Should I pull trigger on this upgrade?

May 21, 2021
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I am upgrading my old old PC and want it to be capable of gaming at above 60fps 1080p on titles like Fortnite, Fifa, and Modern Warfare (MW on low/medium settings). The parts of my old pc that I will be keeping will be bold. If you have any recommendations please let me know, I will also be getting wifi to attach to my MOBO (Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+) Desktop Kit, AX200, 2230, 2x2 AX+BT, vPro).


OLD BUILD
[PCPartPicker Part List](https://pcpartpicker.com/list/6nZkt8)

Type|Item|Price

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/6nZkt8

CPU: Intel Core i3-4170 3.7 GHz Dual-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Intel E97379-001 CPU Cooler ($8.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-HD3 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: Kingston HyperX Fury Blue 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR3-1600 CL10 Memory
Storage: Western Digital Blue 500 GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($36.99 @ Western Digital)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2 GB SSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($64.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Cougar 650 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply


UPGRADED BUILD

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/3GrzcT

CPU: Intel Core i5-11400F 2.6 GHz 6-Core Processor ($174.99 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 LED 66.3 CFM Rifle Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus PRIME B560M-A Micro ATX LGA1200 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-2400 CL16 Memory ($61.99 @ Corsair)
Storage: Western Digital Blue 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($38.88 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2 GB SSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card
Case: Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($64.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Cougar 650 W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply



If you have any questions please let me know!
 
btw you're cutting it closer with using that CM 212 in that case seeing how the max height that the case allows in regards to cpu coolers is 160mm. It's doable but its going to be close.

https://www.coolermaster.com/catalog/cases/mini-tower/n200/#specifications
MAXIMUM COMPATIBILITY - CPU COOLER HEIGHT: 160mm / 6.3 inch (w/o 120x25mm side fan)

https://www.newegg.com/cooler-master-hyper-212-led-rr-212l-16pr-r1/p/N82E16835103218
Max CPU Cooler Height: 160mm


This case gives you an extra 5mm to play with if you use that CM 212.

https://www.newegg.com/black-fractal-design-focus-g-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811352069
Fractal Design Focus G Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $55.99

Max CPU Cooler Height: 165mm
 
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Cheaper and faster (lower latency / CL16).

TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z DDR4 16GB Kit (2x8GB) 3200MHz (PC4-25600) CL16 $77.99
 
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May 21, 2021
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Cheaper and faster (lower latency / CL16).

TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z DDR4 16GB Kit (2x8GB) 3200MHz (PC4-25600) CL16 $77.99
Perfect thank you
 
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May 21, 2021
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btw you're cutting it closer with using that CM 212 in that case seeing how the max height that the case allows in regards to cpu coolers is 160mm. It's doable but its going to be close.

https://www.coolermaster.com/catalog/cases/mini-tower/n200/#specifications
MAXIMUM COMPATIBILITY - CPU COOLER HEIGHT: 160mm / 6.3 inch (w/o 120x25mm side fan)

https://www.newegg.com/cooler-master-hyper-212-led-rr-212l-16pr-r1/p/N82E16835103218
Max CPU Cooler Height: 160mm


This case gives you an extra 5mm to play with if you use that CM 212.

https://www.newegg.com/black-fractal-design-focus-g-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811352069
Fractal Design Focus G Black ATX Mid Tower Computer Case $55.99

Max CPU Cooler Height: 165mm
Do you think I need the 212? Are there another fans that would work w this build to keep it cool
 
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2 GB SSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card
Is that a placeholder until video graphics market returns to sanity, or is it your preferred card? If latter, check out the VRAM requirements on games which interest you—I'm pretty sure I've seen some games requiring 6GB.

Storage: Western Digital Blue 500 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($38.88 @ Amazon)
Re the Barracuda, I assume you don't plan to store much media? If you do, 1TB will fill up quickly so go big—at least 4TB imo, and 5400RPM will do fine if that's cheaper.

Re the SSD, 500GB might be a bit small if you have/build a bunch of favs you'd like to keep installed—but otherwise it's fine.
 
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Is that a placeholder until video graphics market returns to sanity, or is it your preferred card? If latter, check out the VRAM requirements on games which interest you—I'm pretty sure I've seen some games requiring 6GB.


Re the Barracuda, I assume you don't plan to store much media? If you do, 1TB will fill up quickly so go big—at least 4TB imo, and 5400RPM will do fine if that's cheaper.

Re the SSD, 500GB might be a bit small if you have/build a bunch of favs you'd like to keep installed—but otherwise it's fine.
This is a place holder GPU for until the market comes back to normal.

As for storage, I will look into it, but you think that 5400RPM HDD would be fine?
 
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you think that 5400RPM HDD would be fine?
For media storage which you'll only access occasionally, yes. Faster speed like 7,200 or 10,000 is only noticeably helpful for content which is accessed frequently—such as OS, programs or games.

A PDF or image or video typically only needs to be loaded into memory, then it's done being accessed. Whereas a running program can be going back and forth frequently—eg loading a new module, changing game textures etc—so drive speed will make a noticeable difference.

This is why you want OS, programs and current games on a SSD rather than a HD.
 

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