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Help deciding PC upgrades (lemm.ee)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

31 comments fedilink hide all child comments

So...I've been increasingly struggling to run the latest games, as the age of my 6 years old desktop is starting to show, and Starfield denying my GPU just pissed me. I know it's a bug and I can probably play it, but it's outright the minimum for this game, and so I'd like a refresh of the worst, or should I consider a full new desktop? I know the GPU is starting to show its age, but not sure the CPU is salvageable or you'd advice a new one... Here's a quick short summary of the computer:

-Mobo Gygabite Z170 K3 -CPU i7 6700 -2x8GB DDR4 2133 -MSI Nvidia 1070 8GB -SSD 1TB on the SATA port (I believe I can install an m.2 instead) -EVGA G2 750W

My questions...I believe these days an AMD card would be cheaper than an Nvidia, correct? What would be an equivalent to a 3070, or a 4070? More importantly...are they bigger in size (would it fit)? Do they take more power than my 1070 (will it roast my power supply?). Power would be a bit important, as I'd rather not replace all the wiring for the power supply, and electricity is becoming kinda pricey these days... I'm basically considering upgrading GPU and RAM, and considering if this would be a good upgrade or the CPU would then be a bottleneck (hence just throw it all and go for a full new desktop...I'd rather not).

Thanks!

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[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Your power supply is fine.

If you feel you can deal with your CPU for a few more years just upgrade the GPU and call it a day. A 3070 or a 6700xt would feel like a huge upgrade.

Having that said your computer is still entirely serviceable. I'd just hold on a few more years and upgrade the whole thing.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Im not sure how him not being able to play the game(s) he want because his pc can’t handle it translates to “pc is serviceable, wait a few years”

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Thanks! Yeah, maybe I can consider a 6700xt and other minor upgrades, like getting a NVME, an extra 16GB of RAM...It's a relief knowing that the power supply will hold!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Check what speed your mobo is capable of with the nvme drive option. A blazing fast nvme drive is a relatively cheap way of getting some more response out of your PC. That and a newer GPU it'll feel like a whole new computer.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I second shapis's recommendation. I was still gaming on an Ivy Bridge CPU until recently. It wasn't until this year that games started giving me trouble at 1080p with medium settings, and that was mostly GPU related.

Your 16GB RAM might be fine for now. Most games I've played don't come close to that. Of course, it's easy enough to check while you're playing (or doing whatever other tasks you do).

Depending on your OS, your SATA SSD might even be fine. (Although NVMe prices have been and still seem to be dropping, so picking one up in a couple months isn't a bad idea if your motherboard can handle one.)

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I have the same EVGA supply powering radeon RX 6800 without problems. I believe it would be fine even with today's highend.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Thanks a lot, this helps!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Read your motherboard manual carefully about what NVME types it supports in which M.2 slots and whether there are any gotchas.

Some M.2 slots take SATA (2 notches) as well as PCIe (1 notch), some only one type. You can't tell visually — you have to check the manual.

Some M.2 slots will disable a SATA cable connector if you use them.

Some M.2 slots will work at a slower speed if certain PCI slots have a card in them.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Thanks, it seems the M.2 takes SATA and PCIe. I have two slots for them. And it would seem its speed won't be affected. At any rate, I only have the GPU slot in use (and another small one for the WifiGig thingy for the wireless Vive).