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Upgrading PC -- What should I upgrade first?

Jake_Carmine
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I would get a SSD and slowly make preparations for platform upgrade but that CPU is fine for now if you don't want to switch

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Thanks for clicking!

 

Now let's get into it. Firstly, I am looking to upgrade my current PC. I was a novice with anything PC related when this PC was built for me (in 2012). Now, after a few years and a lot of PC gaming being done by me, namely CS:GO and Battlefield, I am confident I can upgrade. However, I am not sure where to start... I have watched a ton of Linus Tech Tips, NCIX, and TechQuickie videos in the past year. I feel comfortable making changes to my hardware. Not only do I want a better performing PC but I am also just having a lot of fun learning more everyday about what the pros would call "the basics." I am hoping I can upgrade my PC to make it quicker and more enjoyable. I guess I should start off with my current build. I will post both the PC part-picker list I made that includes all of my equipment and hardware, as well as what I am looking for with an upgrade.

 

What I have now:

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Jake_Carmine/saved/WLDv6h

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500k 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor

 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master V6 GT 93.7 CFM CPU Cooler

 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD4 ATX LGA1155 

 

Memory: G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133

 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB 3.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive

 

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card

 

Case: Cooler Master HAF 922 (Black w/ Red LED) Mid Tower Case

 

Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast TX750W V2 80+ Bronze Certified ATX

 

OS: Windows 8.1 

 

Monitors (2): BenQ RL2455HM 60Hz 24.0" Gaming Monitor (Main)

                     Acer G215HV (2nd Monitor)

                     Acer S230HL (backup)

 

What I'm Looking For:

 

The games I mostly play now consist of Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) and Battlefield4/Hardline. I am also a heavy consumer of YouTube and Twitch. I am also a Senior and college and need something to keep up with large research files and word processing, which really shouldn't be a problem. I know that CS:GO doesn't require much to play but I am always looking for more, as most of us are :D

 

Right now my biggest "problems" I run into are:

 

1. Slow Startup times

 

2. High Drive Usage (I am not sure what is causing this; but at time my PC comes to a halt and task manager reports a "Total utilization across all drives" reading at 100%. 

 

3. Low FPS in CS:GO and Battlefield. Battlefield changes quite a bit and is hard to get a good read on it but is anywhere from 30-90. CS:GO hits at about 290; now I know that is fine, but when I turn my                 graphics up from mediums to high/ultra I get a measly 35-40.

 

 

Conclusion:

 

So, to finish things off I am looking to upgrade something. Not looking to upgrade everything right now, but I would like to upgrade everything eventually to perhaps make a second PC in the future. I know some parts that I currently have in build are severely outdated, but they still work pretty darn well. Above, I have stated what I am looking for so obviously I am aiming to fix those "problems" before moving forward. Any and all criticism or advice is welcomed.

 

I have looked into a couple of items already. Looking at a Kingston SSDNow or Samsung SSD as well as thinking about a MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card. 

 

 

 

Thank you for your time,

 

Jake Carmine

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Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 750W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX

Corsair CX/GS are a fire hazard. End of story.

Archangel (Desktop) CPU: i5 4590 GPU:Asus R9 280  3GB RAM:HyperX Beast 2x4GBPSU:SeaSonic S12G 750W Mobo:GA-H97m-HD3 Case:CM Silencio 650 Storage:1 TB WD Red
Celestial (Laptop 1) CPU:i7 4720HQ GPU:GTX 860M 4GB RAM:2x4GB SK Hynix DDR3Storage: 250GB 850 EVO Model:Lenovo Y50-70
Seraph (Laptop 2) CPU:i7 6700HQ GPU:GTX 970M 3GB RAM:2x8GB DDR4Storage: 256GB Samsung 951 + 1TB Toshiba HDD Model:Asus GL502VT
Windows 10 is now MSX! - http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/440190-can-we-start-calling-windows-10/page-6

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Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 750W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX

Corsair CX/GS are a fire hazard. End of story.

It's a TX

                                                                                                                 Setup

CPU: i3 4160|Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE|RAM: Kingston HyperX Blue 8GB(2x4GB)|GPU: Sapphire Nitro R9 380 4GB|PSU: Seasonic M12II EVO 620W Modular|Storage: 1TB WD Blue|Case: NZXT S340 Black|PCIe devices: TP-Link WDN4800| Montior: ASUS VE247H| Others: PS3/PS4

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It's a TX

Aren't the TX gold?

Archangel (Desktop) CPU: i5 4590 GPU:Asus R9 280  3GB RAM:HyperX Beast 2x4GBPSU:SeaSonic S12G 750W Mobo:GA-H97m-HD3 Case:CM Silencio 650 Storage:1 TB WD Red
Celestial (Laptop 1) CPU:i7 4720HQ GPU:GTX 860M 4GB RAM:2x4GB SK Hynix DDR3Storage: 250GB 850 EVO Model:Lenovo Y50-70
Seraph (Laptop 2) CPU:i7 6700HQ GPU:GTX 970M 3GB RAM:2x8GB DDR4Storage: 256GB Samsung 951 + 1TB Toshiba HDD Model:Asus GL502VT
Windows 10 is now MSX! - http://linustechtips.com/main/topic/440190-can-we-start-calling-windows-10/page-6

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  • Solution

I would get a SSD and slowly make preparations for platform upgrade but that CPU is fine for now if you don't want to switch

                                                                                                                 Setup

CPU: i3 4160|Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE|RAM: Kingston HyperX Blue 8GB(2x4GB)|GPU: Sapphire Nitro R9 380 4GB|PSU: Seasonic M12II EVO 620W Modular|Storage: 1TB WD Blue|Case: NZXT S340 Black|PCIe devices: TP-Link WDN4800| Montior: ASUS VE247H| Others: PS3/PS4

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Aren't the TX gold?

 

 

Corsair TX Series and TX Series Modular ATX power supplies are designed for hardcore PC gamers, performance enthusiasts, and anybody who appreciates a combination of high performance standards and affordability. TX Series and TX Series modular PSUs are 80 PLUS Bronze certified, and they are available in both modular and non-modular configurations.

                                                                                                                 Setup

CPU: i3 4160|Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE|RAM: Kingston HyperX Blue 8GB(2x4GB)|GPU: Sapphire Nitro R9 380 4GB|PSU: Seasonic M12II EVO 620W Modular|Storage: 1TB WD Blue|Case: NZXT S340 Black|PCIe devices: TP-Link WDN4800| Montior: ASUS VE247H| Others: PS3/PS4

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first get an ocz or a hyperx or a samsung ssd 120gb should be good then save for a new gpu

 

^This plus maybe change the green drive for 1TB Blue as they are 7200RPM

My modded Air 540 build

Spoiler

 

 

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for you, i'd suggest an SSD first. 

We can't Benchmark like we used to, but we have our ways. One trick is to shove more GPUs in your computer. Like the time I needed to NV-Link, because I needed a higher HeavenBench score, so I did an SLI, which is what they called NV-Link back in the day. So, I decided to put two GPUs in my computer, which was the style at the time. Now, to add another GPU to your computer, costs a new PSU. Now in those days PSUs said OCZ on them, "Gimme 750W OCZs for an SLI" you'd say. Now where were we? Oh yeah, the important thing was that I had two GPUs in my rig, which was the style at the time! They didn't have RGB PSUs at the time, because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big green ones. 

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Power Supply: Corsair Enthusiast 750W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX

Corsair CX/GS are a fire hazard. End of story.

 

The Power Supply is indeed a TX (I neglected to add that; but I edited it in once I confirmed with my box.)

 

I would get a SSD and slowly make preparations for platform upgrade but that CPU is fine for now if you don't want to switch

 

When you say platform upgrade what exactly do you mean? Do you mean update to Win10?

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When you say platform upgrade what exactly do you mean? Do you mean update to Win10?

Win10 isn't really need till DX12 fully rolls out and you could upgrade to Skylake or wait for a stronger CPU if you're contempt with your CPU if you don't need a CPU upgrade then you can get a 390 8GB

                                                                                                                 Setup

CPU: i3 4160|Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE|RAM: Kingston HyperX Blue 8GB(2x4GB)|GPU: Sapphire Nitro R9 380 4GB|PSU: Seasonic M12II EVO 620W Modular|Storage: 1TB WD Blue|Case: NZXT S340 Black|PCIe devices: TP-Link WDN4800| Montior: ASUS VE247H| Others: PS3/PS4

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