1 Year later what should I upgrade first? 🤔

[SeanHorgan748]

This time last year I purchased my first Gaming PC and I've thoroughly enjoyed it ☺️

I mostly play games from the total war series, I've noticed the newer versions of the game make my fan rev up quite a bit. In fact I thought there was an issue when I first heard it but it turns out its ok (I think). I've also recently bought the new Microsoft Air Simulator and noticed that sometimes the graphics for me don't look as good as I see them look in videos for others.

A present to myself this year would be an upgrade to the PC.

I gather I can only upgrade to an Intel CPU, any recommendations? or should I upgrade GPU instead?

If anyone could help with advice id really appreciate.

Case
PCS SPECTRUM G ARGB MID TOWER CASE (PWM)
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-12400F (Up to 4.4GHz) 18MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME B760-PLUS D4 (LGA1700, DDR4, PCIe 5.0)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
12GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 3060 - HDMI, DP, LHR
Graphics Card Support Bracket
NONE (BRACKET INCLUDED AS STANDARD ON 4070 Ti AND ABOVE)
1st M.2 SSD Drive
1TB SOLIDIGM P41+ GEN 4 M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 4125MB/sR, 2950MB/sW)
1st Storage Drive
NONE
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive
NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W CV SERIES™ CV-550 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 ARGB V3 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
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6E AX210 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
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
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
Norton 360 inc. Game Optimizer - Free 90 Day License
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book

 

[TonyCarter]

Your upgrade options are limited because you bought what we'd call 'throwaway' PC. I'm assuming it was it a pre-built/next day/Currys option, as no-one on here would have configured that (very low spec considering this is only 12 months old).

• Basic PSU with no headroom for a beefier GPU or CPU
• 4 generation old CPU (we were on 14th gen last year)
• Low level cooler
• 4 year old 1080p GPU
• Poor case
• DDR4
• Norton malware
• Prime motherboard
• Single SSD

Even a year ago, we would have recommended an AMD AM5 build as they were faster, cooler and because it was a new platform had room for 3 generations of upgrades.

The most you could probably do is put a 12/13/14600 CPU in and a current gen 1080p GPU (4060Ti or AMD7700XT) - but be aware the next gen GPUs come out Q1 2025.

 

[SeanHorgan748]

Your upgrade options are limited because you bought what we'd call 'throwaway' PC. I'm assuming it was it a pre-built/next day/Currys option, as no-one on here would have configured that (very low spec considering this is only 12 months old).

• Basic PSU with no headroom for a beefier GPU or CPU
• 4 generation old CPU (we were on 14th gen last year)
• Low level cooler
• 4 year old 1080p GPU
• Poor case
• DDR4
• Norton malware
• Prime motherboard
• Single SSD

Even a year ago, we would have recommended an AMD AM5 build as they were faster, cooler and because it was a new platform had room for 3 generations of upgrades.

The most you could probably do is put a 12/13/14600 CPU in and a current gen 1080p GPU (4060Ti or AMD7700XT) - but be aware the next gen GPUs come out Q1 2025.

I bought it from PCspecialist this week last year😪😓
I didn't realise it was so bad, I've just finished paying for it.

I cant really afford to buy a CPU and a GPU just right now so was thinking of maybe going for the i7 14600k first and a new cooler.

is it truly terrible?

 

[TonyCarter]

We can be a bit harsh with our opinions on here, but we're harsh because we don't want people to buy something that's out of date within a year, or can't be upgraded easily.

However, we get lots of flack for telling people that they can't get a gaming PC for £1000 or £1200 or £1400 (or more like £1700 currently).

There's nothing we can do about the prices, but we know it's a false economy to pay £1200 one year for a relatively low-level 1080p build to only have to pay £1500 a year later to get something suitable for current 1080p needs. We'd rather have someone spend £1700 initially and then only have to spend £300-£500 every 3 years to upgrade the GPU.

 

[SeanHorgan748]

I appreciate the feedback. probably best to look at CPU first then over the GPU?

 

[TonyCarter]

I appreciate the feedback. probably best to look at CPU first then over the GPU?

It depends what's causing the fans (which ones?) to speed up.

Microsoft Flight Simulator is very resource heavy, so it could be GPU or CPU that needs upgrading...but there's only really spare power in that 550W PSU for a CPU upgrade (a GPU upgrade would require at least a 750W PSU - and due to the PSU model it would require almost a full strip & rebuild).

 

[SeanHorgan748]

I'm unsure which fan it is, I'm very new to this all. I was thinking of maybe upgrading these two parts first

Intel® Core™ i5 Six Core Processor i5-12400F (Up to 4.4GHz) 18MB Cache	Intel® Core™ i7 20-Core Processor i7-14700K (Up to 5.6GHz) 33MB Cache
CORSAIR 550W CV SERIES™ CV-550 POWER SUPPLY	CORSAIR 750W RMe SERIES™ MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET

 

[TonyCarter]

With the cooler you've got you couldn't go above a 14600 without upgrading the cooler, as the xx700/xx900 CPUs haver severe throttling issues when they get hot.

If you're not comfortable with PCs, you'd have to return the PC for it to be upgraded anyway...and the 750W RMe model would cover you for another 1080p GPU (xx60 model, but nothing higher) in the future.

But don't expect high FPS at high quality settings from MSFS2020 or MSFS2024 as they're both resource hogs, although they can both look great on lower settings and lower FPS than a fast-paced game would need.

 

[SeanHorgan748]

With the cooler you've got you couldn't go above a 14600 without upgrading the cooler, as the xx700/xx900 CPUs haver severe throttling issues when they get hot.

If you're not comfortable with PCs, you'd have to return the PC for it to be upgraded anyway...and the 750W RMe model would cover you for another 1080p GPU (xx60 model, but nothing higher) in the future.

But don't expect high FPS at high quality settings from MSFS2020 or MSFS2024 as they're both resource hogs, although they can both look great on lower settings and lower FPS than a fast-paced game would need.

Hey Tony, thank you for advice yesterday.

Today I have been thinking.

If I bought purchased the Elite H100i Corsair Cooler and the Corsair 1000w Rmx Series PSU.

Could they be used on a new ddr5 gaming PC later next year?

After reading your advice yesterday I thought why not attempt building a new PC next year.

 

[TonyCarter]

If you’re going to build a completely new PC, then I’d wait until you’re ready to do so, so that we can recommend the correct balance of parts.

 

[SeanHorgan748]

doesn't seem like there is much I can do to improve my current PC and make sure said parts can be used on a future build either then.

 

[SpyderTracks]

doesn't seem like there is much I can do to improve my current PC and make sure said parts can be used on a future build either then.

PCS only sell full systems, so you’d have to order an entire system anyway.

If you were looking to self build that’s not something we can help with, this forum is purely for PCS rigs, but there are plenty of places that can help advise if that’s what you’re looking to do

 

[SeanHorgan748]

PCS only sell full systems, so you’d have to order an entire system anyway.

If you were looking to self build that’s not something we can help with, this forum is purely for PCS rigs, but there are plenty of places that can help advise if that’s what you’re looking to do

Ok I think I’m gonna have to take the plunge and buy a new rig off here again 😅🤣

Any models you would recommend?

 

[SpyderTracks]

Ok I think I’m gonna have to take the plunge and buy a new rig off here again 😅🤣

Any models you would recommend?

If you can answer the following then we can offer some advice.

Please read before posting:- Collaboration of Helpful Hints

NB: These forums are not an official support channel. None of us work for PCS, we're all either customers or techies who just like to help out where possible. For any official support, you need to contact PCS directly either through your PCS account, or via the contact details on the main...

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