# Looking to upgrade a +- 6year old gaming PC  - any advice please?



## SMR (Jan 26, 2021)

Greetings to anyone reading this. 
This is my first post, I'm completely new on the thread, but these are my questions - 

1. "Best" upgrade path for new gaming components (bang for buck wise)
2. Trying to maximize (reaching for an impossible achievement, I know) the shelf life of above mentioned components in point #1. 
3. Working with (roughly) a budget of $1000 USD (maybe 1300 at an absolute squeeze, although I'm from South Africa, so saving that cash and keeping up with ever-changing hardware costs in today's market is daunting of course)! 
4. End "goal" - to play AAA games going forward for at least 4-5 years @recommended specs and I'd prefer assuming 1440p res. (methinks 4k is far out of reach to be fair  *any corrections?
5. I'm thinking of keeping the CASE, PSU, and SSD + HDD in my current setup, so only looking to upgrade rest (and possibly try sell off components too, to recoup a little).

My current system:

Cpu - Intel core i5 - 4690k Devil's canyon 3.5ghz O/C
MBoard - Msi gaming 5 DDR3 BOARD 
RAM - Corsair vengeance 4gb x2 DDR3
GPU - MSI 970 gaming 4gb DDR5 
PSU - COUGAR 700WATT PSU 
SSD - OCZ ARC 100 SERIES 240GB 2.5
HDD - SEAGATE 2TB 7200RPM 64 MB
Case - Cooler Master Cosmos SE - ATX

I'd appreciate any helpful input from the TechPowerup community. Thanks in advance!
​


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## Jetster (Jan 26, 2021)

Save your money and wait about 3-6  months for things to quiet down and supply to come back
But I don't know what the availability is in South Africa right now. You are in South Africa?

Or just update the platform Board, CPU, Memory Maybe a psu
IDK its a tough decision
Or drop $1000 on a GPU. Which would not be a best bang for buck


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## AleXXX666 (Jan 26, 2021)

Cpu - Intel core i5 - 10600k O/C.
MBoard - Z490 up to your design&IO ports. 
RAM - 2 sticks of 16 gb each, 3200-3600 MHZ. even timings 3200.16-3600.18 are OK! 
GPU - 2K RTX 3060 Ti/4K RTX 3070-3080. check gpu db here to see amd alternative, no fanboy, i'm just a bit lazy for this, sorry.
PSU - seasonic 650w gold minimum/750w gold best, again, you could choose EVGA/bequiet alternatives.
SSD - NVME, samsung evo (evo plus less preferred), kingston kc2000/kc2500, adata sx8200 pro, check Linus Tech Tips forum for good, NO AD HERE, it's just ADVISE!
HDD - i reco sata mid-end ssd, if you don't mind noise&vibes, get hdd.
case - up to you design. nzxt, corsair, fractal design. cheapos: deepcool, cooler master.
cooling: water for design, noctua/bequiet for good air. don't overpay for MONSTER-BIG coolers, you won't really need it.


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## Melvis (Jan 26, 2021)

AMD 3600/5600
B550 Motherboard of some kind
2x8GB DDR4 3600MHz RAM
3060 Ti? 

As a guess but see what you can find in your Country


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## Hyderz (Jan 26, 2021)

Well i think in your case, you should upgrade bit by bit. Also gives you time to save more money.
With your specs id grab a Nvidia RTX3070 or AMD 6800 first - these 2 gpus are great at 1440p and 4k which your end goal is 1440p gaming.
See how the RTX3070 or 6800 performs with your system, if you find the cpu is really holding back the gpu on the games you play.
Then CPU/MOBO/RAM + Mobo is next option. I'd grab a 5600x/B550 or 11600k/Z590 when it comes out with 2x8 DDR4 3600mhz ram kit.
PSu - you'd want to get a good modular 650w with silver or gold ratings. My systems ive always used Corsair and Seasonic.
SSD/HDD/Case and monitor you can buy after.


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## AleXXX666 (Jan 26, 2021)

Melvis said:


> AMD 3600/5600
> B550 Motherboard of some kind
> 2x8GB DDR4 3600MHz RAM
> 3060 Ti?
> ...


For 5600 price you could get 10700 lol...


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## DeathtoGnomes (Jan 26, 2021)

Jetster said:


> Save your money and wait about 3-6 months for things to quiet down and supply to come back


have to agree with this, market is sketchy atm for new builds.


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## AleXXX666 (Jan 26, 2021)

DeathtoGnomes said:


> have to agree with this, market is sketchy atm for new builds.


Lol, GPU wise only.


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## DeathtoGnomes (Jan 26, 2021)

AleXXX666 said:


> For 5600 price you could get 10700 lol...


but the 5600 is so much better than the 10700.


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## AleXXX666 (Jan 26, 2021)

DeathtoGnomes said:


> but the 5600 is so much better than the 10700.


Really 6 vs 8 cores omfg


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## jaggerwild (Jan 26, 2021)

SMR said:


> Greetings to anyone reading this.
> This is my first post, I'm completely new on the thread, but these are my questions -
> 
> 1. "Best" upgrade path for new gaming components (bang for buck wise)
> ...


For Now I'd double(or quad)you ram, basically you want matching same sticks or 16 or 32 GB of good quality memory. But your tossing money at a dead platform, also for now as said upgrade the GPU. In the future you can reuse your PSU, and HHD'S, n Case. Assuming that PSU is a good quality unit and not too old. OH, plus that CPU can be overclocked  with a proper cooler, think about an upgrade there?


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## Fourstaff (Jan 26, 2021)

I agree with most posters that you may need to be opportunistic about your upgrades to stretch your dollar. Processor wise, you will need to aim for something at least 3600/5600X/10400F . For 1440 gaming, I think my RTX2070 level just about cut it right now, so its not going to be enough in the coming years to max out any AAA title. That said, I will still be able to enjoy many AAA games at reduced quality.


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## AleXXX666 (Jan 26, 2021)

Fourstaff said:


> I agree with most posters that you may need to be opportunistic about your upgrades to stretch your dollar. Processor wise, you will need to aim for something at least 3600/5600X/10400F . For 1440 gaming, I think my RTX2070 level just about cut it right now, so its not going to be enough in the coming years to max out any AAA title. That said, I will still be able to enjoy many AAA games at reduced quality.


3600>10400F>10600K>5600x
10600K is best bang for the buck for game atm.


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## Fourstaff (Jan 26, 2021)

AleXXX666 said:


> 3600>10400F>10600K>5600x
> 10600K is best bang for the buck for game atm.


Not always true for smaller markets like SA. I ended up with 10400F instead of 3600 because there were none at a good price in this part of the world.


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## AleXXX666 (Jan 26, 2021)

Fourstaff said:


> Not always true for smaller markets like SA. I ended up with 10400F instead of 3600 because there were none at a good price in this part of the world.


Ok, but 10400F is better both price Nd performance wise


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## Super XP (Jan 26, 2021)

AleXXX666 said:


> For 5600 price you could get 10700 lol...


The Ryzen 5600 is the better processor.


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## oobymach (Jan 26, 2021)

Idk what your local markets are like right now but my suggestion also would be to go with a 3600x or 5600x and a full atx mobo, b550 or x570 (they have m2 ssd drive slots) brand doesn't really matter, and 16gb of ram (2x 8gb sticks) of 3600 or 3800mhz.

If you're going to be gaming at 1080p a gtx 1070 is a good gpu, if you want 4k you'll want a 3060ti. I would also recommend a 512gb m2 drive for windows and add another down the road for games.


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## AleXXX666 (Jan 26, 2021)

oobymach said:


> Idk what your local markets are like right now but my suggestion also would be to go with a 3600x or 5600x and a full atx mobo, b550 or x570 (they have m2 ssd drive slots) brand doesn't really matter, and 16gb of ram (2x 8gb sticks) of 3600 or 3800mhz.
> 
> If you're going to be gaming at 1080p a gtx 1070 is a good gpu, if you want 4k you'll want a 3060ti. I would also recommend a 512gb m2 drive for windows and add another down the road for games.


1070 s..s currently even at 1080p, 1070ti minimu from oldies lol
16 gb was good 6 years back lol.
Don’t stupid and get 2*16 or 2*4+2*8 if you think it will be “cheaper”, but if you don’t need “bling bling” rgb, 2*16 3000 or 3200 is cheap today.
X570 is for pcie 4.0, which isn’t REALLY a difference, except you need some SERVER-GRADE storage speeds.
Intel’s socket 1200 line also have M2 NVME slots, so you choose which is better.
3600X is never better than 10400F, latter is hell more cheap lol. 5600x stays for i7-10700 price which is idiotic to get less cores.


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## Super XP (Jan 26, 2021)

* AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
* ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming Mobo
* G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 (F4-3200C16D-32GVK)
* Corsair CX750F 750W Power Supply Modular ATX
* Samsung 970 EVO Plus M.2 2280 1TB PCIe Gen3.0 x4 NVMe SSD
* Fractal Design Fogus G Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case, FD-CA-FOCUS-BK-W
-----------------
Graphics Cards? Worse time to buy them now. They are ALL Over-Priced & a Rip-Off at the moment.



AleXXX666 said:


> 1070 s..s currently even at 1080p, 1070ti minimu from oldies lol
> 16 gb was good 6 years back lol.
> Don’t stupid and get 2*16 or 2*4+2*8 if you think it will be “cheaper”, but if you don’t need “bling bling” rgb, 2*16 3000 or 3200 is cheap today.
> X570 is for pcie 4.0, which isn’t REALLY a difference, except you need some SERVER-GRADE storage speeds.
> ...


Key Differences​What are the key differences between 5600X and 10700
Advantages of Intel Core i7 10700

Has 2 more physical cores
Includes an integrated GPU Intel UHD Graphics 630
4% higher Turbo Boost frequency (4.8 GHz vs 4.6 GHz)
*Advantages of AMD Ryzen 5 5600X*

Newer - released 5-months later
More modern manufacturing process – 7 versus 14 nanometers
Has 16 MB larger L3 cache size
Unlocked multiplier
Newer PCI Express version – 4.0
29% faster in a single-core Geekbench v5 test - 1614 vs 1253 points
Around 1.88 GB/s (4%) higher theoretical memory bandwidth....


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## AleXXX666 (Jan 26, 2021)

Super XP said:


> * AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
> * ASUS ROG Strix B550-F Gaming Mobo
> * G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 (F4-3200C16D-32GVK)
> * Corsair CX750F 750W Power Supply Modular ATX
> ...


manufacturing process - not a great deal, as you may know, Intel’s 14 are pretty close to AMD’s 7.

L3 cache - good.

Mem bandwidth - put more and OC it and you got it, not a great deal lol

single core - OC 10700KF (still same price, bare 10700F are cheaper than 5600x!) to 5+ ghz on single core and let’s see how amd 5600x clocks too 

pci-e - cool, but not so important.


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## qubit (Jan 26, 2021)

I can give you some general advice on this.

You can't truly future proof a PC, as that would mean that there are no advancements in the future, which would make life very boring. However, you can increase its useful life by making it "overpowered" as it were, ie a "better" spec than it needs to be.

The main component that needs to be reasonably up to date and fairly high end is the graphics card. In my case, I'm still rocking a 10 year old 2700K (see specs, bought it new) yet I can play the latest games, including CoD:MW at well above 60fps. This is because I bought the top end CPU at the time and Sandy Bridge was a gaming monster then, so the performance is still reasonable nowadays.

Also, I've been making incremental graphics card upgrades throughout the years and currently have a 2080 SUPER. I'd have bought the 3080 by now if it hadn't been sold out everywhere and I'm looking to upgrade to Rocket Lake for those really high framerates in the latest games, or maybe AMD when RL comes out and I can compare gaming performances. I'm still likely to go Intel though, as I have more confidence in the system working smoothly.

It looks like money is tight for you over there and/or things are very expensive, so the good news, is that the only real upgrades you need to make are the GPU and the RAM. rather than replacing everything. 16GB is best nowadays and shouldn't cost too much to upgrade, just buy another two 4GB sticks of the same speed.

If you can somehow get hold of it at a reasonable price, then I recommend a 3080 of some kind, don't bother with AMD. Also, 4K 60Hz monitors are not so expensive nowadays, even FreeSync ones, which I recommend. Your CPU is a bit faster than mine, so will easily run your games at more than 60fps and hence paired with a 3080 and 4K60 monitor will give you perfectly fluid framerates. Alternatively, buy a high framerate 144Hz or more monitor with FreeSync, which is better for twitch shooters. Even if your CPU/GPU can't hit 144Hz all the time, you'll still experience lower lag, less motion blur and will be better able to hit your enemy target. The lower lag is a biggie, really noticeable, even though it's only a few milliseconds difference.

Finally, ensure that you have the latest BIOS flashed on your mobo and all Windows patches and latest drivers to maximise reliability.


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## Super XP (Jan 26, 2021)

AleXXX666 said:


> manufacturing process - not a great deal, as you may know, Intel’s 14 are pretty close to AMD’s 7.
> 
> L3 cache - good.
> 
> ...


The PCIe 3x4 coupled with a fast M.2 drive will be a massive improvement on game load times and OS load times. It will also make the system a lot more snappy. That's why I recommend 1TB for the OS and to install games on. He can use his existing 2TB for back up and to install more games on it.
For example, I have 2 seperate Steam Folders with a mix of games on them.



qubit said:


> AMD when RL comes out and I can compare gaming performances. I'm still likely to go Intel though, as I have more confidence in the system working smoothly.


I've always ran AMD CPUs and NEVER had a problem and always Ran quite Smooth. Not sure what you mean by Intel working smoothly, that's a very subjective opinion.
I've had Intel laptops that ran horribly and others that ran great.
Even my 1700X runs smooth as silk. Both companies have a great selection on CPUs, it's the overall configuration you choose that will determine instability or not. Like Overclocking and pushing the hardware way too much.

Keep everything on Stock and let the Boost Clocks work. That way you have a smooth and stable experience regardless of choice.

Side Note: You will have to manually set your Ram timings and speed, no matter what Ram make you buy.


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## freeagent (Jan 26, 2021)

3600 is not that bad.. I see a lot of nice Intel CPU's under mine in Aida64.

This system is as smooth, or smoother than any Intel I have used before..

Fucking fast is what it is lol.


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## AleXXX666 (Jan 26, 2021)

Super XP said:


> The PCIe 3x4 coupled with a fast M.2 drive will be a massive improvement on game load times and OS load times. It will also make the system a lot more snappy. That's why I recommend 1TB for the OS and to install games on. He can use his existing 2TB for back up and to install more games on it.
> For example, I have 2 seperate Steam Folders with a mix of games on them.
> 
> 
> ...


I don’t know about LATEST and greates AMD cpus, but, I can tell you very realistically, STOCK clocks of, for example, non-X ryzens really NOT FOR GAMES. Let’s say, I have 2700. It does 3.4 ghz all-core. I can manually put it to 3.9, rock-stable, and it will give me MASSIVE improvement in GAMING terms, as there IPC matters before core count!

side note: my 2700 has troubles with my Corsair kit running native XMP 3200 mhz. I must WASTE MY TIME really much to make it AT LEAST WORK. I’ve replaced to newer Ryzen 3100, and wow, the magic, it works with my ram. So, if you have Ryzen 3000-5000 series, chances are good you won’t have to mess with MANUAL ram tweaking besides XMP. 



freeagent said:


> 3600 is not that bad.. I see a lot of nice Intel CPU's under mine in Aida64.
> 
> This system is as smooth, or smoother than any Intel I have used before..
> 
> Fucking fast is what it is lol.


Yeah, I’ve enjoyed mine at 4.2 ghz. Though I enjoy more 3100, because it clocks 4.4 stable. Now that is what I call f. fast for AMD Ryzens  (my main is 10600K, the 3100 build is kids one)


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## qubit (Jan 26, 2021)

Super XP said:


> I've always ran AMD CPUs and NEVER had a problem and always Ran quite Smooth. Not sure what you mean by Intel working smoothly, that's a very subjective opinion.


Yes, it's a partially subjective opinion, but also drawn from experience and issues I've read about in forums and news articles over the years, eg memory compatibility. AMD has/had more of these issues than Intel as far as I can see. It's not make or break though, not the kind of thing that I'd strongly recommend Intel over AMD, but nothing wrong with giving my thoughts on it, either and the reader can make up their own minds about it.


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## Super XP (Jan 26, 2021)

AleXXX666 said:


> side note: my 2700 has troubles with my Corsair kit running native XMP 3200 mhz. I must WASTE MY TIME really much to make it AT LEAST WORK.


Yes but the Ryzen 2000 series aren't rated for 3200, they are rated for 2667 DDR4. Plus it also depends on how good your motherboard is. ZEN3 is rated for 3200 DDR4 and can be overclocked well beyond that. Again depends on how good your motherboard is.



AleXXX666 said:


> I don’t know about LATEST and greates AMD cpus, but, I can tell you very realistically, STOCK clocks of, for example, non-X ryzens really NOT FOR GAMES.


You make a valid point. I was under the impression that he doesn't OC his CPU. 
In that case, a mild OC to ensure stability and to squeeze more IPC in games is a bonus.


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## AleXXX666 (Jan 26, 2021)

Super XP said:


> Yes but the Ryzen 2000 series aren't rated for 3200, they are rated for 2667 DDR4. Plus it also depends on how good your motherboard is. ZEN3 is rated for 3200 DDR4 and can be overclocked well beyond that. Again depends on how good your motherboard is.
> 
> 
> You make a valid point. I was under the impression that he doesn't OC his CPU.
> In that case, a mild OC to ensure stability and to squeeze more IPC in games is a bonus.


Ryzen 2000 series was rated for 2933 mhz. On my previous Ryzen 2600 and 2700 builds with 3000 XMP RAM it never were stable at 3000, worked only at 2933 lol. But these builds were with cheapo mobos, I’m very happy with my Aorus Elite B450 one, it worked tho at 3200 with 7 2700 with manually messed timings  and 3000 with XMP ones. It was never real with my previous msi b450 pro vd or giga ds3h cheap crap.


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## Super XP (Jan 26, 2021)

AleXXX666 said:


> Ryzen 2000 series was rated for 2933 mhz. On my previous Ryzen 2600 and 2700 builds with 3000 XMP RAM it never were stable at 3000, worked only at 2933 lol. But these builds were with cheapo mobos, I’m very happy with my Aorus Elite B450 one, it worked tho at 3200 with 7 2700 with manually messed timings  and 3000 with XMP ones. It was never real with my previous msi b450 pro vd or giga ds3h cheap crap.


I got the 1st gen ZEN confused with the ZEN+. 
Ya the mobo makes a huge difference. My current ASRock won't let me go past 2667 no matter how much I try. Lol


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## dgianstefani (Jan 26, 2021)

5800x/5900x if you can get it MSRP. 11700/900k when they're released if you can wait.
For Ram you want 2x16gb or 4x8gb 3600/16 minimum. Ideally 3800/14.
GPU wise the 3070 is pretty unbeatable, but the 3080 and soon to be 3080ti are actual next gen with few downsides.
RDNA 2 is a massive achievement for the raster parity but is badly behind in RTRT and software side of things.

Platform wise B550 makes most sense budget wise. X570 if you can afford a good one. Z490 is EOL and Z590 isn't out.

SSD wise an 118gb 800p optane drive for $75 is a killer boot drive if you can afford having two SSDs in your system. Personally I use the 118gb 800p as boot + programs and a 1TB Samsung 980 pro for everything else.

PSU wise get Seasonic Focus+ or ideally Prime line, these have excellent reviews and good efficiency. Prime TX is the halo product with a price to match but it will last you through 10 years plus.

As for cooling - high end air is preferable in most cases, especially on a budget. AIO's are nice but mainly aesthetically focused rather than performance. Custom water is great if you can afford it and have the skills to build it. I went from 80c under a top tier AIO to 71.5c under custom water (quieter fan curve) to 60c with Conductonaut TIM. That's an 11.5c drop in average temperature and a 3 degree drop in core delta between the CCDs with the only change being TIM. If you must have an AIO, Alphacool make excellent expandable pure copper loops that come in at a competitive price. Otherwise Noctua and BeQuiet air cooler offerings are the top tier.


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## Zach_01 (Jan 27, 2021)

Before this topic becomes a debate about "gaming CPUs" take a look at this.
If you're taking anything else than 720/1080p and a nonFlagship GPU (3090/6900XT) the CPU means almost nothing above a mid-range 6c/12t for the avg user.

This is with a 6800nonXT



This is 1080p with a 3090 on 11 CPU intensive games (best CPU case scenario)


This with 6800 on 20 games (CPU intensive or not)


More details...









This is with a 3080


More details...









---------------------------------------

As for the system to last 4~5y for AAA games, I'd say a 6800/3070 is the minimum for 1440p and above (ultrawide/4K)


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## AleXXX666 (Jan 27, 2021)

Zach_01 said:


> Before this topic becomes a debate about "gaming CPUs" take a look at this.
> If you're taking anything else than 720/1080p and a nonFlagship GPU (3090/6900XT) the CPU means almost nothing above a mid-range 6c/12t for the avg user.
> 
> This is with a 6800nonXT
> ...


I’d better look at the statistics not for ”average xxx games”, but for games Iwould play. If I see here and there higher IPC 6/12 is any serious margin better than cheapest current 6/12, I’d pay more anyday. If I play every game rarely, not having a fav, then I’d choose cheapest enough cpu.


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## Super XP (Jan 27, 2021)

Zach_01 said:


> Before this topic becomes a debate about "gaming CPUs" take a look at this.
> If you're taking anything else than 720/1080p and a nonFlagship GPU (3090/6900XT) the CPU means almost nothing above a mid-range 6c/12t for the avg user.
> 
> This is with a 6800nonXT
> ...


The only way you Future Proof your Gaming PC, is by selecting components that you can easily upgrade as the years go on. 1st and foremost, the motherboard is the most important component, then the CPU. 

You can upgrade RAM, GPU, HD, Monitor, Power Supply, etc. Later in the years of you so choose too. Because you have a solid Motherboard and a Processor.


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## JustAnEngineer (Jan 27, 2021)

If we put aside the shortages of graphics cards, CPUs and power supplies for a moment...

Upgrading your GPU and monitor will have the biggest impact on your gaming experience.  A GeForce RTX 3070 or Radeon RX 6800 would use half of your upgrade budget.  It would be usable with your existing system.  However, don't pay scalper prices.

If you're shopping for a new monitor for gaming, look for FreeSync Premium - this includes 120+ Hz, variable rate refresh (VRR) and low frequency compensation (LFC). Since NVidia finally quit blocking VESA standard adaptive sync (aka AMD's FreeSync) VRR in their drivers in 2019, you can buy a FreeSync monitor and enjoy the benefits of variable refresh over DisplayPort with a GeForce 10xx or newer GPU without paying for expensive proprietary G-Sync.  AMD maintains a list of FreeSync monitors here:  https://www.amd.com/en/products/freesync-monitors

Once you're playing with the new graphics card (and monitor?), you'll find that your CPU and memory are holding you back in some games.  If this is enough to interfere with your enjoyment of a particular game that you like, that's when it's time to upgrade the rest of your system.

A Ryzen 5 3600 CPU (US$200) + B550 motherboard (US$115) + 2x8 GiB DDR4-3600 (US$85) are very good value and might still fit within your budget after upgrading your GPU.  You would get more performance with a Ryzen 5 5600X (US$300++), but those CPUs are still in short supply and prices are inflated.  If both were available for list price, I might spend the extra US$100 to get the newer 5600X, but at current pricing, a 3600 will do.

Going with the 3600 and just 16 GiB of memory to stay within the budget now may mean adding memory and swapping out the CPU in a few years, but it will provide a better gaming experience than buying a more expensive CPU and more memory today and having to go with a less capable graphics card.


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## AleXXX666 (Jan 27, 2021)

JustAnEngineer said:


> If we put aside the shortages of graphics cards, CPUs and power supplies for a moment...
> 
> Upgrading your GPU and monitor will have the biggest impact on your gaming experience.  A GeForce RTX 3070 or Radeon RX 6800 would use half of your upgrade budget.  It would be usable with your existing system.  However, don't pay scalper prices.
> 
> ...


You can up your gpu later, too, lol. 3060ti now, 5060ti later and so on!


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## Why_Me (Jan 29, 2021)

AleXXX666 said:


> 3600>10400F>10600K>5600x
> 10600K is best bang for the buck for game atm.











						Intel Core i5-10400F Review - Six Cores with HT for Under $200
					

Intel's new Core i5-10400F offers a large performance jump over the previous generation Core i5-9400F because of its six-core/twelve-thread design. In this Core i5-10400F review we also test the feasibility of overclocking through BCLK, or by relaxing the PL1 and PL2 Turbo Limits.




					www.techpowerup.com


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## lexluthermiester (Jan 29, 2021)

Jetster said:


> Save your money and wait about 3-6 months


This. Now is a terrible time to be building a new PC or upgrading an existing one. CPU, mobo and GPU prices are absolutely pathetic right now, WAY over priced. Give it 6 months and save your money.

Now if you have a game you just have to play right now, upgrading that GTX970 is the first thing you should do, but go with a used RTX 2060/2060S or 2070/2070S and be prepared to spend a premium. Don't pay more than $450. EDIT, I just looked at current GPU prices, you might need to spend $550 or so for a decent GPU of the RTX variety. A GTX 1080 might be a tempting prospect and certainly a major upgrade from the 970 you have currently.

Your next upgrade should be system RAM. Find a set of 2X2GB or 2X4GB that match the specs of your existing sticks of DDR3 RAM on Ebay or what ever similar site you have in your area. You can get the 2x2GB set for about $25 and the 2x4GB should be about $50.

Next would be your SSD. 1TB SSD's are inexpensive right now and can be had for $90 to $100.

Your CPU is ok for gaming, don't fret to much about it, especially with your OC.

Please keep in mind the figure stated above are in $USD. Translate that into South African currency to come to costs in your area.


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## Hachi_Roku256563 (Jan 29, 2021)

Are you feeling ok


AleXXX666 said:


> 16 gb was good 6 years back lol.


even today the newest games will run on 16g of ram
i have 16g AND have never hit swap even playing the latest and greatest titles


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## lexluthermiester (Jan 29, 2021)

Isaac` said:


> Are you feeling ok
> 
> even today the newest games will run on 16g of ram
> i have 16g AND have never hit swap even playing the latest and greatest titles


Heck most games will run great even on 12GB.


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## AleXXX666 (Jan 29, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Heck most games will run great even on 12GB.


Wow, you seriously don’t use any IM’s and always close every other stuff like web browsers before game, don’t ya?


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## lexluthermiester (Jan 29, 2021)

AleXXX666 said:


> Wow, you seriously don’t use any IM’s and always close every other stuff like web browsers before game, don’t ya?


Nope. When I sit down with a game, it's the only thing running as I want ALL of my system's resources focused on that task. IMHO, everyone should be doing the same to get the most from their system. Now to be fair, streamers who need to run things at the same time as a game are likely to have dual screens and generally beefier systems built for that kind of setup. So in that kind of situation, a CPU with more than 8 cores paired with more than 16GB would be advised. However, the OP did not state such and in their situation 12GB or 16GB with their current quad core will do them well as long as they upgrade their GPU.


----------



## Hachi_Roku256563 (Jan 29, 2021)

AleXXX666 said:


> Wow, you seriously don’t use any IM’s and always close every other stuff like web browsers before game, don’t ya?


oh yeah that extra 2gs the browser sucks up REALLY HURTS


----------



## AleXXX666 (Jan 29, 2021)

Isaac` said:


> oh yeah that extra 2gs the browser sucks up REALLY HURTS


Sure, on my 32 gigs I don’t see even the difference, open browser “2 gigs”, and game eating, say, 12. And I think you have some ultra-light-air-cloud-windows10-edition, that you don’t see the system needs “that extra 2 gigs” for itself, too. Now open higher mentioned scenario on your “average-GaMMeR-16gigs-rig” and feel deep and hard.  no offense, just the reality.


----------



## Hachi_Roku256563 (Jan 29, 2021)

AleXXX666 said:


> Sure, on my 32 gigs I don’t see even the difference, open browser “2 gigs”, and game eating, say, 12. And I think you have some ultra-light-air-cloud-windows10-edition, that you don’t see the system needs “that extra 2 gigs” for itself, too. Now open higher mentioned scenario on your “average-GaMMeR-16gigs-rig” and feel deep and hard.  no offense, just the reality.


i have never in all of my life seen a game eat 12 gbs of ram MODERN TITLE 

thats 12 total Ive seen your other posts
you have no idea what you are talking about


----------



## AleXXX666 (Jan 29, 2021)

Isaac` said:


> i have never in all of my life seen a game eat 12 gbs of ram MODERN TITLE thats 12 total Ive seen your other posts
> you have no idea what you are talking about



woow okay maybe I was a bit wrong about games, but... look at that EASY scenario how "top gaming pc 16 gb" could be f***ed up. is here some crazy use? or should i CLOSE these stuff if I wanna PLAY?
I like "that extra 2gs the browser sucks up" thing, seriously... just random 64 tabs mix. yeah, not the thing your granma does day-o-day, but well...


----------



## Hachi_Roku256563 (Jan 30, 2021)

AleXXX666 said:


> I like "that extra 2gs the browser sucks up" thing, seriously... just random 64 tabs mix. yeah, not the thing your granma does day-o-day, but well...


so what your are saying is 
In the worse case senario 16 gig is JUST FINE 
and even then swap will kick in and throw some of chrome to swap 
if it gets worse


----------



## oobymach (Jan 30, 2021)

Isaac` said:


> so what your are saying is
> In the worse case senario 16 gig is JUST FINE
> and even then swap will kick in and throw some of chrome to swap
> if it gets worse


pretty much, pagefile will kick in if you try and use more, 16gb is fine for most people, there are only a handful of programs that can even make use of more ram and even those run fine on 16gb.

If u need to leave several browsers and hundreds of tabs open at all times while gaming you might want more but most of us close the browser when we're gaming,

I would close firefox even if I had 32 or 64gb because the less crap you have running when u game the better your performance. You wouldn't tow heavy loading equipment with a ferrari, why would you drag your browser along when gaming?


----------



## Hachi_Roku256563 (Jan 30, 2021)

oobymach said:


> I would close firefox even if I had 32 or 64gb because the less crap you have running when u game the better your performance. You wouldn't tow loading equipment with a ferrari, why would you drag your browser along when gaming?


thats what im saying AleX is saying that 16g is basicly useless


----------



## oobymach (Jan 30, 2021)

Isaac` said:


> thats what im saying AleX is saying that 16g is basicly useless


if you aren't maxing out your ram during normal use you don't need more, if you are (like if you're photoshopping billboards @1200dpi) then you might want more, I haven't come close to maxing out 16gb, way back when we only had megabytes of ram the rule of thumb was the more the better but with windows 10 only using about 2gb there isn't really a need for more yet imo


----------



## Solid State Soul ( SSS ) (Jan 30, 2021)

You should wait when this mess is over



Super XP said:


> The Ryzen 5600 is the better processor.


The 5600 is a terrible value, 300$ for a 6 core !
Come on man ...


----------



## Zach_01 (Jan 30, 2021)

Odd thing...
I usually run Chrome with 20~25 tabs open. When all tabs are loaded, task manager reports ~3.5GB of memory usage for Chrome. If I close it free RAM increase by ~4.5GB.
So yeah, I want the browser closed when I'm gaming.
If I'm not running anything (only background/tray tasks and apps) usage is around 3.5GB. The greatest game RAM usage I'v seen lately is 10~11GB (Detroit: BecomeHuman) on top of the 3~4GB I mention. So total 13~14GB.
So 16GB is ok if you dont let unnecessary apps running or don't stream.

I agree, prices are awful at the time, at least for CPU/GPU. Specially for GPUs prices are at least +30~50% from where they should be.
Wait if possible...


----------



## 80-watt Hamster (Jan 30, 2021)

Solid State Soul ( SSS ) said:


> You should wait when this mess is over
> 
> 
> The 5600 is a terrible value, 300$ for a 6 core !
> Come on man ...



For a pure gaming machine, the 10400 is definitely a better value at ~100USD less for basically the same performance.  As an all-rounder, the 5600X equals or outperforms a 10700 in most non-game workloads.  Cores aren't everything.


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 30, 2021)

AleXXX666 said:


> woow okay maybe I was a bit wrong about games, but... look at that EASY scenario how "top gaming pc 16 gb" could be f***ed up. is here some crazy use? or should i CLOSE these stuff if I wanna PLAY?
> I like "that extra 2gs the browser sucks up" thing, seriously... just random 64 tabs mix. yeah, not the thing your granma does day-o-day, but well...
> View attachment 186154


Dude, good grief! Close your browser. That is an obnoxious amount of RAM being used by Chrome. At least close some bloody tabs for crying out load..


----------



## Hachi_Roku256563 (Jan 30, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> At least close some bloody tabs for crying out load..


or you know swap to edge or firefox


----------



## lexluthermiester (Jan 30, 2021)

Isaac` said:


> or you know swap to edge or firefox


I run FireFox. Chrome is not secure enough for my requirements, and security on Edge is a joke inside another joke.


----------



## Solid State Soul ( SSS ) (Jan 30, 2021)

80-watt Hamster said:


> For a pure gaming machine, the 10400 is definitely a better value at ~100USD less for basically the same performance.  As an all-rounder, the 5600X equals or outperforms a 10700 in most non-game workloads.  Cores aren't everything.


I agree, for just 180$ its the best value for gaming aside with the 3600


----------



## Super XP (Feb 3, 2021)

Solid State Soul ( SSS ) said:


> You should wait when this mess is over
> 
> 
> The 5600 is a terrible value, 300$ for a 6 core !
> Come on man ...


Umm, all CPUs are terrible value due to how overpriced they've been lately. And lets not get into GPUs, they are even worse.


----------



## Solid State Soul ( SSS ) (Feb 3, 2021)

Super XP said:


> Umm, all CPUs are terrible value due to how overpriced they've been lately. And lets not get into GPUs, they are even worse.


You can find i5 10400 at 180$, even the most expensive i5 is like 260$, AMD out-intel'ed themselfs with 5000 series pricing. Also the 5600x is 300$ by MSRP! that's just terrible


----------



## milewski1015 (Feb 3, 2021)

AleXXX666 said:


> woow okay maybe I was a bit wrong about games, but... look at that EASY scenario how "top gaming pc 16 gb" could be f***ed up. is here some crazy use? or should i CLOSE these stuff if I wanna PLAY?
> I like "that extra 2gs the browser sucks up" thing, seriously... just random 64 tabs mix. yeah, not the thing your granma does day-o-day, but well...
> View attachment 186154


Yeah, I'd say that is crazy use for sure. You're photoshopping while playing GTAV in addition to having a metric f*ckton of chrome tabs open - not standard use at all. I've got 16GBs in my system and often have Firefox with 10-15 tabs open, discord, iTunes, and maybe a few game launchers open while gaming. Never have I maxed out that 16GB. To tell OP to opt for 32GB because 16 isn't enough is just wrong.


----------



## Hachi_Roku256563 (Feb 3, 2021)

Solid State Soul ( SSS ) said:


> You can find i5 10400 at 180$, even the most expensive i5 is like 260$, AMD out-intel'ed themselfs with 5000 series pricing. Also the 5600x is 300$ by MSRP! that's just terrible


Just get a 3000 then where live a 3600 is cheaper then the i5


----------



## Super XP (Feb 3, 2021)

Solid State Soul ( SSS ) said:


> You can find i5 10400 at 180$, even the most expensive i5 is like 260$, AMD out-intel'ed themselfs with 5000 series pricing. Also the 5600x is 300$ by MSRP! that's just terrible


That's price gouging. 
Agreed.


----------



## trickson (Feb 3, 2021)

SMR said:


> Greetings to anyone reading this.
> This is my first post, I'm completely new on the thread, but these are my questions -
> 
> 1. "Best" upgrade path for new gaming components (bang for buck wise)
> ...


Probably beaten this to death but my 2 cents is as follows.
Keep the current system take the cash you have get a case ,CPU, SSD, RAM, PSU, Video card, MB and a DVD/Blueray Player.
For that kind of cash you can get a sweet setup and keep the one you have without changing a thing. ( You can get cheep keyboards and mice and monitors all day long at goodwill.) .


----------



## lexluthermiester (Feb 3, 2021)

milewski1015 said:


> Yeah, I'd say that is crazy use for sure. You're photoshopping while playing GTAV in addition to having a metric f*ckton of chrome tabs open - not standard use at all. I've got 16GBs in my system and often have Firefox with 10-15 tabs open, discord, iTunes, and maybe a few game launchers open while gaming. Never have I maxed out that 16GB. To tell OP to opt for 32GB because 16 isn't enough is just wrong.


Well said!


----------



## Why_Me (Feb 4, 2021)

Super XP said:


> Umm, all CPUs are terrible value due to how overpriced they've been lately. And lets not get into GPUs, they are even worse.


i5 10400F _(no need for integrated graphics for a gaming build)_ going for $155 USD atm.






						Amazon.com: Intel Core i5-10400F Desktop Processor 6 Cores up to 4.3 GHz Without Processor Graphics LGA1200 (Intel 400 Series chipset) 65W, Model Number: BX8070110400F: Computers & Accessories
					

Buy Intel Core i5-10400F Desktop Processor 6 Cores up to 4.3 GHz Without Processor Graphics LGA1200 (Intel 400 Series chipset) 65W, Model Number: BX8070110400F: CPU Processors - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases



					www.amazon.com
				












						Intel Core i5-10400F - Core i5 10th Gen Comet Lake 6-Core 2.9 GHz LGA 1200 65W Desktop Processor - BX8070110400F - Newegg.com
					

Buy Intel Core i5-10400F - Core i5 10th Gen Comet Lake 6-Core 2.9 GHz LGA 1200 65W Desktop Processor - BX8070110400F with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!




					www.newegg.com


----------



## Hachi_Roku256563 (Feb 4, 2021)

Why_Me said:


> i5 10400F _(no need for integrated graphics for a gaming build)_ going for $155 USD atm.


3600 is cheaper and faster


----------



## Why_Me (Feb 4, 2021)

Isaac` said:


> 3600 is cheaper and faster


Sarcasm?  Its neither cheaper nor is it faster in regards to gaming.






						Amazon.com: AMD Ryzen 5 3600 6-Core, 12-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor with Wraith Stealth Cooler: Computers & Accessories
					

Buy AMD Ryzen 5 3600 6-Core, 12-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor with Wraith Stealth Cooler: CPU Processors - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases



					www.amazon.com
				












						AMD Ryzen 5 3rd Gen - RYZEN 5 3600 Matisse (Zen 2) 6-Core 3.6 GHz (4.2 GHz Max Boost) Socket AM4 65W 100-100000031BOX Desktop Processor - Newegg.com
					

Buy AMD Ryzen 5 3rd Gen - RYZEN 5 3600 Matisse (Zen 2) 6-Core 3.6 GHz (4.2 GHz Max Boost) Socket AM4 65W 100-100000031BOX Desktop Processor with fast shipping and top-rated customer service. Once you know, you Newegg!




					www.newegg.com


----------



## Hachi_Roku256563 (Feb 4, 2021)

Why_Me said:


> Sarcasm?  Its neither cheaper nor is it faster in regards to gaming.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


yes it is 
idk why your pricing is like that but its wrong


----------



## Caring1 (Feb 4, 2021)

Why_Me said:


> _no need for integrated graphics for a gaming build_


In your opinion.
Other people want that IGP for a backup.


----------



## Hachi_Roku256563 (Feb 4, 2021)

Caring1 said:


> In your opinion.
> Other people want that IGP for a backup.


i like having it to do renders slowly while gaming


----------



## PooPipeBoy (Feb 4, 2021)

milewski1015 said:


> Yeah, I'd say that is crazy use for sure. You're photoshopping while playing GTAV in addition to having a metric f*ckton of chrome tabs open - not standard use at all. I've got 16GBs in my system and often have Firefox with 10-15 tabs open, discord, iTunes, and maybe a few game launchers open while gaming. Never have I maxed out that 16GB. To tell OP to opt for 32GB because 16 isn't enough is just wrong.



Everyone has their theories on the ideal memory capacity, but 16GB does seem to be the best all-rounder right now. The days of 8GB are over because it's common to be using more than that even while doing menial tasks, but at the same time I haven't seen my own usage go higher than 13GB. I think it was while playing BeamNG.drive with a custom map and a bunch of junk in the background. Having 32GB is great for peace of mind if you want to be a memory hog and not have to worry about upgrading in the near future.


----------



## trickson (Feb 4, 2021)

Isaac` said:


> i like having it to do renders slowly while gaming


Then you must LOVE AMD Ryzen 7. 
I mean talk about raw POWER the Ryzen 7 - 9 and Thread rippers are just MOSTERS!


----------



## milewski1015 (Feb 4, 2021)

PooPipeBoy said:


> Everyone has their theories on the ideal memory capacity, but 16GB does seem to be the best all-rounder right now. The days of 8GB are over because it's common to be using more than that even while doing menial tasks, but at the same time I haven't seen my own usage go higher than 13GB. I think it was while playing BeamNG.drive with a custom map and a bunch of junk in the background. Having 32GB is great for peace of mind if you want to be a memory hog and not have to worry about upgrading in the near future.


For sure. 32GB is fine if you want to ball out/"future-proof" or are doing some memory-intensive work like photo/video editing, but for the average gamer that doesn't have memory-intensive programs open 24/7, 16 is plenty. But if you're trying to min-max your budget, there are better places to put your money than bumping up to 32GB of RAM


----------



## Hachi_Roku256563 (Feb 4, 2021)

trickson said:


> Then you must LOVE AMD Ryzen 7.
> I mean talk about raw POWER the Ryzen 7 - 9 and Thread rippers are just MOSTERS!


nah i have 3200g i render over the course of weeks on the apu


----------



## trickson (Feb 4, 2021)

Isaac` said:


> nah i have 3200g i render over the course of weeks on the apu


Well I do not render so... Even if I did why an APU?


----------



## Why_Me (Feb 4, 2021)

trickson said:


> Well I do not render so... Even if I did why an APU?


He was being sarcastic.


----------



## trickson (Feb 4, 2021)

Why_Me said:


> He was being sarcastic.


Yeah that does sound really really dumb.


----------



## SMR (Feb 18, 2021)

Thank you to all who have replied and contributed on this thread - there is SUCH an amazing wealth of combined wisdom and experience amongst the various replies and although my intial will obviously elicit subjective responses, I still appreciate everyone's opinions as they have guided me into making my own more informed decisions (eventually). 

From my side, my current work load and my parenting and other financial responsibilities have put major constraints on my available time to do more research (and even reply to this intial thread) - let alone game much until I get some time  to my myself again - and also of course on my current budget! 

Having said that though - the general idea I seem to have settled on is to upgrade my GPU first and foremost and also possibly look at getting an actual 1440p (or POSSIBLY a 4k capable) DEDICATED GAMING monitor. Currently I've hooked my PC RIG up to my Samsung 55inch 4k (capable?) TV. This kind of thinking may be what I use, based on my premise of having around 1000$USD to spend in the next 6 months (or possibly sooner than that).

SO, with the above in mind, I know a few members of the Tech PU community have recommended an upgrade to an RTX 3000 series. I've also had another friend of mine recommend to me (based on my current CPU and motherboard setup) to go for a GTX 2070 or 1660 ti instead. I think of course he's being considerate of first my budget and second of all the CURRENT INFLATED GPU prices in my country (and of course globally. 

So, I also found an interesting thread from another site, which I'm just quoting here (I hope that's "allowed" on this forum: 

"*Is the RTX series worth an upgrade over the GTX 10 series?" 
Short answer: no

long answer: the generational upgrade between the 10 series and rtx 20 series is not worth it for the money. But, don’t misunderstand me, the rtx 20 series is good, if you come from a 9 series or before it and want a new gpu.

If you already own a 10 series gpu, you are ok, for the RTX 20 seriesyou are still paying 2016 price for the performance you get (2080 is 799 USD in 2019, 1080ti was 799 in 2016) and they are both about the same in performance in 99% of games.

Very few games support ray tracing or dlss, which was supposed to be the main selling point for this generation, so a 10 series gpu will still perform great (1060 or above).

In my point of view, ray tracing and dlls still have a long way to go before they become mainstream, perhaps the next generation of nvidia and and gpus will be a better choice for an owner of a 10 series gpu.

I say this as an owner of a gtx 1070, 1080, 1080ti and an rtx 2080ti. In my personal opinion I should have jumped the rtx 20 series and waited one more generation to upgrade." *

So -  based on the  ABOVE QUOTE and all the othee comments on this thread so far, and to sum up my thoughts (again): 

From my current GTX 970 gpu setup and from a POV of me looking to game on 1440p (but possibly 4k in the future), but FOR NOW keeping  my current MB and i5 4690k cpu (*but getting 2 new sticks of 16gb DDR3 ram for my older socket board for now, just to see me through for a while longer until my next MBO / CPU UPGRADE*) - 

1. It seems to me it's "worth upgrading" to EITHER a GTX 2000 series OR RTX 3000 series RIGHT NOW, based on my current budget constraints (1000$USD)  and of course currently inflated GPU PRICES  - OR it may also be simply better for me to save my money for a little while, hold out and wait to see what the GPU MARKET does in 6months - I know  some on this thread suggested as much? 

2. The option of me looking into buying a better Gaming monitor with FreeSync capabilities seems worth looking  into - I did notice on the thread the links offered to AMD monitor website  - https://www.amd.com/en/products/freesync-monitors
I did some research- Thank you! 

Those monitors LOOK fantastic, however considering I'm on a budget and would need a new GPU very soon anyway, then  if I already have a SAMSUNG 4K TV I'm using, should I just continue using that to game on and spend the available cash on the GPU INSTEAD - the SAMSUNG seems to work well but obviously tears do come occasionally - it's either my CURRENT TV resolution or the GTX 970 or the RAM may be holding me back there - I notice it more profoundly during game cut sequences like in Starcraft LOTV, for example?

3. CPU wise it seems many people are of the option I may be "FINE" FOR NOW - though I'm fairly certain I'll be "forced" to look into upgrading my MB and CPU by next year or so anyway! 

4. Games wise I'm looking to play (as I mentioned on 1440p or 4k) Shadow of War (I still haven't bought it yet), Diablo 4, Skyrim 6 (when it EVENTUALLY releases ), plus some other AAA titles in 2021, but I mostly enjoy dungeon crawlers or open world RPG'S - me investing in either GTX 2000 series OR RTX 3000 series is obviously the way to go for that - but it all depends on my budget (and the GPU  market). 

5. Any other comments from other community members are much appreciated! 

Thanks in advance.


----------



## AleXXX666 (Mar 2, 2021)

PooPipeBoy said:


> Everyone has their theories on the ideal memory capacity, but 16GB does seem to be the best all-rounder right now. The days of 8GB are over because it's common to be using more than that even while doing menial tasks, but at the same time I haven't seen my own usage go higher than 13GB. I think it was while playing BeamNG.drive with a custom map and a bunch of junk in the background. Having 32GB is great for peace of mind if you want to be a memory hog and not have to worry about upgrading in the near future.


the 12 gb is "recommended" now:




Spoiler: Call of Duty: Warzone (2020) System Requirements (Minimum)



CPU: Intel Core i3-4340 or AMD FX-6300
CPU SPEED: Info
RAM: 8 GB
OS: Windows 7 64-Bit (SP1) or Windows 10 64-Bit (1709 or later)
VIDEO CARD: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 / NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 or AMD Radeon HD 7950
PIXEL SHADER: 5.0
VERTEX SHADER: 5.0
SOUND CARD: Yes
FREE DISK SPACE: 175 GB
DEDICATED VIDEO RAM: 2048 MB





Spoiler: Call of Duty: Warzone Recommended Requirements



CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K or AMD Ryzen R5 1600X Processor
CPU SPEED: Info
*RAM: 12 GB*
OS: Windows 10 64 Bit (latest Service Pack)
VIDEO CARD: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 4GB / GTX 1660 6GB or AMD Radeon R9 390 / AMD RX 580
PIXEL SHADER: 5.1
VERTEX SHADER: 5.1
SOUND CARD: Yes
FREE DISK SPACE: 175 GB
DEDICATED VIDEO RAM: 4096 MB



keep yelling that 16 gb is "ultimate" lol



milewski1015 said:


> For sure. 32GB is fine if you want to ball out/"future-proof" or are doing some memory-intensive work like photo/video editing, but for the average gamer that doesn't have memory-intensive programs open 24/7, 16 is plenty. But if you're trying to min-max your budget, there are better places to put your money than bumping up to 32GB of RAM


here you go little baby your birthday new gaming pc! just don't forget to close everything before launching the games!



Isaac` said:


> thats what im saying AleX is saying that 16g is basicly useless


not saying useLESS like 8 (for middle-budget gaming pc), but not so "plenty" because custom-gaming-pcs in high-price-shelves are ALWAYS 32 gb already like 2 yrs. only scam-gaming-pc will put like 3080 or 2080ti whatever and 16 gb lol. that's like buying a Ferrari and china cheapest tires for it lmfao



lexluthermiester said:


> I run FireFox. Chrome is not secure enough for my requirements, and security on Edge is a joke inside another joke.


security? Tor? custom-enterprise-vpn? where the DummyFox is more secure than Doodle Throwme? 



Super XP said:


> Umm, all CPUs are terrible value due to how overpriced they've been lately. And lets not get into GPUs, they are even worse.


uhh rlly, cpu overpriced, back times i got 10600K for ~$290, now i'm crying seeing 10700F even cheaper. overpriced only amd 5000-moneyscam-editions.



lexluthermiester said:


> Dude, good grief! Close your browser. That is an obnoxious amount of RAM being used by Chrome. At least close some bloody tabs for crying out load..


my pc was built not to care about ram usage or cpu usage by everything in background except kinnda stress-test if i'd like to. 



Isaac` said:


> i like having it to do renders slowly while gaming


nice joke, i'm mining on mine in the background. what could you render at realistic speed on igpu without CUDA? youtube clips in 360p?


----------



## oobymach (Mar 2, 2021)

Best obvious upgrade imo would be a 1tb ssd for games. If you want to have extra space for new gen games get a bigger one, but 1tb minimum for your game drive. 

Also would recommend 16gb ram (2x 8gb sticks), you only really need more if you're going quad channel or 4x 8gb sticks.


----------



## AleXXX666 (Mar 2, 2021)

milewski1015 said:


> For sure. 32GB is fine if you want to ball out/"future-proof" or are doing some memory-intensive work like photo/video editing, but for the average gamer that doesn't have memory-intensive programs open 24/7, 16 is plenty. But if you're trying to min-max your budget, there are better places to put your money than bumping up to 32GB of RAM


lmfao, the browser and the little picture in photoshop is nowadays considered "memory hogs"? that jokes about chrome are created by people still using their retro-"gaMMing"-machines with 4 gb ram along with core2duos. at work we have 8 gb of ram and could open plenty ~30 of chrome tabs without errors lol.


----------



## Hachi_Roku256563 (Mar 2, 2021)

AleXXX666 said:


> useLESS like 8 (for middle-budget gaming pc), but not so "plenty" because custom-gaming-pcs in high-price-shelves are ALWAYS 32 gb already


Umm because noting ever uses all of 16g we have proven you se the edge case you don't need to close everything withb16g that requirement is installed memory not used memory so it accounts for programs in the background


----------



## AleXXX666 (Mar 2, 2021)

oobymach said:


> Best obvious upgrade imo would be a 1tb ssd for games. If you want to have extra space for new gen games get a bigger one, but 1tb minimum for your game drive.
> 
> Also would recommend 16gb ram (2x 8gb sticks), you only really need more if you're going quad channel or 4x 8gb sticks.


or some "d-signers" who buy 4 sticks only to have 4 rgb strips. looks funny like people like rgbs. i like too, but i wouldn't purchase extra 2 sticks whatever size they are just "for backlight" lol


----------



## Hachi_Roku256563 (Mar 2, 2021)

Also your "idle use case" was 90 chrome tabs GTA v and Photoshop that is not the average person


----------



## AleXXX666 (Mar 2, 2021)

Isaac` said:


> Umm because noting ever uses all of 16g we have proven you se the edge case you don't need to close everything withb16g that requirement is installed memory not used memory so it accounts for programs in the background


yeah, but it could easy be streched to 14. and the gold rule of good build, don't have anything utilized more than 50% most of the usage time. what is better, driving a car engine constantly at 2000 rpms out of 8000 or 5000 out of 8000?


Isaac` said:


> Also your "idle use case" was 90 chrome tabs GTA v and Photoshop that is not the average person


this was just "easiest"example bro. the pcs ARE NOT DUMB CONSOLES. people can try some other stuff besides gaming on pc, for example, that little gamer could want start streaming his/her gameplay. mommy, let's go upgrade my pc, i wan't to try something new! this like every half a year, lol, instead of building/buying the pc with brain that a little extra is not for idiots only.


----------



## Hachi_Roku256563 (Mar 2, 2021)

AleXXX666 said:


> yeah, but it could easy be streched to 14. and the gold rule of good build, don't have anything utilized more than 50% most of the usage time.


that is never a rule are you thinking psu? why would you not you half of your ram?
Also you dont want to use half yout cpu or gpu???
also a 16g ram system would be able to keep up in that situation perfectly fine
sure its running at 90% usage but half the stuff in memory is not being used so it gets thrown to swap
ok lets say your playing gta v and listening to music on chrome
photoshop can go to swap
the other 89 chrome tab can go to swap
ban thats like 6-7g free and your back down to 10-9g
so a 16g system can keep up in your "proof for need of 32g"



AleXXX666 said:


> yeah, but it could easy be streched to 14. and the gold rule of good build, don't have anything utilized more than 50% most of the usage time. what is better, driving a car engine constantly at 2000 rpms out of 8000 or 5000 out of 8000?
> 
> this was just "easiest"example bro. the pcs ARE NOT DUMB CONSOLES. people can try some other stuff besides gaming on pc, for example, that little gamer could want start streaming his/her gameplay. mommy, let's go upgrade my pc, i wan't to try something new! this like every half a year, lol, instead of building/buying the pc with brain that a little extra is not for idiots only.


yeah but not all at the same time???
the point of a pc is not to do everything at once
if thats how you think it works your doing it wrong
just because they can doesnt mean they should


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## 80-watt Hamster (Mar 2, 2021)

AleXXX666 said:


> yeah, but it could easy be streched to 14. and the gold rule of good build, don't have anything utilized more than 50% most of the usage time. what is better, driving a car engine constantly at 2000 rpms out of 8000 or 5000 out of 8000?



That's not a great analogy for RAM.  Higher memory usage doesn't mean more stress on the system.  I guess if you're swapping in/out of the pagefile a lot, but even now that's not generally the case with 16GB.


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## milewski1015 (Mar 2, 2021)

AleXXX666 said:


> here you go little baby your birthday new gaming pc! just don't forget to close everything before launching the games!


As @lexluthermiester mentioned much earlier in this thread, some people want to devote all their PC's resources to the game they're playing. 16GB is plenty for your average gamer to leave some other programs open while gaming. Just last night I was playing Cyberpunk, had 30-some Firefox tabs open, iTunes, Discord, and a couple other lighter applications open. Didn't come close to maxing out my 16GB. Your argument that 16GB isn't enough to have programs open while gaming is objectively wrong. 



AleXXX666 said:


> lmfao, the browser and the little picture in photoshop is nowadays considered "memory hogs"? that jokes about chrome are created by people still using their retro-"gaMMing"-machines with 4 gb ram along with core2duos. at work we have 8 gb of ram and could open plenty ~30 of chrome tabs without errors lol.


Yes, your browser instance is taking up more memory than the 3D game you have open. That's what's using most of your memory so I'd call it the memory hog there.



AleXXX666 said:


> and the gold rule of good build, don't have anything utilized more than 50% most of the usage time.


That's a terrible "golden rule" to follow. About the whole only thing I could maybe agree on would be SSDs and not filling them up close to the brim, but I don't follow that rule personally. You're saying you'd spec out your PC to only utilize 50% of the GPU power? The point we're all trying to make is that in terms of upgrades for the OP, there are more effective places to spend their money than shelling out for 32GB of RAM over 16GB.


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## Hachi_Roku256563 (Mar 2, 2021)

milewski1015 said:


> As @lexluthermiester mentioned much earlier in this thread, some people want to devote all their PC's resources to the game they're playing. 16GB is plenty for your average gamer to leave some other programs open while gaming. Just last night I was playing Cyberpunk, had 30-some Firefox tabs open, iTunes, Discord, and a couple other lighter applications open. Didn't come close to maxing out my 16GB. Your argument that 16GB isn't enough to have programs open while gaming is objectively wrong.
> 
> 
> Yes, your browser instance is taking up more memory than the 3D game you have open. That's what's using most of your memory so I'd call it the memory hog there.
> ...


I say try not 10 percent of ssd


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## milewski1015 (Mar 2, 2021)

Isaac` said:


> I say try not 10 percent of ssd


As in no more than 90% full? That's probably what mine are about at aside from my OS drive, but I've been meaning to upgrade storage for a bit and will likely do so sooner rather than later.



AleXXX666 said:


> not saying useLESS like 8 (for middle-budget gaming pc), but not so "plenty" because custom-gaming-pcs in high-price-shelves are ALWAYS 32 gb already like 2 yrs. only scam-gaming-pc will put like 3080 or 2080ti whatever and 16 gb lol. that's like buying a Ferrari and china cheapest tires for it lmfao


You're talking about prebuilts here, where the manufacturer is generally marketing to the less tech-saavy that probably sees 32GB of RAM and says moar better. If you're buying systems that house GPUs around the $1000 price point, chances are you have the scratch to shell out for double the amount of RAM. But we're talking about OP making cost-effective upgrades to a current system - the basis of which is spending money on things you need, not things you don't need. If OP isn't memory bound at 16GB (which they likely won't be given the examples myself and others have shared throughout this thread with their use cases of systems with 16GB), there's no need to spend almost double the amount of money on 32GB.


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## AleXXX666 (Mar 2, 2021)

Isaac` said:


> that is never a rule are you thinking psu? why would you not you half of your ram?
> Also you dont want to use half yout cpu or gpu???
> also a 16g ram system would be able to keep up in that situation perfectly fine
> sure its running at 90% usage but half the stuff in memory is not being used so it gets thrown to swap
> ...


gpu-wise, in gaming, it should be the only component maxed out. if my cpu hitting 80% in gaming, likely, in close-up future it will bottleneck huh



Isaac` said:


> that is never a rule are you thinking psu? why would you not you half of your ram?
> Also you dont want to use half yout cpu or gpu???
> also a 16g ram system would be able to keep up in that situation perfectly fine
> sure its running at 90% usage but half the stuff in memory is not being used so it gets thrown to swap
> ...


lol, not psu only. and believe, there some persons who even built with psu "barely ok", they just think they are overpaying because "even my 2080ti with my ryzen 9 eats max 450w, why i need crazy 650w+" lol
gpu should be maxed in games, but cpu.. time to upgrade if it hits 80+% constantly lol oh yeah, or "staying with it as it's okay" (hello, Phenom X6 or FX-8*** users)


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## Hachi_Roku256563 (Mar 2, 2021)

AleXXX666 said:


> gpu-wise, in gaming, it should be the only component maxed out. if my cpu hitting 80% in gaming, likely, in close-up future it will bottleneck huh
> 
> 
> lol, not psu only. and believe, there some persons who even built with psu "barely ok", they just think they are overpaying because "even my 2080ti with my ryzen 9 eats max 450w, why i need crazy 650w+" lol
> gpu should be maxed in games, but cpu.. time to upgrade if it hits 80+% constantly lol oh yeah, or "staying with it as it's okay" (hello, Phenom X6 or FX-8*** users)


But why do you need 32g of ram as I have said 16g would be fine in your extrame edgecase


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## AleXXX666 (Mar 2, 2021)

Isaac` said:


> But why do you need 32g of ram as I have said 16g would be fine in your extrame edgecase


because because


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## Hachi_Roku256563 (Mar 2, 2021)

AleXXX666 said:


> because because


So no reason and your spreading misinformation


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## AleXXX666 (Mar 3, 2021)

Isaac` said:


> So no reason and your spreading misinformation


okay so


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## bobbybluz (Mar 3, 2021)

Personally I'd keep that Cooler Master Cosmos SE case and reuse it. With a bit of reworking they have fantastic airflow plus a lot of space.


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## AleXXX666 (Mar 3, 2021)

bobbybluz said:


> Personally I'd keep that Cooler Master Cosmos SE case and reuse it. With a bit of reworking they have fantastic airflow plus a lot of space.


this big and not even E-ATX. Funny Master sometimes is very proud of its product, when there is no something outrageous in it lol
nice retro-gaming design, but..


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## bobbybluz (Mar 3, 2021)

AleXXX666 said:


> this big and not even E-ATX. Funny Master sometimes is very proud of its product, when there is no something outrageous in it lol
> nice retro-gaming design, but..


I have a Cosmos 1000 I bought used off Craigslist for $20 around 11 years ago. I've done a lot of modding to it (some ghetto) and love it. The PC I'm using at the moment is part of it. Other than being heavy as hell and the side panel latches an eventual future headache (fixed that by using 25 x 16 x 1 furnace filters for side panels) the thing is as solid as an anvil and should last forever. Mine is getting new innards and some more Dremel surgery in the very near future. I've more than gotten my money's worth out of it so far. If I could  get another for $20 I'd jump on it.


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## AleXXX666 (Mar 3, 2021)

bobbybluz said:


> I have a Cosmos 1000 I bought used off Craigslist for $20 around 11 years ago. I've done a lot of modding to it (some ghetto) and love it. The PC I'm using at the moment is part of it. Other than being heavy as hell and the side panel latches an eventual future headache (fixed that by using 25 x 16 x 1 furnace filters for side panels) the thing is as solid as an anvil and should last forever. Mine is getting new innards and some more Dremel surgery in the very near future. I've more than gotten my money's worth out of it so far. If I could  get another for $20 I'd jump on it.


This price, is perfect. Was it new like $70, it’s okay. Something 160+, lol, huh, a bit crazy


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