Upgrade to Skylake with a 550 USD budget

[marniko82]

Hi,

It is finally time to upgrade my old 2008 build that can be seen here:
2008 build

I have about EUR 550 to spend, but as I live in Serbia, let's assume that the budget is USD 550. I have the option to buy some parts this week as a friend could buy some parts abroad and I could get some tax refunds. I hope that the computer would last a minimum of 4 years.

Approximate Purchase Date: December/January

Budget Range: USD 550 in total (ignore rebates)

System Usage from Most to Least Important: data analytics, light programming, gaming (would like to try GTA V, Witcher, Elite on relatively high settings), surfing the internet, watching movies

Are you buying a monitor: No - no money at the moment, will be reusing my old one

Parts to Upgrade: CPU, mobo, RAM, GPU, SSD (new)

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: http://tweakers.net/ if possible

Location: Belgrade, Serbia, Europe and I can get some stuff from Amsterdam, Netherlands this week only

Parts Preferences: by brand or type: Intel CPU

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Your Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050

Additional Comments: quiet PC (not realistic for the money but still), should be able to run new titles for the following 3 to 4 years and should be somewhat future-proof (mobo/RAM at least)

Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: my current PC is running very slowly, can not multitask almost at all, it can't run new titles

The parts I am keeping due to low budget:

Antec Sonata III case with 500W power supply (a nice case, hope to graduate to Fractal Design R5 in the future)
Antec Sonata III

WD Caviar Green 2GB (a bit slow but large enough for now)
WD Caviar Green 2GB

Samsung Syncmaster T220 LCD monitor (also should be upgraded; I like this monitor a lot but it supports only 1680x1050 so I am unsure how new games would behave)
Samsung Syncmaster T220 LCD monitor

Logitech MX 5500 mouse/keyboard combo (starting to die slowly so I hope to get a mechanical keyboard and a new mouse, but that's for next year)
Logitech MX 5500

My picks, based largely on this article and on many other articles as well:

Intel i3-6100 (sufficient for my needs, won't break the bank, can be replaced later)
i3 6100

AsRock Z170M PRO4S mobo (upgradeable later)
AsRock Z170M PRO4S

HyperX Fury 2x4GB 2666 MhZ (slightly more expensive than 2133 Mhz but I am OK with that)
HyperX Fury 2x4GB 2666 MhZ

SAPPHIRE NITRO R9 380 4GB GPU (seems relatively future proof and budget friendly)
SAPPHIRE NITRO R9 380 4GB

Samsung 850 EVO 250GB SDD (seems to be popular and reliable, SSD is a must-buy for me)
Samsung 850 EVO

My biggest concerns are:
1. Do I get a cooler with the i3 6100 and is it sufficient? If not, which cooler should I get? CM Hyper 212 seems not to fit my case... I know I can't overclock this processor.
2. Is the graphics card OK or should I try to save some money and buy something cheaper?
3. What will the games look like on a monitor that does not support 1080p? Should I try to replace it too?
4. If I scrap everything and go Haswell, could a Haswell build for about USD 350 to 400 (CPU/GPU/mobo/RAM) give me similar performance and last me another minimum 4 years? Is that doable?

The entire build can be seen here.

Thanks in advance!

 

[HardReset]

IMO you need more money to mage decent upgrade. Also your monitor limits resolution to be less than Full HD. Also Antec Sonata case is substandard and PSU is very old. So I suggest that you grab more money and make full upgrade later.

In the meantime, buy some used parts:

- Core 2 Quad processor (Q9300 or similar)
- Used video card (R9 270 or similar)

And new SSD. MX200 gets my recommendation. I see no reason to buy any Samsung Evo because of TLC problems in past models.

With that cheap upgrade, your machine gets quite a boost. Then save enough money to make full upgrade.

 

[cliffordcooley]

In the meantime, buy some used parts:

- Core 2 Quad processor (Q9300 or similar)
- Used video card (R9 270 or similar)

Seriously why build a new machine, if you are going to use old parts. I'm certain someone has an old machine that you can get for cheap, instead of building a peace of crap.

I see no reason to buy any Samsung Evo because of TLC problems in past models.

Which is irrelevant where 850 EVO is concerned.

After saying what you did with getting old components then degrade a top-of-the-line SSD manufacturer. I would never advise building a new LGA775 system. Repairs are one thing but with a new build, you either build with the last couple generations or don't build at all. Your credibility level in my opinion just went to zero.

 

[HardReset]

Seriously why build a new machine, if you are going to use old parts. I'm certain someone has an old machine that you can get for cheap, instead of building a peace of crap.

New machine with 2008 PSU, display and case. You call that *new* machine?

Which is irrelevant where 850 EVO is concerned.

After saying what you did with getting old components then degrade a top-of-the-line SSD manufacturer. I would never advise building a new LGA775 system. Repairs are one thing but with a new build, you either build with the last couple generations or don't build at all. Your credibility level in my opinion just went to zero.

It's not irrelevant. 850 Evo uses also TLC. No matter how you look at it, MLC has so far proven to be stable choice over many years. TLC, well, 840 and 840 Evo...

You call Samsung top-of-the-line SSD manufacturer 840 and 840 Evo fiasco is more than enough. There are good models also but 840 and 840 Evo ruined Samsung's reputation in my eyes.

Replacing processor and video card = new build?

Your opinion just sucks. Advise better build or shut up.

 

[lexarflash]

Yeah your build is solid, you can most games on High at 1080p 40+ FPS,

 

[Cycloid Torus]

Perhaps you should limit current purchase to GPU - and look to do rest of system later. Check out how your existing system could work if you just did that - but be sure your PSU can handle whatever GPU you choose.