Where should I begin upgrading?

[dirtbikeryzz]

Current build is

ASRock z68 Extreme4 Gen 3
i7 2700k @ 4ghz
8GB RAM
GTX 580 SLI
1000Watt PSU

My original plan was to replace everything but the GPU for now and, grab one later, so I had planned on getting a i7 4820k, ASRock X79 Extreme 6 mobo since It wont work in my current mobo, and throwing in 16GB of 1866 RAM. Then I thought about it more, and it started to sound like a waste of money. So as the title says where the heck do I begin upgrading? (For gaming)

 

[johnb35]

I think it would be kind of stupid and not worth it with what you currently got. Thats just my opinion though. The 4820k is only marginally better than what you have.

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i7-2700K-vs-Intel-Core-I7-4820k

 

[dirtbikeryzz]

I think it would be kind of stupid and not worth it with what you currently got. Thats just my opinion though. The 4820k is only marginally better than what you have.

http://cpuboss.com/cpus/Intel-Core-i7-2700K-vs-Intel-Core-I7-4820k

Yeah I agree, So what would you suggest I do?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181060

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231560

Thats all I have in my cart right now, is my only other real option a new GPU? Also will that RAM work in that mobo?

 

[johnb35]

Yes, it will work, you will just have to go into the bios and set the voltage and timings manually. The board only supports 1600mhz without OC. But my question is... Do you feel you are lacking somewhere? Are you having any issues?

 

[dirtbikeryzz]

Yes, it will work, you will just have to go into the bios and set the voltage and timings manually. The board only supports 1600mhz without OC. But my question is... Do you feel you are lacking somewhere? Are you having any issues?

Well I just wasn't sure if there was some huge bottleneck or something I needed to fix, the rig runs decent, its loud which is why I plan on water cooling though. As for FPS in games most are decent nothing super special, I mean it won't destroy every game out there, I just feel like it could be better. I ask on forums and people go oh man that rig should kill anything, when in reality I can take any new game, crank every little setting up, and watch the fps sit around 30, which drives me nuts lol.

And would this RAM be a better choice?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231568

 

[salvage-this]

Unless you are going to go for new GPUs I would probably go for an SSD or better/ quieter cooling. Everything else looks just fine for games.

 

[dirtbikeryzz]

Unless you are going to go for new GPUs I would probably go for an SSD or better/ quieter cooling. Everything else looks just fine for games.

Don't SSD's just make loading times a little faster?

 

[salvage-this]

I wouldn't have any of your games on the SSD. It is just a good upgrade for the OS. I just don't see any other areas that need an update.

Like I said before, GPUs would be the first upgrade but after that cooling and SSDs would be my next choice.

 

[Geoff]

Don't SSD's just make loading times a little faster?

It increased read/write speeds, and decreases latency. Basically, it means your PC will load Windows in several seconds instead of 30-60 seconds or more, when you login you will be brought to your desktop immediately and you can open applications almost instantly, compared to waiting for your desktop to load, and for applications to load.

It doesn't increase FPS in games, but it makes overall computing that much faster.

 

[dirtbikeryzz]

It increased read/write speeds, and decreases latency. Basically, it means your PC will load Windows in several seconds instead of 30-60 seconds or more, when you login you will be brought to your desktop immediately and you can open applications almost instantly, compared to waiting for your desktop to load, and for applications to load.

It doesn't increase FPS in games, but it makes overall computing that much faster.

Ah ok sounds decent, how would that work along side my 1TB HDD I already have? Also what size/brand should I get?

So all in All I'm going to add
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231568

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181060

And whatever SSD you guys suggest to me.

 

[Geoff]

I'd get the Samsung 840 EVO, whatever capacity you want to pay for.

You can use your 1TB for data and/or games, depending on how large of a SSD you get.

 

[dirtbikeryzz]

Do I have to wipe my computer, and fresh install windows on the SSD? How do i get windows to the SSD, while keeping my old HDD with all the files on it?

 

[salvage-this]

FYI if you add that RAM to your current RAM, all of your RAM will run at 1600MHz. If you want to keep the RAM speed at 2000MHz you need to get another kit that will run at those speeds.

Cooler looks good. 2md the Samsung 840 EVO. 128gb or bigger.

There are ways to migrate the system onto the SSD, but it is a better idea to do a clean install. I would backup the files to an external drive and reformat both.

 

[dirtbikeryzz]

FYI if you add that RAM to your current RAM, all of your RAM will run at 1600MHz. If you want to keep the RAM speed at 2000MHz you need to get another kit that will run at those speeds.

Cooler looks good. 2md the Samsung 840 EVO. 128gb or bigger.

There are ways to migrate the system onto the SSD, but it is a better idea to do a clean install. I would backup the files to an external drive and reformat both.

Can you just mix RAM together? I currently have 4 2GB sticks, that mean I can keep two of them and just throw in the two 8GB sticks, and all will be good? 20GB of RAM seems odd. As for the SSD that kind of makes me not wanna do it haha, it would be an all day process trying to get all the programs I have back, and updated ect. Seems like a lot of work just to cut windows boot time, everything already opens instantly on just my regular HDD.

 

[salvage-this]

You can mix RAM. But it will set all of the RAM to the highest speeds that both can achieve. So that would be 1600MHz. You could maybe OC it to 1866, but it is not certian that it would be stable.

Edit: Just saw that you have 4x2gb not 2x4gb. Nevermind, the RAM you posted would be a good upgrade for your system if you do need to go above 8gb.

SSD is up to you. I originally didn't see a huge benefit, but after using it for a while at home and at work I really start to notice a difference in daily work. It's also nice when you have the OS and your storage drives split because most of the disk needs are off of your mechanical drive. You get better performance out of the spinning disk when it does not have as many tasks to keep up with.

 

[Okedokey]

Sell the 580s now while you can, you should get around $400 for both, may be 500 if you're lucky. Going from 8GB to 16GB RAM for just gaming is a waste of money.

Then add your current upgrade budget (~$300) and get a 780Ti or a 290X. You'll get more VRAM, better performance (around the same as a 690, i.e. 20% - 40% better), less power and heat and you wont be running your cards at PCIe 2.0 @ x 8 (same PCIe 1.1 @ x 16), but PCIe 3.0 @ x16.

780Ti - $600 with FREE WATCH DOGS
120GB SSD EVO 840 (for windows) - $80

Same budget, faster and overall a better option.

• Significantly faster gaming performance.
• Support DX 11.2 and Support 4K games
• Less Power.
• Less heat.
• Much quieter.
• More VRAM (double) - the 1.5GB of VRAM on your 580s are bottlenecking games even at 1080p these days.
• SSD speeds - if you don't get the SSD, use the extra funds to get a third party GPU cooler or design.
• Free A grade game.
• And you can always go SLI in the future with no further upgrades necessary.

So sell your 580s and add your two or three hundred and get a 780Ti. Best use of your resources.

 

[Geoff]

Do I have to wipe my computer, and fresh install windows on the SSD? How do i get windows to the SSD, while keeping my old HDD with all the files on it?

Yes you would. It would take some time to setup, but it's good to do a clean install from time to time to rid your PC of all the crap that piles up from old software and drivers.

 

[Okedokey]

In addition to what WRX says (i agree), if your partition for windows is less than the SSD size, then the bundled transfer software with the Samsung SSDs will do it for you in about 10 minutes.