Upgrade to get back into PC gaming

[Yeroh]

Hi there,

 

I'd like to get back into PC gaming and would like your opinions as to what my best option is.

 

I have an existing gaming rig that I bought back in 2012 (hardware details below), and a recent 2018 MacBook Pro (13"). 

 

Custom Gaming Rig (2012):

• Intel Core i7 3770k @3,5GHz
• Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H
• 16 GB DDR3 @1600MHz
• Gigabyte GeForce GTX 680
• 1 TB HDD, 512 GB SSD, 128 GB SSD

I'm aware that eGPUs have become somewhat relevant over the past couple of years, so I suppose theoretically I could use an eGPU enclosure and BootCamp to game on the Mac. Then again, I'm not sure how great of an idea that would be, particularly because of the thermal headroom of the MBP chassis (or lack thereof). On the other hand, I feel like a lot of the currently unused hardware from my old gaming rig might still be good enough for use in a new machine. Or maybe I could just buy a decently new graphics card, slap it in and call it a day? 

 

1. Budget & Location

I'm in Germany. Technically I don't have a set limit. I'm not in a rush so I can save up for the upgrade. I would like to achieve a good balance between investment and long-term usability, so spending more for a completely new system isn't out of the question. Similarly, I don't want an overkill solution with a current top-tier graphics card that's intended for 4K gaming.

 

2. Aim

I'd like to play current titles like the new Battlefield at smooth frame rates, preferably on Ultra settings at 1080p.

 

3. Monitors

Currently using a single 1080p monitor, I might consider getting a second one.

 

4. Peripherals

Doesn't need to be considered, I have a keyboard, mouse and monitor.

 

5. Why are you upgrading?

Pretty much what I said in the "aim" section; I'd like to be able to play current generation games smoothly again.

 

Please let me know if you need any more details about my current system or situation, I just wrote down what I remembered off the top of my head.

 

Thanks in advance for your help, I really appreciate it!

[Fasauceome]

Here's a thought:

get a good CPU cooler and overclock your CPU, then buy a new graphics card like a GTX 1080. If the performance isn't up to snuff, you can try getting a new motherboard, CPU, and ram, which will be compatible with the cooler and graphics card you just got, so there's no money wasted. However, if your 3770k gets you the framerates you want, you can keep using it.

[Brooksie359]

Honestly the 3770k is no slouch and I think you can simply overclock it and add a gpu and you should be fine. 

[Jurrunio]

Buy Vega 56 first, it's cheap now and could run out of stock in the future since 14nm Vega could be replaced by something more expensive. We do know that 7nm Vega has taken over 14nm Vega in the business market. Who knows when will the yields there be great enough for AMD to phase out the affordable 14nm Vega

 

Also consider the power supply. 550w of good quality is needed.

 

Then the CPU cooler, a good one for overclocking (if you don't have a good one now, that is).

 

Won't use the Mac because eGPUs don't get enough bandwidth to perform nearly like they do on desktops with full PCIe x16 bandwidth.

[Srnewbee]

By the way, if you are gonna get a cooler, don't get an AIO. Get a Noctua d15 if it fits. I have corsair h100i v2 and I hate every moment of my life.

[AngryBeaver]

28 minutes ago, Kevaros said:

Hi there,

 

I'd like to get back into PC gaming and would like your opinions as to what my best option is.

 

I have an existing gaming rig that I bought back in 2012 (hardware details below), and a recent 2018 MacBook Pro (13"). 

 

Custom Gaming Rig (2012):

• Intel Core i7 3770k @3,5GHz
• Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H
• 16 GB DDR3 @1600MHz
• Gigabyte GeForce GTX 680
• 1 TB HDD, 512 GB SSD, 128 GB SSD

I'm aware that eGPUs have become somewhat relevant over the past couple of years, so I suppose theoretically I could use an eGPU enclosure and BootCamp to game on the Mac. Then again, I'm not sure how great of an idea that would be, particularly because of the thermal headroom of the MBP chassis (or lack thereof). On the other hand, I feel like a lot of the currently unused hardware from my old gaming rig might still be good enough for use in a new machine. Or maybe I could just buy a decently new graphics card, slap it in and call it a day? 

 

1. Budget & Location

I'm in Germany. Technically I don't have a set limit. I'm not in a rush so I can save up for the upgrade. I would like to achieve a good balance between investment and long-term usability, so spending more for a completely new system isn't out of the question. Similarly, I don't want an overkill solution with a current top-tier graphics card that's intended for 4K gaming.

 

2. Aim

I'd like to play current titles like the new Battlefield at smooth frame rates, preferably on Ultra settings at 1080p.

 

3. Monitors

Currently using a single 1080p monitor, I might consider getting a second one.

 

4. Peripherals

Doesn't need to be considered, I have a keyboard, mouse and monitor.

 

5. Why are you upgrading?

Pretty much what I said in the "aim" section; I'd like to be able to play current generation games smoothly again.

 

Please let me know if you need any more details about my current system or situation, I just wrote down what I remembered off the top of my head.

 

Thanks in advance for your help, I really appreciate it!

My advice. Get a decent cooler hell even a h212 will work. Overclock that 3770k to 4.5 ghz (pretty easy) grab a used 970,980,980ti or if you want to spend more than 150-180 get a 1060 6gb, 1070,1070ti, or 1080. You could see some bottlenecking on a 1080 though. But that isn't a terrible thing.

 

If I want to go by the bottlenecker (lol) which is probably not terrible accurate it is saying a 4.5ghz clock on the 3770k is only a 4% or so bottleneck which isn't even a concern.

[hconverse02]

9 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

Buy Vega 56 first, it's cheap now and could run out of stock in the future since 14nm Vega could be replaced by something more expensive. We do know that 7nm Vega has taken over 14nm Vega in the business market. Who knows when will the yields there be great enough for AMD to phase out the affordable 14nm Vega

 

Also consider the power supply. 550w of good quality is needed.

 

Then the CPU cooler, a good one for overclocking (if you don't have a good one now, that is).

 

Won't use the Mac because eGPUs don't get enough bandwidth to perform nearly like they do on desktops with full PCIe x16 bandwidth.

Why? The 1080 is better and costs around $500 usd

[Yeroh]

Thanks for your quick replies!

11 minutes ago, Brooksie359 said:

Honestly the 3770k is no slouch and I think you can simply overclock it and add a gpu and you should be fine. 

Which GPU do you think would be the most sensible for 1080p gaming? I know that NVidia's 80s graphics cards are still highly acclaimed, but I'm not very interested in 4K gaming right now, so I'm assuming a 1070 or 1060 might be the more reasonable option. It'd also be great if I could use the same PSU, I believe my current one's a 500W gold certified bequiet unit. 

 

5 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

Buy Vega 56 first, it's cheap now and could run out of stock in the future since 14nm Vega could be replaced by something more expensive. We do know that 7nm Vega has taken over 14nm Vega in the business market. Who knows when will the yields there be great enough for AMD to phase out the affordable 14nm Vega

 

Also consider the power supply. 550w of good quality is needed.

 

Then the CPU cooler, a good one for overclocking (if you don't have a good one now, that is).

 

Won't use the Mac because eGPUs don't get enough bandwidth to perform nearly like they do on desktops with full PCIe x16 bandwidth.

I'm not sure what the exact model names of my PSU and CPU cooler are, but I think they were high quality parts at the time.

 

I originally intended to overclock the CPU (but never did), so I think the current cooler should have enough headroom to allow for that. The PSU should be around 500W (might have been 550?) and had a gold certification, so if the Vega 56 draws about the same (or less) power than my current GTX680, I think that should also be fine. 

[Brooksie359]

I would go with the 1070 maybe even the 1070ti if it's close in price because you want to max out the settings. The 1080 would actually be useful if you wanted to hit higher than 60fps. 

[Jurrunio]

3 minutes ago, hconverse02 said:

Why? The 1080 is better and costs around $500 usd

check German prices and you'll see

[VEXICUS]

44 minutes ago, Kevaros said:

...

Get something like a 1070ti.

OC ur processor.

There might be a slight bottleneck, but nothing worth worrying.

[Yeroh]

The Vega 56 Jurrunio suggested and 1070 (Ti) are about the same price (somewhere around 400€ to 425€), is there any major reason to go for one over the other?  

 

A 1080 on the other hand would be anywhere from 550€, so I'm not sure that would be worth it for me. In a completely new rig I might shell out the extra 200€, but if I'm only going for the graphics card upgrade, it'd be a substantial increase in terms of price over the GTX 1070 or Vega 56.

[Jurrunio]

Just now, Kevaros said:

The Vega 56 Jurrunio suggested and 1070 (Ti) are about the same price (somewhere around 400€ to 425€), is there any major reason to go for one over the other? 

15% difference between 1070 and 1070ti, want to make sure it's not the 1070

 

V56 is 5% slower than 1070ti in general, but is 5%+ faster in games that use DX12/Vulkan well and supports Freesync. Better choice for the future.

 

1070ti is another 5% behind the 1080

[Fasauceome]

1 hour ago, Kevaros said:

Which GPU do you think would be the most sensible for 1080p gaming? I know that NVidia's 80s graphics cards are still highly acclaimed, but I'm not very interested in 4K gaming right now, so I'm assuming a 1070 or 1060 might be the more reasonable option

I use a 1070 for 1080p gaming so it should do just fine.

 

1 hour ago, Kevaros said:

if the Vega 56 draws about the same (or less) power than my current GTX680, I think that should also be fine.

I don't know what doesn't draw less power than the 680 (except good ol Fermi). The 1070 does have a lower power rating, and the Vega 56 should also be lower.