PC Upgrade Ideas

About two months ago, I picked up a new NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970. Since my current rig was built about four or five years ago, the case is pretty basic—small and a bit cramped. I’m looking to do a modest upgrade to give it some breathing room.

I'm actually at work right now, so I can't check the exact motherboard model, but it's an ASUS Military Class board from about four or five years back.

My power supply is also relatively new; I grabbed it at the same time as the GPU. However, I am definitely interested in a new cooling setup.

So, here is my shopping list:

- A new case: something better, larger, and more spacious.
- Improved cooling solutions.
- Potentially a new motherboard? Honestly, this one still runs perfectly fine, so I'm not sure if it's worth throwing money away. I'd much rather put that extra cash toward a high-quality case.
- Maybe bumping up to 16 GB of RAM. I have 8GB now, which gets the job done, but I see there's a sale coming up at Best Buy for $200 for a 16GB kit.

My total budget is roughly 450 USD.

I'll probably be shopping at Best Buy.

Thanks in advance for the advice!

You missed the most important part, though—what exactly are you running right now (CPU, motherboard, PSU) and what's the end goal for this upgrade? 😬 If you happen to have 2x4GB of DDR3 1333MHz RAM, maybe you could save some cash just by adding another 2x4GB sticks.

My apologies for the bluntness of my previous post; I was struggling to recall the exact processor model.

To get back to the point, I’m running an Intel Core i5, paired with a 650W power supply.

The rig isn't strictly built for hardcore gaming, which is why I dropped about $600 on a new graphics card just two months ago.

However, I’m feeling incredibly cramped inside this case. Wouldn't it be nice to have a bit more breathing room? I really want something better organized. I saw some sleek, large cases in the future priced around $150 to $500, but I’m looking for something higher quality so I don't end up making a mistake. Since I'll be upgrading the case anyway, should I also grab a new cooling setup? It tended to run quite hot during the summer, and with this newer GPU, I'm worried the heat issues might actually get worse.

Corsair Enthusiast Series Tower without PSU

Samsung 870 EVO 250GB

$558

So, you've got a Sandy Bridge i5 paired with some kind of MSI (not Gigabyte) P67/Z68 motherboard. Is the processor an Intel Core i5-2500K? If you decide to swap out the motherboard, you'll probably have to ditch the CPU too, and honestly, neither seems worth the investment—you'd just be throwing money away.

Oh, right! I almost forgot to mention that I've got a 240GB SSD in there. 🙂

I think I'll take your advice and stick with my current motherboard and processor instead of swapping them out.

I'd honestly rather go with a better CPU cooler, provided you're running an unlocked i5... otherwise, that LC-CC-120 is fine enough.

Quick question: Is it actually worth investing in liquid cooling? Prices seem to range anywhere from $350 up to $167.

As for the case, I’m really feeling this one:

mellowsurfer59 said:Also, does anyone think water cooling is actually worth the investment? Prices seem to jump anywhere from $350 up to $167.

As for cases, I'm really leaning towards this one:

Could you give me a bit more detail on which processor you're running? 😁An i5, sure—but which specific model?

Alright, so here is my current setup:

- MSI B75 Motherboard
- Intel Core i5-3450, 3100 MHz
- Intel Panther Point B75, Intel Ivy Bridge
- 240GB SSD
- 650W Power Supply

Just grab whatever case you're feeling... and pair it with that LC-CC-95 liquid cooler, and you should be set without needing any more upgrades. I'm assuming the power supply is at least decent quality, though—you can usually tell just from the model name.