Wondering how to go about upgrading for 1080p

[Modinstaller]

Hey guys !

I live in France. I wanted to upgrade 3 months ago, but it took time to save some money. I'm sitting on 600€ right now. I wanted to take my time, save more, but the gpu I was aiming for, the GTX 1060 6GB, has increased by 38% since last month (was 240€, is 330€). I'm not sure patience won't make things worse, since prices might keep increasing.

It's not as crazy as the US, but it's worrying nonetheless. I don't see why it would stop, so I'm assuming it's going to keep rising to US levels ... and I don't want to wait for that ! I'm tempted to buy my gpu now and wait for the rest ... don't want to wait 6-12 months to upgrade. What do you think ?

Only problem is ... I'm still undecided on what gpu I should get. First of all, here's what I have right now : Radeon HD 7850 2GB OC and Phenom II X4 965 3.4GHz. I can run modern games, but I struggle to reach 30 fps even at lowest settings.

I'm most interested in running modern games at 60+ fps with maxed settings for ~4 years. I settled on the 1060 6GB, but I'm not sure if it's going to be enough. What do you guys think, should I aim higher ? Is it going to be overkill ?

It also seems I could grab a 1050 for 110€, or a 1070 for 450€. When it comes to price/performance, I'm under the impression weaker cards (like the 1050) are way better, but I'm ready to spend a bit more if it means not having to go through all that 30 fps struggle again with games such as fallout 4/overwatch/WoW/witcher 3 for the next few years.

These are all the parts I've been planning to buy. Case, storage, monitor, peripherals are all fine. I just need to change my CPU and GPU, and the mobo/psu/ram with them.

PCPartPicker part list: https://fr.pcpartpicker.com/list/qjsMnH
Price breakdown by merchant: https://fr.pcpartpicker.com/list/qjsMnH/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor (€171.00)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (€70.00)
Memory: Crucial - Sport LT 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (€79.00)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB Video Card (€330.00)
Power Supply: SeaSonic - 520W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular Fanless ATX Power Supply (€63.00)
Total: €713.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-02-12 21:17 CET+0100

To sum up the questions :

- Would it be smart to buy a gpu now in case the prices rise up to US levels, and wait for the rest of the upgrades ?

- What gpu do I want to max out PC games for the next 4 years at 60 fps on a 1080p monitor ?

- Anything wrong about the cpu/mobo/ram/psu I picked ?

Thanks for taking the time to help, it means a lot

 

[Toothless]

1050TI isn't too bad, a 1060 would be a bad idea due to shitty prices unless you're willing to wait it out. Maybe a used 980/980TI would work if you can find one cheap.

 

[Vario]

Just wait. Next gen is just around the corner. Prices can only go down from here, if they go up then just get a PS4/Xbox

 

[Modinstaller]

Prices sure are shitty ... the question is are they ever going to get better ? I've been trying to get some info on this and it doesn't seem like cryptocurrencies are going down anytime soon, nor does it seem like the manufacturers are going to increase production.

There are the new volta gpus coming but I don't know when that'll be or if the prices won't be as bad as the rest. Just around the corner's a pretty long time for me if you meant 5-6 months (that's the estimated time I found). I don't mind waiting 6 months, but more than that is going to be a seriously long time to wait for me. I have to consider the possibility of the craze not dying down for a year or maybe even more, in which case waiting wouldn't work.

Consoles are not an option for me never been, never will be ! PC for life.

I'll look into used 980/980ti. Any good communities for swapping hardware ?

Also, if I end up waiting ... which I'm not sure about but still considering, do you guys think the cpu/mobo/ram/psu I picked are any good ? I'll just add that I'd like my new rig to run any modern game, and possibly emulators too (like Dolphin).

Thanks for the answers

 

[Toothless]

Prices will get better as supply/demand get better, and I've found putting up a listing here or a trusted forum that uses Heatware is good.

 

[eidairaman1]

Build the Rig Minus GPU then buy a 1070 or Vega 56 AIB.

 

[Modinstaller]

Thanks for the info.

Last thing, I found out the AB350M Pro4 mobo (the one I picked) has apparently been defective for a bunch of people lately (the mATX model). I roam the buildapc subreddit and a lot of people are advising against that board because it seems there's been somewhat of a bad batch in the past months.

What do you think about it ?

 

[OneMoar]

none of the 350 chipset boards are particularly good
between questionable vrm choices and shotty bios's
id op for x370 board

nothing wrong with the 1060 I have it its plenty of card for 1080 and then some
that being said new gen is around the corner I would hold off on building anything for now see what happens
should have new chips by the end of march
4 years is gonna be a bit of a ask no matter what you do ... least on the GPU side vr is a thing now prices are higher then the moon and performance per dollar is rarer than a honest politician ...

 

[Modinstaller]

Since I'm trying to build on a budget, I've been wondering these past couple days if a Ryzen 5 1600 wasn't a bit overkill for gaming ?

If I wait for budget motherboards (such as the b360), would I not get better use for my money with an i3 8100 ? I keep reading that most games can't use more than 4 cores.

Also, what about the new Ryzen 3 2200G ? The price seems to be a bit lower for an equally bit worse performance. Would I be able to overclock it with its stock cooler to get even more bang out of my buck ?

I know, I have a lot of questions and doubts. This is my first time upgrading a PC, and I don't have a lot of money so I'd rather spend it the best way I can.

 

[Vya Domus]

I keep reading that most games can't use more than 4 cores.

Ignore that , they do.

 

[cucker tarlson]

Why do people insist on Ryzens in gaming rigs ? They're not gaming CPUs, altohugh AMD would love to have you believe that.

https://www.purepc.pl/karty_graficz...me_deliverance_jesien_sredniowiecza?page=0,18


i5 8400 is a hell of a bang for the buck gaming CPU, best since 2500K. I'd wait for B360 boards and get it in favor of Ryzen.


As for the GPU, used 980Ti > 1060 any day. Just make sure you get a good aftermarket cooled one since a 250W card tends to be hot and loud with a crappy cooler.

 

[Vya Domus]

Ryzen is fine for gaming , the 1600 will last OP for years. He even mentioned in particular 60fps as a target for the the following years , literally every 8+ threads current generation CPU is likely to meet those requirements.

The matter with the B360 motherboards is downright ridiculous , don't wait for something that should have been available months ago and that still isn't in sight. Even if you factor that in , again , no reason to waste time.

 

[cucker tarlson]

Yes, it will "last for years" and it is "fine", but that's not the main point for choosing a gaming CPU, is it ? It's performance/dollar. Vega is fine for gaming too, but you'd rather have your money spent on a 1080Ti, wouldn't you ? a 6c i5 will last him for years too. Why would he sacrifice such a huge performance loss for just waiting on a good mobo deal. 8400s are out already and you can see the performance, it's not smoke and mirrors, these chips will outperform R5 1600 in any CPU bound game, by quite a big margin most of the times. Here's a whole R5 1600 vs 8400 test, at 1080p, including Ryzen OC vs Intel stock. It usually outperforms R7 1800X OC which is just ricidulous considering the price and specs.

https://www.purepc.pl/procesory/tes...d_ryzen_5_1600_wojna_szesciu_rdzeni?page=0,36


You're the one who claimed fx6 is still fine for gaming, so I know I'm not gonna win you with facts. Just admit having a CPU that outperforms 1800X at less than half its price is enough of a good deal to wait a while for the god damned mobo

 

[mad1394]

Been thinking about upgrading my 2500k build as well.
If I were to build RIGHT NOW I would opt for the 8600k ( 6 cores and overclockable), 16gb 3200 ddr4, whichever motherboard u fancy (avoid gigabyte), and start looking around for a used 980 ti.
Sure there are new processors and graphics cards on the horizon but....why wait when this combo will let you play your games with no problems for the foreseeable future?
Go for it if you have the cash.

 

[Vya Domus]

Vega is fine for gaming too, but you'd rather have your money spent on a 1080Ti, wouldn't you ?

No I wouldn't , that would makes no sense , I would buy whichever card suits my needs for the price I am willing to pay. I wouldn't automatically buy something if I have no need for it.

Of course, a fanboy would.

You're the one who claimed fx6 is still fine for gaming, so I know I'm not gonna win you with facts.

You were the one than couldn't read charts properly in that discussions. Honestly just that fact alone made your arguments about "facts" worthless to me ever since.

 

[vega22]

stop bitching children, help the op or leave the thread ffs :|

i would look at ryzen myself. firstly it is on sale today and second, it will get better cpu in the future which will drop in with a bios flash. yes the i5 8400 is a better cpu for the price but the mobo and cpu combo will most likely reduce that metric. then you look at how fast intel kills off sockets and the chances are this bunch of cpu are the only ones that will get sold for the platform.

gpu wise, as said, looking at something older like the 980ti or 290x will get you great frame rates at such a low res as 1080.

 

[Vayra86]

stop bitching children, help the op or leave the thread ffs :|

i would look at ryzen myself. firstly it is on sale today and second, it will get better cpu in the future which will drop in with a bios flash. yes the i5 8400 is a better cpu for the price but the mobo and cpu combo will most likely reduce that metric. then you look at how fast intel kills off sockets and the chances are this bunch of cpu are the only ones that will get sold for the platform.

gpu wise, as said, looking at something older like the 980ti or 290x will get you great frame rates at such a low res as 1080.

Anyone on a budget will not be upgrading a CPU on the same board. Look at OP's current CPU/board combo. Its truly irrelevant. Board+CPU is something you do once and wear down until its either too slow or too old. There is no progress in CPU power that warrants doing anything else without wasting a ton of cash in the process. The reason Intel kills off sockets is because it doesn't matter and its bad upgrade path in every respect - performance, featuresets, reliability.

Besides, if you upgrade your CPU on the same board, most of the time you can only do that with a very solid/expensive board+VRM or that heavier CPU will not even work proper. Look back at the FX, perfect example of people burning their cheap VRMs on 8-core upgrades.

As for CPU choice, its about BALANCE. A balanced system will be the most cost effective one.

Right now, if your goal is 1080p/60hz, 4 core + 4 Ghz clocks is sufficient. End of story. You find the CPU that comes at the lowest price with those characteristics, add GPU. Done. It ain't rocket science and you don't need to interpret twenty different benches for that. It could be Ryzen today and it could be Intel tomorrow, it could differ based on country of residence, etc etc etc. Just keep this baseline, and don't worry too much about anything else. Focus on price.

This means: Intel i3 or Ryzen 3. Anything more will hurt perf/dollar for this res and ESPECIALLY if you limit GPU choices at the 1060-1070 level. It will make for a well balanced system. If budget allows, up the CPU to a 6 core/4Ghz but for the coming two years, that won't net you any noticeable performance with these GPUs. Look at the amount of people still rocking Sandy and Ivy Bridge with similar GPUs. They do fine, 6 years of use; and that is speaking from experience, I had an i5 3570k + GTX 1080 (!) in 2017 and it pushed 60 fps everywhere.

 

[vega22]

they would if the option was viable. if you could drop a more modern cpu into a 5 year old platform i'm sure many would.

how is the fx a perfect example? they were hot and power hungry while zen is far from that.

then with later zen built on a smaller fab they should suck even less juice. while still dropping into today's am4 mobo.