Upgrading My First PC

[Derse]

Hi everyone! This is my first time ever posting anything on the forum so please bear with me

 

I have had my first PC for almost a year now, and now that I have some pocket cash I'm ready to start upgrading it.

 

I don't honestly know all too much about how computers work or what to look for when choosing parts, so I mostly went with the best reviewed items on newegg that were within my price range. Any help with better understanding computers would also be greatly appreciated!

 

PC as it is: CPU: AMD FX-6350 Vishera 6-Core 3.9GHz

GPU: PowerColor Radeon R9 270X DEVIL

MOBO: ASUS M5A97 LE R2.0

RAM: Mushkin Redline Enhanced 1866 8gb 2x4 kit

Hard Drive: Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s

PSU: CORSAIR CSM Series CS750M 750W ATX12V

Case Fans: x3 Cooler Master SickleFlow 120mm

Case: Thermaltake Commander MS-I ID VN400A1W2N Black SECC ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

 

In terms of upgrading, I'm looking to add another hard drive, a 256 GB SSD, A water cooling system, 8 more gigs of ram, and the AMD FX-8350 Black Edition Vishera 8-Core Processor.

 

Again, I'm fairly new to the world of computers, and I have no idea if the choices I made for my build were any good. That being said, any and all feedback regarding this topic is GREATLY appreciated Thanks everyone!

 

PS: I have about $650 dollars set aside for components.

 

 

[TheSLSAMG]

I would add a new case personally, but your upgrade path seems logical.

[ZacDaMan72]

I'd sell your 6300, 270X and motherboard and go with an Intel i5-4690k and a MSI Gaming 3/5 and a 280X.

[Guest]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

First of all, what will be the main use of the PC? If we just talk about a gaming PC then adding more ram or upgrading the CPU will not make a huge difference (more ram will make absolutely no difference in your case, actually). If you just want better gaming performance then upgrading to a better GPU should be your first step.

 

Adding an SSD as a boot drive is always a great idea. Put your OS, all your frequently used programs and some games on it and everything will feel so much snappier. Another HDD is an abvious choice if you need more storage.

 

Water cooling, especially with your components, doesn't make a huge lot of sense. It will be pretty expensive and it won't add any performance to your system. It may look nice and bring down temperatures and noise levels, but it should be the last thing you do when you upgrade. Just go for it when you actually have very high end components in your PC already, the money is spent way better in other places right now.

 

 

I'd say you should sell the R9 270x, get a better GPU (r9 290 or R9 280x) + the SSD and an HDD if you need it.

[Derse]

Thanks for all the feedback so far! I've never had a topic on any forum be replied to so quickly.

The main purpose of this PC currently is for gaming, but eventually after I graduate from highschool it will probably have to have some work functionality added to it.

[Guest]

Thanks for all the feedback so far! I've never had a topic on any forum be replied to so quickly.

The main purpose of this PC currently is for gaming, but eventually after I graduate from highschool it will probably have to have some work functionality added to it.

 

Well, as long as you're not doing video editing or 3d rendering then it really doesn't matter CPU- or RAM-wise. Your CPU is actually pretty good if you have to multitask a lot, and since most games nowadays are properly multithreaded it should also perform well in games. 8GB of ram are absolutely fine as well, not a single game out there needs more than that. I still think you're fine with your current CPU and that you should look for a GPU upgrade (R9 290 perhaps, with your budget). A new GPU and an SSD will really benefit you the most, while a new CPU, more ram and watercooling will do very little in your current situation.

[Derse]

Since I'm fairly new to computers, I'd like to know, what factors should I be looking for when selecting parts?