Upgrade help from an old Amd Phenom II x4 system

[Deleted]

Hey everybody,

I am a forums lurker for many years now and finally decided to give it a go and create an account.
I would really appreciate any help for my system upgrade. I used my current system for many years and I am not on track what's up to date atm.
The new setup will be mainly used for gaming, e.g. CS GO, Overwatch, Simracing like rFactor2, Assetto Corsa, Cities Skylines, sometimes GW2 or SWTOR.

My bugget is 600-1000 €, ideally ~850 and I'm from Germany.
Parts I need (I don't think I can reuse anything):
CPU ( + Cooler)
GPU
RAM
Power Supply
(Case - maybe, my old one was very cheap so that could take an upgrade as well)

SSD/HDD will be reused, no OS needed and I already have two 23'' AOC monitors.

Currently my system is:
CPU: Amd Phenom II x4 960T overclocked to 3.8ghz
Cooler: Scythe Mugen 4 Rev. B
GPU: XFX Radeon HD 6870
RAM: 2x 4GB G.Skill F3-10666CL9-4GBNT DDR3 PC3-10700U
Power Supply: Cougar A560 560W
Case: some cheap antec

I really have no clue about current GPU's but I would like to play the games above on 1920x1080 on at least medium settings, the more I get for my money the better. CPU wise I am still struggling.I am thinking between an i5-6500, i5-4690 or maybe an i5-4690k and overclock. Haven't heard much about broadwell desktop cpus maybe that's also an option. Since I will need a new mainboard nonetheless maybe I should already invest in Skylake so I can simply upgrade the CPU in the future without buying a new MoBo again?

Thanks for your help!

[Kagthul]

This is a 'cheap' build - not near your max budget at all - but it will play those games at 1080p High/Ultra.

I specifically went with the Z170 Motherboard so you could upgrade the CPU later to an unlocked i5 or i7 - same with the RAM - only one DIMM so you dont have to throw 2x4 out if you want to upgrade later (the benefit of Dual CHannel is just not enough to worry about).

This is affordable, gets you what you want, and is about as future proof as its possible to be at this price range.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor (€135.32 @ Mindfactory)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3P ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (€119.58 @ Mindfactory)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory (€51.84 @ Mindfactory)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card (€201.55 @ Mindfactory)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H22 ATX Mid Tower Case (€35.44 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (€67.78 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Total: €611.51
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-13 23:06 CET+0100

Ill try to post a "max budget" build later.

[Deleted]

Thank you Kagthul!

Didn't even think about an i3. That's a nice alternative. But I am interested in a max budget build or something at about 850 € as well. I am willing to invest that money now and have a solid build for the next years. And everything will be a great upgrade compared to my old PC

- - - Updated - - -

Just noticed that my current power supply is a Corsair TX 650 which is about 3 years old. Could I keep that? That would save some bucks
The other thing is the GPU: I am thinking about getting a GTX 970. What's bugging me is the 3.5GB thing, but since I am not planning to go higher than 1080p I guess this won't be an issue. What kept me away from current AAA games was mainly that my setup was not able to run decent graphics settings. In the future I am planning to play those again with a better rig. I guess the investment into the 970 would be ok then?

[Kagthul]

This is a roughly ~800 Euro build.

it's hard to push the GPU any higher at the 850 range without skimping on the CPU, but this base would leave you with a machine capable of 1080p High/Ultra and you can upgrade the GPU in a year or two if you need.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (€276.94 @ Mindfactory)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! PURE ROCK 51.4 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (€36.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3P ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (€118.68 @ Mindfactory)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory (€49.93 @ Mindfactory)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 960 4GB AMP! Edition Video Card (€214.89 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Case: Thermaltake Versa H22 ATX Mid Tower Case (€35.44 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply (€63.46 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Total: €796.24
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-15 06:45 CET+0100

You could keep your old PSU - if its working its plenty powerful. Wont save a huge amount, but every bit helps.

Here's the same build assuming you keep your PSU and Case to put more towards parts:

Gets you the i5 and GTX 970 together:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (€276.94 @ Mindfactory)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! PURE ROCK 51.4 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (€36.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3P ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (€118.68 @ Mindfactory)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory (€49.93 @ Mindfactory)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB SSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card (€349.00 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Total: €831.45
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-15 06:49 CET+0100

- - - Updated - - -

Here's a 1000-Euro build.

Went with the R9 390X because it is more powerful than the GTX 970 but far cheaper than the GTX 980Ti (and still quite a bit cheaper than the GTX 980, which it also outperforms).

its the only decent GPU in the 450$ range.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (€276.94 @ Mindfactory)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! PURE ROCK 51.4 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (€36.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3P ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (€118.68 @ Mindfactory)
Memory: Crucial 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory (€96.40 @ Mindfactory)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 390X 8GB Video Card (€441.89 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Total: €970.81
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-15 06:52 CET+0100

[Deleted]

For max budget you can get a new good case and (you should) power supply.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (€276.94 @ Mindfactory)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! PURE ROCK 51.4 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler (€36.90 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (€141.51 @ Mindfactory)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (€53.99 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 390 8GB SOC Video Card (€331.66 @ Mindfactory)
Case: Phanteks Enthoo Pro M ATX Mid Tower Case (€81.31 @ Mindfactory)
Power Supply: XFX TS 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply (€82.33 @ Mindfactory)
Total: €1004.64
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-16 08:52 CET+0100

[Deleted]

Thanks for your builds!
What do you think about the Asus Z170 Pro Gaming? There's a 25 € cashback available atm.
I was also thinking about the i5-6500 + a sapphire nitro r9 390, don't know if I really need the 6600k. On the other side it's about 50-60 Euros more and with OC it has a lot more value for the future.
I also looked for a new case. My favourite atm is the Fractal Design Define S.

[Deleted]

Any specific reason for the single DDR4 stick in the builds??

[Deleted]

They're priced better and will give you the easy option to expand to 16GB when 8GB isn't enough.

The linked mobo's all have 4 slots... I see no point in going with one stick of RAM when you have 4 slots available. When you have two slots, sure it is an option.

Plus it is nice that they work in dual channel. Even though, the performance difference might be negligible. Call me old-fashioned.

[Artorius]

There's virtually no performance difference between 1x8 or 2x4. I'd also say to buy 1x8 and leave it open for future upgrades.

[Deleted]

Any specific reason for the single DDR4 stick in the builds??

As other's said there is no difference atm, even tho i do like 2sticks myself (visually). But when price is like 10% less then there is no reason for it, was already above 1k budget, even for as little as 5euro.

[Kagthul]

Any specific reason for the single DDR4 stick in the builds??

There's virtually zero performance gain of any kind (within the margin of error) for Dual-Channel on DDR4, so there's no reason to get 2x4, when 1x8 is the same or cheaper, and leaves 3 slots open for later expansion.

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks for your builds!
What do you think about the Asus Z170 Pro Gaming? There's a 25 € cashback available atm.
I was also thinking about the i5-6500 + a sapphire nitro r9 390, don't know if I really need the 6600k. On the other side it's about 50-60 Euros more and with OC it has a lot more value for the future.
I also looked for a new case. My favourite atm is the Fractal Design Define S.

Absolutely zero point in a Z170 board if you're not going to get the K-series CPU. Only difference between H170 and Z170 is overclocking. I only put the Z170 in my first "cheap" build for upgradeability, assuming you'd want to ditch the i3 later and get an i5 or i7.

Otherwise... an H170 or B150 will do you fine.