Looking to upgrade but i dont know what

T

Trxcko

Member
This is the PC I currently have but im looking to upgrade the graphics card to the RTX 3060 (or 3070 if advised to) when it becomes available and im wondering if i should upgrade anything else on there at the same time (CPU maybe) this PC is 4/5 years old now, the M.2 i baught about 2 years ago:

Case
InWIN 101 MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Six Core Processor i5-8400 (2.8GHz) 9MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME Z370-P: ATX, LGA1151, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1060 - DVI, HDMI, 3 x DP
M.2:
Samsung 970 evo
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W VS SERIES™ VS-550 POWER SUPPLY
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Extra Case Fans
2x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
 
Martinr36

Martinr36

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
What monitor do you have resolution & refresh rate or make and model?
Changing the CPU would void any warranty & seeing that it's intel would be pretty pointless anyway
 
JUNI0R

JUNI0R

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Trxcko said:
This is the PC I currently have but im looking to upgrade the graphics card to the RTX 3060 (or 3070 if advised to) when it becomes available and im wondering if i should upgrade anything else on there at the same time (CPU maybe) this PC is 4/5 years old now, the M.2 i baught about 2 years ago:

Case
InWIN 101 MID TOWER GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™i5 Six Core Processor i5-8400 (2.8GHz) 9MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME Z370-P: ATX, LGA1151, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM)
16GB DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
3GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1060 - DVI, HDMI, 3 x DP
M.2:
Samsung 970 evo
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W VS SERIES™ VS-550 POWER SUPPLY
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 100 Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Extra Case Fans
2x 120mm Black Case Fan (configured to extract from rear/roof)
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
Click to expand...
The only thing that is sticking out to me is the 550W PSU. Upgrading that to a 750 or even 850 will give you a much more comfortable system and lots of headroom for a new GPU! That upgrade should cost about £100-120 depending on which one you go for.

Otherwise I can't see anything else that I think need's changing especially. You could upgrade the CPU up to a intel i7-9700K (assuming the use is gaming) but how much improvement you'd see I'm not sure and I'd advise getting a better cooler for it. Believe those two upgrades would be about £300 which is a considerable amount of money! If you were to replace those, the PSU and the GPU later you're only a motherboard and RAM away from replacing every major part at which point going for a new build would make more sense.

Regarding the GPU upgrade, what monitor do you have? (either make and model or resolution and refresh rate will do) Then we can advise on what GPU to get! If you plan to upgrade the monitor before, at the same time as or shortly after, then the specs of that would be more useful 😂
 
Last edited:
JUNI0R

JUNI0R

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Martinr36 said:
What monitor do you have resolution & refresh rate or make and model?
Changing the CPU would void any warranty & seeing that it's intel would be pretty pointless anyway
Click to expand...
Isn't it just Case and Motherboard? PCS offer CPU's in the upgrade scheme so I'd be surprised if they sell it to you (not that you'd really be able to get a 9th gen from them) then voided your warranty
 
Martinr36

Martinr36

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
JUNI0R said:
Isn't it just Case and Motherboard? PCS offer CPU's in the upgrade scheme so I'd be surprised if they sell it to you (not that you'd really be able to get a 9th gen from them) then voided your warranty
Click to expand...
I stand corrected, just looked at the upgrade configurator, I'm sure someone the other day said it voided the warranty
 
T

Trxcko

Member
JUNI0R said:
The only thing that is sticking out to me is the 550W PSU. Upgrading that to a 750 or even 850 will give you a much more comfortable system and lots of headroom for a new GPU! That upgrade should cost about £100-120 depending on which one you go for.

Otherwise I can't see anything else that I think need's changing especially. You could upgrade the CPU up to a intel i7-9700K (assuming the use is gaming) but how much improvement you'd see I'm not sure and I'd advise getting a better cooler for it. Believe those two upgrades would be about £300 which is a considerable amount of money! If you were to replace those, the PSU and the GPU later you're only a motherboard and RAM away from replacing every major part at which point going for a new build would make more sense.

Regarding the GPU upgrade, what monitor do you have? (either make and model or resolution and refresh rate will do) Then we can advise on what GPU to get! If you plan to upgrade the monitor before, at the same time as or shortly after, then the specs of that would be more useful 😂
Click to expand...
I got an Alienware AW2518HF 240hz 1080p
 
JUNI0R

JUNI0R

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
Trxcko said:
I got an Alienware AW2518HF 240hz 1080p
Click to expand...
For that I'd personally go for a 3060TI. The 3060 is normally a comfortable 1080 144hz card, but as you're looking for 240hz, I have a feeling you'll find the extra horsepower useful. the 60TI also a 1440p 144hz capable if that's a change you were to make down the line.

For PSU, I'd recommend the Corsair RMx 850W which is currently £111+ shipping with the PCS upgrade scheme. You could step down to the RM 850W for £100 or even the TXm750W for £90 but generally you want to go with the best PSU which makes sense which is the RMx850W. Plus the better quality PSU's will just last longer so the extra £20 will be a worthy investment
 
T

Trxcko

Member
Martinr36 said:
with that then i'd suggest 3060Ti would be an upgrade & as @JUNI0R said upgrade the PSU
Click to expand...
JUNI0R said:
For that I'd personally go for a 3060TI. The 3060 is normally a comfortable 1080 144hz card, but as you're looking for 240hz, I have a feeling you'll find the extra horsepower useful. the 60TI also a 1440p 144hz capable if that's a change you were to make down the line.

For PSU, I'd recommend the Corsair RMx 850W which is currently £111+ shipping with the PCS upgrade scheme. You could step down to the RM 850W for £100 or even the TXm750W for £90 but generally you want to go with the best PSU which makes sense which is the RMx850W. Plus the better quality PSU's will just last longer so the extra £20 will be a worthy investment
Click to expand...
Thankyou, this has been very helpful
 
AgentCooper

AgentCooper

At Least I Have Chicken
Moderator
Martinr36 said:
I stand corrected, just looked at the upgrade configurator, I'm sure someone the other day said it voided the warranty
Click to expand...
You were correct, good sir! Article 7.9 from the T&Cs states...

We reserve the right to suspend the warranty or refuse service if your Case, Motherboard, CPU or BIOS have been replaced without authorisation.
Any tampering, repair or modification by unauthorised personnel voids the warranty.
 
JUNI0R

JUNI0R

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
AgentCooper said:
Article 7.9 from the T&Cs states...

We reserve the right to suspend the warranty or refuse service if your Case, Motherboard, CPU or BIOS have been replaced without authorisation.
Any tampering, repair or modification by unauthorised personnel voids the warranty.
Click to expand...
It seems I stand corrected!
 
Martinr36

Martinr36

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
JUNI0R said:
It seems I stand corrected!
Click to expand...
I knew I'd seen it but as you say it does show on the upgrade configurator, the below is from my PCS desktop, but i suppose if they are selling it to you via this, then they are authorising the upgrade......... :unsure:

1615561540684.png
 
Martinr36

Martinr36

MOST VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
AgentCooper said:
Exactly, so if you just buy a CPU elsewhere and install it without at least contacting them, bang goes your warranty (y)
Click to expand...
yeah that's sort of covered in this:

7.8Unlike with most computer companies, we allow you to open your case and install your own components without voiding your warranty on the following conditions:

  • If the actions of the person installing the components cause damage to the computer, your warranty will be void;
  • If you install components that are not purchased from us and they cause problems with your computer, your warranty will be void;
  • If you install components that are not purchased from us we will in no way support you in installing them or with any problems you have relating to the components you have installed.
  • We will support you in installing components purchased from us providing you have purchased them through the upgrade service available on your online account.
 
Bhuna50

Bhuna50

Author Level
Why are we talking about voiding warranties when the PC he wants to upgrade is 4/5 years old and therefore out of PCS warranty anyway LOL.

regarding upgrading it is worth checking what options you have under the Upgrade section of your account as the configurator should let you know if things like the case you have etc will fit the new large GPU cards in etc.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
JUNI0R

JUNI0R

VALUED CONTRIBUTOR
andjef796 said:
Why are we talking about voiding warranties when the PC he wants to upgrade is 4/5 years old and therefore out of PCS warranty anyway LOL.

regarding upgrading it is worth checking what options you have under the Upgrade section of your account as the configurator should let you know if things like the case you have etc will fit the new large GPU cards in etc.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
When I started discussing it I scrolled up to see how old it was and mis-read the SSD age as the PC's age 😂 Simple reading error really!

And that's a very good point about the upgrade scheme, I'd recommend doing that!
 
A

Ash_

Master Poster
I7-9700K, 3060ti, RMx850w are all good upgrades, but you are 100% going to need a new AIO - so add the H100i also.

Edit: you can get away without the cpu upgrade imo, in which case... no need for H100i either. But a gpu and psu are great upgrades for you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top