PC upgrade advice

S

Sanzaburo

Active member
Hi!
I know nothing about PC hardware.
I've had my current PC (bought from here) for a while now, and I'm thinking about upgrading it for game performance (I want a great experience playing Space Marine 2 when it's out) and general speed/quality of life.

Can anyone advise or what I should be considering?
I don't have a particular budget in mind but I don't mind paying ~£300 for this.

Here's what I have now:

  • CPU - AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core
  • GPU - GEFORCE RTX 2060 SUPER
  • Motherboard - ASUS TUF GAMING B550
  • Case (if it matters) - CORSAIR 4000D case

I appreciate any and all advice.
 
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Sanzaburo said:
Hi!
I know nothing about PC hardware.
I've had my current PC (bought from here) for a while now, and I'm thinking about upgrading it for game performance (I want to play Space Marine 2 when it's out) and general speed/quality of life.

Can anyone advise or what I should be considering?
I don't have a particular budget in mind but I don't mind paying ~£300 for this.

Here's what I have now:

  • CPU - AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core
  • GPU - GEFORCE RTX 2060 SUPER
  • Motherboard - ASUS TUF GAMING B550
  • Case (if it matters) - CORSAIR 4000D case

I appreciate any and all advice.
Click to expand...
Could you copy and paste your full specs from the order page of your account? Remember to leave out your windows license if it's included.
 
S

Sanzaburo

Active member
Of course!


Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4)
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (AM4, DDR4, PCIe 4.0)
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 SUPER - HDMI, DP - VR Ready!
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2200 MB/R, 1500 MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
 
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
So these are the areas you can boost for 1080p and factoring in Recommended Specs for Space Marine 2 at 1080p

Case
CORSAIR 4000D AIRFLOW TEMPERED GLASS GAMING CASE - Good case, solid choice for upgrades and airflow
Processor (CPU)
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 Six Core CPU (3.6GHz-4.2GHz/36MB CACHE/AM4) - This could be upped to the 5800X3D
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF GAMING B550-PLUS (AM4, DDR4, PCIe 4.0) - Solid board with PCIe4
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB) - Replace with 2 x 16Gb DDR 4 3200
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2060 SUPER - HDMI, DP - VR Ready! - Definitely needs upgrading, 7800XT would be what to aim for
1st M.2 SSD Drive
500GB SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3500MB/R, 3200MB/W) - Could replace with a PCIe 4 drive for a performance bump
2nd M.2 SSD Drive
1TB PCS PCIe M.2 SSD (2200 MB/R, 1500 MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
1TB Samsung 870 QVO 2.5" SSD, SATA 6Gb/s (up to 560MB/sR | 530MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET -
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card
10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS


So all in all, in order of necessityish and going by lowest cost, these are prices from a quick hunt on google, not necessarily PCS prices

1000w RMx PSU - £140

RX7700XT GPU - £370 - £400 (NVidia alternative factoring in VRAM is the 4060ti 16Gb @ £480

2 x 16Gb 3200 DDR4 = BUT there happens to be a very good offer on now on eBuyer for 3600MHz = £48 to £60

5800X3D = £270

Total: £870 ish at the top end

So with a budget of £300 you're very limited in what you can do.

The recommended GPU for Space Marines 2 is actually the 7800XT to average 60fps at 1080p, so it's quite a hungry game. The CPU recommended is the 5800X3D
 
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S

Sanzaburo

Active member
This is great, thank you!

Looks like I need a much bigger upgrade than I thought. I'll get there but I also don't want to commit to everything at once. If I were to upgrade, which part(s) do I need first? Just for speed perhaps rather than a specific game.
 
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
I forgot about the PSU, for the recommended specs of GPU for space marines 2, you’d need a 7800XT or 4070 Super

You really need to consider about 1000w on the cpu for good comfort

The list is in order and amended to include psu
 
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Sanzaburo said:
This is great, thank you!

Looks like I need a much bigger upgrade than I thought. I'll get there but I also don't want to commit to everything at once. If I were to upgrade, which part(s) do I need first? Just for speed perhaps rather than a specific game.
Click to expand...
The list is in order, and the minimum I'd suggest for 1080p without factoring in Space Marines 2

The higher 7800XT or 4070 Super would be for Space Marines, but the rest of the list would be the same either way.

This is the trouble with going so low on an initial build and cutting the platform. If you'd spent about £150 more on the initial order, that would have saved you about £300 now
 
Scott

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
For a speed bump without having to factor in a GPU, the only option is the 5800X3D (or the 5700X3D to save a few bob).

This won't make for ground breaking increases, but you should get a reasonable gain.

A free upgrade would be a fresh install of Windows as a guess. Ensure that you're only using the primary drive for Windows and main programs, keeping the drive less than 50% full to get the performance.

RAM would be worthwhile if you have the spare budget left over but don't expect to much of a bump here either.

The main gains are going to be from the GPU, but as stated you'll need the PSU at the same time. This is where the money increases steeply.
 
S

Sanzaburo

Active member
SpyderTracks said:
The list is in order, and the minimum I'd suggest for 1080p without factoring in Space Marines 2
Click to expand...
Thank you again for all your advice. I appreciate it. Sounds like I'm assembling a brand new build onto a motherboard and a case haha :LOL:

SpyderTracks said:
This is the trouble with going so low on an initial build and cutting the platform. If you'd spent about £150 more on the initial order, that would have saved you about £300 now
Click to expand...
Didn't help I was buying during deep covid times and (I assume) I overpaid for all my parts anyway.

Scott said:
The main gains are going to be from the GPU, but as stated you'll need the PSU at the same time. This is where the money increases steeply.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the clarification!
 
S

Sanzaburo

Active member
Hey guys, I've decided to up my budget and do an everything-upgrade... I'm considering getting pcspecialist to put it together for me since I don't have the patience to learn how to do it myself and my past experience with their service was good.
They said they just don't touch the mobo and case.
Does it make sense to upgrade everything on top of my current ASUS TUF GAMING B550-PLUS and in the current case?

They suggested 7 7800X3D and 4070 Super as the upgrades which seems to be consistent with the advice I received so far.
 
Scott

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
7800X3D won't fit in the B550 so unsure why that's being recommended. The 5800X3D is the maximum gaming potential the board has.

If going to the expense of the 7800X3D, Motherboard, RAM and GPU, it's better to sell your current system and buy new, far better value overall.

The 5800X3D paired with the 4070 Super is a fair shout, but it would need a PSU upgrade as well. Their calculator that they use doesn't take into account maximum TDP or transient spikes, which are rife with the 3000 series +. Bare minimum would be the 750w RM. Your TXm PSU is a lower grade so even the 650w would be a major stretch. 1000w would be what we would recommend as a minimum to include some headroom for upgrades. If this is going to be the EOL for the PC though, 750w RM would be perfect, it has the functionality to cover transient spikes already built in, so the power is the power to keep it simple. It will be the equivalent of a 1200w PSU with them considered.
 
G

GusBat

New member
For £300, focus on upgrading your GPU to something like an RTX 3070 or 4070 for better gaming. Your CPU is okay but check if you need to upgrade it too. Look for deals and consider used parts for better value.
 
S

Sanzaburo

Active member
I gave up on thinking of a small upgrade and I'll just shell out around £1,500 on getting everything upgraded. Just need to figure out whether I can still keep my mobo or not and whether I want to put it together myself.
 
Scott

Scott

Behold The Ford Mondeo
Moderator
If you have £1500 considered, I would look to sell your current pc to bump up the available budget and just get new. You're literally only going to be taking the case with you. Even the drives are out dated, maybe keep one for storage but other than that it's the best way to get value.
 
S

Sanzaburo

Active member
Do you think even my case needs upgrading though?
Also, I've never sold a part in my life, is there someplace you can recommend for that or is it the standard ebay/fb marketplace combo?
 
SpyderTracks

SpyderTracks

We love you Ukraine
Sanzaburo said:
Do you think even my case needs upgrading though?
Also, I've never sold a part in my life, is there someplace you can recommend for that or is it the standard ebay/fb marketplace combo?
Click to expand...
We can only advise on PCSpecialist systems if you were getting upgrades through them or buying a system through them.

Selling parts is on normal marketplaces
 
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