PC upgrade ideas?

Hello,

I’m looking for some advice regarding a PC upgrade. My goal is to build a system that will stay relevant for the next few years without needing another overhaul. I'm planning on buying everything in cash from various local retailers.

ASUS Z390 Aorus Pro, $567
Intel Core i5-9700 or an i5-8600, $700
NVIDIA GTX 1080 Ti (if I can find one), $1067
Samsung 970 EVO 500GB M.2 NVMe SSD, $333
A decent air cooler for the $83, as I don't plan on overclocking.

I am keeping:
Cooler Master Haf 2 case
A 120GB Crucial MX500 120GB SSD (not sure which model), a 250GB Samsung SSD, and a 1TB WD hard drive for storage.

I'm also debating whether to swap out my EVGA 650W power supply and my G.Skill 2x4GB RAM kit, since they're sitting at 1333MHz and I think it's time for an upgrade.

I'm skipping over AMD because I have no interest in overclocking.
The rig will be used by me for gaming (everything from Project Zomboid to Battlefield, though lately I've been leaning toward slower-paced games) and by my wife for web and graphic design work.

Do you have any better suggestions?
Thanks in advance.

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You’re going to need to pick up some new RAM; if I recall correctly, you'll need DDR3 clocked at 1333MHz. 😉 Just make sure it isn't DDR4, because that won't work.

Edit:

And go ahead and keep your current power supply.

stormyviper2 said:You're going to need new RAM; if I recall correctly, it's DDR3 at 1333MHz. 😉 Not DDR4.

Edit:

Keep the current power supply.

Do you have any specific recommendations?

Thanks for getting back to me. I'm in a bit of a rush, so I'm planning to pick everything up within the next few days.

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You definitely don't need this motherboard unless you're planning on overclocking. 😉

Motherboard: https://www.newegg.com/p/ASUS-Z390-motherboard-hdmi-24mj/
CPU: https://www.amazon.com/Intel-Core-i5-9700-6-core-processor/
Cooler: https://www.bestbuy.com/site/arctic-cooler-medium/
RAM: https://www.newegg.com/ddr4-16gb-2x8-3000mhz/
SSD: https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-970-EVO-NVMe-M2/

Look, I’m definitely not some high-level expert on this stuff.

The only thing I can tell you for sure is that you should grab an LC CC 120, $53, it’s an absolute beast of a cooler, especially if you aren't planning on overclocking anything.

I actually run an EVGA 450W myself, and honestly, that power supply is rock solid. Stepping up to a 650W is even better; it should handle just about anything you throw at it.

crimsonstag84 said:You definitely don't need that motherboard if you aren't planning on overclocking.😉

Motherboard: https://www.newegg.com/p/motherboard-gigabyte-z...hdmi-24mj.html

CPU: https://www.newegg.com/p/cpu-intel-core...-630-36mj.html

Cooler: https://www.amazon.com/cooler-arctic...m_medium=click

RAM: https://www.bestbuy.com/ddr4-16gb-2x8-300...m_medium=click

SSD: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/product/MZ-V7...ign=nabava.net

Thanks for the advice.
I'm about to start putting this together.

Small edit: those prices at the retailer apply $250 when you're buying through a business account. Otherwise, it's just the $303 item price plus shipping $40. Marketing ftw.

😵

Maybe just take the drive over to ADM.

That's the net price. It's listed right next to the gross amount

I mean, wiredotter14, you've got a point there, but who's really going to sweat those tiny details?
I ended up picking up the drive on sale.

On another note, just to keep you guys on your toes—I actually sold my GPU this afternoon. I was looking closely at an ASUS GTX 1080.
Right now, looking at the 1080 Ti, I can find Aorus, ASUS, or MSI models ranging from about $100 to $100, basically anywhere between $350 and $380. Since you all helped me save a decent chunk of change on the other components, what would you recommend out of those three?

Or would it be smarter to just put that money toward something newer?

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If you're looking at the ASUS ROG model or the MSI Gaming X, you honestly can't go wrong with either of those three. I guess you should just check which one has the longer warranty and comes from a reputable retailer.

As far as new cards go, an NVIDIA RTX 2060 or an AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 are both in that same ballpark, and they'll both be over 30% slower.>30%.

crimsonstag84 said:If you're looking at an ASUS ROG model or an MSI Gaming X, you really can't go wrong with either of those three. Just try to find the one with the longest warranty and make sure it's coming from a reputable retailer.

Regarding newer cards, if we're talking about the NVIDIA RTX 2060 or the AMD Radeon RX Vega 64 in that same bracket, both are actually over 30% slower.<30%

From what I understand, the Aorus models have better cooling than the MSI ones. Given that I have a pet dog and a cat that loves to nap right on top of the vents (I'm being completely serious), I think that extra cooling would be a huge plus. My current Strix is actually over in Europe, bought in Germany, and still has two years of warranty left. It sounds like the best option, but unfortunately, I can't just drive over to someone's house to pick it up.
I'm honestly not sure if it's worth the gamble.

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Henry Rodriguez45 said:honestly, I’ve got a dog and a cat that insist on napping right in front of the AC vent (no joke)

😁😁😁😁😁

Just grab some mesh filters for the intake vents.

The Aorus and MSI Gaming X models sit somewhere in the middle regarding cooling performance (the MSI Armor doesn't even come close to them), though I guess the MSI might be just a tiny bit quieter.

@wiredotter14/">@@wiredotter14
Oblozen really makes sure there’s a fan peeking out from every single corner. At this rate, the next logical step is just building a cage around the whole PC.

@crimsonstag84/">@@crimsonstag84
I think I'm actually going to go with Aorus. It’s a bit more expensive upfront, but it gives me peace of mind knowing I've got that warranty coverage for another year and a half. Who knows? If it dies, maybe I'll luck out and get a 2080 Ti in its place.

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Everything finally arrived and is all set up. I also picked up an extra Corsair TX 650 power supply, a Meshify C case, and an Aorus Extreme 1080 Ti.
I went with all-new parts, so I’m handing my old rig down to the kids.

Thanks for the help, guys.

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