Suggestions for Upgrade

[m3t4l_c0d3r]

Hello all,

I'm currently planning to upgrade my half a decade old desktop to its maximum usable level. I've a few options in mind but I'd like to hear from the community if there are any other better options. The following is the current config.

Chassis - CM Elite 310
MoBo - GA-880GM-UD2H
CPU - AMD Athlon II X4 635 Propus Quad-Core 2.9GHz
GPU - AMD Radeon HD 5770 (1GB)
RAM - 2 x 4GB DDR3
Seagate - 500GB
PSU- 24pin ATX 460W

Here's what I was planning on

1. AMD Phenom II X6 1100T Black - Seemed like the single best CPU that works on AM3
2. An Nvidia GPU that won't cost me a bomb (less that 20k). The Mobo has PCIEx16 2.0 support and since the PCI tech is backwards compatible I don't suppose there will be any issue.
3. Present PSU is a 24 pin 460W unit. I'm guessing that'll have to go too.

• Now, I've managed to play the latest Farcry with these hardware at medium settings. So would it be possible to do these upgrades on the present MoBo and expect it to stay good for another couple of years or so? Or would I have to just change everything and start from scratch? My upgrade budget is around 35 to 40k.
• Would it suffice to just upgrade the GPU alone?

Thanks for your help.

 

[nac]

Yeah, its good what you have planned.
How much the Phenom costs? 10k??? I don't see anywhere online.
GTX 960 - 18k
If it's a good PSU, yeah you can reuse it.
Total - 28k

You have budget to go for an i5, but I think Phenom with GTX 960 should be good enough for another few years.

What it would look like if you opt for i5?
i5 -4460 - 13950
B85M G - 5750
GTX 960 - 18000
Total - 37700/-

 

[m3t4l_c0d3r]

Thanks for the quick reply nac.

My budget is sort of flexible. Regarding your reply, yes the X6 costs around 13k. I couldn't find any online but I was hoping to buy it from a normal brick and mortar store. Regarding the change of Mobo,if I'm to change it, I might as well go for Skylake i7. Regarding GPU, the GTX960 looks pretty ok.

Edit: Thoughts on AMD FX-Series FX 9590?[h=1][/h]

 

[nac]

I feel even i5 is better than FX9590, performance wise/price wise. If one can afford i5, no need to look at AMD until their next gen processor comes out.

 

[m3t4l_c0d3r]

I asked about the FX to avoid the Mobo upgrade. But if you feel this is a better option, do you think you could suggest me an i5 (preferably Skylake) + a future proof Mobo (preferably LGA 1151 compatible) and a good i7 chip?

 

[nac]

Doesn't FX need AM3+ motherboard?

Your budget defines what you can get. i5 starts from 14k, i7 starts from 23k and motherboard price ranges from 5k to 30k+

i5 with B150
i5 6500 - 15000
Asus B150M Plus - 7750
Corsair Vengeance DDR4 8GB - 2600
Total - 25350

i7 with H170
i7 6700 - 23100
H170 Pro - 9850
Corsair Vengeance DDR4 8GB - 2600
Total - 35550

 

[m3t4l_c0d3r]

Thanks.The i7 config looks good. The budget applies only when I'm upgrading on available Mobo. And I see that the Mobo supports only DDR4 right? Is there any chance in hell the new DDR3 i bought would be compatible?

(AM3+ is backwards compatible as far as I know)

 

[nac]

You can opt for motherboards which support DDR3, but I would prefer to use DDR4 and not bother about saving money on that. But choice is yours, or you can go for Haswell build which is DDR3 compatible. Price wise not much difference, and performance wise too.

Confirm about that AM3+ CPU on AM3 board. I doubt it. Either it won't be compatible or there will be some performance drop.

 

[m3t4l_c0d3r]

i7 6700 - 23100
H170 Pro - 9850
Corsair Vengeance DDR4 8GB - 2600
GTX 960 - 18000


Looks about right I guess. Do you think I'll need a PSU with higher wattage? Considering the GTX coming into play.

 

[nac]

Looks about right I guess. Do you think I'll need a PSU with higher wattage? Considering the GTX coming into play.

Your PSU wattage is good enough. If it's a good and reliable PSU, you can very well use it. BTW, what's the model of your PSU?

 

[m3t4l_c0d3r]

It hasn't given me any problems so far. It's a Cooler Master RS-460-PCAR-D3

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks for your help and patience nac. Much appreciated.