Hello everyone.
I've had my current PC for more than four years old now and I'm wondering when and how I should upgrade it. I have a Define R4, GTX 680, i7 3820 (stock cooler), 16GB DDR3, a XFX 650w PSU (80+ Bronze), a 840 ProSeries 128GB SSD and a 2TB WD Black. Since last year I've been planing to upgrade my whole system but for different reasons (moving to another city, quitting my job to study, rethinking if it's really worth 3000 USD for a computer etc.) I haven't got around to it. It struck me recently that my CPU is slightly better than the i5 2500k (correct me if I'm wrong) that many still use and that my GPU performs similarly to a GTX 960/1050ti. I play my games in 1080p and get between 40-50 fps in most new games on medium settings. This would make it an entry-level to mid-range gaming PC today. Since I'm a person who upgrades everything at the same time or nothing at all, buying a new PC (for 1440p 144hz/4k 60hz) would be very expensive. I've got money saved for it. The question, however, is if it's worth it right now. For the moment I don't mind playing games in medium settings and I don't find the frame rates unplayable, quite the opposite actually. I'm torn because I really want a high end PC but at the same time I'm thinking that if I wait a couple of years before buying a new one, the technology will have advanced enough for me to buy a computer capable of 4k at ~100hz for the same price as a rig containing a 7700k and a GTX 1080 today. Is my way of thinking wrong? Should I just use my current rig until some component die or should I upgrade in a near future? Should I upgrade it all today or should I just change some of my components (in that chase, which)? Am I wrong to think that my components are as good as I believe or are they still decent for 1080p gaming? Another factor to consider is; Right now I'm studying my first year for a bachelor (three years) and I plan to read my master abroad. This means that my rig would stand idle for two years before I can use it again and then the components would probably be as outdated as my current parts are. So, perhaps I should go for something mid range that will last 2-3 years instead?
Sorry for the long post and all the questions. I also apologize for my grammar and sentence structure. I've edited the text a couple of times and English isn't my native language. If you guys read this and come up with advise, thanks beforehand! I would really appreciate some advise regarding my current dilemma.
TL;DR: Are my current components (listed in the first row) terribly outdated or can I still use them for a couple of more years? If you advise me to upgrade, would should a buy a completely new computer or just some parts of it (in that case, which)? Is it worth the money to buy a high-end PC or should I focus on something mid-range?
Nacho_Libre got a reaction from Flavio hc 16 in When should I upgrade my PC?
