Upgrading my current build.

[outercry]

These are my current components:

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Stock (Looking to buy one)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LX ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
Memory: 24GB DDR3 1600 Crucial Ballistix Sport
Storage: Crucial MX100 256GB
Storage: Seagate Desktop HDD 4TB
Video Card: MSI GTX 970 (Looking to buy a new one)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 Black
Power Supply: Powercool PC-850AUBA-M
Optical Drive: Generic DVD RW
OS: Windows 10 Pro
Monitor: Philips 246v5 (Looking to buy a new one)

I have been thinking about upgrading my current PC, but not entirely sure how to proceed.

 

For starters I have been thinking about replacing my stock CPU cooler with something else. The problem is, should I go with something such as Corsair Hydro series (providing my case has room, I believe at least some of the solutions would fit) or just something more traditional such as one of the offerings from Noctua or Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO for example. I believe at least 212 would fit in from what I have read. I would like some help deciding which one to choose, because there are so many choices and if I can get a good cooling solution for cheaper I'm all up for it. Are there any particular gains from any of the options?

 

The reason why I'm thinking about replacing is not necessarily to overclock (which I could also do obviously) or anything, but I just feel that my CPU is running with a bit too high temps, at least according to some monitoring programs.

 

Also, if I go with something like 212, should I get different fans for it? I was thinking about getting couple of extra case fans as well, so any advice on the whole fan situation would also be great. Should I go with Noctua or Corsair for example with them?

 

Next bit, and this one I'm undecided in that I can wait, is the graphics card. First of all, I'm aware that some time soon?!? we will see new offerings from AMD and also NVIDIA will launch at least 1080 ti (or 2xxx series, if you believe the rumours). So I'm more than happy to wait at least for a while before making any purchasing decisions on that. Currently I would go for GTX 1080, but that could easily change, if 1080 ti isn't vastly more expensive and/or AMD brings something to the table that I might consider.

 

Now, my problem is (are?) would my mobo and current setup be ok with GTX 1080 for starters? And if so, would there be any any (significant) bottle necks?

 

As for the monitor, I'm looking for a £300-400ish range (can possibly be higher, but preferably not). The problem is, providing I would go for GTX 1080, should I go for 4K monitor or curved or what. Also, as far as I know, I haven't seen 4K monitors with higher refresh rates than 60, could this pose a "problem"? Would I be better off getting a non-4K monitor with higher refresh rate such as 120Hz or 144Hz? Also, do I need to worry about IPS vs TN too much?

 

Another thing is G-Sync vs Freesync. I haven't been too bothered about it before, but should I worry about either, or just go with the monitor that fits my needs/budget better?

 

Few other things. I may or may not consider upgrading my CPU as well, not very soon I don't think, but I thought I'd mention, if that makes any difference. I do realise that if I do that, I might be looking to getting a new mobo, new memory etc. But like said, if not necessary (bottle necking etc.) not relevant at the moment otherwise.

 

Budget-wise, I really don't know for sure yet.

 

Other than getting the cooling sorted, which I will do as soon as possible, I won't be rushing into buying either the graphics card nor the monitor (which kind of go hand-in-hand). I would be willing to spend around £100 on the CPU cooler and few case fans in total.

 

Graphics card budget, well, I'm fairly sure it will turn out to be expensive regardless, so £500 plus would be my guesstimate, seeing as GTX 1080s' are well above that currently anywyay and I don't expect them to come down in price that much regardless of what happens. At this very moment it's the case of, would I go for fanned card or watercooled one, such as Seahawk X for example (more expensive, I know). Not doing custom water cooling, mind.

 

Monitor budget is that around £300-400 range, if possible.

[Cereal5]

you worry about too much. Let me try to answer this all in one go

[Shiv78]

1. Get a 1080 or wait for ti
2. 144Hz 1440p G-sync monitor OR 34" 1440p Ultrawide
3. Just get an air cooler if you're not OCing. If you will OC go water cooling for CPU

[stealth80]

OK processor is fine, I went from 3770k to 4790k and it made marginal differences for gaming. I would add an all in one cooler, but get a good one if you do, the cheaper ones make more noise than decent air coolers to maintain the same temps

 

GPU is your choice, however before deciding that you need that monitor question answering:

 

Freesync/gsync - they are both basically the same, AMD is using freesync which is better for the market as its easier/cheaper to implement without an expensive add in board

 

gsync is Nvidia's solution which if all believe is slightly better ( I have it lol) however it comes with a premium.

 

With that in mind, if you do decided on a monitor now, you need to think carefully about this, cause if you go freesync and amd's next cards suck you gonna be pissed and if you go gsync and AMD's are great, you gonna be pissed lol

 

As for resolution, I would go 1440P. 4k is just about do-able with most games on a single 1080, however newer titles may be more taxing, 1080 is pretty sweet on my 1440p

[Mike Soda]

16 minutes ago, outercry said:

For starters I have been thinking about replacing my stock CPU cooler with something else. The problem is, should I go with something such as Corsair Hydro series (providing my case has room, I believe at least some of the solutions would fit) or just something more traditional such as one of the offerings from Noctua or Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO for example. I believe at least 212 would fit in from what I have read. I would like some help deciding which one to choose, because there are so many choices and if I can get a good cooling solution for cheaper I'm all up for it. Are there any particular gains from any of the options? Also, if I go with something like 212, should I get different fans for it? I was thinking about getting couple of extra case fans as well, so any advice on the whole fan situation would also be great. Should I go with Noctua or Corsair for example with them?

 

Next bit, and this one I'm undecided in that I can wait, is the graphics card. First of all, I'm aware that some time soon?!? we will see new offerings from AMD and also NVIDIA will launch at least 1080 ti (or 2xxx series, if you believe the rumours). So I'm more than happy to wait at least for a while before making any purchasing decisions on that. Currently I would go for GTX 1080, but that could easily change, if 1080 ti isn't vastly more expensive and/or AMD brings something to the table that I might consider.

 

As for the monitor, I'm looking for a £300-400ish range (can possibly be higher, but preferably not). The problem is, providing I would go for GTX 1080, should I go for 4K monitor or curved or what. Also, as far as I know, I haven't seen 4K monitors with higher refresh rates than 60, could this pose a "problem"? Would I be better off getting a non-4K monitor with higher refresh rate such as 120Hz or 144Hz? Also, do I need to worry about IPS vs TN too much? Another thing is G-Sync vs Freesync. I haven't been too bothered about it before, but should I worry about either, or just go with the monitor that fits my needs/budget better?

I'm not experienced enough to address all topics of concern but here's what I think regarding some. Unless your CPU is running fairly close to it's maximum rating then I wouldn't worry about a new cooler. If you still want to upgrade it though then the Hyper 212x not EVO would be the best route. They upgraded the fans on it to last like 10 years according to some reviewers so the stock ones are fine. Corsair has some decent budget case fans so unless you need something extremely durable for dusty wet locations or only comes in Brown then you could scratch off Noctua as an option. Unless your current gaming needs require an immediate upgrade then I say wait for the 1080Ti. Even if it turns out to be too expensive for you, it's release should cause the 1080 to drop a little in price so it's even more affordable for ya.

 

I'd prefer a 1080p or 1440p monitor with higher refresh rate vs a 4k screen. Unless you go with a 40" or so I'd think 4k res would make some elements in windows appear extremely tiny. I'd stay away from Freesync & G-sync as they're exclusives & limited to AMD & Nvidia cards for the technology to work. The better solution would be a syncless monitor or one that would work with Nvidia's new Fast-Sync. That I'm pretty sure can work on any monitor except Freesync ones & has less latency lag vs Freesync & G-Sync. IPS monitors are better over-all quality for the picture & have improved viewing angles. If none of that concerns you then just go with a TN, it'll be a lot cheaper & is more common to find in higher refresh rates with lower response times (preferably 5ms or less).

[Cereal5]

21 minutes ago, outercry said:

I have been thinking about replacing my stock CPU cooler with something else

A hyper 212 would be fine for your rig if you dont overclock. the stock fans are fine. if you want to overclock, try for a noctua NH-D15 or all in one liquid, 140mm or bigger.

 

30 minutes ago, outercry said:

First of all, I'm aware that some time soon?!? we will see new offerings from AMD and also NVIDIA will launch at least 1080 ti (or 2xxx series, if you believe the rumours)

from AMD probably yes, from NVIDIA only expect the 1080 Ti, definitely not 11XX or 20XX. Either way a 1080 is still great

 

31 minutes ago, outercry said:

As for the monitor, I'm looking for a £300-400ish range (can possibly be higher, but preferably no

look for 3440x1440 or 1440P 144Hz, those are the best inbetween

 

39 minutes ago, outercry said:

Another thing is G-Sync vs Freesync

It's worth it if you're willing to spend extra money for a slightly better gaming experience. It's like the difference between 60Hz and 144Hz. some people cant tell, some think its night and day

 

40 minutes ago, outercry said:

I may or may not consider upgrading my CPU

your CPU will perform quite well for at least a few years to come

[Shiv78]

13 minutes ago, Cereal5 said:

from AMD probably yes, from NVIDIA only expect the 1080 Ti, definitely not 11XX or 20XX. Either way a 1080 is still great

 

Yeah IDK where OP is getting rumors about a 10-generation jump...

Even an 11xx series is at least 1 year away, if not at least 2, considering the massive performance leap between Maxwell and Pascal.

[outercry]

Thanks for all the replies, highly appreciated.

 

First of all, I would just like to say, I'm not believing the rumours about 20xx/11xx as such, nor the rumours about the future naming in general, whether it is 11xx or 20xx, or whatever. I just wanted to point that out seeing as some people do honestly believe NVIDIA could do some sort of refresh of Pascal in 2017.

 

@Shiv78 It wouldn't mean a 10-generation jump, it's just what some people are saying NVIDIA might name their next lot of cards, instead of 11xx. Again, not my words, just some "reports" I have seen.

 

The only thing I'm interested in waiting, realistically, from NVIDIA is the 1080 ti, and AMD with its Vega cards. GTX 1080 would be a solid option for me, and I might go for it no matter what, but I will wait a few more months to see what happens. Can anyone tell any "definite" dates, when we might realistically see AMD's new cards to come in the market? For normal people that is.

 

I have seen so many different "reports" (rumours...) that I don't really know what to believe. The reports vary from end of 2016 all the way upto 2H 2017, and it would be quite nice to know which one is closest to the truth. I really don't want to wait for another year-ish or so, if AMD isn't going to deliver the cards sooner.

 

Is GTX 1080 ti still going to be revealed in January? I mean, that's what I've read anyway. Might be completely off.

 

As for the monitor, I will definitely consider my options very carefully, because I have had my doubts about 4K monitors, even though some of them are cheaper than a lot of non-4K ones. Like said haven't had any experience with G-Sync monitors or anything either, so I might not bother with them, unless of course they would fit my budget (with a stretch).

 

Any suggestions on the monitor side (as in good monitors) if my upper limit is around £400? No other limitations as such, but I would take Cereal5s' suggestion on board and look for something like that. I think I would be cool with TN, the way I see it IPS doesn't really give me much, if any, benefit.