New PC build or just an upgrade? Hmm...

Hey everyone! So, I’ve been rocking this older PC that I picked up back in 2018.

H310M motherboard
Intel Core i3 8100
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970
SSD
16 GB RAM

Honestly, it still gets the job done quite well—everything I play runs perfectly at 1080p.

Even when I originally bought this rig, I went with some budget-friendly parts, but man, it has served me flawlessly to this day!

That said, I’m definitely itching to upgrade to something newer just so I can have that peace of mind for another 2 or 3 years.

Since the GPU is clearly my biggest bottleneck right now, I wanted to run a few things by you guys:

Would it be smarter to just grab a beefier processor and slap it onto this entry-level motherboard? Something like an i5 8600k, for example.

Do you think I'd actually see a noticeable jump in performance keeping this motherboard and GPU combo?

I know a faster CPU is great and all, but I feel like even this i3 is already maxing out what that GPU can handle.

My plan is to squeeze about one more year of life out of this setup.

I wouldn't mind building a whole new PC, but honestly, the thought of reinstalling everything, redownloading all my stuff, and setting everything up again is such a massive drag... I mean, don't get me wrong, there's a certain satisfaction to it, but I much prefer the actual building part over the tedious installation phase!

So, here's the deal:

I'm not exactly a hardcore gamer. I can probably still run most games on this thing right now if I just dial back the settings, and I don't really notice any issues with CPU speed during my daily tasks.

I just really want a change.

To give you an idea, I used to have 8GB of single-channel DDR RAM, and once I added that second 8GB stick for dual channel, my gaming performance shot through the roof!

If I were to go all out on a brand-new build, I'd probably be looking at spending around $1,600–$2,200, but I'm trying my best to avoid that, mostly because GPU prices are absolutely insane right now.

It really comes down to what kind of games you're playing. Personally, I’d hang onto this setup for another year or two until the GPU market finally settles down; besides, an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 still holds its own for most things at 1080p.

Man, everything feels overpriced or just completely out of stock lately.
Just hang tight and wait.

That’s exactly how I’m looking at it too, though honestly, I’d probably hunt for a different CPU altogether...

Do you think an i5-9600K would be total overkill if I pair it with an H310 motherboard?

Alexander Moore67 said:It really just comes down to what kind of games you're into. If I were in your shoes, I'd hang onto this rig for another year or two. Once the GPU market finally stops acting crazy, things will settle down, and honestly, that NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 still holds its own for pretty much anything at 1080p.

Right now, I'm mostly crushing Call of Duty—getting over 100 FPS easily using Shroud's specific settings. After that, I'll probably jump on the new PES once it drops, and that’s about it!

Every once in a while, I'll fire up Assetto Corsa or some other sims, but my setup handles those without breaking a sweat.

There are plenty of other games out there I don't touch, but everything I have actually sat down to play has run super smoothly so far!

It’s hard to give a solid recommendation when you don't have a specific goal in mind or know what your actual bottleneck is right now.

If you're just itching to upgrade something, grab a new SSD—assuming your motherboard supports NVMe.

Used Intel Core i7 8700... I guess it might not be worth the jump from 4 cores to 6 cores.

But wait, should I actually pair an Intel Core i7 8700 with an H310 motherboard?

Sean Taylor7 said:but is putting an Intel Core i7 8700 on an H310 board actually a good idea?

Probably won't be an issue, though your RAM will likely get capped at 2933MHz or something similar. Just tell us which specific motherboard model you're looking at.

The bigger issue is that used i7 chips aren't exactly cheap. I wouldn't dump that kind of cash into an old platform if the CPU isn't a major bottleneck for whatever you're actually doing on that rig.

https://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/H310M-HDV/

I mean, I’ve already got 2400MHz RAM, but honestly, that’s not even my main concern here. In the real world, you barely notice any difference in RAM speed anyway!

So, what kind of price are you thinking for a used CPU?

https://www.amazon.com/asrock-motherboard-intel-chipset-lga1151/dp/B07XW5YQZJ

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-Core-i7-8700-Desktop-Processor/dp/B07H2R5S6C

It’s basically priced the same as a used 8700K, I guess. 😬

wiredotter14 said:So, how much are you actually thinking of dropping on a used CPU?

Honestly, I haven't a clue! I was originally planning to grab a whole rig for around $2,200, but man, I just can't bring myself to overpay for those overpriced GPUs right now.

Honestly, I’m thinking about grabbing this CPU right now, and then just playing the waiting game until GPU prices stop being absolutely insane... or, I could just go with
a brand new case and keep my old NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 running for a bit while things settle down.

https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-...58814-225-4900

Actually, maybe the smartest move is just to hold out for the next generation of processors coming in 2022.

Nothing is going to be cheap next year either, especially if you're sitting there expecting prices to plummet in 2022. And don't hold your breath waiting for graphics card prices to drop by half.

With $2,000 in your pocket, you can actually put together a very serious machine. If you're dead set on going with an Intel Core i7 8700, you might want to reconsider your motherboard choice and look at a Z390 instead. My honest advice? Just aim for a newer PC altogether.

Look, the guy above already told you—jumping from 4 cores/4 threads to 6 cores/6 threads isn't going to be some massive leap, especially since you're running an H310 motherboard where overclocking isn't even an option. Right now, that CPU isn't really hitting a major bottleneck. Plus, the 8600K doesn't even come with a cooler. You’ll have to shell out another $25 or $30 just for a fan, which puts you at nearly $333 for basically zero real-world gain in what you actually do.

I've already got a solid aftermarket cooler set up... in that case, we might as well just start hunting for some new CPUs to match!

Hey, quick question—would I be getting a decent deal if I picked up a GTX 1070 for around $300? I found one locally. Also, just to throw this in there, I’m running an i3... am I gonna end up bottlenecking my CPU?

It depends—depends on what game you’re playing and what kind of frame rate you're aiming for. What’s your monitor’s refresh rate and resolution?

If you’re playing stuff like Call of Duty and you're already hitting 100 FPS, the smartest move would be grabbing a 144Hz+ monitor if you haven't yet. Monitor prices are pretty reasonable right now.

So, I just picked up a 144 Hz monitor recently! Honestly, I haven't really been doing much with it yet—just messing around with some Quake Live and waiting for the new PES to drop.