Upgrading my old PC for gaming

Hey there,

I already posted a question regarding my PC upgrade, and I’ve been crunching the numbers based on your feedback—thanks to smartguy and the rest of the crew—and I’ve put together this specific configuration.

TYPE PRICE (USD)
MOTHERBOARD Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 472
PROCESSOR AMD FX-8300 880
RAM 8 GB 250
SSD 240 GB 2.5' 522
GPU
COOLER
TOTAL 2124

These prices are pulled from eBay and most of them are just the cheapest options I could find on various online retailers. Honestly, this budget is stretched pretty thin. I'm planning to pick up a graphics card later once I have more cash on hand. I want to invest in components that actually hold their value over time, which is why I don't want to settle for some weak processor or anything similar. As for the cooler—I'm honestly not sure what I'll need, or even what I'm currently running (I can't check right now, unfortunately).

I was originally looking at the AMD FX-8350, but this one is cheaper and seems almost identical to me. My current motherboard won't support those higher-end chips anyway. Also, I was wondering if it's actually worth grabbing a 2.5-inch SSD since they are way cheaper—should I just buy an adapter, or is there some catch I'm missing? I have no intention of doing any overclocking.

I'd love to hear your recommendations on this build or any suggestions you might have.

Thanks in advance 🙂

Current setup: AMD Phenom II X2 550 Processor, 4 GB RAM, ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series, 600 GB HDD, 3.1 GHz, Sapphire AM2RX790

Honestly, you really ought to pick up a slightly better motherboard for processors like those. Something like the GA-970A-DS3P would be much more appropriate. In my opinion, it’s just bad planning to head out in early 2017 looking for a motherboard that doesn't even support SATA 3.0 (6Gb/s) when you're trying to run an SSD.

So, I’ve been thinking about picking up a new PC, but then it hit me: it would actually be way more cost-effective to just grab a new motherboard, processor, graphics card, and RAM, and then drop them straight into my old rig. Since the resale value of my current setup covers most of those parts—plus I can keep my existing hard drive, power supply, case, and monitor—I'd save a ton compared to buying an entirely new system from scratch. Right now, I'm running an Intel Dual Core E7200, 4GB of DDR2 memory, an old Gigabyte motherboard from back in 2008, and a slightly newer AMD Radeon HD 7700 series card. I’d love to hold onto my current GPU if possible, but I'm guessing even with a new CPU and RAM, it won't cut it for what I need. My budget is roughly $550–$600, and my goal is to run the latest games on High to Ultra settings at 1080p without any stuttering. Here are the components I'm looking at... I'm curious to hear your thoughts on whether this is the smartest way to go.

Graphics Card: Gigabyte AMD Radeon RX 470 G1 Gaming, 4GB DDR5, HDMI, DP, DVI
Motherboard: ASUS H110M-R/C/SI, Socket 1151, microATX
Processor: Intel Core i5 4460 Box, Socket 1150, 3.2GHz, 6MB cache, GPU, Quad Core
Memory: PC-17000 Memory, 16 GB, G.SKILL Ripjaws V series, F4-2133C15D-16GVR, DDR4 2133MHz, kit 2x8GB

That CPU isn't compatible with that motherboard; you're going to need an Intel Core i5 6400 instead. Also, 16GB of RAM is overkill for what you're doing—8GB is plenty. You'd be much better off putting that extra cash toward a better GPU.
What specific power supply are you running?

I think the Xilence unit is 500W, so 8GB of RAM should be plenty. Which motherboard would pair best with that processor, or would it be a better move to go with the Intel Core i5 6400 Box on the LGA 1151 socket at 2.7GHz along with its matching board? Also, regarding the graphics card, is there a better value out there, or maybe something cheaper? Would the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GDDR5 4GB/128bit actually be a smarter pick since it’s significantly less expensive?

Xilence is mediocre at best, though I can't quite tell which specific model you're looking at. What does the label say?

I'd go with an Intel Core i5 6400 or an i5 6402p—whichever one is cheaper at a given retailer—paired with a budget H110 motherboard using DDR4. Grab 8GB of DDR4 if it's the cheap option, too. As for the power supply, we'll have to see, but otherwise, I'd suggest putting as much of your budget as possible into the GPU. Honestly, you might be better off waiting for those post-holiday sales at stores like Best Buy; last time around, they had the best deals on GPUs and those i5 processors, so once they restock, you'll get a better idea of the prices.

Timothy Kim60 said:Xilence is mediocre at best, but I can't tell which specific model you're looking at. What does the label say?

I'd go with an Intel Core i5 6400 or an i5 6402p (whichever is cheaper at a local retailer), paired with a budget H110 motherboard using DDR4, and 8GB of DDR4—just grab the cheapest option there. As for the power supply, you'll need to check that, but otherwise, put as much of your budget as possible into the GPU. Honestly, it might be best to wait until the big sales after the holidays; last time, they had the best deals on GPUs and those i5 chips, so once they restock, you'll see what's available.

Thanks for the info! So, based on what you're saying, I should probably pick up a new power supply too?

Well, we wouldn't be able to help you much without the exact model name 😁

So, I’m still on the fence about a few things and could really use some advice. Regarding the GPU, my first pick is the ATI Radeon RX 470, but I'm also looking at the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Turbo 6GB or the AMD Radeon RX 470 8GB, which would cost about $300-$400 more. Is it actually worth dropping an extra $133 on those? As for the CPU, I'm leaning toward the Intel Core i5 6400, but I'm considering the i5 6600 at 3.5 GHz too—is it worth paying $133 more for that jump? My goal is to have a rig capable of running games at Full HD on High-Ultra settings for at least the next 2-3 years, so please keep that in mind. Thanks!

James Harris34 said:So, I'm still debating a few things and could really use some advice. For the GPU, my top pick is the ATI Radeon RX 470, but I'm also looking at the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 Turbo 6GB or even the AMD Radeon RX 470 8GB, which are about $300-$400 more expensive. Is it actually worth dropping that extra $133 on them? As for the CPU, I'm leaning towards the Intel Core i5 6400, but I've got the i5 6600 at 3.5 GHz on my radar too—is it worth paying $133 more for that upgrade? My goal is to have a rig that can handle gaming on high-ultra settings at Full HD for at least the next 2 or 3 years, so please keep that in mind. Thanks!

If you want to know what things will look like in three years, go ask a psychic like Milan.

It’s not exactly rocket science—if you want your rig to handle new AAA titles for more than five minutes, just get a better GPU. The GTX 1060 and RX 480 are basically in the same ballpark, though I guess the 480 gets a bit of a boost from the latest drivers. Maybe just find a YouTube review (make sure they’re testing with current drivers!) and go from there.

As for the CPU, anything above an i5-6400 is probably a waste of cash. They’re mostly just the same chips with a slightly higher multiplier, giving you maybe an extra 300 or 400MHz. You're probably not even going to notice that difference, so it feels like throwing money down the drain.