Looking to upgrade old i7 2600

[Divan85]

So I am thinking of upgrading my old system, but I have no idea where to start looking and more worryingly do not know what to get. I am not a serious gamer but I do like playing games, these days mostly CSGO. I would like to get into more of the latest games but unfortunately my PC isn't up to the task. Other than that I only use the PC for surfing and media.

Main questions: Do I go Intel or AMD? Latest i5 or i7? How much RAM do I need? Do I really need to upgrade?

I was looking at the Evetech upgrade kits, some of which aren't priced too badly. Used it for indicative pricing only, not necessarily going to buy from them.

Current build:
CPU: i7 2600
MOBO: Dell Optiplex 990 motherboard
RAM: 16GB
GPU: EVGA GTX1060 SC 6GB
PSU: CoolerMaster RS-460
Monitor: Acer 24" 144Hz
Case: Raidmax Vortex V4

Budget: Trying not to break the bank since I do not game every day, but looking around R4-6k max. The less the better.

I would appreciate any advise.

 

[Nikkel]

DDR4 much cheaper nowadays... As for platform... Any of current Intel or AMD setups will do the job nicely depending on how far you're willing to stretch the budget.

You basically just have to replace your motherboard, CPU and RAM for starters, GPU and PSU can be replaced later down the line

 

[ScorpioMan]

Maybe look for something like this : Core i5 9400F TUF B360M-PLUS 16GB DDR4 Upgrade Kit

 

[JollyJamma]

Maybe look for something like this : Core i5 9400F TUF B360M-PLUS 16GB DDR4 Upgrade Kit

Not a bad option at that price.

The problem with AMD is you need really good RAM to make best use of it - Samsung B die, ideally. This makes buying on a budget really tough.

Intels CPUs don’t give a fuck about CL timings or speed really. It makes a difference, sure, but it’s not an absolute must.

Meanwhile, AMD recommends DDR4-3600 speeds for their new Ryzen range. That shits expensive.

 

[WiZard]

For gaming, going from i7 2600 to i7 8700 will give you about 45% improvement, going from GTX 1060 to GTX 1080Ti should give about double the performance...

Best bet is a GPU upgrade (note: you may have to upgrade the PSU as well, but you can always sell the old PSU and GPU on Carb)

 

[Divan85]

I have been looking at these two upgrade kits:
Core i5 9400F MSI Z390-A Pro 16GB DDR4 Upgrade Kit
Core i5 9400F TUF B360M-PLUS 16GB DDR4 Upgrade Kit

Only difference the motherboard, ASUS vs MSI, both respected brands in my opinion.

Comparison: Compare ASUS TUF B360M-PLUS GAMING S vs MSI Z390-A PRO | B&H

The B360 seems to be a budget option, although I do not see any major differences. Any thoughts on the two?

I used to be clued up with all things PC and gaming but then life happened. Is it not better to have 2x 8GB RAM modules running dual-channel rather than having 1x16GB module?

 

[rinners]

Just get the new 2600, it's a decent match for a 1080ti

 

[souljazk]

Not a bad option at that price.

The problem with AMD is you need really good RAM to make best use of it - Samsung B die, ideally. This makes buying on a budget really tough.

Intels CPUs don’t give a fuck about CL timings or speed really. It makes a difference, sure, but it’s not an absolute must.

Meanwhile, AMD recommends DDR4-3600 speeds for their new Ryzen range. That shits expensive.

Apparently the new stuff is FAR more RAM friendly due to the memcontroller being taken off of the CPU die. With that said, higher RAM speed does make a diff on AMD.

 

[souljazk]

Just get the new 2600, it's a decent match for a 1080ti

IF overclocked to ~4.6Ghz & paired with atleast 2133Mhz RAM, otherwise it will bottleneck.

 

[JollyJamma]

IF overclocked to ~4.6Ghz & paired with atleast 2133Mhz RAM, otherwise it will bottleneck.

What? I’m so confused.

Are you guys mixing up AMD and Intel processors?

The new 2600 is hardly going to be an Intel.

 

[rinners]

Over clock a ryzen to 4.6 =O show me now!

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

 

[souljazk]

What? I’m so confused.

Are you guys mixing up AMD and Intel processors?

The new 2600 is hardly going to be an Intel.

My bad, I thought @rinners was recommending a i7 2600/k but I see OP has a i7 2600.

 

[hatmadter]

Hi, I'm pretty much in the same boat. I have a seven year old i7-3770, RX480 (newer), 16gig ram.
The Motherboard is busy going... I can only use two usb ports at a time...
But ja... I play games and stream movies to the rest of the house.

I am considering an i5-8400/9400 (sideways) upgrade while keeping my GFX. Then upgrade to i7-9700 in a year or so. 16gig ram should be plenty, with the option to go 32gig later (so need 4 ram slots).
Maybe see what Intel has in store for the i7-10700?

BUT... The Ryzen R5 3600 is pretty seductive. The 3600X, 3700x and 3800x looks redundant for my use (games), and at VERY diminished returns on investment... but I'm trying to hold back until a midrange motherboard is released... and I want a "550" board, and the 570 boards are like R4000.
I will need to check what Jollyjamma and Soul said about AMD and ram, I'm an OLD Intel fanboi and green to team red.

Let me know what you do... hopefully my current motherboard will give me another month or two so I can save and check!

GL!