Looking for recommendations for PC upgrade since 2017

[Raynesis]

Hi all, looking for recommendations for PC upgrade (gaming / entertainment).

Current PC is from ~2017, and the FPS dips when playing some non-intensive games.
I no longer game as much, but it irks me when I need to use low or medium graphics settings when I do want to play any (prefer high to max on 1440p, >120 FPS).

• I mostly play MMO / FPS / MOBA.
• I also tend to keep tabs of Twitch or YouTube videos opened in the 2nd monitor while I play games, but the videos starts to freeze until I tab out of the game. Not sure if it is just browser resource limitation or hardware-related.

Other ailments aside from it being old:

• Can often fail to boot to Window if powered off (keeps saying something boot drive not found), so I try to keep the PC running if there is no need to shutdown. Otherwise I will need to keep restarting until it goes to Windows, or sometimes unplugging and plugging in RAM works (this method woks with old or new RAMs, so I do not think it is an issue with the RAMs, but the motherboard's instead).
• In recent months, the PC can very occasionally freeze and I will have to power off manually to restart. This can happening during gaming, or just opening media files, or watching YouTube.

I am not savvy with PC hardware/specs; current PC was built by fortran (not sure if he still does).
I do not mind going to SI, but not sure if they are reasonably priced especially since everything has become so expensive in the recent years.

- If there is one that is worth it, please point me to it.​

Self-assembly is not out of the question (never done it but should be easy to learn), but also do not mind paying a small assembly fee to save the trouble.


Exclude monitor; budget around SGD 2.5-3K?

Spoiler

ITEM	CURRENT (2017)	REMARKS	PROPOSAL	PRICE (SGD)
PROCESSOR	AMD RYZEN 5 1600
MOTHERBOARD	GIGABYTE AB350-GAMING 3
GRAPHICS CARD	NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1070	OK WITH AMD OR NVIDIA; RTX 4090 TOO EXPENSIVE. DO NOT THINK I NEED RAY TRACING.
MEMORY	CORSAIR VENGEANCE RGB PRO 32GB (2 X 16GB) DDR4 DRAM 3600MHZ C18 MEMORY KIT	RE-USE IF POSSIBLE (RECENT PURCHASE)
STORAGE 1 (OS)	CRUCIAL MX100 512GB SSD	CRYSTALDISKINFO HEALTH STATUS @ 82%
STORAGE 2 (GAME)	GIGABYTE AORUS NVME GEN4 M.2 1TB SSD	KEEP (RECENT PURCHASE)	-​
STORAGE 3 (DOCUMENTS)	SAMSUNG HD103SJ 1TB HDD	KEEP, BUT OPEN TO UPGRADE
STORAGE 4 (MEDIA)	WDC WD30EZRZ 3TB HDD	KEEP, BUT OPEN TO UPGRADE
OPTICAL DRIVE	SONY 880S 24X SATA DVD REWRITER DRIVE	NOT COMPULSORY; IT HAS JUST BEEN THERE	-​
POWER SUPPLY UNIT	SUPERFLOWER SF-750F14EG LEADEX II 750W FULL MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD POWER SUPPLY UNIT
CASING	FRACTAL DESIGN DEFINE R5 BLACKOUT EDITION W/ WINDOW MID TOWER USB 3.0 CHASSIS	DO NOT MIND REUSING IF IT FITS
MONITOR 1	ACER PREDATOR XB271HU	KEEP
MONITOR 2	DELL U2414H	PREFER SAME 27 INCH / 1440P / >144HZ AS MONITOR 1 BUT OPEN TO RECOMMENDATIONS WOULD USE AS MAIN MONITOR IF BETTER THAN CURRENT MONITOR 1
			TOTAL:​

Thanks in advance!

 

[Psycovirus]

ITEM	CURRENT (2017)	REMARKS	PROPOSAL	PRICE (SGD)
PROCESSOR	AMD RYZEN 5 1600		Ryzen 7 5700X - https://www.amazon.sg/AMD-Ryzen-5700X-16-Thread-Processor/dp/B09VCHQHZ6	$270.00
MOTHERBOARD	GIGABYTE AB350-GAMING 3		Reuse - Update to last BIOS to support latest CPUs
GRAPHICS CARD	NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1070	OK WITH AMD OR NVIDIA; RTX 4090 TOO EXPENSIVE. DO NOT THINK I NEED RAY TRACING.	RTX 3060 Ti https://www.amazon.sg/ASUS-Graphics-DisplayPort-Military-Grade-Certification/dp/B0985YLRB3/	$660.00
MEMORY	CORSAIR VENGEANCE RGB PRO 32GB (2 X 16GB) DDR4 DRAM 3600MHZ C18 MEMORY KIT	RE-USE IF POSSIBLE (RECENT PURCHASE)	Reuse
STORAGE 1 (OS)	CRUCIAL MX100 512GB SSD	CRYSTALDISKINFO HEALTH STATUS @ 82%	Reuse
STORAGE 2 (GAME)	GIGABYTE AORUS NVME GEN4 M.2 1TB SSD	KEEP (RECENT PURCHASE)	Reuse
STORAGE 3 (DOCUMENTS)	SAMSUNG HD103SJ 1TB HDD	KEEP, BUT OPEN TO UPGRADE	Reuse
STORAGE 4 (MEDIA)	WDC WD30EZRZ 3TB HDD	KEEP, BUT OPEN TO UPGRADE	Reuse
OPTICAL DRIVE	SONY 880S 24X SATA DVD REWRITER DRIVE	NOT COMPULSORY; IT HAS JUST BEEN THERE	Reuse
POWER SUPPLY UNIT	SUPERFLOWER SF-750F14EG LEADEX II 750W FULL MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD POWER SUPPLY UNIT		Reuse
CASING	FRACTAL DESIGN DEFINE R5 BLACKOUT EDITION W/ WINDOW MID TOWER USB 3.0 CHASSIS	DO NOT MIND REUSING IF IT FITS	Reuse
MONITOR 1	ACER PREDATOR XB271HU	KEEP
MONITOR 2	DELL U2414H	PREFER SAME 27 INCH / 1440P / >144HZ AS MONITOR 1 BUT OPEN TO RECOMMENDATIONS WOULD USE AS MAIN MONITOR IF BETTER THAN CURRENT MONITOR 1	Make sure its the newer "-P" version Gigabyte M27Q-P https://dynacoretech.com/gigabyte-m...kvm-gaming-monitor-2560-x-1440-ss-ips-display	$598.00
			TOTAL:	$1,528.00

You can easily reuse everything. AM4 allows you to upgrade your CPU without restrictions like Intel, you can just reuse the same motherboard while installing the newer CPU. Recommend Ryzen 7 5700x! Update your BIOS to latest though.

Also can buy the Asus TUF RTX 3060 Tifor $660 on Amazon. Good value card for your 1440p needs. You can also buy a new monitor, the Gigabyte M27Q-P (its in high demand and tend to be out of stock, be patient and look for it below $600)

 

[Raynesis]

Spoiler

ITEM	CURRENT (2017)	REMARKS	PROPOSAL	PRICE (SGD)
PROCESSOR	AMD RYZEN 5 1600		Ryzen 7 5700X - https://www.amazon.sg/AMD-Ryzen-5700X-16-Thread-Processor/dp/B09VCHQHZ6	$270.00
MOTHERBOARD	GIGABYTE AB350-GAMING 3		Reuse - Update to last BIOS to support latest CPUs
GRAPHICS CARD	NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1070	OK WITH AMD OR NVIDIA; RTX 4090 TOO EXPENSIVE. DO NOT THINK I NEED RAY TRACING.	RTX 3060 Ti https://www.amazon.sg/ASUS-Graphics-DisplayPort-Military-Grade-Certification/dp/B0985YLRB3/	$660.00
MEMORY	CORSAIR VENGEANCE RGB PRO 32GB (2 X 16GB) DDR4 DRAM 3600MHZ C18 MEMORY KIT	RE-USE IF POSSIBLE (RECENT PURCHASE)	Reuse
STORAGE 1 (OS)	CRUCIAL MX100 512GB SSD	CRYSTALDISKINFO HEALTH STATUS @ 82%	Reuse
STORAGE 2 (GAME)	GIGABYTE AORUS NVME GEN4 M.2 1TB SSD	KEEP (RECENT PURCHASE)	Reuse
STORAGE 3 (DOCUMENTS)	SAMSUNG HD103SJ 1TB HDD	KEEP, BUT OPEN TO UPGRADE	Reuse
STORAGE 4 (MEDIA)	WDC WD30EZRZ 3TB HDD	KEEP, BUT OPEN TO UPGRADE	Reuse
OPTICAL DRIVE	SONY 880S 24X SATA DVD REWRITER DRIVE	NOT COMPULSORY; IT HAS JUST BEEN THERE	Reuse
POWER SUPPLY UNIT	SUPERFLOWER SF-750F14EG LEADEX II 750W FULL MODULAR 80 PLUS GOLD POWER SUPPLY UNIT		Reuse
CASING	FRACTAL DESIGN DEFINE R5 BLACKOUT EDITION W/ WINDOW MID TOWER USB 3.0 CHASSIS	DO NOT MIND REUSING IF IT FITS	Reuse
MONITOR 1	ACER PREDATOR XB271HU	KEEP
MONITOR 2	DELL U2414H	PREFER SAME 27 INCH / 1440P / >144HZ AS MONITOR 1 BUT OPEN TO RECOMMENDATIONS WOULD USE AS MAIN MONITOR IF BETTER THAN CURRENT MONITOR 1	Make sure its the newer "-P" version Gigabyte M27Q-P https://dynacoretech.com/gigabyte-m...kvm-gaming-monitor-2560-x-1440-ss-ips-display	$598.00
			TOTAL:	$1,528.00

You can easily reuse everything. AM4 allows you to upgrade your CPU without restrictions like Intel, you can just reuse the same motherboard while installing the newer CPU. Recommend Ryzen 7 5700x! Update your BIOS to latest though.

Also can buy the Asus TUF RTX 3060 Tifor $660 on Amazon. Good value card for your 1440p needs. You can also buy a new monitor, the Gigabyte M27Q-P (its in high demand and tend to be out of stock, be patient and look for it below $600)

Thank you for your input!

Is RTX 3060Ti really good enough for 1440p at maybe >120fps?
I do believe it is sufficient for the games I play, but just wondering in general because I always see people going for much higher specs at 1440p.
What would you suggest if I want to overkill it a little?

I was originally thinking at least RTX 3080 or the latest AMD cards that just launched.

 

[Psycovirus]

Thank you for your input!

Is RTX 3060Ti really good enough for 1440p at maybe >120fps?
I do believe it is sufficient for the games I play, but just wondering in general because I always see people going for much higher specs at 1440p.
What would you suggest if I want to overkill it a little?

I was originally thinking at least RTX 3080 or the latest AMD cards that just launched.

The current GPU prices are pretty bad value. A 7900 XT 20GB card cost 1.4k and its only 10%~ faster than 2 years old 6900 XT. XTX is out of stock or way over priced.

You can look into 2nd hand RTX 3080 12GB or RX 6900 xt for your 1440p gaming but don't pay for more than $850... It is a difficult market right now with no good value card in sight.

You can wait for RTX 4070 Ti if you wish, Nvidia just unlaunched their 4080 12GB and will be relaunching as 4070 Ti 12GB next month for about S$ 1.4k estimated price. It is rumoured to be about 3090 Ti level.

 

[Raynesis]

Can you recommend a good cooler to go with the Ryzen 7 5700X?
It looks like a cooler is not included.

Also, do you know if the cooler would come with thermal paste? Or do I need to purchase a tube?

 

[NightRaven49]

Also can buy the Asus TUF RTX 3060 Tifor $660 on Amazon. Good value card for your 1440p needs.

if u dont specifically need the tuf gaming model, vii pc on lazada has a galax model for just under $600 with 3y local warranty.

Can you recommend a good cooler to go with the Ryzen 7 5700X?
It looks like a cooler is not included.

5700x is not difficult to cool. u can get any cheap tower cooler for $50 or less, cant go wrong with classics like the cooler master hyper 212 series.

Also, do you know if the cooler would come with thermal paste? Or do I need to purchase a tube?

usually they will come with paste preapplied and give u a tube too.

 

[Raynesis]

if u dont specifically need the tuf gaming model, vii pc on lazada has a galax model for just under $600 with 3y local warranty.

5700x is not difficult to cool. u can get any cheap tower cooler for $50 or less, cant go wrong with classics like the cooler master hyper 212 series.

usually they will come with paste preapplied and give u a tube too.

Thanks for the recommendation!

I already placed an order for the CPU, but still unsure on the GPU as I feel like over-killing it a little bit, especially the current proposed spend is way under my original allocated budget (not complaining, I was just expecting a brand new build).

I would very much prefer a first-hand card over a second-hand one suggested by @Psycovirus .

Cheapest RTX 3080/3080Ti on Amazon right now is Zotac's at $1.1K-1.3K
- will my existing PSU and case work with it?

The suggestion to wait for RTX 4070Ti at estimated $1.4K is very reasonable too, especially if it is only ~$100 higher than the RTX 3080Ti but of a RTX 3090Ti's level.
- will my existing PSU and case work with it?

However, if the RTX 3060Ti basically "maxes" out this build, then I might just settle for it.

 

[Psycovirus]

Thanks for the recommendation!

I already placed an order for the CPU, but still unsure on the GPU as I feel like over-killing it a little bit, especially the current proposed spend is way under my original allocated budget (not complaining, I was just expecting a brand new build).

You could always buy a new Case and move everything over if you wish to make it feel like a new build. Since CPU and GPU is changed, 2 parts that matters most, its already a new build.

I would very much prefer a first-hand card over a second-hand one suggested by @Psycovirus .

Cheapest RTX 3080/3080Ti on Amazon right now is Zotac's at $1.1K-1.3K
- will my existing PSU and case work with it?

The PSU will work. But not recommended since the GPUs are 2 years old and they haven't dropped in price. Its just not worth getting 2 year old products at MSRP.

The suggestion to wait for RTX 4070Ti at estimated $1.4K is very reasonable too, especially if it is only ~$100 higher than the RTX 3080Ti but of a RTX 3090Ti's level.
- will my existing PSU and case work with it?

RTX 4070 Ti is rumored to be USD $899, same price as RX 7900XT. 7900 XT is SGD $1.4k here thus I estimate the 4070 Ti to be similar in price. It is still not the best value for money GPU but it would be perfect for 1440p 120hz+ gaming.

16 Game Average for 1440p per Hardware Unboxed. 4070 Ti expected to be similar performance to 3090 Ti.

However, if the RTX 3060Ti basically "maxes" out this build, then I might just settle for it.

No, 3060Ti won't max out your build, I just recommended it because its currently one of the better value GPUs for its performance. Anything higher has really bad value per frame.

You could also consider a simple air cooler for the CPU, something like ID-Cool SE216xt

 

[Raynesis]

Thanks for your detailed input!

I guess I shall wait for next month and see how it goes.

 

[Xeniel]

What are the chances that you might be reusing something that is currently broken and causing the issues you've been facing?

Can't boot to windows doesn't sound like an issue with parts being slow

 

[Raynesis]

What are the chances that you might be reusing something that is currently broken and causing the issues you've been facing?

Can't boot to windows doesn't sound like an issue with parts being slow

You are correct, I did think about it.

I am suspecting it to be either the motherboard, or more unlikely, the main SSD.
If it still happens then I will look into replacing the motherboard.
The SSD I have interest in upgrading anyway since it has been some time, and crystaldiskinfo shows that it is at 72% health (not sure how I should interpret it but 72% seems pretty low).

 

[NightRaven49]

Cheapest RTX 3080/3080Ti on Amazon right now is Zotac's at $1.1K-1.3K

not recommended since the GPUs are 2 years old and they haven't dropped in price. Its just not worth getting 2 year old products at MSRP.

im only seeing one zotac model at $10 shy of 1.3k, not seeing the closer to 1.1 range. these arent msrp prices either, 3080ti msrp is what u r seeing 4080s go for nowadays, so a roughly 30%-40% drop for 1.5 year old card is not great but not bad.

The suggestion to wait for RTX 4070Ti at estimated $1.4K is very reasonable too, especially if it is only ~$100 higher than the RTX 3080Ti but of a RTX 3090Ti's level.

a -70ti card for 1.4k is reasonable? none of the cards in this new generation are reasonably priced imo, they only make sense if u felt 3080ti msrp made sense when it launched (especially when the 3080 had only existed for just half a year). personally, s$1.2k (around what the 3080 was supposed to cost) is the limit of reasonable spend. dont forget, 8% gst coming soon so u will likely be spending closer to 1.5k for that 4070ti.

if u r ok getting from amazon, id suggest u get the xfx speedster 6950 xt for 1.2k, it matches the 3090 ti (and by ur own estimation, the 4070ti) in 1440p while still being cheaper than the 3080ti.

 

[Raynesis]

What I meant was the suggestion to wait and see the next new card is reasonable; I do not have control over the pricing, so if there is a need/want to purchase one, then I will need to reluctantly deal with it as long as it is within means.
Not the RTX 4090 though, as much as I want one, it is too expensive for my needs.

RX 6950 XT sounds like a good alternative!
I am generally OK with purchasing from Amazon, although for price at this range, I would prefer to have a local vendor in case RMA is needed.

I see 1 from Amazon US at $1,167 (only 1 stock left, risky if need to exchange?), and 1 from Amazon SG at $1,274.
Do you think the ~$100 difference is worth getting it from Amazon SG instead?
How does the warranty work for Amazon US vs SG anyway?
Do local distributors handle RMAs from Amazon SG?
Is there even a local distributor for XFX?

 

[Koenig168]

...

I see 1 from Amazon US at $1,167 (only 1 stock left, risky if need to exchange?), and 1 from Amazon SG at $1,274.
Do you think the ~$100 difference is worth getting it from Amazon SG instead?
How does the warranty work for Amazon US vs SG anyway?
Do local distributors handle RMAs from Amazon SG?
Is there even a local distributor for XFX?

You can enquire with Amazon SG but unless stated to be a local third party seller or local warranty is expressly mentioned, I would treat as no local warranty. Local distros will not handle the RMA so no point paying the premium for Amazon SG.

I have bought IT stuff from Amazon SG and none has local distro stickers.

 

[NightRaven49]

I am generally OK with purchasing from Amazon, although for price at this range, I would prefer to have a local vendor in case RMA is needed.

local vendor dont have high end previous gen anymore, at most can only find 6800 non xt and 3070 ti for reasonable prices. u can find 3080s, but u might as well buy a 7900 xt for those prices.

Is there even a local distributor for XFX?

tech dynamic.

 

[Raynesis]

You can enquire with Amazon SG but unless stated to be a local third party seller or local warranty is expressly mentioned, I would treat as no local warranty. Local distros will not handle the RMA so no point paying the premium for Amazon SG.

I have bought IT stuff from Amazon SG and none has local distro stickers.

Thank you for your input.

I just realized I made a mistake.
The one from Amazon SG is actually a RX 6900 XT, not 6950.

 

[Psycovirus]

• I also tend to keep tabs of Twitch or YouTube videos opened in the 2nd monitor while I play games, but the videos starts to freeze until I tab out of the game. Not sure if it is just browser resource limitation or hardware-related.

This is because your game is using 100% of the GPU thus no more for your chrome browser. Easy way is to increase priority of your browser so it gets more focus than the game. Another way is to disable Hardware acceleration on the browser and run it on your CPU (But it will lag if your game is using a lot of your CPU).

Other ailments aside from it being old:

• Can often fail to boot to Window if powered off (keeps saying something boot drive not found), so I try to keep the PC running if there is no need to shutdown. Otherwise I will need to keep restarting until it goes to Windows, or sometimes unplugging and plugging in RAM works (this method woks with old or new RAMs, so I do not think it is an issue with the RAMs, but the motherboard's instead).

Hmm. If this is happening, you might want to try updating your BIOS to the latest and see if it helps solve the stability issue. Also if your Motherboard is that old, try changing the CMOS battery? It should be under the GPU and easy to change. Usually a CR 2032. cost about 50 cents at Japan Home or so.

• In recent months, the PC can very occasionally freeze and I will have to power off manually to restart. This can happening during gaming, or just opening media files, or watching YouTube.

Very suspicious that it is caused by unstable memory. Ryzen first gen has a lot of DDR4 compatibility issues. They have to "train" memory before booting aka getting the timings right. It can take up to a minute before anything shows on screen. Some might mistaken it as the PC not booting up. Newer BIOS improves the compatibility. As mentioned above, try updating the BIOS to latest.

 

[Phen8210]

Other ailments aside from it being old:

• Can often fail to boot to Window if powered off (keeps saying something boot drive not found), so I try to keep the PC running if there is no need to shutdown. Otherwise I will need to keep restarting until it goes to Windows, or sometimes unplugging and plugging in RAM works (this method woks with old or new RAMs, so I do not think it is an issue with the RAMs, but the motherboard's instead).

Do you mean you resit the RAM or SSD? Resitting the ram shouldn't solve boot drive not found issue, it's a completely different part. Boot drive not found is more likely to do with your SSD (Boot Drive).

• In recent months, the PC can very occasionally freeze and I will have to power off manually to restart. This can happening during gaming, or just opening media files, or watching YouTube.

Run CrystalDiskMark or Atto Disk Benchmark on both your OS and Secondary SSDs, and see if it can complete a few runs. I think your SSD is gone.

Your 82% and all the symptoms you faced is a strong indicator already.

 

[Raynesis]

This is because your game is using 100% of the GPU thus no more for your chrome browser. Easy way is to increase priority of your browser so it gets more focus than the game. Another way is to disable Hardware acceleration on the browser and run it on your CPU (But it will lag if your game is using a lot of your CPU).

I think I tried enabling / disabling the hardware accelaration before but did not see much of a difference... and I obviously would not want to lag my game (Overwatch for example).
I just remember it not being an issue maybe 2 years ago.

Hmm. If this is happening, you might want to try updating your BIOS to the latest and see if it helps solve the stability issue. Also if your Motherboard is that old, try changing the CMOS battery? It should be under the GPU and easy to change. Usually a CR 2032. cost about 50 cents at Japan Home or so.

Very suspicious that it is caused by unstable memory. Ryzen first gen has a lot of DDR4 compatibility issues. They have to "train" memory before booting aka getting the timings right. It can take up to a minute before anything shows on screen. Some might mistaken it as the PC not booting up. Newer BIOS improves the compatibility. As mentioned above, try updating the BIOS to latest.

I actually did update my BIOs when I purchased the new RAM sticks a few months ago, just to see if it fixes the problem with "no boot drive found" when booting from power off state.
Did not work though.

I can try changing the CMOS battery when I get to buying one.

Do note that the PC does boot up, but it just gives an error that says "no boot drive found, press enter when boot drive is insert", or something along those lines.

I either spam power on/off until it boots to Windows, or sometimes plugging/unplugging the RAM works.
I think just 2 weeks ago, when the power tripped and the no boot drive issue happened, I just removed one of the RAM and powered on again, and it booted into Windows succesfully.
I then powered off to put in the 2nd RAM, and it also booted into Windows.
Could be coincidence though!

 

[Psycovirus]

I think I tried enabling / disabling the hardware accelaration before but did not see much of a difference... and I obviously would not want to lag my game (Overwatch for example).
I just remember it not being an issue maybe 2 years ago.



I actually did update my BIOs when I purchased the new RAM sticks a few months ago, just to see if it fixes the problem with "no boot drive found" when booting from power off state.
Did not work though.

I can try changing the CMOS battery when I get to buying one.

Do note that the PC does boot up, but it just gives an error that says "no boot drive found, press enter when boot drive is insert", or something along those lines.

I either spam power on/off until it boots to Windows, or sometimes plugging/unplugging the RAM works.
I think just 2 weeks ago, when the power tripped and the no boot drive issue happened, I just removed one of the RAM and powered on again, and it booted into Windows succesfully.
I then powered off to put in the 2nd RAM, and it also booted into Windows.
Could be coincidence though!

Then if its not the RAM, it would be your boot drive dying or your motherboard. Both are very hard to diagnose without having replacement parts to try... Phen8u210 might be on the right track. Hope the new CPU you bought will work flawlessly in the older motherboard. I have had a friend upgrade from 1600 to 5600x on his old B350 MSI Tomahawk no problem, made a world of a difference in speed.