I need help getting my old pc optimized

[Deviantbull95]

Ok so i have a pretty old rig it was one of my first builds and ive been thinking about pumping some new life into it lateley. Im not very well versed as to the parts but great with customizing so i just have a few questions about the motherboard cpu and memory. The motherboard in the sytem is a msi b-85-g43 gaming motherboard. The cpu in the system is intel core I5 4690s. And the ram in the sytem is sk hynix 4 gb 1rx8 pc3 sticks (pictures attached)  and the hard drive in the system is a seagate barracuda 500gig hdd.  My question is i had 3 channel memory in and im pretty sure one of the sticks isnt even the same so did i make the system worse by having done it that way? And also is there any upgrades i can make to the existing harfware to get a decent running gaming rig out of this setup? Any help is greatly appreciated 

[Deviantbull95]

4 minutes ago, Deviantbull95 said:

Ok so i have a pretty old rig it was one of my first builds and ive been thinking about pumping some new life into it lateley. Im not very well versed as to the parts but great with customizing so i just have a few questions about the motherboard cpu and memory. The motherboard in the sytem is a msi b-85-g43 gaming motherboard. The cpu in the system is intel core I5 4690s. And the ram in the sytem is sk hynix 4 gb 1rx8 pc3 sticks (pictures attached)  and the hard drive in the system is a seagate barracuda 500gig hdd.  My question is i had 3 channel memory in and im pretty sure one of the sticks isnt even the same so did i make the system worse by having done it that way? And also is there any upgrades i can make to the existing harfware to get a decent running gaming rig out of this setup? Any help is greatly appreciated 

I forgot to mention that in my supply stock i also have an intel core i5 2400 and a 2500 would i be better off putting one of these cpus in instead of the 4690s??

[Fasauceome]

3 minutes ago, Deviantbull95 said:

My question is i had 3 channel memory in and im pretty sure one of the sticks isnt even the same so did i make the system worse by having done it that way?

Triple channel needs to be built in to the CPU and motherboard, an i5-4690 only supports dual channel. On the other hand, your system was likely using dual channel most of the time because hybrid memory mode has been a thing for a long time, so when your system only needed 2x4GB, it was likely operating in dual channel.

 

5 minutes ago, Deviantbull95 said:

is there any upgrades i can make to the existing harfware to get a decent running gaming rig out of this setup?

If you're still using 3x4GB of ram, an upgrade to another 4GB will give you 16GB of dual channel ram. 

 

Aside from that, an SSD to put your operating system on would be a huge boost. A hard drive is pretty slow by today's standards, and any cheap SSD will improve your experience a lot

Just now, Deviantbull95 said:

I forgot to mention that in my supply stock i also have an intel core i5 2400 and a 2500 would i be better off putting one of these cpus in instead of the 4690s??

Two things

 

1) an i5-2400 or 2500 is on a different socket, your motherboard won't support them

 

2) the i5-4690 is a lot newer and faster than these CPUs. You should stick with your current CPU.

[Deviantbull95]

20 minutes ago, Fasauceome said:

Triple channel needs to be built in to the CPU and motherboard, an i5-4690 only supports dual channel. On the other hand, your system was likely using dual channel most of the time because hybrid memory mode has been a thing for a long time, so when your system only needed 2x4GB, it was likely operating in dual channel.

 

If you're still using 3x4GB of ram, an upgrade to another 4GB will give you 16GB of dual channel ram. 

 

Aside from that, an SSD to put your operating system on would be a huge boost. A hard drive is pretty slow by today's standards, and any cheap SSD will improve your experience a lot

Two things

 

1) an i5-2400 or 2500 is on a different socket, your motherboard won't support them

 

2) the i5-4690 is a lot newer and faster than these CPUs. You should stick with your current CPU.

Am i being hindered by the cpu being of the s variant? Is there a better cpu i can put in? 

[Deviantbull95]

23 minutes ago, Fasauceome said:

Triple channel needs to be built in to the CPU and motherboard, an i5-4690 only supports dual channel. On the other hand, your system was likely using dual channel most of the time because hybrid memory mode has been a thing for a long time, so when your system only needed 2x4GB, it was likely operating in dual channel.

 

If you're still using 3x4GB of ram, an upgrade to another 4GB will give you 16GB of dual channel ram. 

 

Aside from that, an SSD to put your operating system on would be a huge boost. A hard drive is pretty slow by today's standards, and any cheap SSD will improve your experience a lot

Two things

 

1) an i5-2400 or 2500 is on a different socket, your motherboard won't support them

 

2) the i5-4690 is a lot newer and faster than these CPUs. You should stick with your current CPU.

Also do you know if it would be better to have my ram in slots 1 and 3 or 2 and 4? I know it can be different sometimes depending on the mobo 

[Fasauceome]

4 minutes ago, Deviantbull95 said:

Am i being hindered by the cpu being of the s variant? Is there a better cpu i can put in? 

The S version of the CPU isn't much slower, it has similar specs. 

 

1 minute ago, Deviantbull95 said:

Also do you know if it would be better to have my ram in slots 1 and 3 or 2 and 4? I know it can be different sometimes depending on the mobo 

2 and 4 is usually best, but if it operates in slots 1 and 3 in dual channel just fine, there's not really a difference.

[Deviantbull95]

Budget (including currency): 

Country: 

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: 

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): 

Ok so i have a pretty old rig it was one of my first builds and ive been thinking about pumping some new life into it lateley. Im not very well versed as to the parts but great with customizing so i just have a few questions about the motherboard cpu and memory.

 

The motherboard in the sytem is a msi b-85-g43 gaming motherboard.

 

The cpu in the system is intel core I5 4690s.

 

The ram in the sytem is sk hynix 4 gb 1rx8 pc3 sticks (pictures attached).

 

The hard drive in the system is a seagate barracuda 500gig hdd. 

 

Gpu is an ASUS GTX760DC2OC2GD5 GeForce GTX 760 DirectCU II 2GB GDDR5 256-Bit PCI Express 3.0 x16 Dual DVI/ HDMI/ DisplayPort/ HDCP Supported Video Graphics Card

 

My question is i had 3 channel memory in and im pretty sure one of the sticks isnt even the same so did i make the system worse by having done it that way? And also is there any upgrades i can make to the existing hardware like maybe a differnt cpu or better gpu or anything to get a decent running gaming rig out of this setup? Any help is greatly appreciated 

 

[NaClKnight]

What's your budget? How much are you willing to throw at the problem?

What games, at what resolution and refresh rate, are you looking for? Getting a PC to play Street Fighter 5 at 1080p, 60 fps is going to look a lot different than trying to play Halo Infinite at 4k and 120 fps. Let's start there.

 

An SSD is going to be my first recommendation. Moving your windows installation to A 1TB or even 500GB SATA SSD is dirt cheap these days and will make a marked improvement to how responsive your PC feels.

 

As for the build's core? 

Are you ok with used parts, or looking to buy everything new with a warranty?

 

Your current parts are almost a decade old at this point, so replacing the Mobo, CPU, and RAM with something made in the past 3-5 years (DDR4) is going to also dramatically improve your performance.

 

If you want to avoid that, then throwing a new(ish), entry level or moderate level GPU from the past two generations (5000 or 6000 series for AMD, 1600-3000 series for NVidia) will let you play newer games at acceptable levels. 

 

Lastly... do you know anything about the power supply inside your build? If you haven't changed the PSYU since you first bought it, it may be on its way out, and that will again either limit your upgrade possibilities or require a replacement.

 

 

[Kilrah]

Threads merged, please keep it to one place.

[Deviantbull95]

1 hour ago, NaClKnight said:

What's your budget? How much are you willing to throw at the problem?

What games, at what resolution and refresh rate, are you looking for? Getting a PC to play Street Fighter 5 at 1080p, 60 fps is going to look a lot different than trying to play Halo Infinite at 4k and 120 fps. Let's start there.

 

An SSD is going to be my first recommendation. Moving your windows installation to A 1TB or even 500GB SATA SSD is dirt cheap these days and will make a marked improvement to how responsive your PC feels.

 

As for the build's core? 

Are you ok with used parts, or looking to buy everything new with a warranty?

 

Your current parts are almost a decade old at this point, so replacing the Mobo, CPU, and RAM with something made in the past 3-5 years (DDR4) is going to also dramatically improve your performance.

 

If you want to avoid that, then throwing a new(ish), entry level or moderate level GPU from the past two generations (5000 or 6000 series for AMD, 1600-3000 series for NVidia) will let you play newer games at acceptable levels. 

 

Lastly... do you know anything about the power supply inside your build? If you haven't changed the PSYU since you first bought it, it may be on its way out, and that will again either limit your upgrade possibilities or require a replacement.

 

 

My psu is an evga 600 80 plus bronze i would like to avoid replaceing everything if i can... i dont have a budget set aside im more so trying to figure out a ballpark figure on what i should save and what will give me the most bang for the buck .. and it appears i was mistaken.... i do have a 1tb samsung 860 pro ssd i had forgotten about installing .

I usually play games like empyrion and stranded deep, satisfactory, banished, left 4 dead ... things of that nature.. i also watch a ton of youtube.. and recently i had to sell my 6000 dollar rig so im just trying to get what i can out of this i run my home businuess of the system as well just sticker designing software and bookkeeping stuff 

[NaClKnight]

20 hours ago, Deviantbull95 said:

My psu is an evga 600 80 plus bronze i would like to avoid replaceing everything if i can... i dont have a budget set aside im more so trying to figure out a ballpark figure on what i should save and what will give me the most bang for the buck .. and it appears i was mistaken.... i do have a 1tb samsung 860 pro ssd i had forgotten about installing .

I usually play games like empyrion and stranded deep, satisfactory, banished, left 4 dead ... things of that nature.. 

Alright, let's start in order of cheapest to most expensive recommendations

 

1. Install the Samsung SSD and clone your Windows installation there. here are plenty of guides on "Clone windows to new SSD" online if you need specific steps
2. If you can find another stick of identical RAM for cheap, running 16GB in dual channel config may provide a small boost. 
3. Most importantly, a new (for you) GPU. If you don't mind buying a GPU secondhand you can buy a significant upgrade under $150. A GTX 1650 or RX 5500 XT are reasonably cheap (under $200 used) An RX 580 or GTX 1070 will be even cheaper, but older. Your CPU is on the back end of OK but if you're just trying to save money, get a newish GPU.
4. A PSU refresh is likely in the cards, cine yours is merely "ok," but since yours is functional, there's no urgent need to buy a new one. 

[Queen Chrysalis]

15 minutes ago, NaClKnight said:

Alright, let's start in order of cheapest to most expensive recommendations

 

1. Install the Samsung SSD and clone your Windows installation there. here are plenty of guides on "Clone windows to new SSD" online if you need specific steps
2. If you can find another stick of identical RAM for cheap, running 16GB in dual channel config may provide a small boost. 
3. Most importantly, a new (for you) GPU. If you don't mind buying a GPU secondhand you can buy a significant upgrade under $150. A GTX 1650 or RX 5500 XT are reasonably cheap (under $200 used) An RX 580 or GTX 1070 will be even cheaper, but older. Your CPU is on the back end of OK but if you're just trying to save money, get a newish GPU.
4. A PSU refresh is likely in the cards, cine yours is merely "ok," but since yours is functional, there's no urgent need to buy a new one. 

A 4690s could handle a GTX 1070 no problem and that is gonna be a big difference maker over an RX580 or 5500xt. You can get 1070s for a little over $200 on eBay, and that should have you playing games pretty close  to current gen console specs, which should be A-OK for quite some time, as games are designed to look good on consoles so that they sell well.  Not teo mention, not every games needs everything that current consoles have, and a lot of them still look good on last gen consoles, which are significantly slower than a 4690s / GTX 1070 pairing. 

[Deviantbull95]

42 minutes ago, NaClKnight said:

Alright, let's start in order of cheapest to most expensive recommendations

 

1. Install the Samsung SSD and clone your Windows installation there. here are plenty of guides on "Clone windows to new SSD" online if you need specific steps
2. If you can find another stick of identical RAM for cheap, running 16GB in dual channel config may provide a small boost. 
3. Most importantly, a new (for you) GPU. If you don't mind buying a GPU secondhand you can buy a significant upgrade under $150. A GTX 1650 or RX 5500 XT are reasonably cheap (under $200 used) An RX 580 or GTX 1070 will be even cheaper, but older. Your CPU is on the back end of OK but if you're just trying to save money, get a newish GPU.
4. A PSU refresh is likely in the cards, cine yours is merely "ok," but since yours is functional, there's no urgent need to buy a new one. 

What do you think about me going this route? 

 

Gpu:MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 12GB 15 Gbps GDRR6 192-Bit

 

Cpu:

Intel Core i5 Core 12400F Desktop Processor 18M Cache, up to 4.40 GHzIntel Core i5 Core 12400F Desktop Processor 18M Cache, up to 4.40 GHz

 

Ram: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) 240-Pin SDRAM (PC3-12800) DDR3 1600 CL10-10-10-30 1.50V Dual Channel Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL10D-16GBXL

 

Can you reccomend a cheap adequate psu as well?  And maybe better ram if you have any ideas? It has to be ddr3

[Deviantbull95]

40 minutes ago, Queen Chrysalis said:

A 4690s could handle a GTX 1070 no problem and that is gonna be a big difference maker over an RX580 or 5500xt. You can get 1070s for a little over $200 on eBay, and that should have you playing games pretty close  to current gen console specs, which should be A-OK for quite some time, as games are designed to look good on consoles so that they sell well.  Not teo mention, not every games needs everything that current consoles have, and a lot of them still look good on last gen consoles, which are significantly slower than a 4690s / GTX 1070 pairing. 

What do you think about me going this route? 

 

Gpu:MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 12GB 15 Gbps GDRR6 192-Bit

 

Cpu:

Intel Core i5 Core 12400F Desktop Processor 18M Cache, up to 4.40 GHzIntel Core i5 Core 12400F Desktop Processor 18M Cache, up to 4.40 GHz

 

Ram: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) 240-Pin SDRAM (PC3-12800) DDR3 1600 CL10-10-10-30 1.50V Dual Channel Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL10D-16GBXL

 

Can you reccomend a cheap adequate psu as well?  And maybe better ram if you have any ideas? It has to be ddr3

 

[Fasauceome]

14 minutes ago, Deviantbull95 said:

What do you think about me going this route? 

 

Gpu:MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 12GB 15 Gbps GDRR6 192-Bit

 

Cpu:

Intel Core i5 Core 12400F Desktop Processor 18M Cache, up to 4.40 GHzIntel Core i5 Core 12400F Desktop Processor 18M Cache, up to 4.40 GHz

 

Ram: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) 240-Pin SDRAM (PC3-12800) DDR3 1600 CL10-10-10-30 1.50V Dual Channel Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL10D-16GBXL

 

Can you reccomend a cheap adequate psu as well?  And maybe better ram if you have any ideas? It has to be ddr3

This would require a new motherboard too cause the 12400F is socket LGA1700. Since you seem to have a pretty large budget this would be a decent upgrade.

[Queen Chrysalis]

3 minutes ago, Deviantbull95 said:

What do you think about me going this route? 

 

Gpu:MSI Gaming GeForce RTX 3060 12GB 15 Gbps GDRR6 192-Bit

 

Cpu:

Intel Core i5 Core 12400F Desktop Processor 18M Cache, up to 4.40 GHzIntel Core i5 Core 12400F Desktop Processor 18M Cache, up to 4.40 GHz

 

Ram: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) 240-Pin SDRAM (PC3-12800) DDR3 1600 CL10-10-10-30 1.50V Dual Channel Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL10D-16GBXL

 

Can you reccomend a cheap adequate psu as well?  And maybe better ram if you have any ideas? It has to be ddr3

 

Just get a 4th 4gb module, theyre really cheap now.  Is your PSU bad?  Otherwise the thermaltake smarts are usually really cheap and a 650 will be fine for a 1070.  A CPU ipgrade wpuld work but now you’re really blowing up your budget.  At that point this is just a new computer, to which we’re having a whole different convo and spending closer to $1000 instead of $250.  I’d just pop a 1070 and maybe a new PDU in what you have.

[Deviantbull95]

1 hour ago, Fasauceome said:

This would require a new motherboard too cause the 12400F is socket LGA1700. Since you seem to have a pretty large budget this would be a decent upgrade.

Whats the best cpu i can get the socket i have on my board? 

[Deviantbull95]

1 hour ago, Fasauceome said:

This would require a new motherboard too cause the 12400F is socket LGA1700. Since you seem to have a pretty large budget this would be a decent upgrade.

I think its an lga 11570 socket? 

[Deviantbull95]

28 minutes ago, Deviantbull95 said:

I think its an lga 11570 socket? 

Lga 1150 lol sorry 

[Queen Chrysalis]

31 minutes ago, Deviantbull95 said:

Whats the best cpu i can get the socket i have on my board? 

Just use the 4690s and a 1070, add basic cheap ssd for the OS and another 4gb ram stick. You’re overthinking this.  If you do those things you’ll have a good PC for not a whole lot spent.  Anything more and you may as well start over with a new computer, but again, then we’re talking about $1000+ as opposed to like $250 for something is still gonna be pretty good.

[Deviantbull95]

19 minutes ago, Queen Chrysalis said:

Just use the 4690s and a 1070, add basic cheap ssd for the OS and another 4gb ram stick. You’re overthinking this.  If you do those things you’ll have a good PC for not a whole lot spent.  Anything more and you may as well start over with a new computer, but again, then we’re talking about $1000+ as opposed to like $250 for something is still gonna be pretty good.

Hows this? 

[Fasauceome]

Just now, Deviantbull95 said:

Whats the best cpu i can get the socket i have on my board? 

You could get a 4770 or 4790. For around $60 to $80 it would be a decent upgrade, but I definitely would not spend more than that due to their age. 

[Queen Chrysalis]

2 hours ago, Deviantbull95 said:

Hows this? 

Nah get one on eBay, should be like $200.  And just use the ram you have.  Another 4gb dimm should be like $10 on ebay.

[Queen Chrysalis]

Here's eBay results for the 1070 right now:

 

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&_nkw=gtx+1070&_sacat=0

 

The Dell one's are fine for the price, but the EVGA one for $200 free shipping would probably be best.

 

And for your RAM, this is the exact module you should buy if the other 3 all still work.  The one with the dell sticker is still the same memory, Hynix made pretty much every OEM's memory during that period.  Some will have different stickers but they are all the same.:

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/134110531195?hash=item1f399c4e7b:g:sMYAAOSwiyhhgdmx

 

3 hours ago, Fasauceome said:

You could get a 4770 or 4790. For around $60 to $80 it would be a decent upgrade, but I definitely would not spend more than that due to their age. 

Not really gonna be meaningful IMO.  Hyperthreading is nice, but for most games with a 1070 4c4t vs 4c8t on haswell won't make $80 worth of difference.  i'd just focus on keeping cost down when it's an old system refresh like this.  $200 for a GPU and RAM, and just leaving the rest would be a nice way to get up to speed in games without spending like it's a new system.  Some stuff would benefit from the hyperthreading, don't get me wrong, but if the 4690s is already owned, I wouldn't bother swapping it out for something only marginally faster, especially when paired with a 1070.  If this was a 1080ti or a 2070 super I'd do it, but then we're creeping towards new PC money.  I'd just keep it cheap and simple with the GPU and RAM.

[Deviantbull95]

10 hours ago, Queen Chrysalis said:

Here's eBay results for the 1070 right now:

 

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2380057.m570.l1313&_nkw=gtx+1070&_sacat=0

 

The Dell one's are fine for the price, but the EVGA one for $200 free shipping would probably be best.

 

And for your RAM, this is the exact module you should buy if the other 3 all still work.  The one with the dell sticker is still the same memory, Hynix made pretty much every OEM's memory during that period.  Some will have different stickers but they are all the same.:

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/134110531195?hash=item1f399c4e7b:g:sMYAAOSwiyhhgdmx

 

Not really gonna be meaningful IMO.  Hyperthreading is nice, but for most games with a 1070 4c4t vs 4c8t on haswell won't make $80 worth of difference.  i'd just focus on keeping cost down when it's an old system refresh like this.  $200 for a GPU and RAM, and just leaving the rest would be a nice way to get up to speed in games without spending like it's a new system.  Some stuff would benefit from the hyperthreading, don't get me wrong, but if the 4690s is already owned, I wouldn't bother swapping it out for something only marginally faster, especially when paired with a 1070.  If this was a 1080ti or a 2070 super I'd do it, but then we're creeping towards new PC money.  I'd just keep it cheap and simple with the GPU and RAM.

Im kinda sketch on buying used cards right now tho ...