UPGRADES FOR 2010 DS

Hello Fellow Enthusiasts,

I am planning an upgrade for my 2010 Digital Storm and have questions on compatibility, bottlenecking, cost vs gain. Original specs are below. First, what I intend to buy:

1.Crucial MX300 1TB Sata 2.5" SSD

2.(EDIT)EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 ACX 3.0 8 GB GDDR5X graphics card

3.ASUS VG278HV 27" Full HD 1920x1088 144Hz refresh 1ms response

4.(EDIT) 3 each Crucial 4GB DDR3 1600 MHz (8-8-8-24) modules

4a.Memory questions: I read somewhere that your ram should be double the memory of your graphics card. Adding 3 more 2GB modules would bring my total to 12 GB; will my rig handle more? Also read that the modules communicate with each other and fewer higher GB (3 or 4GB) is better than many lower GB (2GB) modules. So will my motherboard handle 3 each 4GB modules or should I add 3 each 2GB (OEM recommended) modules and hope for the best?

3a. The ASUS monitor will be connected via a 15' DVI-D Dual Link cable. will this cause a significant loss in performance? (My monitor, keyboard, and mouse are across the room from the computer)

2a.Is the GTX 1080 the right choice for the ASUS monitor and my present specs? Will the i7 920 cause a bottleneck? Should I spend the time and money to upgrade to a faster CPU that fits the LGA 1366 socket or just overclock my present CPU.(It was originally overclocked at DS using EVGA precision and I reset to 2.66 MHz when I was having ((totally unrelated)) problems.)Would I be able to drive the ASUS monitor with a cheaper (1070 or less) graphics card and still play most games(Skyrim, Path of Exile, Serious Sam, Dragon Age, and Ghost in a Shell Online) on high?

1a.I understand that this motherboard limits storage to 2 TB. Does that mean total storage or just the individual units. I have a 1TB hard disc I bought on sale and would like to install it and keep my original 500 MB drive as well.

Lastly, are there any problems with compatibility that you can detect or any suggestions you can make to get more bang for the buck? All of these upgrades come to 1100 USD(with 3 year warranty and not allowing for labor) and pricing a new DS system custom configure would run about 3500 USD. I realize the latter choice would be worry free for years but I am on VA pension and must be somewhat frugal.

Any advice or corrections would be greatly appreciated.



Edited by jaypeetee44 - 03 Jun 2017 at 4:16am

bprat22,

Thanks for the info; it was very helpful.

FYI: Crucial still sells the 2GB memory. And that brings to mind another question....I believe my original memory was 1.5v; there is the option to replace with 1.35v units. The latency is 8-8-8-24 on both voltages
Can I use the 3.5 on 3 4GB modules and will it make any noticeable difference in operation?


Edited by jaypeetee44 - 01 Jun 2017 at 8:57am