Major PC modifications, would appreciate feedback!

[McGroose]

This is my current PC. It's been with me since late 2012.

http://h20564.www2.hp.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?docId=c03531729

 

My trusty standard HP Pavilion has been collecting dust pretty bad and the machine is very insufficient for any modern day gaming standards. I'd like to completely overhaul the thing or just build an entirely new PC with some salvaged parts from the original. I'm on a budget of $550. Because of my budget, overhauling the original PC instead of building a new one seems most preferable.

 

First of all, I've never built or dissembled a computer before, but I've been researching how to do so for quite some time, figuring out what is compatible and what isn't what parts give the most bang per dollar, etc.

 

In the original computer I will save the case,harddrive, network card, modem, sound card, dvd drive and the USB card. Unfortunately, I don't believe I can salvage the RAM. I'll explain why later on.

 

Here are the parts I intend to buy for the overhaul:

 

GPU - EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 GAMING, ACX 2.0 (Single Fan), 6GB

(went on a slight discount on amazon recently. Really happy about that!)

https://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GeForce-Support-Graphics-06G-P4-6161-KR/dp/B01IPVSGEC/ref=sr_1_4?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1477425154&sr=1-4&keywords=gtx%2B1060&th=1

 

 

CPU - Intel 3.70 GHz Core i3-6100 3M Cache Processor

(Probably the best CPU you can get for the price. Dual core only is a little concerning, however.)

https://www.amazon.com/Intel-i3-6100-Cache-Processor-BX80662I36100/dp/B015VPX2EO/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1478561741&sr=1-1&keywords=i5+6100

 

 

Motherboard - Gigabyte LGA1151 Intel H110 Micro ATX DDR4 Motherboard GA-H110M-A

(Meant only for DDR4, I believe?)

https://www.amazon.com/Gigabyte-LGA1151-Intel-Motherboard-GA-H110M/dp/B0165YUDTM

 

 

RAM - Ballistix Sport LT 8GB Single DDR4 2400 MT/s (PC4-19200)

(I believe that the skylake I3 CPU only supports DDR4 ram, and with the motherboard I chose meant only for DDR4, I cannot rely on my computer's original DDR3 RAM. I believe that DDR3 and DDR4 RAM are not compatible, am I correct?)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UFBZOVE/?tag=pcpapi-20

 

 

CPU Cooler - Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO - CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Fan (RR-212E-20PK-R2)

(I have no intention of using my computer's original CPU fan. I'm convinced it's hitting the bucket. This is a common CPU aftermarket cooler, but it looks good.)

https://www.amazon.com/Cooler-Master-Hyper-212-RR-212E-20PK-R2/dp/B005O65JXI/ref=pd_bxgy_147_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B005O65JXI&pd_rd_r=Q7257Y9C6GC01FKVK1ZB&pd_rd_w=AxyXs&pd_rd_wg=oOwub&psc=1&refRID=Q7257Y9C6GC01FKVK1ZB

 

 

Power Supply - Corsair CX Series, CX600, 600 Watt (600W) Power Supply, 80+ Bronze Certified

(This may be a tad bit overkill, but I want to be safe.)

https://www.amazon.com/Corsair-CX600-Supply-Bronze-Certified/dp/B0092ML0OC/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1478026641&sr=1-3&keywords=600w+power+supply

 

Would all of these parts be compatible? Could I overhaul my old PC with these new parts safety or will there problems?

I've seen benchmarks with the I3 6100 and the GTX 1060, and I really like the result. Most CPU dependent games like ARMA 3 and GTA V I don't care about. Still, what I am considered about is multitasking efficiency. An average day on my PC involves having both a game, Chrome with several tabs open and Itunes all running at once. Would a dual core, even one as good as an I3 6100, be sufficient for all of this? And will an I3 6100 run a risk of reaching too high temperatures in intensive games like Witcher 3 or Battlefield 4?

 

Any different combination of parts you may recommend fitting my budget? My goal would be to have 1080p at a fairly stable 55-60FPS with a mixture of very high - ultra settings. I understand that'll be unlikely for games like Witcher 3 or the newer Assassin's Creed games, but I think the build should reach that goal otherwise.

[IrocJeff]

Don't re-use the case as you'd probably benefit from the better airflow with an aftermarket one. You don't have to go overboard but 35-50 bucks more isn't going to kill your budget. Gigabyte makes great motherboards but I'd not get the micro ATX one. Two more RAM slots and an extra PCIE slot might come in handy down the road when one of those slots craps out on you and you stuck with no PC for a while. 

 

You won't need the network card as the motherboard has that built in. You may also not even need the sound card as the onboard sound is pretty good.

 

The i3 is a nice processor but you'd want to go with an i5 or greater for games. You can also wait a bit and see what AMD releases later this year with their new processors. 

 

You really don't need a cpu cooler so put that money into a good case with decent airflow ( side fan and one out the back ).

 

Your powersupply is a good one. I have a coarsair 750 watt one. What's the amp rating for the 600 on the 12v rail ? Do you know?

 

 

 

Check out Newegg.com for parts and stuff. You might find some good deals there.

[Futuza]

Which parts are from the old machine?

 

This is what I'd probably go for right now, though if you can spend another $100 bucks, get an Core i5-6500 on this instead.  Also go for a slightly better motherboard if you're willing to increase the budget, I think Asrock makes great quality cheap boards, but that's just it they are cheap boards.  If you need to go for less, drop the SSD and just get the normal HDD, there are also cheaper powersupplies available, but you run the risk of looking at riskier PSU's for lower than what I've got listed here.  University's can also be a great place to shop (at Surplus sales) for common parts like Power Supplies, RAM, HDD, etc.  I got a 1TB at one for $10 and it works great.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i3-6100 3.7GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($110.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H110M-HDS Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard  ($49.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory  ($43.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: A-Data Premier SP550 240GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Hitachi Ultrastar 7K3000 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($49.50 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PNY GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB Video Card  ($234.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CSM 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($49.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $599.41
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-11-08 19:20 EST-0500

 

I also recommend going to pcpartpicker.com and asking the folks there as there are a lot more PC enthusiasts I think then here at JKHUB.

[McGroose]

I will throw in a couple bucks to find a decent mid-sized PC tower.

 

How does this one sound?

https://www.amazon.com/ROSEWILL-Gaming-Window-Pre-Installed-Computer/dp/B01IT0TDY6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478654412&sr=8-1&keywords=pc+case+side+fan

 

I can't say I ever heard someone suggest that a CPU cooler would be unnecessary, even with a case with good air-flow. I think it would be safe to get it anyway.

 

I did think about getting an I5-6500 at some points, but I need to weigh the pros and cons of each dollar spent. I'd really like to go no more than $600 at most. I'm a university kid eating nothing but Pizza and peanut butter. Every dollar counts. XD

Maybe forking over the money for I5-6500 would be ideal in the long-run. 

 

Are there some games that will not flat out work, PERIOD, with a dual core CPU? I've seen people play CPU heavy games with dual cores that still run perfectly fine, but I heard some people say that dual cores will eventually not be able to even load games.

[Smoo]

This is the case I have https://www.amazon.com/Raidmax-ATX-403WB-Computer-Case/dp/B00KBLT888/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478659024&sr=8-1&keywords=raidmax

[Futuza]

I will throw in a couple bucks to find a decent mid-sized PC tower.

 

How does this one sound?

https://www.amazon.com/ROSEWILL-Gaming-Window-Pre-Installed-Computer/dp/B01IT0TDY6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1478654412&sr=8-1&keywords=pc+case+side+fan

 

I can't say I ever heard someone suggest that a CPU cooler would be unnecessary, even with a case with good air-flow. I think it would be safe to get it anyway.

 

I did think about getting an I5-6500 at some points, but I need to weigh the pros and cons of each dollar spent. I'd really like to go no more than $600 at most. I'm a university kid eating nothing but Pizza and peanut butter. Every dollar counts. XD

Maybe forking over the money for I5-6500 would be ideal in the long-run. 

 

Are there some games that will not flat out work, PERIOD, with a dual core CPU? I've seen people play CPU heavy games with dual cores that still run perfectly fine, but I heard some people say that dual cores will eventually not be able to even load games.

You won't need a cpu cooler other than the stock one that comes with it generally, unless you are overclocking it.  You obviously need to at least install the stock one.  You could always try a rice diet to and shake things up a little, pizza is expensive

[McGroose]

I think I'll try to put in the money to get the I5 6500, but I'll lower the GTX 1060 6GB to a GTX 1060 3GB. The greater CPU will more than compensate to get a stable 60FPS at max settings.

 

I3 6320 w/ GTX 1060 6GB OR I5 6500 W/GTX 1060 3GB?

 

???

[Smoo]

You won't need a cpu cooler other than the stock one that comes with it generally, unless you are overclocking it.  You obviously need to at least install the stock one.  You could always try a rice diet to and shake things up a little, pizza is expensive

I eat rice everyday, white rice = more carves though, need protein

[Onysfx]

If you have to have a choice between a better CPU or GFX card, always go for the CPU (especially if you're into emulation).