Upgrade or buy new from scratch

Briarrose

Member
Hi there, I bought a PC from here approx 7-8 years ago and it is getting very slow and needs to be changed. I am not sure whether to upgrade my current system or buy new from scratch. I am leaning towards buying new from scratch as I would like to have a smaller case. I use the PC for mainly gaming and internet access, and budget is up to £3000k. Not really looked at any specs just yet - just wondering which way would be the best way to go generally. This is my current spec:

Case
COOLERMASTER HAF 912 PLUS MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD FX-4350 Quad Core CPU (4.3/4.2GHZ - 4MB CACHE/AM3+)
Motherboard
ASUS® M5A78L-M/USB3 (M-ATX, DDR3, USB 3.0, 3Gb/s)
Memory (RAM)
4GB Kingston DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 660 - 2 x DVI, HDMI, - 3D Vision Ready
1st Storage Drive
2TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD2002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W ENTHUSIAST SERIES™ MODULAR TXM-650 V2-80 PLUS®
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
4G Module
NONE, I WILL BE USING BROADBAND
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) DVD with paper sleeve
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY V2013 - 1 Year + 5GB Online Backup
Monitor
AOC 21.5" WIDESCREEN LED TFT - 1920 x 1080, 5MS, D-Sub, DVI-D
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Home Installation
Technician Assisted Installation & Set-Up
 

DarTon

Well-known member
Hi. You can't really upgrade that PC. It's done faithful service and deserves it's retirement. You can probably pull across both the hard drive (to use as archival storage) and the Windows license (upgrade to 10) but the rest of the components are not really useful.

A £3,000 budget is ample for a new PC. If you give us an idea of the use case (gaming, video editing, office work) and the monitor you want to pair it with, I'm sure forum members can come up with a good spec.
 

Briarrose

Member
Hi. You can't really upgrade that PC. It's done faithful service and deserves it's retirement. You can probably pull across both the hard drive (to use as archival storage) and the Windows license (upgrade to 10) but the rest of the components are not really useful.

A £3,000 budget is ample for a new PC. If you give us an idea of the use case (gaming, video editing, office work) and the monitor you want to pair it with, I'm sure forum members can come up with a good spec.
Hi Thanks for the advice and you have really confirmed what I thought was the best way to go. As for usage - I play WoW and FF14, internet shopping and banking etc but its the gaming mostly.

Don't think I would need to change the monitor as its doing ok for what I need. I only have a small space in the home office so don't need multiple monitors or anything fancy like that.

I guess now its the choice of a pre-made or select the components - the old machine was built this way.
 

Briarrose

Member
Just had a quick shop around and have selected the following as a new machine :


Case
CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 280X RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 Eight-Core Processor i9-11900K (3.5GHz) 16MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z590-I GAMING WIFI (Mini-ITX, LGA1200, USB 3.2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 SUPER - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
20TB SEAGATE IRONWOLF PRO 3.5", 7200 RPM 256MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H60 2018 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
LED Lighting
50cm Green LED Strip
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
GIGABIT LAN PORT + Wi-Fi
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
Microsoft® Office Home & Student 2019 (1 Digital License)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Home Installation
Technician Assisted Installation & Set-Up + Data Transfer (10GB)
Delivery
SATURDAY DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 11 working days
Price: £2,767.00 including VAT and Delivery
 

Briarrose

Member
Hi there

My current machine is approx 8 years old and is running really slow. I sought advice about upgrading or buying new and was advised to go for something new - here is the spec I have picked, budget is up to £3000, used mainly for gaming on WoW/FF14 and general typically girly internet use ie Shopping !! I'm not looking to replace monitor, mouse or keyboard currently:

New Spec:

Case
CORSAIR CRYSTAL SERIES 280X RGB GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i9 Eight-Core Processor i9-11900K (3.5GHz) 16MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® ROG STRIX Z590-I GAMING WIFI (Mini-ITX, LGA1200, USB 3.2, PCIe 4.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 SUPER - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3300MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
20TB SEAGATE IRONWOLF PRO 3.5", 7200 RPM 256MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H60 2018 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
ARCTIC MX-4 EXTREME THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY COMPOUND
LED Lighting
50cm Green LED Strip
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
Wireless Network Card
GIGABIT LAN PORT + Wi-Fi
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
Microsoft® Office Home & Student 2019 (1 Digital License)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Home Installation
Technician Assisted Installation & Set-Up + Data Transfer (10GB)
Delivery
SATURDAY DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 11 working days
Price: £2,767.00 including VAT and Delivery



In comparison here is my current spec that is slowly dying:

Case
COOLERMASTER HAF 912 PLUS MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD FX-4350 Quad Core CPU (4.3/4.2GHZ - 4MB CACHE/AM3+)
Motherboard
ASUS® M5A78L-M/USB3 (M-ATX, DDR3, USB 3.0, 3Gb/s)
Memory (RAM)
4GB Kingston DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 4GB)
Graphics Card
2GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 660 - 2 x DVI, HDMI, - 3D Vision Ready
1st Storage Drive
2TB WD CAVIAR BLACK WD2002FAEX, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (7200rpm)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W ENTHUSIAST SERIES™ MODULAR TXM-650 V2-80 PLUS®
Processor Cooling
STANDARD AMD CPU COOLER
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 4 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
4G Module
NONE, I WILL BE USING BROADBAND
Operating System
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1 - inc DVD & Licence
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) DVD with paper sleeve
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BULLGUARD INTERNET SECURITY V2013 - 1 Year + 5GB Online Backup
Monitor
AOC 21.5" WIDESCREEN LED TFT - 1920 x 1080, 5MS, D-Sub, DVI-D
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Home Installation
Technician Assisted Installation & Set-Up

Thanks

Briar
 

sck451

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
If it's just for gaming, you could literally spend £1500 less and not notice the difference because the monitor is the bottleneck. That makes it very bad value for money.

I would also not recommend that hard drive: it's basically designed for use in high end storage servers. Using a single hard drive of that size makes backup very difficult. If you really have that kind of storage need, you should look at a NAS, with redundancy built in, though backup will still be a challenge!

You've also chosen some rather old and not terribly strong parts in the 11900K and the 2060 Super. Current generation performance is much better.

Finally, I wouldn't spend money on a technician to plug the thing in, but I guess that's your preference. I know I or others on this forum would be very happy to help you do the setup.

If £3k is really your budget, I'd get a much better monitor, probably a 27" 1440p display. That's somewhere in the region of £300-400. The Gigabyte M27Q is probably the one to go for.

Here's my suggested build to go with it. It has as much storage as I would countenance putting in a case like this.

Case
CORSAIR 5000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 12-Core Processor i7-12700K (3.6GHz) 25MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING Z690-PLUS WIFI D4 (LGA1700, USB 3.2, PCIe 5.0) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 Ti - HDMI, DP, LHR
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 980 PRO M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 6900MB/R, 5000MB/W)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB INTEL® 670p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 3500MB/sR | 2500MB/sW)
1st Storage Drive
3TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
1st Storage Drive
3TB SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 850W RMx SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H150i ELITE CAPELLIX RGB Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 11 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00003]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser
Google Chrome™
Warranty
3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 11 working days
Price: £2,137.00 including VAT and Delivery
Unique URL to re-configure: https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/saved-configurations/intel-z690-pc/qAVYRMwzcw/
 

Briarrose

Member
Thanks for the advice. I don't have much idea about specs, used to have a friend that helped but that is out of the picture. I try to build a machine that does not need parts replacing often.
 

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Thanks for the advice. I don't have much idea about specs, used to have a friend that helped but that is out of the picture. I try to build a machine that does not need parts replacing often.
Anything you build, even if it's £5000 the first bottleneck will be the GPU, that's completely unavoidable.

The rest of the system you shouldn't need to change anything for 7 - 10 years if well designed.

We would always advise systems with this in mind. Just a couple of GPU upgrades during the lifetime.

The only thing I'd change on @sck451 build would be up the cooler to 1000w, it's been confirmed that the higher tier next gen cards will draw up to 800w on their own, without factoring in the rest of the system.
 
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