To upgrade or not to upgrade

[Quackwich]

Budget (including currency): $2500 SGD / ~$1850 USD

Country: Singapore

Games, programs or workloads that it will be used for: 1440p gaming (CS2, Star Citizen, R6, other AAA games)

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): 

Quote

Current Build

• MOBO: ASRock B550M Pro4
• CPU: Ryzen 5 5600X
• RAM: G.SKILL Trident Z NeoDDR4-3600MHz 32GB (2x16GB)
• GPU: GIGABYTE RTX 3060 Ti OC PRO 8G
• Storage: ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 1TB and Samsung EVO 860 2.5" 1TB
• PSU: Seasonic FOCUS GX-750 80+ Gold
• Case: Phanteks P300A

 

Hey all, I'm wondering if it's a good time to upgrade my system now. My budget and current build is above. Also taking this chance to move to a smaller form factor if possible.

I know that the 50 series and new generation of processors is around the corner, rumored end of year? But I'm not sure if there are benefits of waiting till then; prices are likely to be higher too with new releases.

 

Thanks!

[jaslion]

Whats the current problem that you need an upgrade?

[Quackwich]

18 minutes ago, jaslion said:

Whats the current problem that you need an upgrade?

There's no issue really, but I want to move to higher tier stuff since I have some money to spend - it's purely just satisfaction I suppose.

 

Would my current set-up be good enough to handle 1440p gaming?

[Blasty Blosty]

58 minutes ago, Quackwich said:

Would my current set-up be good enough to handle 1440p gaming?

Lighter games? Probably.

AAA? Probably not, unless at low settings

[Blasty Blosty]

The way to look at it is do you want more / need more? For example can you not run the games you want at the resolution / refresh rate you want? If not, then upgrade if you have the spare money.

[Quackwich]

1 hour ago, Blasty Blosty said:

The way to look at it is do you want more / need more? For example can you not run the games you want at the resolution / refresh rate you want? If not, then upgrade if you have the spare money.

My motivations to upgrade are also because I was planning to do it in conjunction with a new desk set-up. My current desk is quite cluttered and will need a ton of work into cable management and repositioning of things. Upgrading to a SFF PC also helps with the space constraints.

[Blasty Blosty]

Just now, Quackwich said:

My motivations to upgrade are also because I was planning to do it in conjunction with a new desk set-up. My current desk is quite cluttered and will need a ton of work into cable management and repositioning of things. Upgrading to a SFF PC also helps with the space constraints.

Then yes, I would say the upgrade is worth it.

[Blasty Blosty]

Don't worry about the 5000 series, I just bought a 4070 Super the other month because they will be impossible to get for months, whereas you can get a 40 series now and enjoy powerful gaming for a long time.

[Quackwich]

Just now, Blasty Blosty said:

Then yes, I would say the upgrade is worth it.

You got any good SFF builds that can run 1440p? Any suggestions with parts?

[Blasty Blosty]

1 minute ago, Quackwich said:

You got any good SFF builds that can run 1440p? Any suggestions with parts?

Do you have a preference for NVidia or AMD?

[Quackwich]

3 minutes ago, Blasty Blosty said:

Do you have a preference for NVidia or AMD?

Always been an NVIDIA guy, so hopefully I can stay loyal. I hear AMD has better value for money nowadays though, but I also hear the drivers are generally pretty shit and don't get to enjoy certain benefits, like DLSS, Reflex etc. as well. I may be wrong though.

[Blasty Blosty]

3 minutes ago, Quackwich said:

Always been an NVIDIA guy, so hopefully I can stay loyal. I hear AMD has better value for money nowadays though, but I also hear the drivers are generally pretty shit and don't get to enjoy certain benefits, like DLSS, Reflex etc. as well. I may be wrong though.

Yeah that's why I stay with Nvidia, I will try give a list of parts with Nvidia gpu then.

 

By SFF are you thinking Micro-ATX or Mini-ITX?

[Quackwich]

2 minutes ago, Blasty Blosty said:

Yeah that's why I stay with Nvidia, I will try give a list of parts with Nvidia gpu then.

 

By SFF are you thinking Micro-ATX or Mini-ITX?

Mini-ITX would be the place to go for me.

 

Also, my budget is $2500 SGD or ~$1850 USD, the specific sites to get the parts from won't matter, as long as I get a parts list I can replicate here locally. I can technically spend up to $3000 SGD though, but would like to spend as little as possible

[Blasty Blosty]

Just now, Quackwich said:

Mini-ITX would be the place to go for me.

 

Also, my budget is $2500 SGD or ~$1850 USD, the specific sites to get the parts from won't matter, as long as I get a parts list I can replicate here locally. I can technically spend up to $3000 SGD though, but would like to spend as little as possible

No bother, I'll do my best

[Blasty Blosty]

Hmm, there is not an option for Singapore on PC Part Picker, what sites are local to you?

[Quackwich]

14 minutes ago, Blasty Blosty said:

Hmm, there is not an option for Singapore on PC Part Picker, what sites are local to you?

It doesn't matter, I just need a parts list that fit within the budget, since prices between US and SG are quite similar Also it's easier for you.

[Blasty Blosty]

Just now, Quackwich said:

It doesn't matter, I just need a parts list that fit within the budget, since prices between US and SG are quite similar Also it's easier for you.

Fair enough, give me 5!

[Blasty Blosty]

I would go with something like this, assuming you are reusing your SSD? - https://pcpartpicker.com/list/tTh9z6

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/tTh9z6

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($281.63 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L12S 55.44 CFM CPU Cooler  ($64.90 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: ASRock B650I Lightning Wifi Mini ITX AM5 Motherboard  ($199.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory  ($114.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Zotac GAMING Twin Edge OC GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER 12 GB Video Card  ($584.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Thermaltake Core V1 Mini ITX Desktop Case  ($49.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 850 GM 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply  ($154.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $1451.48
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-05-09 06:51 EDT-0400

 

There is also more budget to stretch for a better GPU if you wish, although if you would like cheaper, this would be my choice

[Quackwich]

43 minutes ago, Blasty Blosty said:

I would go with something like this, assuming you are reusing your SSD? - https://pcpartpicker.com/list/tTh9z6

 

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/tTh9z6

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor  ($281.63 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-L12S 55.44 CFM CPU Cooler  ($64.90 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: ASRock B650I Lightning Wifi Mini ITX AM5 Motherboard  ($199.99 @ Newegg) 
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory  ($114.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: Zotac GAMING Twin Edge OC GeForce RTX 4070 SUPER 12 GB Video Card  ($584.99 @ Newegg) 
Case: Thermaltake Core V1 Mini ITX Desktop Case  ($49.99 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: EVGA SuperNOVA 850 GM 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX Power Supply  ($154.99 @ Newegg) 
Total: $1451.48
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-05-09 06:51 EDT-0400

 

There is also more budget to stretch for a better GPU if you wish, although if you would like cheaper, this would be my choice

Oh wow, thanks! Yeah it's $400 USD under by budget, would it be better to get a 7800X3D?

[Blasty Blosty]

Just now, Quackwich said:

Oh wow, thanks! Yeah it's $400 USD under by budget, would it be better to get a 7800X3D?

You could, I was just worried about the thermals.

 

It should be fine while gaming. It will probably hit around 80 degrees, but these new AM5's are perfectly happy up to 95. 

 

So yes, up to you if you would like the extra power! 

[Blasty Blosty]

Also the case is up to you, I just picked one that looked spacious and easy enough to work in, also with good airflow.

[Quackwich]

2 minutes ago, Blasty Blosty said:

Also the case is up to you, I just picked one that looked spacious and easy enough to work in, also with good airflow.

Yeah the case lowkey kinda ugly, and I have the budget to get a nicer case like the Fractal Terra.

[Blasty Blosty]

2 minutes ago, Quackwich said:

Yeah the case lowkey kinda ugly, and I have the budget to get a nicer case like the Fractal Terra.

Sounds good, if the budget further allows try and get the biggest cooler for your case. An AIO would be great, but A) space issues and B) price

[Blasty Blosty]

I would do a fresh install of Windows if you can, just to prevent software issues with the chipset / platform change.