new gaming rig using Radeon HD 6850 for now

[Moropo]

I want to build myself a gaming rig after being several years off gaming. The current shortage of video cards made me think of using my current Radeon HD 6850 that I have from a decade ago (still works) and buying everything else. When things go back to normal, I then plan on buying myself a ~$500 video card.

The games I would play right now are a mix of WoW Classic, the coming WoW BC Classic, WoW Retail, Elder Scrolls Online and in the future Amazon's New World. I want to kind of "future-proof" in the sense that when I end up buying a new video card, that the entire system is more than acceptable. But maybe the kind of games I play dont require too much high-end?

What kind of performance can I expect from the 6850 with everything else "new" as below? I'm guessing that as long as the game is CPU intensive I should get good performance. That's the case with WoW right?

I do want to experience them in 1440p and kind of max graphics, as I have never been able to do so. That won't be possible with the 6850 I'm guessing, but will it when I add the ~$500 video card?

Here is what I came up with:

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-10700K 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor ($335.99 @ Walmart)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($89.95 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI MPG Z490 GAMING PLUS ATX LGA1200 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Walmart)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory ($86.99 @ B&H)
Case: Lian Li Lancool II Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Gigabyte P GM 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($108.28 @ Amazon)
Monitor: MSI Optix MAG321CQR 31.5" 2560x1440 144 Hz Monitor ($379.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1281.18

I already have keyboard, mouse, and SSD storage, that's why there's none on the list.

I wanted a 30"+ monitor and kind of feel the one I chose is quite expensive but it was the cheapest that was 30"+ with 1ms and 144hz. Do I even need such top-notch specs for the monitor?

I would welcome suggestions with my intended use as described above.

Thanks!

[Exkrementor]

So the build looks fine and if it will be able to perform reasonable at 1440p depends on your GPU. If you want to make use of your 144hz you probably wanna start with a RTX3070 or RX6800 or higher for modern games. A RTX3060 should be fine for only WoW on 1440p though. So the GPU budget could be a bit higher if you consider MSRP and not the stupid scalper prices atm.

For the HD 6850: That is a rough card man. It only has 1GB of VRAM and is like 11 years old. Even older games like GTA V will be hard to run with that one. You could try to use the integrated GPU of your CPU but intel is not known for great GPU performance.

There is no good solution to this problem though because even older cards are really expensive right know. I sold my old GTX970 for 100 bucks a year ago and now its worth almost double. I saw a GTX770 going for 100 bucks on ebay the other day. Its crazy.

The GPU prices will not go down for a while though so it could be worth to buy a used GPU for now. Something that can at least run some games from the last decade. Maybe a GTX760 or an RX460 or a GTX950.

Edit: You usually dont need a 90 dollar CPU heatsink. Buy one for 30-50 bucks.

[Moropo]

@Vegas82: Thanks. I changed it to a Corsair.

@Exkrementor: I changed the CPU Cooler to a $40 one. Regarding the video card: I understand everything that you are saying but I dont see myself buying an old card at inflated prices. I honestly see no other option for me. I am forced to wait until video card prices normalize which I think is very long away... So in other words, I would just be upgrading every non-video-card component in my current old build of i7 2600 + HD 6850 + 8gb slow ram + shitty PSU etc. Should I still see a significant improvement even though I'm keeping the same 6850?


I have replaced the PSU and monitor. I am going under the assumption that 1ms vs 5ms and 144hz vs 75hz is not going to be discernable to me so I can save ~$120


PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-10700K 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor ($335.99 @ Walmart)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 RGB Black Edition 57.3 CFM CPU Cooler ($39.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI MPG Z490 GAMING PLUS ATX LGA1200 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Walmart)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory ($86.99 @ B&H)
Case: Lian Li Lancool II Mesh ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair RM (2019) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($124.99 @ Best Buy)
Monitor: LG 32QK500-C 32.0" 2560x1440 75 Hz Monitor ($246.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $1114.93

[Shakadam]

So in other words, I would just be upgrading every non-video-card component in my current old build of i7 2600 + HD 6850 + 8gb slow ram + shitty PSU etc. Should I still see a significant improvement even though I'm keeping the same 6850?

You'll see an improvement in something that is very CPU limited, but the 6850 is going to be a significant bottleneck in pretty much everything.

I have replaced the PSU and monitor. I am going under the assumption that 1ms vs 5ms and 144hz vs 75hz is not going to be discernable to me so I can save ~$120

That's not the smartest choice imo. 144Hz is quite noticeable even when just web browsing and the best panels these days are typically high refresh or very high resolution as there's not much development going on in other categories. Don't cheap out on your monitor is my advice.

Assuming you want a ~32" monitor and something cheaper than the MSI you initially picked, I'd recommend a LG 32GK650F-B for about ~$350
https://pcpartpicker.com/product/LyC...tor-32gk650f-b

[Exkrementor]

You'll see an improvement in something that is very CPU limited, but the 6850 is going to be a significant bottleneck in pretty much everything.

Pretty much that. You could try and play games on a lower resolution like 720p but thats not very pretty. Nowadays its better to have an old CPU and a good GPU than having a good CPU but an old GPU.

And to answer your question if you will see an improvement by just upgrading the rest: More RAM is useful when you have multiple applications open like discord, steam, chrome and a game for example. 8GB is not enough RAM anymore. The thing is that you cant play anything that will use much of your RAM anyway because of your GPU.
So the only improvement you will probably see is in more CPU bound tasks like code compiling or video editing.
In games you wont see much difference since the GPU is so old and slow.

[Moropo]

I hear you guys on everything. This is quite frustrating not being able to buy a video card. I think I will just scratch my plan and wait until I can buy a video card at MSRP, however long that takes, and then do a proper build. By then the new generation of Intel should be out etc. Until then I will just continue using my decade-old setup, anyways I only plan on playing WoW Classic for now.

I do need a monitor (gifted mine away some time ago) and I guess I should buy a 1440p 144hz 1ms so that even though my current setup wont be able to utilize its capabilities I will already have it for my future build (is that sound?):

Monitor: MSI Optix MAG321CQR 31.5" 2560x1440 144 Hz Monitor ($379.99 @ Adorama)

I will just game at 1440p with low settings, the higher resolution should make it so that it doesnt look too bad? It's not like I'm used to top-notch graphics.

I also need a case (dont have one, have my current rig in some self-made setup) and I found this case that I liked its looks and has good reviews:

Case: Cooler Master MasterBox TD500 Mesh w/ Controller ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Amazon)

Obviously my old and shitty motherboard doesnt have to connect the RGB fans. Can they still work as a regular fan without the colors?

edit: reading the listing I see it mentioned that it brings a controller, so that means I can use them with my old motherboard?

[Moropo]

So I ended up going with the build and built it already after many many hours (my first time doing so!)

I went with this monitor:

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/TPw...ptix-mag321cqr

but I am not liking it at all... the image doesnt look crisp and the text is kind of blurry. Obviously I have googled and played with the ClearType settings and nothing completely fixes it.

Is this a result of it being a VA display? Maybe I should return and get an IPS?

Is this one good?

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/wXR...itor-27gl83a-b

It's 27'' instead of 31.5'' but thats fine as long as it gives me quality image.

[Thorcall]

Mmm I guess this unit could be damaged but its more likely to be a resolution problem, maybe because of your gpu. Check if you use the good resolution (2560x1440, also check for framerate, not the problem but it will be sad to use it at 60 fps ^^), if its not that you could try to reinstall your gpu driver. I'm not sure, but it could totally be that your card doesn't manage well the 1440p and force a lower resolution.

[Moropo]

Yes my card wouldnt output 1440p, only 1080p which looked horrible. Anyways I removed the card, and started using onboard graphics until I can buy a new card. The onboard graphics does 1440p fine and with the quality settings at Low everything, but still 1440p, WoW looks good and manages 60+ fps.

Image quality still persists even with removing the card. I also did a clean install again after removing the gpu so that the lingering drivers wouldnt affect anything.

[Thorcall]

I see, but then the igpu could also be a problem, check if the drivers are up to date. If you have the latest version and the resolution is correctly selected, then its maybe the monitor, but I don't think we can be sure until you get a decent graphic card to try. I'm not familiar with VA monitor so maybe someone else could tell you if this is a common problem with this technology