Should I upgrade my 3-4 year old rig? core i7

[TmBlackFlag]

Hey folks,

As far back as my first self-built pentium 166mmx I've always upgraded every couple years. Recently I've been doing this gaming so have had the current rig for 3-4 years. the specs are:

Core i7 920 running @ 3.8ghx
4gb ddr3 ram
ATI Radeon HD5870
Gaming on Dell 30" @ 1600p

These days all I play is Path of Exile and some TF2. i can always game at 60fps in 25600x1600 resolution at high settings but typically have to leave the AA/AF off. It feels to me like technology is FAR ahead of the games out there today and there is no need to upgrade.

In your opinion, how far behind am I? If i were to upgrade what are the current best value overclocking cpu/gpu combos?

 

[Jaydip]

I had the same oc on my 920 before I upgraded to 4770K honestly speaking you won't feel a thing if you are running 4770K at stock initially.You will gain some fps here and there but nothing too major.920 is a great chip and still has some life in it.If you wanna upgrade 4770K+7950/670 seems like a solid idea.

 

[Face2Face]

Games....it's all about the games. If you are playing games that do not need as much horsepower, then there is no reason to upgrade. If you start playing games that warrant the upgrades then Jaydip's recommendation is a pretty safe bet. Maybe just a better GPU if you want more eye candy at that resolution.

 

[SPBHM]

if you are happy with the current performance... you should only upgrade if you are bored and want to play with a new toy,

if I had the parts you listed, I would probably just add another 2GB of memory, and think about a new VGA for now, or maybe one of those cheap gulftowns from ebay, just for fun(it wouldn't really do much for your gaming performance)!

 

[Denithor]

GPU upgrade first, see if that takes care of your needs.

If not, upgrade the rest and be happy.

Just as a note, I went from an i5-750 @ 3.8GHz to my current i7-3770 @ 4.2GHz and really feel almost no difference in games. But you can always use more horsepower in the graphics department.

 

[jacktesterson]

920 @ 3.8 is fine for any game on the market today.


I would say a 7950 would be your best bet at a low cost upgrade after you sell your 5870.

I paid $210 for mine used. You could probably get $120 for your 5870

 

[Chipfiref]

Remember if you were to go with a 4770K you would also need a new 1150 MB, basically you would be doing a whole new system, say add a 7970.

 

[tarmc]

Still runnin a 920 myself. You will see more of an improvement with a Video card and ssd. Also add 2g

 

[solidsnake1607]

Your setup is fine you upgrade your GPU.
I suggest you an hd7970 or a gtx 780 (will max out anything at 1600p) and 4 gigs more of ram. I'd buy a Tri channel kit 3x4GB 1600MhZ. To avoid incompatibility issues.

 

[tarmc]

What kins of budget if youre looking to upgrade

 

[ChippyUK]

I think you should wait at least another generation, the new consoles will help push games up a notch and then you'll feel far more satisfied with the difference

 

[Magic Carpet]

In your opinion, how far behind am I? If i were to upgrade what are the current best value overclocking cpu/gpu combos?

You know, at one point I used Pentium 3 for 8 years (that was my home computer) and did I feel behind? Not a jot. In fact, that was interesting, and required some skill to be able to do my work. I finally retired it in 2008, because... well, I thought, it had served me well, time to buy something faster. The modern Internet had become way too taxing on my CPU, so I had to. The Internet, made me to and I needed that "ability" at home. The key word is "need".

Speaking of toys today, I'd reckon you could have some fun with delliding mainstream Intel CPUs. Many people here seem to have enjoyed that. Check for Balla's posts, he's one particularly happy with his toy. What? 4670K or 4770K, depending on your wallet, really. For GPUs, I dunno, I like Geforce 670.

And, if you haven't already done so. Post your Handbrake score here. See how well your PC is doing, compared to your fellow AT members. Might give you some idea, "how far behind" you are

 

[krumme]

No

 

[moonbogg]

I've been in that spot and heres what I found. Once I upgraded, I discovered that I could suddenly play games that wouldn't run before and I got more use from the upgrade than I thought I would. I was also stuck on TF2. It was all I played because it was all that would run. Upgrade and I bet you start loving all sorts of new games.
Also, don't believe people when they say something like a 7970 will max all games at 1600p. Its far from the truth and you'll be disappointed. At that res to actually max some new games you will need as much GPU power as money can buy today and even then you'll barely be getting by with some titles.

 

[blackened23]

IMO....while a lot of folks here suggest upgrading the GPU only, I think the CPU is something to consider. Not all games are GPU limited, only the newest AAA titles are. If you spend any appreciable amount of time playing other games such as MOBAs, MMOs or strategy games such as SC2, the CPU performance and framerates will increase a ton. Heck, even in SC2: Hots, the 4770k will basically decimate the 920.

IMO. It's worth it. But you have to weigh your options based on your full system, you'll want a completely balanced system - if your GPU is holding you back then you should consider upgrading the GPU. But you will definitely benefit from a better CPU because not all games are GPU limited; the CPU will definitely increase performance in many games as well. I went from i7-870s OCed to 4ghz to SB several years ago, and in CPU limited games the difference was pretty immense. Something to keep in mind. Again, not all games are GPU limited. Even with games such as crysis 3 - it is showing appreciable gains with newer CPUs such as the 4770k.

edit: just noticed the 5870. That's a little long in the tooth and may be a better item to upgrade, if you can only choose one. Might be worth considering a 760/770/7950/etc - and if you have the cash I think the 4770k is worth it in addition to the GPU - it's a pretty darn cheap upgrade as well if you live near a MC.

 

[nenforcer]

The only upgrade I would recommend would be the additional 2GB of DDR3 memory to go triple channel and then a GPU VRAM upgrade to a 2GB card.

At the resolution your running at on that 30" monitor you could use 2GB GDDR5 VRAM for games like Max Payne 3, Crysis 3, BF3 / 4, Skyrim and Bioshock Infinite.

 

[Riceninja]

i have the same cpu and ive upgraded every part of my comp except the cpu/mobo.

plays every game very smooth and max settings (except crysis 3). if i were to further upgrade it would be another 7950 in crossfire rather than the cpu/mobo.

this 920 is the best thing ive bought in terms of pc longevity.

see sig.

 

[Headfoot]

Add RAM. X58 is tripple channel so I don't know how you're at 4gb, just with 2 sticks @ 2gb each? If so add one more. If not, replace what you must to get to 6+ gigs. Ram isn't that expensive, especially if you're matching older ddr3 1600. Otherwise if you upgrade, do GPU first then CPU if you really want even more power.

 

[jpiniero]

I'd say wait until the second wave of console games (& console ports) come out. Maybe wait until Skylake?

 

[tarmc]

youll see a huge improvement swapping out that gpu a new one. my 920 only did 3.8 also. get a gtx 760? maybe 7950? personally i went from 6870 cf to a single 670 and it was a huge improvement.
the only game ive run into thats slowed this old beast down is metro and it wasnt even too bad i run all games at 1920x1080 and have no complaints

 

[KentState]

Back when I had my i7 920 + 4980 I upgraded to a GTX 580 and that was a huge upgrade. From there, I went to a 3770k + GTX580 and it wasn't that huge of a swing. The biggest benefit was getting SATA 6G. The next jump was an upgrade to the 7970 GHZ and that was another big improvement for gaming. Now with the 4770k, I can not tell a difference but having 6x Intel SATA 6G is nice.

Basically, graphic cards seem to be the biggest jump from what I saw, followed by better SATA options. The CPU wasn't as noticeable.

 

[RaistlinZ]

Ditto to all the above. I'm running the same CPU but with a modern GPU and I game just fine.

 

[TmBlackFlag]

Wow, I posted this earlier and work today and hadn't checked until now. Many thanks for the thorough feedback by you all!

I would like to juice the AA/AF settings a bit @ 1600p playing Path of Exile. I'll look at upgrading the video card and ram.

Thank you!

 

[tarmc]

ewwwww poe is..... not among my fav games. but good luck to ya dude. happy gaming and post back when you upgrade

 

[ehume]

How interesting that no one has suggested an SSD. I have been adding SSD's to every rig in the house. It transforms how you experience your rig as much as highspeed connection transforms how you experience the Internet.