Upgrade or time for a new build?

h00jamafl1p · January 17, 2019

CPU: AMD FX-8350

CPU Fan: Noctua NH-D14
GPU: NVIDIA GTX 970
RAM: Corsair Vengeance Pro DDR3 1866 2x8Gb
Mobo: MSI Gaming 970
SSD & HDDs with plenty of space.
PSU: EVGA Supernova 750W 80+ Gold
Monitor 1: 144hz @ 1080
Monitor 2: 4k TV

Above is my current build, been going strong for a few years now but I'm starting to think about upgrades. Also looking at the new Ryzen CPUs that are coming out, which has also started me thinking about potentially not bothering with any upgrades, waiting a while (or for some good deals to drop) and doing a complete new rebuild (minus PSU and components that can be kept).

Gets used for all my work and play, so a variety of uses.

For gaming I mostly just use my primary monitor, with the exception of a couple of more console-y games where I use an xbox controller and play on the TV.

It also gets used for non-gaming; office/outlook, GIS, programming, video-editing, photoshop.

Why upgrade?

It's my workhorse, I like being able to do all I need to do, without waiting around.

It's by no means 'slow', but given the new Ryzen CPUs coming out at the price they are, I know that it could be significantly faster.

So my question is twofold:

1. Any upgrade suggestions to keep me ticking for a while longer and resisting the urge to upgrade? Best bang for buck upgrades?

2. Is upgrading just paying money while I delay the inevitable? Suggested new builds? (Intel or AMD suggestions welcome)

Budget:

Low cost upgrades welcome ( think 0 < £200 ballpark)

Open to all build suggestions that aren't ludicrously expensive.

(I'm UK-based for all price suggestions).

mxk · January 17, 2019

If you have the money by the middle of the year, get a new rig with Ryzen 3000 (zen 2). You can reuse some of the parts you have.

Fasauceome · January 17, 2019

For your 144Hz, a new CPU will help out, I don't expect a better graphics card to do so well with an FX 8350 at high fps. You should then save up for something like a 1070 to go with a new CPU.

Sorenson · January 17, 2019

You might as well do a fresh system if you're going to upgrade. I would imagine that the FX-8350 is bottlenecking your 970 in some games. If you're on a budget I would recommend just doing a Mobo, Cpu, Ram update. But apparently ram prices are about to drop, so waiting for the Ryzen 3000 is likely worth it if your system can make it until then.

In he meantime I would try to overclock your cpu as much as you can to get you through the ryzen 3 release.

I went from a Gtx 970 to a Gtx 1070ti last year and it was a huge boost. The RTX 2060 is apparently as fast as it, so if you're looking for a noticeable upgrade I recommend it. I'm playing most games at High/ultra settings, 1440p and getting ~70-90 FPS depending on the game.