Upgraded my gaming PC

[dirtyferret]

The upgrade took about 2 1/2 months of scouring open box deals & flash sales from Amazon, Newegg, and Microcenter.

Old System

CPU - i5-2500k
GPU - Nvidia Gigabyte Windforce GTX 1060
mobo - Asrock P67 Extreme 4
RAM - Corsair 8 GB XMS 1600mhz
case - Corsair 400R
PSU - Corsair TX650M
mouse - Logitech G9x
keyboard - Logitech G15
SSD - Crucial 256mb
HDD - 2X WD 500GB
HSF - Cooler Master 212 Evo

New System

CPU - i5-7600k - $160
GPU - Nvidia Gigabyte Windforce GTX 1060 - carry over
mobo - Asrock Z270 Killer- $70
RAM - Crucial Ballistic 8GB 2400mhz - $55
case - Corsair 400R - carry over
PSU - Corsair TX650M - carry over
mouse - Corsair M65 - $29
keyboard - Logitech G15 - carry over
SSD - Samsung 850 Evo 256mb & Crucial 256mb - $80 and carry over
HDD - 2X WD 500GB - carry over
HSF - Cryorig H7 - $30

 

[ERazer]

looking good, should last you for awhile. prolly add more ram later on

 

[dirtyferret]

looking good, should last you for awhile. prolly add more ram later on

once RAM drops down in price, current prices are outrageous thanks to all these new cell phones

 

[Tomgang]

looks good. But for gamming 8 GB ram is a minimum, but i see you are planning on getting more ram when prices hopefully drops.

But if i had been in your place i would had waited for Intel coffee lake, that would had have given you a 6 core I5 CPU like I5 8600K for properly the same price as I5 7600K. But that is just my opinion.

 

[dirtyferret]

looks good. But for gamming 8 GB ram is a minimum, but i see you are planning on getting more ram when prices hopefully drops.

But if i had been in your place i would had waited for Intel coffee lake, that would had have given you a 6 core I5 CPU like I5 8600K for properly the same price as I5 7600K. But that is just my opinion.

8GB is enough for now https://www.techspot.com/article/1043-8gb-vs-16gb-ram/
https://www.techspot.com/article/1043-8gb-vs-16gb-ram/
and you think the 8600k is launching at $160?

 

[Kursah]

Nice build for the budget man.

I'd definitely vote to get 16GB of RAM in the future if/when you need it, but if what you do doesn't need the extra memory space then more power to ya. I would struggle at 8GB now with all the various tasks I perform on a workstation, even while gaming. It comes down to what one uses and needs, many folks go overkill and never utilize what they have. Some folks can't afford what they can utilize, and those learn how to make the best of what they got. Looks to me like you found a compromise that nets you a solid performing system for a damn good price overall.

The 400R would've been my choice...but the 600R was available at the time I was looking to buy a case. The 400R is the right-side up version of my case that's a better size, and I love the overall design. I'm super happy with my 600C beast...but not gonna lie I have considered downgrading. Probably two cases I like more than the Fractal R5 and that's saying something.

Good choice on the Cryorig H7, I'm a fan of those...granted the installation method can be a pain in some cases/situations (like a cube case with no CPU hole in the MB tray), but beyond that the cooling performance, forward offset and overall looks and build quality are solid.

Also, it is good to see someone else out there still sporting a G15! Picked mine up used on fleabay about 7 years ago iirc...could really use a cleaning but works like a champ!

 

[dirtyferret]

Nice build for the budget man.

I'd definitely vote to get 16GB of RAM in the future if/when you need it, but if what you do doesn't need the extra memory space then more power to ya. I would struggle at 8GB now with all the various tasks I perform on a workstation, even while gaming. It comes down to what one uses and needs, many folks go overkill and never utilize what they have. Some folks can't afford what they can utilize, and those learn how to make the best of what they got. Looks to me like you found a compromise that nets you a solid performing system for a damn good price overall.

The 400R would've been my choice...but the 600R was available at the time I was looking to buy a case. The 400R is the right-side up version of my case that's a better size, and I love the overall design. I'm super happy with my 600C beast...but not gonna lie I have considered downgrading. Probably two cases I like more than the Fractal R5 and that's saying something.

Good choice on the Cryorig H7, I'm a fan of those...granted the installation method can be a pain in some cases/situations (like a cube case with no CPU hole in the MB tray), but beyond that the cooling performance, forward offset and overall looks and build quality are solid.

Also, it is good to see someone else out there still sporting a G15! Picked mine up used on fleabay about 7 years ago iirc...could really use a cleaning but works like a champ!

The gaming PC pretty much just does that and I have my wife's PC next to it (she never uses it....) plus a dedicated work PC so while I plan to get 16GB of RAM down the road it won't be until I feel the price would be worth the increased performance.

I like the 400R but I did give some thought of maybe upgrading it so I looked at the NZXT s340, Cooler Master Master Box 5, Fractal 5, Corsair 400c and Phanteks p400. I played around with a few of them at Microcenter but it's hard when you have two little kids with you who think the PC case section is one giant row of building blocks and/or musical instruments. At the end of the day I didn't think the money spent on a new case would have brought anything special plus I outfitted my 400R with sound dampening foam and magnet mesh filters.

I like the Cryorig H7 and found it easy to install, easier then my previous Cooler Master & Scythe coolers I also fave a spare Scythe slipstream PMW fan I ran on the CM 212 evo that I may switch with the stock Cryorig fan as it makes less noise.

I picked up my G15 when the local CompUSA was going out of business, paid less then $40 for it! That keyboard is now onto its fourth gaming build, best $40 I ever spent on PC hardware

 

[FreedomEclipse]

Should of kept the 2500k and cranked it. I had mine at 4.9ghz at that speed there ain't nothing that You can't run

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

Should of kept the 2500k and cranked it. I had mine at 4.9ghz at that speed there ain't nothing that You can't run

While true it's getting to the point where some fps goes missing on older rigs ,even flat out.

 

[Kursah]

The gaming PC pretty much just does that and I have my wife's PC next to it (she never uses it....) plus a dedicated work PC so while I plan to get 16GB of RAM down the road it won't be until I feel the price would be worth the increased performance.

I like the 400R but I did give some thought of maybe upgrading it so I looked at the NZXT s340, Cooler Master Master Box 5, Fractal 5, Corsair 400c and Phanteks p400. I played around with a few of them at Microcenter but it's hard when you have two little kids with you who think the PC case section is one giant row of building blocks and/or musical instruments. At the end of the day I didn't think the money spent on a new case would have brought anything special plus I outfitted my 400R with sound dampening foam and magnet mesh filters.

I like the Cryorig H7 and found it easy to install, easier then my previous Cooler Master & Scythe coolers I also fave a spare Scythe slipstream PMW fan I ran on the CM 212 evo that I may switch with the stock Cryorig fan as it makes less noise.

I picked up my G15 when the local CompUSA was going out of business, paid less then $40 for it! That keyboard is now onto its fourth gaming build, best $40 I ever spent on PC hardware

I don't blame you, RAM prices are all over the place...and again if you don't need it yet no sense in spending more than you should for something you might not even use. Until you start loading your RAM down with programs and games and hitting your page file hard, I can't say I'd do any different from you here.

I should add my mistake...I read 400C not 400R. Sadly, my brain then said typed that I had a 600R...LOL! The 400C is sweet and what I meant, the Fractal R5 is sweet, and the P400 is sweet! I also don't blame your decisions and kids, mine are 9 and 15, but don't think they don't fidget any less! Hell, my oldest is the worst about it! Wouldn't trade em' for the world though,

And if you already customized your 400R to perform more to your likings it is tough to blame you. I used a Lian-Li PC-K62 for years and years before I got a new case. I still have the K62...going to be for my son's next gaming rig, at its age, it isn't worth selling and is still in good shape so it'll have a lot of use coming soon.

I also agree the H7 was a cinch to install compared to the 212, which I've installed dozens more of than the Cryorigs. I'm very impressed with them overall, and why my boys' PC's use them. Frankly I think a lot of the other cooler vendors should take a serious look at how Cryorig is doing business and their products.

Epic that you have a Microcenter nearby... I don't imagine we'll ever have one in my area so I'm left to users and pro reviews, forum posts about items, buying cheap/used from forums and locally, or from Amazon and Newegg. I'd probably spend more time than the wife would "appreciate" if we had one. I'm already that way when it comes to the outdoor stores...

 

[dirtyferret]

Should of kept the 2500k and cranked it. I had mine at 4.9ghz at that speed there ain't nothing that You can't run

I had it at 4.5ghz and ran everything I tossed at it but I sold the old chip, Mobo, and ram for $200 making the upgraded CPU, Mobo, and ram an $85 investment.

 

[lyndonguitar]

hows the difference between 2500k and 7600k

 

[FreedomEclipse]

hows the difference between 2500k and 7600k

 

[THE_EGG]

I had it at 4.5ghz and ran everything I tossed at it but I sold the old chip, Mobo, and ram for $200 making the upgraded CPU, Mobo, and ram an $85 investment.

Seems like it was a well worth $85 investment

 

[dirtyferret]

hows the difference between 2500k and 7600k

I haven't done any FPS test but I can say three things from the short time I have used the the 7600k

1- not that my PC took long to boot with an OC 2500 & SSD drive but with 7600k the PC boots up even faster
2 - FPS seems to be steadier to the naked eye, not as many noticeable dips
3 - There is a city in WoW called Suramar City and it would push my 2500k & memory usage into 80% each. With the 7600K & DDR4 memory, usage on the CPU side is at 50% with memory at 60%.

 

[peche]

nice upgrade and also nice deals you took advantage of, pretty impressed,
nice setup, i5 are great for gaming and work, so hope you will get a solid processor for another 4 or 6 years!

16GB as other stated are the way to go for most scenarios, like working, designing or gaming, a NVme M2 SSD will fit perfectly your board and also give insane speeds, another decent upgrade if you want to sold Crucial SSD, thats the unique feature that makes me think about upgrading my motherboard / processor and ram ...

Regards,

 

[StrayKAT]

I'd like to get that m65 mouse. I guess I didn't look hard enough. I thought it was discontinued. Would match my C70 case.

 

[remunramu]

Nice build, considering 7600k still strong in gaming performance