PC UPGRADE ADVICE NEEDED

[L-Dog]

Hey guys, want to start upgrading my PC and think I should probably start with my CPU. Any recommendations? I assume my motherboard and Ram will have to follow.


Current Specs


Antec VP500P, 500w
Corsair Vengeance LPX CMK8GX4M1A2400C14, 8GB, DDR4-2400, CL14, Black
Kingston UV400 SUV400S37/240G, 240GB, 2.5", SATA6G, Read/Write: 550/490MB/s
EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 03G-P4-6160
Intel Kaby Lake Pentium G4560 BX80677G4560
ASRock B250M-HDV
Cooler Master MasterBox 3 Lite MCW-L3B2-KN5N - Black/Silver

 

[EmileS]

Definitely needs new CPU, which will most likely require a motherboard. I would suggest i3-9400F or the equivalent 10th series combo. It all depends on your budget though. Could also go AMD.

RAM is fine for now. Do you only have 1 stick or 2? If only 1, try and get 2x8GB at least.

 

[L-Dog]

Budget is around R2k, can be increased if I sell my current CPU. Might go AMD as I still want to use the Mobo.. I have 1 stick ram so can probably upgrade this and also looking for an SSD sale

 

[Altforce]

Definitely needs new CPU, which will most likely require a motherboard. I would suggest i3-9400F or the equivalent 10th series combo. It all depends on your budget though. Could also go AMD.

RAM is fine for now. Do you only have 1 stick or 2? If only 1, try and get 2x8GB at least.

Think you meant i5 9400F ?
Very solid cpu for the price range

 

[L-Dog]

Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 Memory Module (8GB)(2400MHz)(Black)

Vengeance LPX memory is designed for high-performance overclocking. The heatspreader is made of pure aluminum for faster heat dissipation, and the eight-layer PCB helps manage heat and provides superior overclocking headroom. The DDR4 form factor is optimized for the latest Intel X99 Series...

www.loot.co.za

Looks like a good deal

 

[goldfritter]

Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 Memory Module (8GB)(2400MHz)(Black)

Vengeance LPX memory is designed for high-performance overclocking. The heatspreader is made of pure aluminum for faster heat dissipation, and the eight-layer PCB helps manage heat and provides superior overclocking headroom. The DDR4 form factor is optimized for the latest Intel X99 Series...

www.loot.co.za

Looks like a good deal

You may run into issues trying to use two sticks of RAM that are not identical. Based on your specs you have CMK8GX4M1A2400C14 but your Loot link is CMK8GX4M1A2400C16.

You have two options: A) scour the net for the exact same RAM as yours, or B) buy a fresh 2x8GB kit and sell your 1 x 8GB kit here on Carb. I would go for B simply because it's easier.

Upgrading the RAM first is actually a good idea IMO because your new RAM will be compatible with any future Mobo upgrade you could get for the foreseeable future. Try make sure you get a 2 x 8GB kit for the benefit of dual-channel.

 

[goldfritter]

I've given it a bit more thought. Your current system is actually quite well-balanced, so any single component upgrade isn't going to boost your frames that much. You'll need to upgrade all 3 of your RAM/CPU/GPU to get a big performance jump.

With that in mind, RAM is the most logical first upgrade. Get a 2 x 8GB kit. With your current budget you can afford a 3200MHz kit which will give faster frames on AMD/more consistent frames on Intel. But, if you rather want to save around R 500 to spend on other stuff, 2400Mhz is ok.

What you do next depends on your resolution/refresh rate goals. You're probably running a 1080p/60Hz screen. If you're happy with that (as the majority of gamers are), you'll want a 1660Ti/1660 Super to get 1080p/60Hz at high graphics on most games, or a 2060 Super to get 1080p/60Hz at ultra graphics for almost all games. (Someone else can help with the AMD equivalents as I am not so clued up).

But then you need a CPU to match the GPU. I'd lean towards a Ryzen 3 3300X/B550 motherboard combo, because the B550 platform keeps your options open to upgrade to a more powerful CPU (3600 or even 3700X) in future. The B450 is generally as good as the B550 despite being older, and if you get an MSI B450 with MAX in the name, it will support the next gen of Ryzen CPUs too. You can also go i5 9400F/B360, but that is a bit more limited in terms of upgrade.

Also note if you get a 2060 Super, or a 3600/9400 or above, I'd recommend upgrading your PSU to 650 - 700W.

Overall if you have only R 2 000 now, I would buy the RAM, and then save up over time for the next thing, probably CPU + mobo first. By that time it's possible there will be new ranges of CPUs and GPUs available.

Lastly, you mentioned you may want to keep the mobo - unfortunately it supports only up to 7th gen CPUs, so you won't be able to use it in any of these upgrade suggestions. So you will need a new one.

 

[EmileS]

Think you meant i5 9400F ?
Very solid cpu for the price range

Looking at his component list, I figured his budget won't stretch that far.

 

[L-Dog]

Thanks for the info, looking for the best value for money options as I will probably buy a PS5 but would still like to play some RTS and FPS on the PC. Will definitely look at the ram first and then maybe the CPU although if i require a CPU + Mobo it gets a bit expensive for a part time gaming machine.

 

[L-Dog]

You may run into issues trying to use two sticks of RAM that are not identical. Based on your specs you have CMK8GX4M1A2400C14 but your Loot link is CMK8GX4M1A2400C16.

You have two options: A) scour the net for the exact same RAM as yours, or B) buy a fresh 2x8GB kit and sell your 1 x 8GB kit here on Carb. I would go for B simply because it's easier.

Upgrading the RAM first is actually a good idea IMO because your new RAM will be compatible with any future Mobo upgrade you could get for the foreseeable future. Try make sure you get a 2 x 8GB kit for the benefit of dual-channel.

Got the ram on special from loot, the C14 version. Is it just plug and play or do I need to change anything for dual-channeling ?

 

[Roobir]

Just plug and play, make sure you have enabled XMP profile in the BIOS to use the benefit of the correct lower timings.

You can install CPU-Z to check if the dual channel is implemented without an issue. But there won't be any concern really

 

[Roobir]

Wait a second, can you link your motherboard. Some of the mid-budget motherboards only have 2 slots and some have 4. Need to make sure you install in the right slot for dual channel if you have 4.

EDIT: I am blind, your motherboard is the following from your first post: ASRock > B250M-HDV

Looks like only 2x memory slots available so should be simple plug n play. While in BIOS just make sure that the XMP profile is enabled and it will automatically adjust to the correct timings and frequency. You can install CPU-Z to look at the values after the installation.

I did some upgrades to family friends' laptops over the weekend. The older HP is 3rd gen i5 was upgraded with SSD and additional 4GB DDR3 for dual channel and the dell is 4th gen i5 with just the same SSD (still on single channel 8GB). The dual channel memory definitely makes a difference to a snappier operating system performance. Good luck with your upgrade!

 

[L-Dog]

Thanks man will upgrade the CPU and buy another SSD once I have sold some items lying around.

 

[L-Dog]

Hey guys, want to start upgrading my PC and think I should probably start with my CPU. Any recommendations? I assume my motherboard and Ram will have to follow.


Current Specs


Antec VP500P, 500w
Corsair Vengeance LPX CMK8GX4M1A2400C14, 8GB, DDR4-2400, CL14, Black
Kingston UV400 SUV400S37/240G, 240GB, 2.5", SATA6G, Read/Write: 550/490MB/s
EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 03G-P4-6160
Intel Kaby Lake Pentium G4560 BX80677G4560
ASRock B250M-HDV
Cooler Master MasterBox 3 Lite MCW-L3B2-KN5N - Black/Silver

Hey guys upgraded the ram to 16 GB and I am also going to buy another 960GB SSD as I can always reuse this in a new computer in a couple of years. For my last upgrade I guess it will have to be the CPU, think the Mobo only supports 6th & 7th generation chips. Any recommendations ? I assume the existing intel Fan on the CPU should be fine ?

 

[L-Dog]

Which one of these is a better deal:

I7 - 6700 (R 2 200)

or

I5 - 7500 ( R 1500)

https://carbonite.co.za/index.php?t...-incl-postnet-to-postnet.307714/#post-2072645

[Sale] - Intel Core i5 7500 Processor | Intel

Item: i5 7500 Age: 3 years Price: R1500 Warranty: Expired, but i have PoP Packaging: Yes Condition: Good Location: Pretoria Reason: Upgrading Shipping: At buyer expense Link: Intel Core i5 7500 Processor - Best Deal - South Africa

carbonite.co.za