Need help with upgrades

[Deleted]

The pc I have atm is 6 years old.
Was going to get a new one, but because of cash problems it needs to be done in 2-3 stages.

Specs of the one I have.

CPU:
Inter Core i7 860 2.80GHz

Motherboard:
MSI Iona

RAM:
8GB DDR3

Graphics Card:
1792MB Nvidia GeForce GTW 260

OS:
Windows 10 Home 64bit

Harddrive:
2x 1TB Hitachi SATAII

When I play wow or lol I get random "lag spikes" 1-2 sec where nothing happens on my screen, sound still continues.

So what would be the best thing for me to upgrade to begin with? The start budget for the first upgrade is about 850-950€ and final budget is about 1600€
Will need everything for the final build. Would like to be able to run games on high, close to ultra settings.
Got mouse, keyboard, headset and screens.

[Deleted]

Well, you can get an AMD RX 480 for around 230 euro and a i7-6700k processor for a little over 400 euro. But I guess you need a new motherboard as well. You can get a decent MSI Gaming motherboard for around 200 euro. Those are the most important components for gaming. That's around 830, so that fits your initial budget.

However, it might just be best to wait until you have the full 1600. Pretty much all the parts you listed need to be replaced. So why not just buy a new computer? For 1600 euro, you can get a very good gaming machine that will run WoW perfectly on Ultra settings.

[DeltrusDisc]

Everything needs to be upgraded, for certain, including your hard drives.

I just wouldn't trust Hitachi, especially after all these years. There's a reason they went out of business...

Honestly though, I'd start with a new graphics card and new storage solutions, since the i7-860 is not at all a bad CPU...

Maybe do RX 480 or GTX 1070, depending on how much power you want, or which team you prefer, then get an SSD for programs and OS and a new HDD for storage of files, like a WD Blue or Black 1-2TB. Those Hitachis are probably the cause of the random lag spikes. While the CPU is likely in the last 5 years of its life, I doubt you're using it to its full potential, thus the GPU and storage is a bigger upgrade, atm.

[Deleted]

The idea is to get a new computer, but in steps. Since the game freezing randomly is not a very nice gaming experience.
So was hoping a few items could help with the problem and and finish the upgrades then rest of the money gets here.

- - - Updated - - -

Everything needs to be upgraded, for certain, including your hard drives.

I just wouldn't trust Hitachi, especially after all these years. There's a reason they went out of business...

Honestly though, I'd start with a new graphics card and new storage solutions, since the i7-860 is not at all a bad CPU...

Maybe do RX 480 or GTX 1070, depending on how much power you want, or which team you prefer, then get an SSD for programs and OS and a new HDD for storage of files, like a WD Blue or Black 1-2TB. Those Hitachis are probably the cause of the random lag spikes. While the CPU is likely in the last 5 years of its life, I doubt you're using it to its full potential, thus the GPU and storage is a bigger upgrade, atm.

okay thx, my initial thoughts were getting a 250 gb SSD, new cooler for the CPU and a GPU.
is it posible to reinstall win 10 on a new ssd when you got the free upgrade?
with regards to the GPU, will the new cards fit on my old motherboard?

250 GB SSD should be enough for games, OS and other minor programs, and ive got a couple of external for other things

[Salty Maud]

First of all, get an ssd. Something simple like 500GB 850 evo will be more than good enough. Then save up all of your budget and buy all at once. I would suggest looking at something like i5 6600k (seriously, hyperthreaded i7 are not worth the premium for gaming in most cases) + a decent cooler, rx 490 if they ever release one and it is any good or GTX1070, 16 gigs of ram and pretty much any half decent z170 mobo. Seagate HDDs are cheap and fast, when buying "budget hdds" i would rather buy seagate than wd.

Quick shopping cart i threw together from mindfactory. This is by no means a definitive partlist, but with roughly that budget i would look at something like this for gaming.

Oh, and don't forget to OC that cpu (and gpu for that matter). If you can't do it, do it anyway or get someone to do it for you.

[DeltrusDisc]

okay thx, my initial thoughts were getting a 250 gb SSD, new cooler for the CPU and a GPU.
is it posible to reinstall win 10 on a new ssd when you got the free upgrade?
with regards to the GPU, will the new cards fit on my old motherboard?

250 GB SSD should be enough for games, OS and other minor programs, and ive got a couple of external for other things

Good start. What CPU heatsink do you have? Getting a decent one now could easily go on a future CPU, obviously. I know it's pricey, but the Noctua NH-D15 is a hulking beast of a heatsink and isn't a bad choice at all! It'll cool even the biggest CPUs if you stay in the enthusiast realm with the higher-tiered i7s!

I'm honestly not sure how the Windows 10 installation goes in that regard, might want to do some Googling/call Microsoft, but there has to be a way.

The GT 260 plugs in with PCI-Express, so yes. They might be mildly bottlenecked, but I doubt it will affect you.

Yes, definitely! For the longest time I was only using a 128GB SSD other than HDDs and that was plenty! The fun thing about SSDs is how easy they are to add in and how the prices are coming down. 8) You're going to love it! Might even feel like a new system!

[Lathais]

The only part that will be difficult to do in steps will be the CPU, so I'd start with everything else mentioned first. When it does come time to upgrade the CPU you will need new CPU, motherboard and RAM. So get everything else done first, GPU, SSD, HDD and a new PSU.

[Salty Maud]

The idea is to get a new computer, but in steps. Since the game freezing randomly is not a very nice gaming experience.
So was hoping a few items could help with the problem and and finish the upgrades then rest of the money gets here.

250 GB SSD should be enough for games, OS and other minor programs, and ive got a couple of external for other things

If you insist on buying in parts, get the SSD and GPU first, perhaps the HDD as well. Most of the rest you pretty much have to buy all together. I would not suggest going smaller than 500gb ssd knowing that wow alone will eat 50 gigs of it and you probably should dedicate another 50 gigs to windows. 250GB will run out sooner rather than later and SSD prices aren't even that bad anymore.

GTX1070 prices are probably a bit high now that they have just come out of the oven and the demand is high, i would assume that the prices will drop a little in the coming months. If you are fine with paying a bit of "early adopter's premium" then go ahead and order one now.

[DeltrusDisc]

50GB for Windows? Are you kidding? My 8.1 Pro 64 bit install of Windows that I've updated and been using for nearly 2 years now isn't even 20GB! This is misinformation.

Seagate is a questionable brand with a higher failure rate than WD, thus I wouldn't advise them to anyone.

If the OP mainly plays WoW, a 250GB SSD will be more than enough.

[Salty Maud]

50GB for Windows? Are you kidding? My 8.1 Pro 64 bit install of Windows that I've updated and been using for nearly 2 years now isn't even 20GB! This is misinformation.

Seagate is a questionable brand with a higher failure rate than WD, thus I wouldn't advise them to anyone.

If the OP mainly plays WoW, a 250GB SSD will be more than enough.

No, i was not implying that windows alone would eat all the 50 gigs, but windows+page fie+temp+drivers+mandatory installations on C drive can eat surprisingly much space. My C partition is currently eating up 44 gigs (windows 10) with no software installed on it. And my document directories are obviously not on that drive, repositioned them on my hdd because space.

If you honestly only want windows and wow on your ssd, then 128GB ssd will suffice, but if you actually play other games as well, i see no reason going with that small ssd with current prices and with that budget.

What comes to seagate and failure rate, any hdd can and will fail eventually. If you want a peace of mind knowing that statistically your WD drive should last longer then you do as you please. I have had both WD and seagate drives fail on me so i have no opinion on their reliability but what i have an opinion on is that "budget" seagate drives should outperform budget WD drives.

[DeltrusDisc]

I've seen and heard enough on these forums and elsewhere about Seagate HDDs failing more often than WD, it's amazing they're still in business.

Also, performance-wise... if all you put on an HDD is documents, then the speed of the HDD really doesn't matter. I'd rather just know the files are not going to end up being lost because the drive is of shit quality.

We'll see what the OP wants to do SSD-wise, he can always get another SSD down the road like I've done.

[Lathais]

I've seen and heard enough on these forums and elsewhere about Seagate HDDs failing more often than WD, it's amazing they're still in business.

Also, performance-wise... if all you put on an HDD is documents, then the speed of the HDD really doesn't matter. I'd rather just know the files are not going to end up being lost because the drive is of shit quality.

We'll see what the OP wants to do SSD-wise, he can always get another SSD down the road like I've done.

I've heard good things about the Barracuda line, but that's about it.

[Salty Maud]

I've heard good things about the Barracuda line, but that's about it.

Since seagate drives are often not sold or marketed with the "barracuda" name, it would be beneficial to mention that barracuda includes the basic desktop drives. Basically when you buy a general desktop seagate drive, you are dealing with a "barracuda" drive. Have we gone off on a bit of a tangent here?

[Deleted]

The heatsink im using now is just the one that came with the computer. its just a stock heatsink i would think. It doesnt do a good job and when the CPU is at 80+ celsius it sounds like the computer is going to lift off.

Was thinking of either getting Noctua NH-D15 or Corsair Hydro H110i/H115i
Thoughts about either?

Is there a difference when it comes to SSD's what brand you pick?
Here on MMO people always suggest Samsung EVO
But what about Kingston, Crucial, Scan Disk and Corsair?

[DeltrusDisc]

I've heard good things about the Barracuda line, but that's about it.

That's what I had and have heard about being the problem.

The heatsink im using now is just the one that came with the computer. its just a stock heatsink i would think. It doesnt do a good job and when the CPU is at 80+ celsius it sounds like the computer is going to lift off.

Was thinking of either getting Noctua NH-D15 or Corsair Hydro H110i/H115i
Thoughts about either?

Is there a difference when it comes to SSD's what brand you pick?
Here on MMO people always suggest Samsung EVO
But what about Kingston, Crucial, Scan Disk and Corsair?

I say Noctua. Corsair seems to have horrible QC nowadays and AIO coolers have a limited life expectancy and require louder fans to really perform and if you want the best, you need basically 4 fans. Plus the fans that come with them usually aren't the best options for optimal performance, forcing you to buy yet more Corsair fans or whatever. Greedy!

Crucial, Samsung, and Intel are all trustworthy brands for SSDs and the only ones you'll see me backing - at all.

[Salty Maud]

Your CPU has survived to this day, it will survive another couple of months. 80C is high, but within spec. The stock heatsink sure is poor though. If you want to reduce the temps and noise and are willing to go thru the effort to install a new cooler on a rig you will not use for long, then sure you can replace it as well now.

NH-D15 is great provided that it fits in your case and wont conflict with your RAM (tall RAM heatspreaders). Most AiO watercoolers are more or less the all the same in terms of cooling capacity per radiator space, H110i/H115i should both be good. Corsair fans can be rather loud if you allow them to ramp up to full speed though. 240 and 280 radiators should always outperform even the beefiest aircooler, but to be fair NH-D15 already is more than capable of keeping your CPU cool, especially when you eventually switch to the new, presumably skylake cpu. What comes to noise advantage/disadvantage, noctua coolers are relatively quiet because they have noctua fans. You could always swap whatever default fans come with your radiator to something quieter like noctua, that's what i did anyway. It's not exactly cost effective though.

AIO coolers have a limited life expectancy and require louder fans to really perform and if you want the best, you need basically 4 fans..

Well, yes, AiO coolers have many possible points of failure, but that is just the nature of the game. You don't need louder fans for them to perform, it's just that they typically come with high RPM fans. My 240 rad is happily cooling my CPU with fans running <1k RPM. What comes to 4 fans in push/pull, we are reaching the territory of using 4 fans simply because we can. The gains from 4 fans compared to 2 are minimal and definitely not a cost effective way to improve your cooling. Push/pull is definitely not a requirement or even advised.

TL;DR, do as you please with the cooler. Lower temps, go water. Literally no other points of failure than the fans, go air. Noise has no clear winner - water has the cooling capacity which allows lower RPM, but with air you have an option to go with something like noctua that already comes with premium fans that are less noisy.

850 EVO has earned its place as the default pick. It's reasonably priced and has excellent performance. What comes to specific models from any manufacturer, it depends. Many have budget models with passable performance and many have higher end models with better performance.

[DeltrusDisc]

AIO coolers also have pump noise. >_> And if you want the best performance with AIOs, you need to get specifically air-pressure aimed fans.

I think the only reason the 850 Evo is the default pick is because, being a bigger company, Samsung has been able to afford more advertising for it, but the Crucial MX200 is easily comparable.

The performance difference between a company's budget model and higher-end model when staying on SATA III 6Gbps, it's negligible.

Want to see a REAL performance increase? Get an Intel NVMe PCI-E SSD and wave good by to SATA.

[Salty Maud]

AIO coolers also have pump noise. >_> And if you want the best performance with AIOs, you need to get specifically air-pressure aimed fans.

Not completely wrong. Technically you would want to use pressure profiled fans for any sort of heatsink because the airflow is not unrestricted. AiO rads however are usually so thin and don't have hugely dense fins that any general purpose fan that has decent air pressure (as in not entirely airflow optimized like NF-S12) will do the job. When you go to custom watercooling with thicker radiators and/or very dense fin arrangement (or FPI), you will want to pay more attention to the pressure your fans produce. Pump noise varies between make and model, but my triton produces no audible pump noise at 60%.

850 Evo is the default pick because it has excellent performance, is from a reputable brand and is reasonably priced. MX200 is also a fairly decent option. You are on the right tracks on that SATA3 is the limiting factor in sequential read/write speeds, but one could argue that for gaming and general responsiveness of the system random reads are the most important factor rather than the maximum read/write speeds. Not saying that intel 750 does not do well in that, but that is a whole different beast, at least pricewise. I wouldn't say that 750 is necessarily relevant to consider for this build.

[Thunderball]

As pointed out earlier, you need a full upgrade. There are two routes you can take with that.

1) Upgrade the core (CPU, CPU Cooler, mobo, RAM) first. Your initial budget definetely allows that. It wont be top level but pretty close.

2) Upgrade peripherals (videocard, storage, case) first. I wouldnt suggest it because your mobo doesnt support SATAIII. It likely wont be noticable on your HDD but will definetely be noticable when using SSD.

If you want to go on with the building answering the questions for us from this thread will be very helpful.

[DeltrusDisc]

As pointed out earlier, you need a full upgrade. There are two routes you can take with that.

1) Upgrade the core (CPU, CPU Cooler, mobo, RAM) first. Your initial budget definetely allows that. It wont be top level but pretty close.

2) Upgrade peripherals (videocard, storage, case) first. I wouldnt suggest it because your mobo doesnt support SATAIII. It likely wont be noticable on your HDD but will definetely be noticable when using SSD.

If you want to go on with the building answering the questions for us from this thread will be very helpful.

His HDDs aren't using his SATA II ports fully, so the SSD would be noticeable, and then when he gets SATA III it will be even further noticeable. This is some of the only future-proofing I think actually would make sense.

#2 would easily benefit him more, though I question if he needs a new case... @Erestem what kind of case do you have for your computer?