PC Upgrade Ideas/Plan (OPEN TO IDEAS AND SUGGESTIONS!)

[Enderess]

First off, before I go overboard on a million specifications for my PC, just note that I am going to try for something (just a little bit) budget friendly (if possible), as I don't want to kill my poor, poor wallet.

 

(PS Sorry if I put it in the wrong category.)

 

So, I was getting sick of making a ton of separate forum posts across a ton of separate forums, like, why not just post everything all at once to rest my fingers a bit. Anyways, don't worry, I'll get on with it. 

 

But first, a warning: I am no PC god or anything, I don't know a ton about PC's like some people act like, I just want to slowly change out components over time and get an overall action plan here, so sorry if I don't understand everything being thrown at me.

 

Okay, so I plan on slowly upgrading over time, upgrading certain components one at a time. Sometimes there might be a necessary upgrade, but we'll see. I would like to use this computer for (some) gaming, and I am planning on soon upgrading to Windows 10.

 

Here is some other information some may find helpful:

 

I live in the US, meaning US dollars.

I plan on this system for mixed purposes. Gaming (in the future), school, and browsing.

My budget may vary, no real budget to be exact, as I am upgrading one part at a time, just nothing super expensive that only Linus could afford.

 

This computer is an old ASUS CM1730 desktop computer, which (might) have some slight modifications, as it used to be another family member's computer, but I have no clue. Here is a link to the specs. (Provided by Cnet.)

 

Lets get on with the specs, as these are the ones I am reading off of my system, rather than the Cnet specs, as some details may be more specific.

 

• Case: I have no clue what it is called. (I know, we are already off to a great start!) But I know that it is the stock case for the ASUS Essentio CM1730. Looks like this.
• Motherboard: The kind of old, m4A7BLT-m in all its glory.
• CPU: AMD Phenom(tm) II X6 1065T Processor, coming in at 2.90 GHz. (Also, sorry if on another post I referred to it as 2.80 GHz, )
• Graphics: AMD 760G (integrated(?))
• RAM: 8.00 gb (7.75 usable)
• Storage: (Once again), not sure. I do know that still has 786 gb free of 921 gb. I can check certain things if the harddrive/disk is important to you, but so far I have had no luck with the places I have checked.
• PSU: (crappy) Okia-450atx, and yes, I know that I need to replace it. You can check out other people's ideas over here, but I would recommend any new (if needed) suggestions land on this post for organizational reasons.

Tell me if I missed anything here. 

 

So, what are my current plans? You may be asking. Well, here goes nothing. Correct me if my peanut-sized brain messed up 

 

• Case: A new MicroATX case, probably somewhere on newegg, as my motherboard is MicroATX, and some of the case options look quite nice to me. Here is a list. Priority: Low
• Motheboard: No clue: ??? Priority: ???
• CPU: I don't think an upgrade is in place, but I doubt this is high priority. Correct me if I'm wrong. Priority: Low
• Graphics: GTX 1050 (ti(?)) Priority: Medium
• RAM: Later on, I plan on (possibly) getting 16 gigs for my PC, as it seems compatible. Priority: Low
• Storage: Maybe a new Harddrive, possibly SSD. Priority: Low
• PSU: looking for suggestions, though the "be quiet! PURE POWER 10-CM 500W" seems like a good option, tell me your thoughts. Priority: Medium/High

Anyways, I would love to hear your guys' thoughts and ideas below! I will take any ideas in open arms, so feel free to tell me anything!

 

Please give me part suggestions, and just in general tips. I would like to be doing this one by one, at different times, as I would like this to be something that isn't rushed, for more time to think about certain decisions, and more time for my wallet to recover from the pain inflicted.

 

 

Anyways, thanks for your time, and I will try to respond to your questions as fast as possible. Thanks everyone.

 

-Enderess

[ApolloX75]

I like these kinds of projects, it's a great way to break into an otherwise expensive and time consuming hobby.

 

A fresh power supply is a great start. No need to go super fancy, even a (grey label) Corsair CXM would be a good basis for a budget rebuild. There's a good PSU tier list on this forum that you should definitely make use of, it is maintained by some very knowledgeable forum members.

 

That old Phenom II X6 was a powerhouse in it's day, you can keep that for now and work with it even with the somewhat limited motherboard. You could buy a solid new board, like an MSI 970 Gaming and overclock the bejesus out of that fossil, but I would say save your pennies for now unless you can find a used one for peanuts. It's not a critical component at this time.

 

A case wouldn't be a bad idea and if you want to think ahead to future upgrades; you might want to go with an ATX case instead of MicroATX, just to keep your options wide open.

 

A good GPU is the second step and I agree with your selection of a GTX 1050 (Ti would be best) as that will jive well with the aging performance of your Phenom II, and will work well with whatever you upgrade to in the future without breaking the bank now.

 

One thing I will add is get an SSD as fast as possible. It will seriously enhance the responsiveness of the system and make everything much snappier. It's a seriously good investment.

[Damascus]

21 minutes ago, ApolloX75 said:

expensive and time consuming hobby.

I'm currently in the midst of using a $600 loop to cool a nearly decade old chip, it's fuuun.

 

Also pretty, gold + black is looking good.

[ApolloX75]

1 minute ago, Damascus said:

I'm currently in the midst of using a $600 loop to cool a nearly decade old chip, it's fuuun.

 

Also pretty, gold + black is looking good.

Ha no kidding! I'm actually in the midst of putting my QX9650/790i back together and possibly pulling my 4790k rig apart just to run it under my water loop so I can see how high I can get it again. 

[Enderess]

Thanks for the responses!

[Enderess]

1 hour ago, ApolloX75 said:

I like these kinds of projects, it's a great way to break into an otherwise expensive and time consuming hobby.

 

A fresh power supply is a great start. No need to go super fancy, even a (grey label) Corsair CXM would be a good basis for a budget rebuild. There's a good PSU tier list on this forum that you should definitely make use of, it is maintained by some very knowledgeable forum members.

 

That old Phenom II X6 was a powerhouse in it's day, you can keep that for now and work with it even with the somewhat limited motherboard. You could buy a solid new board, like an MSI 970 Gaming and overclock the bejesus out of that fossil, but I would say save your pennies for now unless you can find a used one for peanuts. It's not a critical component at this time.

 

A case wouldn't be a bad idea and if you want to think ahead to future upgrades; you might want to go with an ATX case instead of MicroATX, just to keep your options wide open.

 

A good GPU is the second step and I agree with your selection of a GTX 1050 (Ti would be best) as that will jive well with the aging performance of your Phenom II, and will work well with whatever you upgrade to in the future without breaking the bank now.

 

One thing I will add is get an SSD as fast as possible. It will seriously enhance the responsiveness of the system and make everything much snappier. It's a seriously good investment.

I know right, I love all these projects, not to mention, I have never built a PC before, so this will probably give me some experience, and who knows, this project could have an amazing outcome when you think about all the options!

 

I have to agree with pretty much everything that you said. I am probably going to be upgrading the PSU and the graphics first, as you said. As I have heard plenty times before, my current PSU was trash, I mean, I wonder how it has ran so long. 

 

A new motherboard is a great idea for the future if this project really kicks off, as the  I could get a newer motherboard that will be better in general, as it would probably support more RAM, and probably a newer, better CPU, depending on the socket. Though this is an option that K will save for later.

 

As for the  SSD, I don't really have much experience on that field, but I assume that I would have the OS on that rather than a standard hard drive? Also, I do have to agree, as it does sound like a good investment, and I will probably try to upgrade in the near future.

 

So far, I have to thank you for the result. I am so new to this new realm of PC hardware (prior to what my parents think), and that helped a lot.

 

I see this project going places

[Enderess]

57 minutes ago, Damascus said:

I'm currently in the midst of using a $600 loop to cool a nearly decade old chip, it's fuuun.

 

Also pretty, gold + black is looking good.

Sound interesting...

[Enderess]

So, should I be upgrading the graphics or the PSU first? I am guessing the PSU, but just want to check with you guys.

 

Thanks.

[Diones]

2 hours ago, Enderess said:

First off, before I go overboard on a million specifications for my PC, just note that I am going to try for something (just a little bit) budget friendly (if possible), as I don't want to kill my poor, poor wallet.

 

(PS Sorry if I put it in the wrong category.)

 

So, I was getting sick of making a ton of separate forum posts across a ton of separate forums, like, why not just post everything all at once to rest my fingers a bit. Anyways, don't worry, I'll get on with it. 

 

But first, a warning: I am no PC god or anything, I don't know a ton about PC's like some people act like, I just want to slowly change out components over time and get an overall action plan here, so sorry if I don't understand everything being thrown at me.

 

Okay, so I plan on slowly upgrading over time, upgrading certain components one at a time. Sometimes there might be a necessary upgrade, but we'll see. I would like to use this computer for (some) gaming, and I am planning on soon upgrading to Windows 10.

 

Here is some other information some may find helpful:

 

I live in the US, meaning US dollars.

I plan on this system for mixed purposes. Gaming (in the future), school, and browsing.

My budget may vary, no real budget to be exact, as I am upgrading one part at a time, just nothing super expensive that only Linus could afford.

 

This computer is an old ASUS CM1730 desktop computer, which (might) have some slight modifications, as it used to be another family member's computer, but I have no clue. Here is a link to the specs. (Provided by Cnet.)

 

Lets get on with the specs, as these are the ones I am reading off of my system, rather than the Cnet specs, as some details may be more specific.

 

• Case: I have no clue what it is called. (I know, we are already off to a great start!) But I know that it is the stock case for the ASUS Essentio CM1730. Looks like this.
• Motherboard: The kind of old, m4A7BLT-m in all its glory.
• CPU: AMD Phenom(tm) II X6 1065T Processor, coming in at 2.90 GHz. (Also, sorry if on another post I referred to it as 2.80 GHz, )
• Graphics: AMD 760G (integrated(?))
• RAM: 8.00 gb (7.75 usable)
• Storage: (Once again), not sure. I do know that still has 786 gb free of 921 gb. I can check certain things if the harddrive/disk is important to you, but so far I have had no luck with the places I have checked.
• PSU: (crappy) Okia-450atx, and yes, I know that I need to replace it. You can check out other people's ideas over here, but I would recommend any new (if needed) suggestions land on this post for organizational reasons.

Tell me if I missed anything here. 

 

So, what are my current plans? You may be asking. Well, here goes nothing. Correct me if my peanut-sized brain messed up 

 

• Case: A new MicroATX case, probably somewhere on newegg, as my motherboard is MicroATX, and some of the case options look quite nice to me. Here is a list. Priority: Low
• Motheboard: No clue: ??? Priority: ???
• CPU: I don't think an upgrade is in place, but I doubt this is high priority. Correct me if I'm wrong. Priority: Low
• Graphics: GTX 1050 (ti(?)) Priority: Medium
• RAM: Later on, I plan on (possibly) getting 16 gigs for my PC, as it seems compatible. Priority: Low
• Storage: Maybe a new Harddrive, possibly SSD. Priority: Low
• PSU: looking for suggestions, though the "be quiet! PURE POWER 10-CM 500W" seems like a good option, tell me your thoughts. Priority: Medium/High

Anyways, I would love to hear your guys' thoughts and ideas below! I will take any ideas in open arms, so feel free to tell me anything!

 

Please give me part suggestions, and just in general tips. I would like to be doing this one by one, at different times, as I would like this to be something that isn't rushed, for more time to think about certain decisions, and more time for my wallet to recover from the pain inflicted.

 

 

Anyways, thanks for your time, and I will try to respond to your questions as fast as possible. Thanks everyone.

 

-Enderess

Ok, first of all. Your computer came in pre-built, so I suggest you to get a custom build pc. 

I dont know what budget you are doing, so I assume it's 1000 usd.

the 8th generation of intel CPU are coming up, the 8600k is a greatchoice for multipurpose pc.

258-270$ For 6 cores and 6threads is a killer deal,then add a aftermarket cooler to make overclock cooler if budget allows usually a 30-40$ air cooler is plenty

 

The new z370 motherboards came in varies prices, so I suggest you to do some research and pick the right one for yourself.

 

the gpu plays a big part, all depends on what game do you play and what monitor you wana get, looking at your piority, gpu is a medium, but I suggest put gpu &CPU at highly priority, because these are the 2 components that decides what kind of performance you will mostly get

assuming you game at 1080p 

A gtx 1060 6Gb should do the job, just in case you go play some gpu heavy games on higher settings, this gpu should keep your picture stable at somewhere 60fps

 

ram 16gb

psu600 watt

ssd(depends on your budget)

1tb of hhd

 

Thats for now , if any questions just ask

[Enderess]

13 minutes ago, Diones said:

Ok, first of all. Your computer came in pre-built, so I suggest you to get a custom build pc. 

I dont know what budget you are doing, so I assume it's 1000 usd.

the 8th generation of intel CPU are coming up, the 8600k is a greatchoice for multipurpose pc.

258-270$ For 6 cores and 6threads is a killer deal,then add a aftermarket cooler to make overclock cooler if budget allows usually a 30-40$ air cooler is plenty

 

The new z370 motherboards came in varies prices, so I suggest you to do some research and pick the right one for yourself.

 

the gpu plays a big part, all depends on what game do you play and what monitor you wana get, looking at your piority, gpu is a medium, but I suggest put gpu &CPU at highly priority, because these are the 2 components that decides what kind of performance you will mostly get

assuming you game at 1080p 

A gtx 1060 6Gb should do the job, just in case you go play some gpu heavy games on higher settings, this gpu should keep your picture stable at somewhere 60fps

 

ram 16gb

psu600 watt

ssd(depends on your budget)

1tb of hhd

 

Thats for now , if any questions just ask

Thanks for the response!

 

So far, I just plan on slowly replacing every component one by one, upgrading as time goes on, but who knows, I haven't made any crucial decisions yet.

 

As for the CPU and GPU, I only put them at low/medium priorities, as if I am going with the slowly upgrade parts plan, they are something that I would probably consider more important once I get  a new PSU, as my current one is junk.

 

Though, with that aside, I agree with most of the things you said.

 

Thanks,

 

Enderess

[Diones]

Just now, Enderess said:

Thanks for the response!

 

So far, I just plan on slowly replacing every component 1 by one, upgrading as time goes on, but who knows, I haven't made any crucial decisions yet.

 

As for the CPU and GPU, I only put them at low/medium priorities, as if I am going with the slowly upgrade parts plan, they are something that I would probably consider more important once I get  a new PSU, as my current one is junk.

 

Though, with that aside, I agree with most of the things you said.

 

Thanks,

 

Enderess

Mhmm ok then, slowly building up isn't a bad idea , you just need to keep your heads up for the deals &sales that's going on. 

Since a new psi is your main issue right now, I recommend you look into the evga supernova 650 gs. Good price and fully modular. Thermaltake Smart Pro RGB 650W is another one that's in the same price rang,all depends on your tastes

 

 Also, a pc case is what you should consider next if you are up grading slowly, this will narrow down your researches a lot.

a mid-tower is usually the best choice for a first-timer, good compatibility, and have a lot of budget friendly choices.

[Enderess]

Just now, Diones said:

Mhmm ok then, slowly building up isn't a bad idea , you just need to keep your heads up for the deals &sales that's going on. 

Since a new psi is your main issue right now, I recommend you look into the evga supernova 650 gs. Good price and fully modular. Thermaltake Smart Pro RGB 650W is another one that's in the same price rang,all depends on your tastes

 

 Also, a pc case is what you should consider next if you are up grading slowly, this will narrow down your researches a lot.

a mid-tower is usually the best choice for a first-timer, good compatibility, and have a lot of budget friendly choices.

OK thanks, this clears up a lot. I will be looking into buying a new PSU first, and probably getting a new case or graphics afterwards.

 

Any case recommendations? And about the SSD, when should I consider upgrading? Any recommendations? Does the OS go on the SSD?

 

Also, any good cases? The ones with the side panels look pretty cool.

 

Thanks,

 

Enderess

[Diones]

3 minutes ago, Enderess said:

OK thanks, this clears up a lot. I will be looking into buying a new PSU first, and probably getting a new case or graphics afterwards.

 

Any case recommendations? And about the SSD, when should I consider upgrading? Any recommendations? Does the OS go on the SSD?

 

Also, any good cases? The ones with the side panels look pretty cool.

 

Thanks,

 

Enderess

K , what color of the case do you want, and what's the price range for it.

 

for now don't worry too much for the ssd

Consider it as the cherry on the cake, just because the price is not very budget friendly and the current system is quite old, adding a ssd right now may not be the priority

 

the OS does go on the ssd since it will be operating windows faster.

 

btw , some ppl will suggest you to get a 400-500psw just because the price, but for future upgrades a 650w is a safe line just so you know

[Enderess]

11 hours ago, Diones said:

K , what color of the case do you want, and what's the price range for it.

 

for now don't worry too much for the ssd

Consider it as the cherry on the cake, just because the price is not very budget friendly and the current system is quite old, adding a ssd right now may not be the priority

 

the OS does go on the ssd since it will be operating windows faster.

 

btw , some ppl will suggest you to get a 400-500psw just because the price, but for future upgrades a 650w is a safe line just so you know

Ok, that makes sense.

As for the case, I don't really care too much about the price range, just something under $150, as I know that I could get a decent case in that price range.

 

As for the SSD, you're right, I'll look into getting one later on, just was wondering about it.

 

As for the PSU, sure thing. 650 watts will probably be better in the long run, so I wouldn't have to worry about replacing it.

 

I'll be exploring options for my upgrades, and will probably make a blog to record progress.

 

Thanks for the help!

[ApolloX75]

5 hours ago, Enderess said:

As for the case, I don't really care too much about the price range, just something under $150, as I know that I could get a decent case in that price range.

There's a lot of good cases that fall in that price range. To name a few off the top of my head: NZXT S340 or H440; InWin 303 (or 301 if you want to stick with mATX); Fractal Meshify; Corsair 460X... there's so many good cases. All of them have strengths and weaknesses of course; like the 303 can have poor airflow if not set up properly and has really annoying hard drive mounts, but a little review research usually reveals most of the details.

[Enderess]

3 hours ago, ApolloX75 said:

There's a lot of good cases that fall in that price range. To name a few off the top of my head: NZXT S340 or H440; InWin 303 (or 301 if you want to stick with mATX); Fractal Meshify; Corsair 460X... there's so many good cases. All of them have strengths and weaknesses of course; like the 303 can have poor airflow if not set up properly and has really annoying hard drive mounts, but a little review research usually reveals most of the details.

Sorry for responding so late!

 

I'm currently looking into all of these options, but the one thing that has been getting to me the most is, how hard is it to upgrade the case? Moving everything out seems a little daunting to me, as I have never built, though, I am up for a challenge!

 

Also, the NZXT S340 looks good, very sleek, and that is an attribute I like about it, as I personally don't really get the ones that are super clunky with random shapes, made out of a cheap plastic 

[ApolloX75]

18 hours ago, Enderess said:

Sorry for responding so late!

 

I'm currently looking into all of these options, but the one thing that has been getting to me the most is, how hard is it to upgrade the case? Moving everything out seems a little daunting to me, as I have never built, though, I am up for a challenge!

 

Also, the NZXT S340 looks good, very sleek, and that is an attribute I like about it, as I personally don't really get the ones that are super clunky with random shapes, made out of a cheap plastic 

Yeah your first tear-down and build is going to be a little nerve racking. Don't sweat it, it's easy. Just take your time and even take pictures if you need; just to remember where cables were plugged in and such, there's no rush. Keep things neat and tidy.

 

A few 101s: Get yourself a good #2 Phillips screwdriver (commonly referred to as a "star"), some small flush cutters, a pack of 4" zip ties (any color will do) and a good flashlight. Build on a table or other hard surface with lots of overhead light and keep a dish handy to put all your screws into. Touch the power supply casing or case frame every once in a while just to prevent static build up (I've never actually killed anything with static, but it's a precaution anyway) and always remember push firmly but don't force it. If something won't go together; don't try and force it, take it out and line it up again carefully.

 

The front panel connections for power and reset are usually the trickiest part. Tiny little pins and tiny little labels (if there even are labels).

[Enderess]

1 hour ago, ApolloX75 said:

Yeah your first tear-down and build is going to be a little nerve racking. Don't sweat it, it's easy. Just take your time and even take pictures if you need; just to remember where cables were plugged in and such, there's no rush. Keep things neat and tidy.

 

A few 101s: Get yourself a good #2 Phillips screwdriver (commonly referred to as a "star"), some small flush cutters, a pack of 4" zip ties (any color will do) and a good flashlight. Build on a table or other hard surface with lots of overhead light and keep a dish handy to put all your screws into. Touch the power supply casing or case frame every once in a while just to prevent static build up (I've never actually killed anything with static, but it's a precaution anyway) and always remember push firmly but don't force it. If something won't go together; don't try and force it, take it out and line it up again carefully.

 

The front panel connections for power and reset are usually the trickiest part. Tiny little pins and tiny little labels (if there even are labels).

Ok, thanks!

 

Yeah, this does sound kind of stressful for me, and I am quite new to this. Though, I will try to see if I can find any guides on the topic.

 

Though, the tips help!

 

Thanks for your time!

 

Enderess

[Enderess]

Would these work?

https://www.ifixit.com/Store/Tools/Phillips-2-Screwdriver/IF145-032-1?gclid=CjwKCAjwpfzOBRA5EiwAU0ccN9ckpvKeXFcEffn91PYf0rtgBod5syDTd8r3iDKhe7FDuEDPRrjU7xoCddUQAvD_BwE

 

https://www.amazon.com/Delcast-MEC-5A-Cutter-Cutting-Capacity/dp/B00QHEVD4U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1507846292&sr=8-1&keywords=flush cutters&tag=linustechti06-20

 

https://www.amazon.com/DTOL-Plastic-Cable-100-Pack-Black/dp/B002C0SKBW/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_60_lp_t_3?_encoding=UTF8&refRID=RBHFC80C7XKV5N7CT2Z7&dpID=41yCIjxMPEL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=detail&th=1

 

I do have some screwdriver type stuff in my current toolbox, but I don't think that it had a Philips #2....

 

 

 

 

[ApolloX75]

All those are good except the zip ties are a bit big for what you'll be doing. These would be more suitable.

[Enderess]

Just now, ApolloX75 said:

All those are good except the zip ties are a bit big for what you'll be doing. These would be more suitable.

Ok, thanks!