Question Do I have to buy or exchange parts from my PC?

[EO3M95]

I just wanna know if my build it's OK or if I'm gonna have to buy and exchange some parts. These are my PC Specs:

-CPU: Intel Core i5-8400 @ 2.80GHz
-GPU: Gigabyte RTX 3070 Ti 8GB
-Motherboard: MSI Z370-A PRO
-PSU: EVGA 650 GQ
-RAM: Corsair Vengance LPX 16GB DDR4
-Storage: WD Blue 1TB HDD and Crucial BX300 480GB SSD
-Windows 10 installed in the SSD

Just know I am a newbie when it comes to PC Gaming. Also, I use a 4K Monitor 60Hz and I would like to mostly play at that resolution and Frame Rate. Thank You guys in advance and please be nice to me lol

Edit: I forgot to mention I used to have a GTX 1070 8GB and replaced it later with the RTX 3070 Ti 8GB

 

[Brian Boru]

Welcome to the forum

What kind of games do you intend to play? That will make all the difference—eg action games need beefier hardware than adventure or turn-based games.

 

[Lutfij]

Up your PSU to something with 850W of power, branded and is reliably made. You would need to look into a platform upgrade, at the very least upgrade the processor with a second hand i7 processor if you want to retain the motherboard though you will eventually want a platform upgrade.

You forgot the mention the frequency for the ram kit.

 

[EO3M95]

Welcome to the forum

What kind of games do you intend to play? That will make all the difference—eg action games need beefier hardware than adventure or turn-based games.

I play mostly First Person Shooters and Sandboxes like games like GTA V or Far Cry, but I would also like to play new games like God Of War or the Spider-Man Remake

Also, Thank you for the warm welcome.

 

[EO3M95]

Up your PSU to something with 850W of power, branded and is reliably made. You would need to look into a platform upgrade, at the very least upgrade the processor with a second hand i7 processor if you want to retain the motherboard though you will eventually want a platform upgrade.

You forgot the mention the frequency for the ram kit.

By Platform Upgrade you mean Motherboard right? also the whole name as listed on Amazon for the RAM is "Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4 DRAM 3000MHz C15 Desktop Memory Kit" so I am guessing the frequency is 3000MHz?

 

[Brian Boru]

I play…

Oh yeah, beef required—I'll leave you in the capable hands of experts like @Lutfij
If you can, get a 1TB or bigger SSD or NVMe disk for your games. They'll be very slow on the HDD, and only one will fit on the 480GB SSD with the OS.

ram kit

This one, acc to previous post.

 

[Lutfij]

By Platform Upgrade you mean Motherboard right?
Platform = system/build. In this case, it'd be Motherboard, ram and processor. Something with the AM4 Ryzen platform or Intel's 12th Gen.

Currently you're loosing performance from your platform/build by using a DDR4-3000MHz ram kit. The sweet spot with that motherboard/processor was (a dual channel)DDR4-3200MHz(ram kit). Yes, per Brian's post, larger SSD is a plus. I tend to have one SSD for the OS, app's and launcher while another SSD acts as the game library, that way when you format the OS drive, you don't loose your games. A faster SSD would benefit the game library more.

 

[EO3M95]

By Platform Upgrade you mean Motherboard right?
Platform = system/build. In this case, it'd be Motherboard, ram and processor. Something with the AM4 Ryzen platform or Intel's 12th Gen.

Currently you're loosing performance from your platform/build by using a DDR4-3000MHz ram kit. The sweet spot with that motherboard/processor was (a dual channel)DDR4-3200MHz(ram kit). Yes, per Brian's post, larger SSD is a plus. I tend to have one SSD for the OS, app's and launcher while another SSD acts as the game library, that way when you format the OS drive, you don't loose your games. A faster SSD would benefit the game library more.

So I guess, if I wanna keep my mother board, get an i7 (according to the description in the Amazon Page, my motherboard can take 9th gen CPUs but it has to have a BIOS Update first)
Also, I must Change my RAM to a DDR4 3200MHz (idk what dual channel is)
And, change my PSU to one that has at least 850W
And of course I guess I need another SSD to store my games.
Do you have any recommendations for these parts?

 

[Lutfij]

(idk what dual channel is)
What you currently have in your rig, a ram kit that comes in pairs from the factory, matched. If you're buying brand new, you could get a DDR4-3600MHz ram kit though that would be trial and error. Getting DDR4-3200MHz with tight timings would help bring up your FPS/performance as well but looking at that motherboard, I'd stick to something that's known to work, DDR4-3200MHz with tight timings.

Do you have any recommendations for these parts?
Where are you located, how much do you have at your disposal and what is your preferred site for purchase?

In it's current state, you can make sure your BIOS is flashed to the latest version, then you can look into a 9th Gen i7(a K suffix would be a good cut off point) but you're going to need an aftermarket cooler to cool that processor.

You forgot to mention the make and model of your case. If you're working with aftermarket cooling, please mention that too. Please mention the fan and airflow orientation in your case.

 

[Colif]

Technically, dual channel isn't the ram kit. Its how they talk to the CPU - https://www.crucial.com/articles/about-memory/what-is-dual-channel-memory

runs away

 

[Lutfij]

No, that's true, I missed that part. Should've parsed an URL that explained it, then again it's easily found off le Google, that's why I left it out, focusing on what's more complicated to understand, i.e, how the sweet spots for ram/processor/motherboard combo's are found with reading posts on many forums.

 

[EO3M95]

First of all, I'd like to thank you guys for your patience with my ignorance of the subject lol
and as to answer @Lutfij

I'm located in California USA and I bought all my parts on Amazon, with the exception of my 3070 GPU which I bought through Newegg, so it can be either or maybe you can recommend new sites to purchase parts.

I wanna say my budget would be in Mid Range, I don't want something too expensive either but I would definitely want something that would go well with my GPU.

As for the case, it's this one but in Black (Not Like the color matters but it's the one I have lol):

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006I2H084?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_product_details

 

[Brian Boru]

Welcome to the forum

maybe you can recommend new sites to purchase parts

Amazon & Newegg are my top 2 also. Others:

Micro Center - Computers and Electronic Device Retailer

Uniquely focused on computers and related products, Micro Center offers more computers and electronic devices than any other retailer. Micro Center is deeply passionate about providing product expertise and exceptional customer service.

www.microcenter.com

have B&M stores in California.

Computer Online Store: Desktops, Laptops & Tablets | B&H

Shop a huge line of Computers, Desktop PC, Tablets, and PC Components at B&H. Find the perfect laptop, desktop, tablet, and computer peripherals for your lifestyle. All at the best prices.

www.bhphotovideo.com

are also a reliable seller.

 

[Lutfij]

When we ask for a budget, we need a number, not an arbitrary term Mid-range is a relative term, that definition changes from person to person, even with region to region.

 

[EO3M95]

When we ask for a budget, we need a number, not an arbitrary term Mid-range is a relative term, that definition changes from person to person, even with region to region.

Oh man, well with all the parts that I have to exchange I would say I expect to spend between $1K-2K+

 

[Lutfij]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 3.8 GHz 8-Core Processor ($269.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: MSI MAG B550 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI ATX AM4 Motherboard ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Mushkin Redline Lumina 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL14 Memory ($91.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: MSI MPG A850GF 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($114.99 @ B&H)
Total: $656.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-10-17 02:13 EDT-0400
^ that's just a baseline. You can tweak the parts on the motherboard and processor towards Intel's Alder Lake or Raptor Lake architecture but your case is what's concerning, considering that you will need a new case to accommodate a larger AIO/radiator. 280mm/360mm.

If your intention is to simply stick with what you have, with minor tweaks, then this is what you can look into;
PCPartPicker Part List

Memory: Mushkin Redline 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL14 Memory ($83.68 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: MSI MPG A850GF 850 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($114.99 @ B&H)
Total: $198.67
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-10-17 02:21 EDT-0400

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/cpu/#sort=price&F=21

The cost of buying a 9th Gen i7-9700K, is the same as buying into a new processor. Outside of buying brand new, you'd find better deals on Ebay though take that deal with a big grain of salt. People have been burned in the past there.

You didn't answer all of these;
If you're working with aftermarket cooling, please mention that too. Please mention the fan and airflow orientation in your case.

 

[EO3M95]

You didn't answer all of these;
If you're working with aftermarket cooling, please mention that too. Please mention the fan and airflow orientation in your case.

I don't have any additional coolers, I use the stock fan that came with the i5. I was actually gonna ask that next if i should get a water cooler or fan cooler lol. From what I read some people say, I can remove the top part of the case and place a fan there apparently.
As for the air flow, from what I can tell looks like to be in-top to out-back and, there's one fan in the front of the case that looks like it's in-front. The fans used are the stock fans that came built in the case.
I'm sorry for my dummy in-out description idk what the correct terms are lol.

 

[Lutfij]

The case you own is 10 years or so old, designed by Bill Owen from MNPCTech, well he helped design the larger(original Phantom) version which was then shrunk down by NZXT. The case can accept a 240mm AIO at the top but you will need to get creative with it. To add, the top plastic fascia isn't exactly designed well, it will act as a heat trap. Same can be said about the front, it doesn't allow for much air to come into the case.

To further add, that case has a drive cage in the front that will need removing to allow the case to circulate air through the case but in 2022, cases have done away with the 5.25" bays, the front has been unobstructed and allows for larger fans/radiator mounts and a clean airflow towards the innards of your build. If you're interested in getting a case as well, I'd recommend a Fractal-Design Pop Air or the Torrent.

 

[Why_Me]

https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16813145373
GIGABYTE B660 AORUS MASTER DDR4 $164.99

B660 AORUS MASTER DDR4 (rev. 1.0) Key Features | Motherboard - GIGABYTE Global

Lasting Quality from GIGABYTE.GIGABYTE Ultra Durable™ motherboards bring together a unique blend of features and technologies that offer users the absolute ...

www.gigabyte.com

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09PCWK7SP
DeepCool AK400 CPU Cooler $34.99

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NPJRDGD
Intel Core i5 Core 12400F $174.99

Intel® Core™ i5-12400F Processor (18M Cache, up to 4.40 GHz) Product Specifications

Intel® Core™ i5-12400F Processor (18M Cache, up to 4.40 GHz) quick reference guide including specifications, features, pricing, compatibility, design documentation, ordering codes, spec codes and more.

ark.intel.com

i5 12400 / 12400F gaming benchmarks.

 

[Why_Me]

i7 version of that build posted up above. Swap out the cpu and cooler with these.

https://www.amazon.com/DeepCool-AK620-High-Performance-Dual-Tower-Dissipation/dp/B09CSXS3X4
DeepCool AK620 CPU Cooler $64.99

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/deepcool-ak620-review

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NPJDPVG
Intel Core i7-12700F $312.99

Intel® Core™ i7-12700F Processor (25M Cache, up to 4.90 GHz) Product Specifications

Intel® Core™ i7-12700F Processor (25M Cache, up to 4.90 GHz) quick reference guide including specifications, features, pricing, compatibility, design documentation, ordering codes, spec codes and more.

ark.intel.com

i7 12700 / 12700F gaming benchmarks.

 

[EO3M95]

I would like to thank everyone for your help, I think i have an idea now in what to purchase. The only question that remains it's for how much to sell my old parts, but I think that's for another thread. Again, thank you guys for being patient with me.