Ryzen 5 2600.

I appreciate the input, I'll probably keep the RAM as it is and upgrade at a later date

 

[mickyflinn]

Luckily Wi-Fi is not required as I currently have it hardwired.

I plan to be buying the upgrade items in 'Slow-Time' over the course of a few months so my finances don't take too much of a hit in one go

I could potentially stretch the budget to include a higher performing CPU for future proofing?

Thats up to you but i think your best to put the money into a gpu someghing like a 3060ti , 6700xt.

Heres a review of the 11400f and comparison with other cpu,s.

https://www.techpowerup.com/review/intel-core-i5-11400f/

 

[EsaT]

I plan to be buying the upgrade items in 'Slow-Time' over the course of a few months so my finances don't take too much of a hit in one go

I could potentially stretch the budget to include a higher performing CPU for future proofing?

Graphics card is going to be the way hardest to get.
If wanting to order directly from stock you'll need luck, regular following of shops and need to be fast.
Ordering one would likely get it faster.
And you could use it in current build.
That 4GB memory of current card is no doubt becoming problem in heavier games.

550W PSU just means need to watch out for power draw in card choise, or lower power limit.
Though with current price levels you're not going to get very power hungry card at such budget...


For CPU to have any future proofing to last similar time it needs at least 8 cores:
Consoles have 7 cores 100% exclusively dedicated for games to give developers incentive to find use for high number of cores.

I believe the H100i is cross platform so can be used on an AMD or intel Chip and the RAM is still good.

After six years it has likely started to degrade.
Hype marketing neglects to tell that to stay reliable waterpipe coolers would need maintenance.

 

[Noakesy85]

Graphics card is going to be the way hardest to get.
If wanting to order directly from stock you'll need luck, regular following of shops and need to be fast.
Ordering one would likely get it faster.
And you could use it in current build.
That 4GB memory of current card is no doubt becoming problem in heavier games.

550W PSU just means need to watch out for power draw in card choise, or lower power limit.
Though with current price levels you're not going to get very power hungry card at such budget...


For CPU to have any future proofing to last similar time it needs at least 8 cores:
Consoles have 7 cores 100% exclusively dedicated for games to give developers incentive to find use for high number of cores.


After six years it has likely started to degrade.
Hype marketing neglects to tell that to stay reliable waterpipe coolers would need maintenance.

I built this system in 2015 but it sat in the back of a cupboard until the end of 2019 as I had nowhere to put a computer desk, so in essence its only really been used for 18months making most of the components relatively new(ish).

If i need to I'm happy to go up to £1k if it means I can update the CPU and MoBo and get a decent GPU. The other items (PSU, RAM and potentially Cooler) I can pick up at a later date once the finances have recovered a bit.

 

[mickyflinn]

I built this system in 2015 but it sat in the back of a cupboard until the end of 2019 as I had nowhere to put a computer desk, so in essence its only really been used for 18months making most of the components relatively new(ish).

If i need to I'm happy to go up to £1k if it means I can update the CPU and MoBo and get a decent GPU. The other items (PSU, RAM and potentially Cooler) I can pick up at a later date once the finances have recovered a bit.

8 core cpu going to cost between £260 to £400 depending on choice and motheboard £150 approx if you want to go that route.

 

[silvagti]

The challenge is going to be finding a GPU! Guess you could always but the mobo and CPU just now and upgrade the video card later in the year when hopefully availablity will be better.

 

[Noakesy85]

8 core cpu going to cost between £260 to £400 depending on choice and motheboard £150 approx if you want to go that route.

Thats probably likely to be the route i'll take Like silvagti says below, I can always buy an updated GPU later in the year when availability is better.

The challenge is going to be finding a GPU! Guess you could always but the mobo and CPU just now and upgrade the video card later in the year when hopefully availablity will be better.

I appreciate all the input from you guys, its really starting to give me a better idea of where I'm heading with this.

So in your opinions, who is offering the better value for money 8core CPUs?

 

[Joxeon]

So in your opinions, who is offering the better value for money 8core CPUs?

Probably the 10700K if you can pick one up for around £250-280 although a 5800X under £350 would be tempting.

 

[Noakesy85]

Probably the 10700K if you can pick one up for around £250-280 although a 5800X under £350 would be tempting.

At the moment I'm swaying towards a B550 mobo with an 5800x.

I'll probably leave the GPU until later in the year when availability is better and my finances can handle a slightly larger outlay

Only another 528 posts to go until I gain access to the members market

 

[Danny75]

Your H100i unit may not have mounting for AMD AM4. Depends when it was manufactured. AM4 was added to later units. Check that carefully.

 

[Noakesy85]

Your H100i unit may not have mounting for AMD AM4. Depends when it was manufactured. AM4 was added to later units. Check that carefully.

I'll have to get up in the loft and dig out the box. Cheers for the headsup.

 

[EsaT]

Your H100i unit may not have mounting for AMD AM4. Depends when it was manufactured. AM4 was added to later units. Check that carefully.

Six years old one definitely didn't come with AM4 compatible mounting kit, because AM4 was released later.

 

[Noakesy85]

Six years old one definitely didn't come with AM4 compatible mounting kit, because AM4 was released later.

You're right, I had a look on the weekend and it doesn't have the required bracket. Looks like I'll be needing a new cooler too