Should I upgrade my PC or just buy a new one?

[Naimdor]

I have a 10 years old PC with these specs:
cpu: i5-4670K

gpu: R9 290

motherboard: msi z87-g45 (DDR3 ram)

case: fractel design define-r4

 

It's still running my main games (Apex legends, Heroes of the storm, etc...)
But now I tried playing Marvel rivals which require a better gpu (and cpu for that matter)

I thought of first trying to buy a new GPU, but is my 4670K had his time? will it work with a brand new GPU? is the motherboard need to be replaced too? is DDR3 still can make it?

 

What do you guys think?

 

[GreenLeaf]

buy a new one

there is nothing you can upgrade

i can help u choose parts tho

[Average Nerd]

26 minutes ago, Naimdor said:

What do you guys think?

You can reuse the case and maybe the PSU, but even the fastest CPU for your socket, the i7 4790K, is not fast by modern standards, so a full platform upgrade would be the best option.

[esCaPade1]

You only need to buy a new PC if you are incapable of upgrading.

I bought a PC in the 90's and have never bought a whole PC since.

The case probably only needs upgraded if it won't fit a new GPU or if it looks ratty.

PSU might be good for while yet, depends on wattage.

But yeah, you will need to replace the CPU, RAM and MB at the same time. GPU can be done separately, but you will need to replace all 4 before any one replacement will be an improvement.

[esCaPade1]

And leave some funds spare for a cooler!

[podkall]

PC, you can upgrade GPU, but then the very next upgrade would be for CPU and everything else connected to it,

 

there's a very good hint why it's maybe time for platform upgrade:

55 minutes ago, Naimdor said:

I have a 10 years old PC

 

Even if you could just upgrade GPU, the question is how good is your current PSU?

[Whateverkito]

On 12/8/2024 at 7:52 AM, Naimdor said:

 

What do you guys think?

 

To chime in with everyone else, it's definitely time for a rebuild. As Average Nerd mentioned, your MOBO is too hold for any decent Socket, so you're best bet is to lay out a budget, and try to upgrade accordingly. 

Realistically there are 2 options - M4 or M5 Sockets. (Ie, less vs more expensive) 
M4 would be your last-gen CPU and DDR4, so cheaper parts overall. (about 700$? but if you use say, Facebook marketplace, way cheaper!)
M5 would be current gen (and most upcoming), with DDR5 but also more expensive (a build would be about 1k USD at least, closer to 1.5k, and less sales on FB marketplace). 

Lastly, Podkall mentioned a great point, if you're PSU is at or over 600W, you should be able to keep it! (same with the case, if it can fix the new GPU and MOBO, saves you 200$+ right there).

If you want a cheap parts list, ask, and I'm sure I or someone else can throw something together (especially if you give a budget, and what parts + specs you're keeping). 
 

[BahnStormer]

If you're trying to do it on a very tight budget it might be possible to keep the case and PSU (I assume that's >500W as I know I had to go up to 600W for my HD7970).... you could possibly keep some of your old storage (just add a new M.2 for the OS and keep what is probably an old SATA SSD for a games library).

 

Nothing else is worth keeping at all.... even a Radeon RX7600 (entry level) will be a massive >50% upgrade!

 

What is your budget?

 

What screen do you have? Apex Legends in 144Hz+ will be a different game! AOC 24G2SPAE/BK is about $120-$150 for a 24" 165Hz screen

 

Here's a sample of reasonably balanced low-ish budget AM5 build that has lots of future upgrade potential for $1250.
 

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600X 4.7 GHz 6-Core Processor  ($191.76 @ Amazon) 
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler  ($34.90 @ Amazon) 
Motherboard: ASRock B650M-HDV/M.2 Micro ATX AM5 Motherboard  ($140.25 @ Amazon) 
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory  ($86.99 @ Amazon) 
Storage: Western Digital Black SN770 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive  ($119.99 @ Amazon) 
Video Card: ASRock Challenger OC Radeon RX 7800 XT 16 GB Video Card  ($489.99 @ Amazon) 
Case: Montech AIR 903 MAX ATX Mid Tower Case  ($74.98 @ Amazon) 
Power Supply: Corsair RM850e (2023) 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply  ($129.00 @ B&H) 
Total: $1267.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-12-16 18:02 EST-0500

 

That can be trimmed down below $1000 fairly easily (if you supply the case + PSU and we go for smaller, slower storage as even 1Tb would be plenty for Windows and a few games).

 

I would not go any lower than that spec RAM / motherboard and there's probably a max $50 savings possible on the CPU (go for the Ryzen 5 7600 and stock cooler).

 

If $1000 is way out of your budget range, then a mid-level AM4 build will come in <$800, but it will be a fair bit slower and have limited upgrade potential as the AM4 platform is about 8 years old now, but it will still be a big upgrade.

 

Honestly though, if you are really tight on budget just put something like a RX6600XT or 6700XT into your current build.... it will still be massively CPU limited, but at least you can re-use that GPU for a motherboard + RAM + CPU upgrade at a later date.