Looking for a new CPU and GPU upgrade

Hey everyone, how’s it going?

So, my graphics card (EVGA RTX 3080) finally gave up the ghost recently, which means I'm currently hunting for a replacement. While I'm at it, I figured it might be a good time to grab a new processor too...

Regarding the CPU, I'm planning to sell my current Intel Core i5-4460 and swap it out for an i7 (or should I stick with an i5?). Since I really don't want to go through the hassle of replacing my motherboard—which is an ASUS ROG Maximus right now—I'm looking specifically for an i7 that works with the 1150 socket. I spotted this particular i7 listed for $767 (does that actually sound like a good deal to you guys?)

As for the GPU, I'm honestly a bit lost. I'd love to pick something up in the $1000 range, but I definitely want to stick with NVIDIA. Any recommendations on what would be a solid choice?

Edit: Just a heads-up, my power supply is a Corsair RM650.

I don't think an i7 makes any sense for you. It's honestly way too weak for what they're asking.

Check out what you could actually get for nearly the same price as that i7: 😂

Corsair Vengeance DDR4 2666MHz, 8GB
ASRock B450M-HDV, AM4
AMD Ryzen 5 6C/12T 1600X (3.6/4.0GHz Boost,19MB,95W,AM4) box
SilentiumPC Spartan 3 PRO HE1024 CPU Cooler

Total: $836 - Best Buy

plus a GPU...

https://www.bestbuy.com/xfx-video-card...blade-fan.aspx

or maybe:

https://www.newegg.com/graphics-cards...m_medium=click

Though, if I were you, I'd probably look for a used graphics card—something lightly used with plenty of warranty left—to save a decent amount of cash.

crimsonstag84 said:I don't think an i7 makes any sense for you. It's honestly way too weak for what they're asking.

Check out what you could actually get for nearly the same price as that i7: 😂

Corsair Vengeance DDR4 2666MHz, 8GB
ASRock B450M-HDV, AM4
AMD Ryzen 5 6C/12T 1600X (3.6/4.0GHz Boost,19MB,95W,AM4) box
SilentiumPC Spartan 3 PRO HE1024 CPU Cooler

Total: $836 - Best Buy

plus a GPU...

https://www.bestbuy.com/xfx-video-card...blade-fan.aspx

or maybe:

https://www.newegg.com/graphics-cards...m_medium=click

Though, if I were you, I'd probably look for a used graphics card—something lightly used with plenty of warranty left—to save a decent amount of cash.

LOL, that's really interesting, thanks for the suggestion! If I go with a different motherboard, I'll have to deal with the RAM issue too since I'm currently running 8GB of DDR3. At that point, it feels like my only real option is to just sell the whole rig and start fresh with something new... which, when you think about it, might actually be the smartest move.

Thanks again.

You can just sell the CPU, motherboard, and RAM—you don't have to offload the entire PC.

Kimberly Gomez34 said:You can just sell the CPU, motherboard, and RAM—you don't have to offload the entire PC.

That’s a fair point, I might try splitting it up, though honestly, it feels a bit simpler to just bundle everything together and be done with it. If you guys were looking at those three specific components, what kind of price range would you suggest?

EDIT: I ended up listing them for $1500, so hopefully someone bites soon.

That might be a bit much, if you ask me. Realistically, I’d say $333 max if you're looking to actually move it. You have to look at this from a buyer's perspective—for $567, someone could just pick up a Ryzen 5 1300 (which is a comparable CPU), a solid B350 motherboard, and 8GB of DDR4, all brand new with a full warranty
.
To be blunt, the CPU is worth about $167, the motherboard is $300, and the RAM is just some pocket change
.
In my experience, trying to sell a complete PC is always a much tougher sell than parting out the individual components

If you can snag a used i7 4770 or 4790 for around $15-$400 then it's actually worth your money.

wiredotter14 said:If you can snag a used i7 4770 or 4790 for around $15-$400 then it's actually worth your money.

Well, crimsonstag84 actually dropped a link for a Ryzen build for $400, which offers similar performance but comes brand new with a full 3-year warranty... honestly, if I can manage to offload these three current components, following the advice you guys are giving me is definitely going to pay off.

@Kimberly Gomez34
Yeah, you've got a point there. I'll list it at this price for now and then maybe drop it a bit in a few days, though I'm always open to a little negotiation 😁

Thanks for all the input, everyone! In the meantime, I stumbled upon a GTX 1070 8 GB Zotac AMP Extreme for $240 with nearly 2 years of warranty left (it's used), and man, doesn't that sound like an absolute steal?

I guess the Ryzen 1600X would crush the i7 4770 in just about everything, though maybe the gap isn't quite as huge when you're actually gaming. That GTX 1070 is a pretty solid deal, too.

crimsonstag84 said:I guess the Ryzen 1600X would crush the i7 4770 in just about everything, though maybe the gap isn't quite as huge when you're actually gaming. That GTX 1070 is a pretty solid deal, too.

If all they care about is gaming, the difference is negligible. Yeah, they're overpriced, but if you aren't looking to drop a fortune on a whole new platform, this is a cheap way in: roughly $333 compared to over $667.

Sure, if you can snag an i7 for a steal (personally, I wouldn't go over $90-$333), and then flip your current one for $167, it’s actually a decent little upgrade.

The problem is that people on Craigslist aren't being realistic; they’re either clueless or just refusing to accept reality (that a quad-core chip which was high-end not that long ago is now strictly entry-level mainstream). For a while, a processor with relatively similar specs, like the Ryzen 1400, was selling for around $300, yet these folks are asking two whole stacks
for their i7s on a socket that died ages ago (the 1151 platform is totally dead).

The issue is they're incredibly rare on the used market—you might find a couple of listings on eBay if you're lucky.

Most people holding onto one don't actually need an upgrade, so they aren't selling. Plus, anyone still running that socket is hunting specifically for this chip because it's the only decent upgrade left.

Back in the day, an i5 was a solid step up, but now? They're pretty weak. That's why they're sitting there priced at hundreds of dollars, sometimes even an Intel Core i7 1000 or more.

I guess sellers are just banking on some clueless buyer who sees "i7" and decides to drop a massive amount of cash, or they're just leaving themselves room to haggle instead of actually dropping the price below everyone else.

Hey everyone, I was browsing through some GPU listings and wanted to get your take—which of these do you think offers the best bang for my buck here?

ASUS GTX 1070 WF2 OC 8GB - $833 2-year warranty

EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB - $833 1-year warranty

Nvidia GTX 1070 8GB Zotac AMP extreme - $800 <2-year warranty

MSI GTX 1070 8 GB Gaming X - $800 1 year

MSI Geforce GTX 1070 8 GB Gaming - 2400 >2-year warranty

GTX 1070 Armor OC 8GB - $733 bought back in Jan 2018, I'll have to double-check the warranty status

As for the CPU, my focus is strictly on gaming performance. You guys mentioned that the AMD Ryzen 1600 tends to lag a bit behind an i7 in terms of raw power, so if I'm willing to shell out an extra couple hundred bucks for a better processor, which way should I lean? Or more generally, what’s considered the absolute "best buy" right now for a budget around $600 max?

It would also be a total nightmare if the CPU or GPU turned out to be one of those models known for sounding like a jet engine because they run so hot (kind of like my old card 😁), especially since once I finish this upgrade, I really don't plan on sinking any more money into this rig for quite a while.

Thanks in advance for the help, and sorry if I'm being a bit of a pest! hehe

The Intel Core i7 4770 and Intel Core i7 4790 are currently going for about 186 miles $400 on eBay here in the States, while the Intel Xeon E3-1245V3 is sitting around $333.

Megan Moore60 said:Hey everyone, I was browsing through some GPU listings and wanted to get your take—which of these do you think offers the best bang for my buck here?

ASUS GTX 1070 WF2 OC 8GB - $833 2-year warranty

EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB - $833 1-year warranty

Nvidia GTX 1070 8GB Zotac AMP extreme - $800 <2-year warranty

MSI GTX 1070 8 GB Gaming X - $800 1 year

MSI Geforce GTX 1070 8 GB Gaming - 2400 >2-year warranty

GTX 1070 Armor OC 8GB - $733 bought back in Jan 2018, I'll have to double-check the warranty status

As for the CPU, my focus is strictly on gaming performance. You guys mentioned that the AMD Ryzen 1600 tends to lag a bit behind an i7 in terms of raw power, so if I'm willing to shell out an extra couple hundred bucks for a better processor, which way should I lean? Or more generally, what’s considered the absolute "best buy" right now for a budget around $600 max?

It would also be a total nightmare if the CPU or GPU turned out to be one of those models known for sounding like a jet engine because they run so hot (kind of like my old card 😁), especially since once I finish this upgrade, I really don't plan on sinking any more money into this rig for quite a while.

Thanks in advance for the help, and sorry if I'm being a bit of a pest! hehe

Sure, the AMD Ryzen 1600 might lag behind a modern i7, but compared to the i7 generation your motherboard uses, it's better—at least in heavy titles. In lighter games, the old i7 might hold its own, but that's irrelevant.

The real issue isn't choosing between an i7 or a Ryzen. It's whether you want to swap just the chip or overhaul the entire platform.
That price gap exists mainly because the first option forces you to buy a new motherboard and RAM too.

An Intel Core i7 4770 is still solid and could handle demanding titles for quite a while longer. You should be able to find one for under $500. A fair price is around $333; anything higher is just a "brand tax" or a markup for something hard to find.

If you're buying new, the AMD Ryzen 1600(X) or 2600(X) are the actual best buys.

Exactly, Xeon processors. You can grab one of these with free shipping and it won't even cost you $333. Plus, you don't even need to bother with a BIOS update—these Xeons use the exact same socket as an i7 4770 or a 4790. The only real differences are that some lack integrated graphics, they might clock a few hundred MHz higher or lower, and they support ECC memory alongside standard RAM.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Inte...ceBeautifyAB=0

Regarding the GPU, Megan Moore60—look for the longest warranty possible. Don't settle for just one year if you can snag two or more. With that in mind, this Gigabyte Gaming G1 model makes the most sense.

Kimberly Gomez34 said:Exactly, Xeon processors. You can grab one of these with free shipping and it won't even cost you $333. Plus, you don't even need to bother with a BIOS update—these Xeons use the exact same socket as an i7 4770 or a 4790. The only real differences are that some lack integrated graphics, they might clock a few hundred MHz higher or lower, and they support ECC memory alongside standard RAM.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Inte...ceBeautifyAB=0

Regarding the GPU, Megan Moore60—look for the longest warranty possible. Don't settle for just one year if you can snag two or more. With that in mind, this Gigabyte Gaming G1 model makes the most sense.

If Customs hits him with import taxes, those $333 are going up by 30%. It might end up costing more than a damn steak dinner.

Honestly, ordering anything from overseas just isn't an option for me right now; I'm sticking strictly to domestic shops, though maybe I'll keep an eye on eBay if something crazy pops up. Anyway, I think I've finally cleared the fog regarding my GPU situation, but now the real decision lies elsewhere. I've definitely committed to picking up a new motherboard, some fresh RAM, and a new processor (a Ryzen), so the big question hanging over me is which chip to actually pull the trigger on—should I go with the Ryzen 1600x or step up to the 1600x. Ryzen 2600? I'm trying to figure out if the price jump at places like Micro Center or FuturaIT is actually worth it for that extra bit of power.

Look at it this way:

If you actually enjoy messing around with overclocking, just grab the Ryzen 1600x and a decent cooler. Bump it up to maybe 3.9GHz—most people can hit that easily—and you’re basically right where you'd be with a 2600 pushed to 4.2GHz.
Overclocking isn't rocket science. Tweak a few settings in the BIOS and you're done.

On the flip side, if you want zero hassle, go with the 2600 or 2600X. The 2000 series has better auto-boost out of the box. Honestly, with the 2600X, you don't even really need to overclock; the single-threaded boost is already higher than what most people manage across all cores, and the all-core boost is pretty close to an overclock anyway.

Regarding coolers, if memory serves, the Ryzen 1600x doesn't come with one. The Ryzen 1600 includes a solid Wraith Spira, which explains why it costs the same as the 1600x despite being the "weaker" chip on paper. You could just take the 1600, stick with the stock cooler, and still overclock to about 3.8-3.9 GHz. There isn't much real difference in overclocking potential between the 1600 and the 1600x.
The Ryzen 2600 comes with that flimsy Wraith Stealth. It handles stock speeds fine, but if you have the cash, I'd suggest spending a little more on something better.

In the end, I’ve decided to go with the GTX 1070 Ti and I'll most likely grab the Ryzen 5 2600X processor. The 1600X is actually $233 a bit cheaper if you don't count the Wraith Spire cooler, so I'm still weighing those two options for a second. Honestly, @Jure, I really don't have the patience to mess around with overclocking, and truthfully, I probably never will anyway 🙂

Here is what I'll be pairing with my old gear:
Corsair RM650
Fortron Raider 650W
plus some other bits and pieces

Thanks so much for all the advice, everyone! 😉