[Question on updating my rig] - please assist

Hello fellow DS members,

Need a little bit of your time + expertise

My current DS rig is a little bit over 5 yrs old (bought in July 2010). For the past year or so I've been noticing the system getting slower (most likely because my SSD only has like 15 gb left of space) and my video card is getting old.
Recently it seems like my video driver has been either crashing or the whole screen just froze for like a min or so before resuming.

Therefore, I want to explore my options, whether to buy a brand new rig (obviously the best but most expensive choice) or to buy new parts and replace some of them.

My initial logic was that I would spend more on the initial purchase on the processor + power supply + motherboard so I can last a couple of years and when it's time I can simply swap out the hard drive + replace vid card + replace/add RAM - all based on the assumption that the CPU is still "powerful enough" to take on the newer vid cards and RAM add-on


Here is my spec
Case: Cooler Master CM Storm Sniper
Processor: i7930 2.8 ghz (quad core)
Motherboard: EVGA X58 LE Edition SLI (Intel X58 Chipset) (Supports SLI or CrossFire)
6 gb ram DDR 3 1600 MHZ Digigtal Storm certified
1000w Corsair Power supply (Dual/tri/quad SLI compatible)
Vid card : 1x ATI Radeon HD 5870 1 GB
Cooling: Stage 2: Noctua NH-D14 Extreme Performance
Overclocked to between 3.3 to 3.90
500 gb western digital regular hard drive
OCZ SSD Vertex 3 VTX3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC (self add)
blue ray + dvd player , nothing extraordinary.
win 7 home 64 bit
Dual monitors

I most likely just play Dota on one screen and watch anime on the other screen, nothing "heavy", but i know the loading time on Dota has increased drastically.
My thought is that "if" my processor + mobo is deemed still "usable" and my rig can simply be "refreshed" instead of a total overhaul, I would replace all my current SSD + HD, replace video card, replace/add RAM to make it 8GB.

Because if the above lets my computer feel younger by 2-3 years again, then it's a much worth it investment. But i guess main question is I don't know if my CPU + mobo can support this upgrade.

Thanks for your expertise!!!!

-darbebo

Edited by darbebo - 28 Oct 2015 at 7:22am

ah, so compatibility wise the 930 + the mobo isn't "too old" to have them paired together then, cool, will look into this!

Hi darbebo,

I am facing the same choices as you. I have the same MB, CPU, GPU and memory. My system was bought March 10, 2010. The ATI Radeon HD 5870 has been a great card but is way past its peak performance life. If you want to see increased gaming performance then a new GPU is your best single purchase you could make. The problem we face is how much longer is the CPU and MB going to last. Also, our SATA ports, USB ports and PCI are falling behind in performance due to new releases. Right now with the 6800K CPU and the new Motherboards it is an ideal time to buy new.

I don't know for sure what I am going to do but here is what I suggest you consider, if you don't buy new. Buy a 970 GPU and put it in you computer. Off load some of the data from your 120Gb SSD to your HDD and stop there. These two thing should increase your performance in gaming. Not so much because of the SSD but the GPU will make a big difference. Now if your CPU or motherboard fails buy a new system with a 970 GPU. When you get your new system home install your existing 970 in SLI. This way you don't waste your investment in the new GPU and gives new life to your old system. This will work with a 970, 980 or 980Ti.

Frank

Edited by FrankW - 28 Oct 2015 at 1:53pm

Hi all

Thanks for the replies.

@ FrankW - i definitely remember you when I was ordering my comp and I guess I am lucky that there's someone in my situation to share my grief. I wanted to get a new DS rig, but that'll put me 2.5 to 3k just like it was 5 years ago.
At this time since my dual monitors are DVI , I was actually looking at the GTX 750TI @ newegg, good price @ 130 ($110 after rebate)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125502

and then replace my existing rams wtih just 2x Corsair vengenance ram (8gb total)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233144&cm_re=8_gb_ram-_-20-233-144-_-Product

i THINK the mobo is compatible with this RAM - would suck to buy the ram and the slot space doesn't fit or something

So this will put me about close to 200$ and give me a breath of life back. Again, I play dota, so 750 TI should be decent upgrade from my 5870? or is 750TI not that big of an improvement over 5870?

@ db188 - thanks for that, i think maybe i'll give that a little try before new rig

What do you guys think?


UPDATE! - i looked @ my rig inside just now...the D14 fan is too dang huge...it SEEMS like my existing 2x3gb ram BARELY sits right NEXT to the fan....i think the DS issued ram was "low enough" to be underneath the D14 so i THINK i might need 1x 8gb ram...omg...