Help needed with upgrading my rig.

[Veczen]

Since i didn't know exactly where to start this post i just decided here would be ok. Now what i need help with is choosing my upgrade path with my PC. (You can skip ahead from here if you want) I have an FX-8300 (only managing a stable 3.8Ghz OC, since i don't think i have enough power for even 4Ghz) and an R9 280X. Now i know my rig is old, but i am on a budget and just a few months ago i was using the LGA775 socket. The CPU cooler is an Ice Edge Mini v2 with an 80mm fan from Noctua, keeps it cool, at least from what i can tell, at a max of 54c on the core. The GPU is a Sapphire Dual-X maxes temps at 68c. Im using a Segotep Gank II case, which has two 120mm fans in the front (one of them a Noctua, but the airflow is a bit limited because of the dust filter) another 120 in the back and the top. Currently using a bequiet! 600w bronze power supply.

 

Now im on a crossroad between choosing the next parts. Which are: an M.2 SSD (i have a PCI-E port for it), a Noctua NH-U12S (the case has a max CPU cooler height of 160mm, i was thinking of using a 240mm AIO from Corsair, since i can, but i feel if something goes bad im screwed, since i wouldn't have the money to fix it, plus i don't think it would cool that much better) and finally the PSU, im looking at a Corsair RM750W Gold power supply.

 

And btw, im writing from a phone, so i might be a bit slow to respond.

[FatalPotatoe]

What storage do you have and how full is it?

[NumLock21]

Can you list your specs of the parts you have right now.

I go with a SSD, not M.2 just standard SATA.

[STRMfrmXMN]

8 minutes ago, Veczen said:

Since i didn't know exactly where to start this post i just decided here would be ok. Now what i need help with is choosing my upgrade path with my PC. (You can skip ahead from here if you want) I have an FX-8300 (only managing a stable 3.8Ghz OC, since i don't think i have enough power for even 4Ghz) and an R9 280X. Now i know my rig is old, but i am on a budget and just a few months ago i was using the LGA775 socket. The CPU cooler is an Ice Edge Mini v2 with an 80mm fan from Noctua, keeps it cool, at least from what i can tell, at a max of 54c on the core. The GPU is a Sapphire Dual-X maxes temps at 68c. Im using a Segotep Gank II case, which has two 120mm fans in the front (one of them a Noctua, but the airflow is a bit limited because of the dust filter) another 120 in the back and the top. Currently using a bequiet! 600w bronze power supply.

 

Now im on a crossroad between choosing the next parts. Which are: an M.2 SSD (i have a PCI-E port for it), a Noctua NH-U12S (the case has a max CPU cooler height of 160mm, i was thinking of using a 240mm AIO from Corsair, since i can, but i feel if something goes bad im screwed, since i wouldn't have the money to fix it, plus i don't think it would cool that much better) and finally the PSU, im looking at a Corsair RM750W Gold power supply.

 

And btw, im writing from a phone, so i might be a bit slow to respond.

I would not spend the cost of your CPU on a cooler. The 8300 is quite old and you'd be better off saving up the money for a whole platform upgrade.

 

Perhaps either save up for something like a 1070 or an R5 1600x? I'd definitely not invest in an M.2 SSD since nothing you're doing with the AM3 platform makes sense to spend money on the M.2 SSD for. Just get a SATA SSD if you don't have an SSD at all. Your PSU is probably OK for now.

 

So yeah, save up for a new CPU/motherboard/RAM or a better GPU IMO.

[horribly outdated]

Do NOT go with an m.2. Seeing you budget is tight you do not need a 750w psu. 450w are enough to power a 1080ti with an 8700K, i do not think you will encounter problems. At this point seeing your cpu is decent i think a 1050 ti would be well spent. Is it for gaming?

[Veczen]

Just now, FatalPotatoe said:

What storage do you have and how full is it?

I have a two HDDs one is an old Samsung 640Gb the other is a 2.5 500Gb WD Blue (got it from a dead laptop) they are pretty full, but i could always empty them, i just fill them up with games so i can just play whatever i want when i get home.

[FatalPotatoe]

1 minute ago, Veczen said:

I have a two HDDs one is an old Samsung 640Gb the other is a 2.5 500Gb WD Blue (got it from a dead laptop) they are pretty full, but i could always empty them, i just fill them up with games so i can just play whatever i want when i get home.

If I were you, I'd go with the SSD upgrade, unless your PSU is over 6 years old then go with the PSU upgrade

[Veczen]

3 minutes ago, NumLock21 said:

Can you list your specs of the parts you have right now.

I go with a SSD, not M.2 just standard SATA.

I dunno what other specs you would need other than the ones i already gave, so im gonna need a little bit more on that.

[NumLock21]

Just now, Veczen said:

I dunno what other specs you would need other than the ones i already gave, so im gonna need a little bit more on that.

Your entire specs on what's in your PC right now.

[horribly outdated]

Well then, what is your budget?

 

[horribly outdated]

I might make just a good build with it

[STRMfrmXMN]

1 minute ago, Veczen said:

I dunno what other specs you would need other than the ones i already gave, so im gonna need a little bit more on that.

Like a PC Part Picker list with all your components would be a good start.

 

As others have said, skip the M.2 and you don't need 750W for your system.

[horribly outdated]

The CPU is good, the Stock cooler is too, 450w are more than enough, an m.2 is completely useless in your position, so just invest on a new gpu. Even a 1050 would do. 

[Veczen]

3 minutes ago, STRMfrmXMN said:

I would not spend the cost of your CPU on a cooler. The 8300 is quite old and you'd be better off saving up the money for a whole platform upgrade.

 

Perhaps either save up for something like a 1070 or an R5 1600x? I'd definitely not invest in an M.2 SSD since nothing you're doing with the AM3 platform makes sense to spend money on the M.2 SSD for. Just get a SATA SSD if you don't have an SSD at all. Your PSU is probably OK for now.

 

So yeah, save up for a new CPU/motherboard/RAM or a better GPU IMO.

Well you see the thing is i want to OC my CPU and my GPU, and when i try even a little bit on the GPU Tomb Raider crashes and i just get a Graphics Driver crash. As for upgrading to a new system or getting new hardware, that's gonna be hard considering the current prices of just the GPUs. 

[STRMfrmXMN]

1 minute ago, Veczen said:

Well you see the thing is i want to OC my CPU and my GPU, and when i try even a little bit on the GPU Tomb Raider crashes and i just get a Graphics Driver crash. As for upgrading to a new system or getting new hardware, that's gonna be hard considering the current prices of just the GPUs. 

I get that you want to OC your 8300 but that chip doesn't OC very well compared to all the rest of the octacore AM3 CPUs and isn't very good by today's standards. You could buy that chip for less than $100 used. Do you really want to spend half the price or more of your CPU on a cooler? I'd pass on that. Just save the money you could have spent on a cooler.

 

I get the GPU concern but eventually they will fall or the new generation of Nvidia cards will release and perhaps you'll want one of those.

[Veczen]

14 minutes ago, STRMfrmXMN said:

I get that you want to OC your 8300 but that chip doesn't OC very well compared to all the rest of the octacore AM3 CPUs and isn't very good by today's standards. You could buy that chip for less than $100 used. Do you really want to spend half the price or more of your CPU on a cooler? I'd pass on that. Just save the money you could have spent on a cooler.

 

I get the GPU concern but eventually they will fall or the new generation of Nvidia cards will release and perhaps you'll want one of those.

For some reason or another i prefer to stick with AMD, kinda like the consoles, they generally do the same thing people just prefer either a Playstation or Xbox. Now i tried to get the parts together but i can't quite find em, so im just gonna write them here.

CPU: AMD FX-8300 3.3Ghz

GPU: AMD R9 280X Sapphire Dual-X

RAM: 12GB (3x4Gb, all different kingston memory, single channel, two 1333Mhz and one 1600Mhz)

PSU: bequiet! System Power 8 600W Bronze

These are the main stuff.

[Veczen]

23 minutes ago, Giulio Cellocco said:

The CPU is good, the Stock cooler is too, 450w are more than enough, an m.2 is completely useless in your position, so just invest on a new gpu. Even a 1050 would do. 

A 1050 would be more power efficient yes, but i prefer AMD and i do think i need the VRam and Memory Bandwidth since i do play modded Skyrim.

[Veczen]

26 minutes ago, Giulio Cellocco said:

I might make just a good build with it

Currently i only have enough for the Noctua NH-U12S, but after about 2 weeks i would have enough for the RM750w Gold, if you think im actually able to get money quickly you would be wrong, it just so happens that i can get some in a bit.

[STRMfrmXMN]

4 minutes ago, Veczen said:

Currently i only have enough for the Noctua NH-U12S, but after about 2 weeks i would have enough for the RM750w Gold, if you think im actually able to get money quickly you would be wrong, it just so happens that i can get some in a bit.

If you don't have a steady income then don't splurge on a PSU. Yours is fine for now. 600W is plenty for damn near any single GPU system, including yours. Your PSU isn't as good as the RMx, sure, but it's fine for now.

[NumLock21]

26 minutes ago, Veczen said:

Currently i only have enough for the Noctua NH-U12S, but after about 2 weeks i would have enough for the RM750w Gold, if you think im actually able to get money quickly you would be wrong, it just so happens that i can get some in a bit.

You're currently just wasting your money on parts that will offer no performance benefits. Save up and upgrade to a newer platform, especially your cpu, motherboard, ram, and a SSD if you don't have one yet.

[Veczen]

You know PC gaming is like both a blessing and a curse. I still remember playing on my Intel Pentium Dual Core E5200 2.5Ghz with my AMD Radeon HD4650 and 4Gb DDR2 RAM. Even at 20 fps i was having a blast. And now 30Fps seems like a slideshow from the usual 60 (maybe it's the frametimes) my monitor is a 16:10 1050p res, i might need a new one (still uses a VGA connector) my first upgrade was when my GPU got screwed up and i got an R7 240, after that a 460W for 20$ then a Core 2 Quad Q8300 then a new motherboard (since the old one was dying as well) after that i got DDR3 RAM (first 4gb stick for 20$ second one was 12$ and the third one 15$), then a new PSU (50$), then a new GPU (90$) and now im here, i got the case, mobo and cpu for 230$ i was pretty glad of my purchase. And these purchases are in the span of several years, in short im the kind of guy that takes his time.

[strat guy]

The PSU is fine, and an M.2 can wait (unnecessary for now). A 240 AIO will generally outperform a towercooler past a certain thermal limit, get one anyway, keep your chip cooler at lower RPM fan speeds.

[Veczen]

6 minutes ago, strat guy said:

The PSU is fine, and an M.2 can wait (unnecessary for now). A 240 AIO will generally outperform a towercooler past a certain thermal limit, get one anyway, keep your chip cooler at lower RPM fan speeds.

My chip may be cooler with an AIO but what's the point if it's already pretty cool on it's own?

[Veczen]

1 hour ago, STRMfrmXMN said:

If you don't have a steady income then don't splurge on a PSU. Yours is fine for now. 600W is plenty for damn near any single GPU system, including yours. Your PSU isn't as good as the RMx, sure, but it's fine for now.

If it's enough why am i encountering problems that i only encountered before when my power wasn't enough (example being my previous 460w psu). Plus i kinda promised my power supply to a friend who has the same 460w psu as i had and he's constantly getting power issues when he's trying to do alot of things on his PC or even just on a Portal 2 custom map. The guy has a pentium G3220 and a 750ti, what's up with that? 

[STRMfrmXMN]

5 minutes ago, Veczen said:

If it's enough why am i encountering problems that i only encountered before when my power wasn't enough (example being my previous 460w psu). Plus i kinda promised my power supply to a friend who has the same 460w psu as i had and he's constantly getting power issues when he's trying to do alot of things on his PC or even just on a Portal 2 custom map. The guy has a pentium G3220 and a 750ti, what's up with that? 

You can't pull 600W from a 280X and 8300 without pushing like 1.45V to the 8300 and watercooling and having some crazy silicon misfortune with your 280X.

 

For your friend, a 750Ti and Pentium would draw about 120W if you stressed the hell out of all the hardware in that thing so he might have a crap PSU.

 

You could, alternatively, buy a Kill-O-Watt and see how much it's drawing. My guess would be about 450W.