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Getting back into it!

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Hey everyone!

My stay away from here has been so long I needed a new account ha!

Back when I was here GTX280s were top notch and i7s were a new thing.

I know a lot has changed and I am curious how you guys recomend I get back into the swing of the newer hardware to where I can recommend myself and others upgrades and be able to help out on the forums.

Thanks in advance! I remember how great this community can be!
 
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What was wrong with your old account?
You can just update your system specs on your old account.
 
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What was wrong with your old account?
You can just update your system specs on your old account.

I lost access to the email address and forgot my password and such.

But its not a big deal to me.
 
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Benchmark Scores Cinebench R23 (Single Core) 1936 @ stock Cinebench R23 (Multi Core) 23006 @ stock
I lost access to the email address and forgot my password and such.

But its not a big deal to me.

Hmm I see, ok,

Welcome back then! :)
 
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Hmm I see, ok,

Welcome back then! :)

Thanks a ton! Hoping someone can help me with my question. I need to get my knowledge of current hardware back. :/
 
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Start reading threads, it's the best way to catch up.
 
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Now :
top CPUs
i7 6700(K),i6 6600(K),i5 6500
Top GPUs
GTX 1080 , GTX 1070 , AMD RX 480

Yeah see where I get confused is back a few years ago it was much easier to identify if something was better simply by the number. Example GTX 280 was better than 260. 4870 was better than 4670. But now there is R6 R3 and its a bit more confusing.

Start reading threads, it's the best way to catch up.

Thats what I have been doing. But I was curious if there was an easier way to jump start my knowledge of current status.

Good reason for me doing this is I may be working at a local computer repair shop. And regardless of the hardware I can fix it its just nice to know all I can. I also plan on doing some upgrading soon and I am always low on cash so a budget buyer always needs to know the most he/she can. I cant just buy the best. :p
 
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for $700-750 PC
i5 6500 + RX 480

just add RX 480 for $230 , when it comes

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($204.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170 Pro4S ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($82.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($39.89 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($47.49 @ OutletPC)
Case: Deepcool TESSERACT SW ATX Mid Tower Case ($39.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($29.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $430.33
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-22 10:45 EDT-0400
 
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System Name AlderLake / Laptop
Processor Intel i7 12700K P-Cores @ 5Ghz / Intel i3 7100U
Motherboard Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Master / HP 83A3 (U3E1)
Cooling Noctua NH-U12A 2 fans + Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut Extreme + 5 case fans / Fan
Memory 32GB DDR5 Corsair Dominator Platinum RGB 6000MHz CL36 / 8GB DDR4 HyperX CL13
Video Card(s) MSI RTX 2070 Super Gaming X Trio / Intel HD620
Storage Samsung 980 Pro 1TB + 970 Evo 500GB + 850 Pro 512GB + 860 Evo 1TB x2 / Samsung 256GB M.2 SSD
Display(s) 23.8" Dell S2417DG 165Hz G-Sync 1440p / 14" 1080p IPS Glossy
Case Be quiet! Silent Base 600 - Window / HP Pavilion
Audio Device(s) Panasonic SA-PMX94 / Realtek onboard + B&O speaker system / Harman Kardon Go + Play / Logitech G533
Power Supply Seasonic Focus Plus Gold 750W / Powerbrick
Mouse Logitech MX Anywhere 2 Laser wireless / Logitech M330 wireless
Keyboard RAPOO E9270P Black 5GHz wireless / HP backlit
Software Windows 11 / Windows 10
Benchmark Scores Cinebench R23 (Single Core) 1936 @ stock Cinebench R23 (Multi Core) 23006 @ stock
Good reason for me doing this is I may be working at a local computer repair shop. And regardless of the hardware I can fix it its just nice to know all I can. I also plan on doing some upgrading soon and I am always low on cash so a budget buyer always needs to know the most he/she can. I cant just buy the best. :p

What are your current system specs?
https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/account/specs
 
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I lost access to the email address and forgot my password and such.
But its not a big deal to me.
Passwords were reset over a security scare. Maybe a moderator can fix?
I can't think of an easy way. I'd recommend looking at recent reviews of GPU's which should give you a feel for their relative performances. As for the "R9, R7" bit that AMD's doing, it's actually pretty straight forward once you get the hang of it.
You're coming back to a time of great stagnation and great flux. CPU performance has been so stagnant that if you had purchased an i5-3570K on a Z77 motherboard back in 2012, you'd find yourself hard pressed to find a meaningful reason to upgrade it today. As for the flux, we're all waiting for Zen from AMD and their current AM3 platform is dead because of that, Intel will be bringing out their next generation of CPU's soon, DX12 and Vulkan are shaking up the graphics world, and monitor resolutions are increasing which is having a ripple effect on the GPU's and their amount of VRAM. Intel's mobile offering are confusing to me, especially since a mobile i7 does not necessarily mean a HT'd quad core.
I also plan on doing some upgrading soon and I am always low on cash
The used GPU market is great right now. I just picked up a pair of GTX 970's for $150 each. (yes, there's a problem with the GTX 970's memory architecture, but most people don't run into it) If you happen to find that person getting rid of their Z77 based system, you might find a good bargain.
Start reading threads, it's the best way to catch up.
I'd actually disagree with that. Forum threads have too much conflicting information and some of it is just wrong. (like half of what I say:p) I'd stick to reviews for a while before venturing out into the wild wild wild forums.
 
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Thanks for the awesome responses! I'm afraid whenever I do have the money to upgrade it will be very little at a time. Like 40-60$ little. Really struggling right now. I put in my system specs. First thing I am gonna need is a reliable PSU. But just because my system is crappy doesn't mean I didn't know what I was doing back in the day. Its just ive always have had financial troubles.

I don't plan on playing super GPU/CPU intensive games. I'm excited for World of Warcraft Legion to come out and maybe some other games but I can't afford to play anything too intensive, which is fine. I can have fun with less.

Thanks again for the awesome responses!

EDIT: Changed it to show system specs. Sorry! :p
 
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You might be able to get a (used) GTX 750 Ti and make that work for a while. With the age of your system, you might want to look for one of the MSI units that have the BIOS/UEFI switch. http://www.newegg.com/Product/SingleProductReview.aspx?reviewid=4076799

Thats the card I was considering. But my PSU worries me. Its worked for a year or so but it still concerns me.

Its also a little on the pricey side for me. I'm hoping to just get a decent upgrade from my 5670.
 
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CAPSLOCKSTUCK

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You dont need the latest and greatest to get excellent results.

Check my specs, the only component i ever buy new is the psu.


How much are you prepared to spend?
 
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You dont need the latest and greatest to get excellent results.

Check my specs, the only component i ever buy new is the psu.


How much are you prepared to spend?

Well nothing at the moment. But money comes when it comes and I am unsure when it will stack. But the cheaper the better for sure.
 
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Welcome back Met. Lots of interesting things happening lately. Consoles finally soon to catch up with PC, AMD getting back on track profits wise, and releasing a new more powerful CPU soon, VR rapidly evolving, higher res displays, etc.

All we need now is better Dx12 support, and devs to give PC back it's due respect once the 4K consoles come out next year.
 
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welcome back metwixed!
if you want i could give ya a small cpu and mainboard upgrade just for cost of shipping?
or a quad core like q9550 for your 775 sys
or maybe we the tpu members can put together a small upgrade.

and keep care - back then it was not so normal to rename a product and sell it as new especially the graphiccards.
a little help maybe: if you get on
http://geizhals.eu/?cat=gra16_512&xf=132_4096#gh_filterbox
you can filter like only gpu´s from 2016 onward.
 
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welcome back metwixed!
if you want i could give ya a small cpu and mainboard upgrade just for cost of shipping?
or a quad core like q9550 for your 775 sys
or maybe we the tpu members can put together a small upgrade.

and keep care - back then it was not so normal to rename a product and sell it as new especially the graphiccards.
a little help maybe: if you get on
http://geizhals.eu/?cat=gra16_512&xf=132_4096#gh_filterbox
you can filter like only gpu´s from 2016 onward.

I really appreciate the thought but I am actually in the US and shipping would cost a ton and I am unable to afford it right now. Really disappointing because that would be absolutely amazing. I realize people are more inclined to help users who have been members for longer so I may try to get my old account back but otherwise I am okay with my new username and such. If anyone feels that way let me know. :)

Some help would be amazing!

@Devon68 Thanks so much for getting that together for me. Certainly helps a ton. Better than any one article ive read. Exactly what I was looking for!
 
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