Question Long-overdue HW update options

[erykkk]

Hello,

I just wanted to get people's input on this dilemma I've been having: I have a gaming rig which was built approximately 5 years ago and a Dell Inspiron 15 7000 (2017) work laptop. I use both devices as you might expect, the laptop for work (programming, classes, assignments etc.) and the rig for gaming, entertainment, occasional video editing. I wanted to buy a new graphics card (maybe something like an RX580) to upgrade my rig, but I'm not sure if it makes sense. It's specs are:

Intel i5-4690K 3.5Ghz
Corsair Vengeance 4GBx2 (don't remember which one precisely)
Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 Ghz edition
Corsair CS650

I was thinking whether it would be wise to sell both the laptop and PC and just get a higher end gaming laptop, e.g Alienware m15 and potentially also purchase an eGPU for additional power when gaming?

Please let me know what you think and feel free to throw in some suggestions!

Thanks,
Eryk.

 

[Oussebon]

Don't rely on eGPUs for gaming. You don't get the full performance of the high end GPU you put in it for gaming.

And I wouldn't recommend a gaming laptop if you don't need the portability for gaming specifically. Gaming laptops generally cost more than a gaming PC of an equivalent spec, and you can't upgrade them like you can a desktop PC.

What are you aiming for in terms of gaming? what sorts of games at what kinds of framerates? What are you looking for that your current setup does not currently provide?

 

[erykkk]

Don't rely on eGPUs for gaming. You don't get the full performance of the high end GPU you put in it for gaming.

And I wouldn't recommend a gaming laptop if you don't need the portability for gaming specifically. Gaming laptops generally cost more than a gaming PC of an equivalent spec, and you can't upgrade them like you can a desktop PC.

What are you aiming for in terms of gaming? what sorts of games at what kinds of framerates? What are you looking for that your current setup does not currently provide?

Thanks for your reply!

I am in frequent need of portability - its important that I have a somewhat powerful laptop for the sort of stuff I do, so I would be willing to get a lower spec'd laptop for the same price as a better PC.

I'd like to play COD:MW in QHD @ a stable 60Hz. Do you think just getting a better GPU would suffice? (or would I need to upgrade other components?)

 

[zSCHIZOz]

My last Rig had a Intel 4690K and its a great CPU for the money. I'd suggest delidding it and buy an enthusiast air cooler or AIO to cool it down for high overclocks. If you decide to go down this route all you need to do is buy a new GPU. If you have never OC'ed before its quite easy and all you have to do is take it one step at a time. It does take awhile to find your CPU's potential but its worth it over buying new components.

For 1440p either grab a Radeon 5700XT or a RTX 2080 Super. That will keep you going for quite some time. Modern Warfare is very well optimized, visually, so you shouldn't need anything more powerful than what I've suggested.