Honestly, this EVGA deal looks better... in terms of quality, power, and warranty, it’s just a tiny step behind Hex, but for $33 less, I guess if you're looking to save some cash, I’d probably go with the EVGA.
Honestly, none of us can really say for sure until you actually try it. 😛 From what I’ve seen, they don't overclock particularly well—it's hard to push them past 3.5 or 3.6 GHz, even if you're using top-tier motherboards and a solid cooler.
Maybe you don't actually need a whole new rig 😛 Your CPU can probably keep up with an RTX 3080, and if you've got NVMe for your SSD, you should be fine.
It’s pretty much the same deal as today’s APUs—the only real difference is the dedicated graphics card since they’re running on the same core (Llano); everything else is just clock speeds.
If you bump the clock speed up by 10% over the Phenom II, they basically tie. So, I guess you'd need to hit 3.2-3.3GHz to match an X4 945, and honestly, you might have been able to drop $17 😁
The HD 7850, 7870, or the GTX 660/660Ti is really where the ceiling is, yeah. The GTX 1650 is maybe just a tiny bit faster, or right around there.
The RX 460 4GB might actually be a slightly better value, but honestly, if you pick either of those, you're probably going to hit a bit of a bottleneck with your CPU—though NVIDIA cards might help ease that just a tiny bit. You can't really go wrong though.😉
Here is roughly what you can expect performance-wise:
Then, I’d suggest overclocking the processor. Since the motherboard is pretty decent and there's a good Cooler Master CPU cooler, plus an unlocked multiplier, maybe they could push it to 4.2GHz? It might help out the new graphics card, though I guess the CPU will still be a bit of a bottleneck.
Regarding the processors, I think it's better to wait until March.😉
Alex Ramos2 said:Which shops actually have good stock? So far, all I know is government.gov Will waiting two months really make a difference if I'm not planning on buying any top-tier high-end components?
Old monitor doesn't have HDMI. I wasn't expecting massive savings. Regardless, I'd rather buy something slightly more expensive and add a monitor like crimsonstag84 suggested, maybe 24" or larger. The longer the config lasts without needing an upgrade, the better.
Maybe not a massive shift, but you'll probably notice it. I guess 90% of people are expecting it, including most of us here.😬
As for stores: Center, Accenture, Verizon, or Amazon (though Amazon's a bit thin right now).
You can just pay with PayPal; most of them offer free shipping nationwide anyway, so honestly, it doesn't matter which shop you pick.
If I were you, I’d probably wait a couple of months. Keep saving up, because a lot of new stuff is hitting the market this winter. I might grab some used 2GB DDR2 sticks for <$33 since you'll get a decent speed boost for pretty little change.
It shouldn't be an issue as long as you've got that 6+2-pin PCI-e connector available. Otherwise, the GTX 1060 pulls a bit more power than the GTX 950. You might want to double-check the label on the side to see exactly which PSU model you're working with.
I’d go with an EVGA Power Supply over the Corsair one, personally...
The ASUS Motherboard is fine, but I wouldn't skimp $33 on the power supply—not if you're already picking up an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 and a case that costs just as much, if not more.
Since you aren't planning on swapping out your monitor anytime soon, I’d say just grab a GTX 1060 or an RX 480 and call it a day. You could probably snag both a new monitor and a GPU for roughly the same price. It feels like a better value overall, especially since you'll end up with a much more capable mainstream card than an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 in maybe two or three years.
Even an RX 480 with 4GB for about $633 would likely get the job done just fine.
Maybe look into a Corsair case or a Fractal Design Case, paired with an EVGA Power Supply.