About gradually upgrading, good idea?

[Pochi 65]

Hi there,

I am currently thinking about upgrading my PC build but I have quite a few questions I can't answer by myself.

Here is my current build that I did by myself :

- ASUS Z170I PRO Gaming Mini ITX (Got a small form factor case that I love - Bitfenix phenom m)

- Intel Core i5-6600K (3.5 GHz)

- Noctua NH-U12S

 - G.Skill RipJaws 5 Series 2 x 8 Go DDR4 2400 MHz CL15

 -  MSI GeForce GTX 1070 GAMING 8 Go

-  1 TO SSD (OS )

- 2 TO SSD ( MSFS)

- LDLC 550W Quality Select 80PLUS Gold

- Windows 10 Home FFP 64Bit

And here are my questions :

- First, is it a good idea that I only upgrade the motherboard and processor (intel 12th generation) and keep all my others components ? (while waiting for graphics card prices to drop...TT). I think I am CPU limited in MSFS with complex addon (PMDG DC6 currently and surely the next to come addons) and also in DCS where I struggle to maintain 60FPS even with middle to low settings.

- Shouls I go i5 or i7, K or not K ? (I am not sure I want to overclock again as I did with my 6600K)

- If I do that, will I need to change my power supply which is only 550W at first?

- Finally, when doing such an upgrade, can I just swap my mother board with the new modo and processor, and just plug my SSDs and go?

Thanks for your help,

Best regards, 

Pierre

 

 

[fleng200 6]

My thoughts:

Swapping the MB’s is no issue, just update all drivers at first boot.

Upgrading to 12th gen CPU while maintaining the old 1070 GPU makes the system unbalanced. You CPU will be waiting a lot. Can’t tell how much that will influence the FPS on those games.

The 12th gen CPU is already high a performer, overclocking will not be as easy as your 6600K. But the K CPU’s are on a (bit) higher base clock compared to the non-K. Might be a consideration.

550 W is on the limit I think, but with no overclock and the old GPU it could do good enough.

YMMV.

Edited November 18, 2021 by fleng200

[stans 656]

I'm thinking your video card and power supply are going to be weak spots with such an upgrade.  Like fleng200 said, 12th gen Intel CPU's do not have much room for overclocking.  I don't think the 11th gen did either, so the "K" CPU's make less financial sense when considering a new system.  I'm happy with a 10700F, no overclocking potential at all, but it runs well and the Intel turbo boost automatically raises the best performing cores to maximum speed.  First time in a long time that I have not overclocked, it actually feels good and my computer is stable.

[Pochi 65]

Thanks for advice,

Well the goal is not to keep the 1070 infinitely (I hope so ...) but to get extra performance to maintain in my sims fluidity and level the expenses.

Maybe it is not worse it for sure.

Pierre

[martin-w 3,110]

3 hours ago, Pochi said:

Finally, when doing such an upgrade, can I just swap my mother board with the new modo and processor, and just plug my SSDs and go?

 

Ive done this a few times times. I uninstall all old motherboard software, chipset drivers, graphics card drivers (if changing GPU too) etc. Then just install the old drive with the OS on and install all new motherboard software. Its never been an issue for me. Windows will detect the new hardware of course and ask you to enter your product key.

Ideally I take the opportunity for a complete reinstall, but as I say, Ive done it and no issue personally. 

There no reason why you cant just replace the board and CPU initially. Depends which CPU you go for, so do check power requirements. When you switch your GPU for something better, you will no doubt require a new PSU. 

Is this an ATX PSU or a small from factor PSU? 

Space for the new PSU needs to be considered, and space for a newer graphics card which is most likely going to be sizable. Cooling for the newer more powerful components needs to be considered in a small case too, as there's  little air volume so temps are higher.

Ultimately, when you eventually upgrade fully, you might find you need an AIO rather than air cooler. I'm the famous Noctua fan around here, but an AIO might be a better idea in a small form factor case so that there's more room for airflow. The more space you can gain for air volume  in a small case the better.

Edited November 18, 2021 by martin-w

[Pochi 65]

Hi Martin,

Thanks for your advice. 

I said I have a small form factor case, but it is not that small in fact and can accomodate big GPU and most of air cooler. It is well ventilated also. I am very satisfied with this case, that's why I want to keep it. It does fit an ATX PSU also.

There is a video a few topics below comparing an AIO with my NH12US air cooler...will have a look at it.

Pierre

[vc10man 732]

Martin, as you have in the past proved to be my Go-To for answers, some advice please?

If all I want to do is increase the current SSD size from a 'test' 256Gb to say a 1Tb SSD without having to re-install Windows 10, drivers, etc, etc, can I just do a Drive Image Copy and re-install everything on the new SSD Drive?

Thanks.

[DaveCT2003 1,769]

2 hours ago, vc10man said:

Martin, as you have in the past proved to be my Go-To for answers, some advice please?

If all I want to do is increase the current SSD size from a 'test' 256Gb to say a 1Tb SSD without having to re-install Windows 10, drivers, etc, etc, can I just do a Drive Image Copy and re-install everything on the new SSD Drive?

Thanks.

Your new SSD drive should come with software that will perform the migration from the 256 to 1TB for you.  Sometimes the software prompts you for this during the install.  All my Samsung drives did this, I did not have to select a different boot drive in BIOS.

Best wishes.

 

 

 

 

 

[Pochi 65]

Hi, me again 😉

How can I know which motherboard related software I need to uninstall before swapping the MB with the new one?

Pierre