upgrading an old pc. advice?

[Johnnyheheheh]

Budget (including currency): $350 USD

Country: US

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for:  my main pc, web browsing, gaming, light 3d modeling

Other details: (existing parts lists, whether any peripherals are needed, what you're upgrading from, when you're going to buy, what resolution and refresh rate you want to play at, etc): 

 

Hi , this is the closest I've gotten so far to building a full pc so I need some advice. I'm upgrading an old antec pc. I'm basically going to swap out everything in there for some newer components. I already have a graphics card, gtx 1070, and an ssd, Samsung 860 evo, and I also plan on reusing the old power supply, an antec 430w. 

 

I still need a cpu, motherboard, ram, and cooling. For about $350, what do you guys think I should get? 

[Lairlair]

What are the specs of your current PC and what sort of performance do you want in game / what sort of games do you play? Which 3D software do you use?

[Forleb]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-10400F 2.9 GHz 6-Core Processor 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition 42 CFM CPU Cooler  ($42.00 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte B460M DS3H Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard  ($104.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($80.10 @ Newegg) 
Total: $227.09
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-06-03 12:31 EDT-0400

 

The 10400F should cost around $150, bringing the actual total to $380ish. I know it's slightly over your budget, but this is arguably the best path you can take while staying near that price point.

[Lairlair]

Just now, Forleb said:

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ZKPWYH

CPU: Intel Core i5-10400F 2.9 GHz 6-Core Processor 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition 42 CFM CPU Cooler  ($42.00 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte B460M DS3H Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard  ($104.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($80.10 @ Newegg) 
Total: $227.09
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-06-03 12:31 EDT-0400

 

The 10400F should cost around $150, bringing the actual total to $380ish. I know it's slightly over your budget, but this is arguably the best path you can take while staying near that price point.

I agree. But isn't there a stock cooler coming with the i5 10400f? You could save a buck there and be right on within your budget

[Forleb]

2 minutes ago, Lairlair said:

I agree. But isn't there a stock cooler coming with the i5 10400f? You could save a buck there and be right on within your budget

Stock coolers aren't really practical unless every single penny matters. They imply that their budget has a bit of flex, so personally I'd encourage the extra purchase to give that CPU actual headroom to work with.

[Lairlair]

2 minutes ago, Forleb said:

Stock coolers aren't really practical unless every single penny matters. They imply that their budget has a bit of flex, so personally I'd encourage the extra purchase to give that CPU actual headroom to work with.

That's fair enough. I guess it depends how tight the budget is.

[curiousmind34]

What cpu do you have right now? Depending on how old the cpu is it might bottleneck the GTX 1070

[Johnnyheheheh]

39 minutes ago, Forleb said:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-10400F 2.9 GHz 6-Core Processor 
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Black Edition 42 CFM CPU Cooler  ($42.00 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: Gigabyte B460M DS3H Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard  ($104.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($80.10 @ Newegg) 
Total: $227.09
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-06-03 12:31 EDT-0400

 

The 10400F should cost around $150, bringing the actual total to $380ish. I know it's slightly over your budget, but this is arguably the best path you can take while staying near that price point.

This probably would work for me but do you think i should get some more high end up last gen components like an 6th or 7th gen i7?

 

[Johnnyheheheh]

5 minutes ago, curiousmind34 said:

What cpu do you have right now? Depending on how old the cpu is it might bottleneck the GTX 1070

Honestly, i really am not sure since its so old but I am planning on upgrading it

[SorryBella]

1 minute ago, Johnnyheheheh said:

Honestly, i really am not sure since its so old but I am planning on upgrading it

Then list the parts. Not only the one you own, but also the PC you wanna upgrade. Basic logic really, not everything is an immediate waste.

 

[curiousmind34]

3 minutes ago, Johnnyheheheh said:

Honestly, i really am not sure since its so old but I am planning on upgrading it

if you open the task manager and go to the performance tab, you should see the name of the cpu

[Johnnyheheheh]

1 hour ago, curiousmind34 said:

if you open the task manager and go to the performance tab, you should see the name of the cpu

Its an amd athlon 64 x2 4400+, dual core 2.2 ghz from 2005

[Lairlair]

1 hour ago, Johnnyheheheh said:

This probably would work for me but do you think i should get some more high end up last gen components like an 6th or 7th gen i7?

 

You can do either or. Compared to the build you had so far you'll have a huge performance boost. It depends on what kind of deal you can find, and whether you want to look at the used market.

It's usually better to go with more recent parts. A 7th gen i7 might compare in performance with a 10th gen i5 but you also get better features with newer hardware. (Though now that I say that, I don't have any convincing feature coming to my mind haha)

 

Edit: now that I've looked at the specs and benchmarks, the i5 10400f is a much better candidate on all accounts (performance, energy consumption, thermals...). An i7 7700k would also be good, but I'd recommend it only if you find a very good deal.

[Downkey]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-11400 2.6 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($188.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: MSI B560M PRO Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard  ($111.65 @ Newegg)
Memory: Silicon Power XPOWER Gaming 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory  ($76.97 @ Amazon)
Total: $377.61
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-06-04 12:53 EDT-0400