Is it a bad idea to go upgrading with second hand parts

Aodhan5000

Hi all,
Been looking at upgrading current PC but is buying secondhand parts a big no no?
Was looking at getting a GTX 1070(maybe ti) and overclocking an i5 6600k.
Current specs are an i5 6400 paired with an R9 380 4gb with 8gb of 2400mhz ram.

K.O.Kiki

i5-6600K is not an upgrade to an i5-6400.

Second-hand GPUs are mostly hit/some miss - especially since a lot of them will have been mining GPUs.
But they're mostly grand.

I'd say instead of the CPU, either find an i7 (6[xx]0 or 7[xx]0 series) or put the money into another 8Gb of matching RAM + a big SSD.

Aodhan5000

Would the i7 be beneficial because of the extra threads? If so, would I just be better off switching to Ryzen platform because those i7s seem to be starting around 250 (granted I could be looking in the wrong places).
Was thinking i5 would be beneficial because I'd say I could get one for around 100 quid and maybe get a better cooler and OC
Would I be better off with an RX 5600 XT over GTX 1070?

Homelander

Yes, extra threads. But realistically a Ryzen 2600, A320M + 16GB 3200mhz DDR4 would cost less than an i7-6700 + more ram, and be a better platform.

It doesn't really make any sense, unless you get a good price on Adverts or the like, and don't want the hassle of installing a new motherboard. I have seen them go for €150 or so at times, though personally I'd still just upgrade.

Forget the GTX1070. People want insane money for them second hand. I've noticed that trend the last few years, people wanting 2018 prices in 2020, and what's even more baffling, others actually paying it. Not sure if these people live in a vaccum or what but it's so weird. Why an earth would someone pay €250 for an old 2nd hand GTX1070 when cards like the GTX1660 Super cost that brand new.

Aodhan5000

How much do you reckon I could get if I was to sell the i5 6400, Asus Z170-p and 8gb of ddr4 ram?

B00MSTICK

Hi Aodhan5000,

What games are you playing/resolution are you using? Are you finding a particular game running slowly? Reason I ask is I have a similar enough set up.

i5 6400 vs 6600k - You have a z170 Mobo (as do I) these boards allow you to overclock non-K processors. I had my 6400 @ 4.3ghz by tweaking the bclk, vcore and DRAM settings, there's plenty of guides online but your mileage may vary. Cooler wise I went for the CM Hyper 212 Black Edition - cheap and performs well.

I upgraded from a gtx 780 to a 1660 Super as CoD Warzone was stuttering along.
Fired it up and while I could have all the nice features turned on it still lagged/stuttered...

Upgraded from 8GB RAM to 16GB and problem solved, even with a 6GB of VRAM on the 1660 to play with, my machine is still utilising up to 78% of available system RAM during gameplay. Whether that's all the junk running on my machine is another story...

If you are thinking of selling I think there's worse you can do than giving the overclocking a shot and invest in a decent cooler and DDR4 RAM, you can always take them with you to the next build.
Maybe download something like HW monitor and see how close things are to maxing out.

Before the 1660, my last 2 GPUs have been second-hand although that was before mining was as big as it now and I've always gone for the lower end bargains.

Aodhan5000

Right now I'm playing lots of CSGO (average probably around 100fps but I'm playing 4:3 so I suspect there's an issue there with underperformance) , Witcher 3 (pretty close to all ultra settings at 1080p I think and getting 45-50fps), Rimworld and Civ5. Waiting on Cyberpunk and Horizon Zero Dawn to come out and will have a go at them too. Play JC3, CK2 and Ark sometimes too and might chance Subnautica and Metro Exodus too if they hit the sales.

Main reason for upgrade is that for the last while I've been on the fence about getting a 1440p 144hz monitor (1440p for nicer looking graphics and high refresh for CSGO) but just haven't pulled the trigger on everything because nothings really caught my eye as good value however with more time off to work now making a few more quid stack up, I'm more inclined to make the jump but will need a system to support it.

Was looking at overclocking the i5 alright but when I started looking into it lots of people going on about having to turn up the base clock or something and how that affects the ram and other components such as hard drives as well (this of course could all be wrong because we all know there's a fair amount of **** on the internet). If you could tell me a bit about your OC experience and how you did it I'd much appreciate it . I don't part with money easily so if I could get by with an OC and another stick of RAM I'd be more than happy.

2ndcoming

Unless it has been worked around, Intel shut out the overclocking on the non-K Skylake processors very soon after launch AFAIK. You could do some BIOS rollback trickery but I don't know.

I'm in a similar boat, the 6700k or 7700k are the most logical CPU upgrade for me but the inability to find one at a decent price means it would actually be a lot cheaper to just rip out the board I have, sell the lot and go Ryzen.

2ndcoming

I have my 7600k OC'd to 4.5ghz for a few years with no issue, with a Corsair AIO watercooler so I wouldn't worry too much about internet tales of woe. They're reliable chips to OC, but at 4 cores/ 4 threads are fast looking outdated.

Aodhan5000

Anyone give advice on how much to pay for the following second hand:
GTX 1070
GTX 1070ti
GTX 1080
GTX 1080ti
Might just go with something new if I can't get a good deal

K.O.Kiki

Aodhan5000 wrote: »

Anyone give advice on how much to pay for the following second hand:
GTX 1070
GTX 1070ti
GTX 1080
GTX 1080ti
Might just go with something new if I can't get a good deal

I usually go by CEX trade-in price.

Aodhan5000

Voucher value or cash?

2ndcoming

Cash. Plus a bit, they're a last resort for most people so always gonna be a bit lower than Adverts prices.

Most of them cards you can buy a newer equivalent for around what people tend to ask on Adverts for them so unless you can snap up a bargain the new ones are prob the better buy.

Aodhan5000

300 much value for a 1080?

2ndcoming

Aodhan5000 wrote: »

300 much value for a 1080?

That does sound decent.

Homelander

I would completely disagree. You can get a Radeon 5600XT brand new with with a free copy of Resident Evil 3/Monster Hunter for that that, and a full warranty.

There is almost nothing between them.

Aodhan5000

@homelander Thanks for pointing that out . AMD's new offerings do look much better than any second hand cards. I've seen so many people paying 350-400 for 1080's. Glad I'm not one of em now

K.O.Kiki

I literally forgot the 5600 XT existed lol

2ndcoming

Homelander wrote: »

I would completely disagree. You can get a Radeon 5600XT brand new with with a free copy of Resident Evil 3/Monster Hunter for that that, and a full warranty.

There is almost nothing between them.

Bit out of the loop - that card is defo gonna be my next purchase

2ndcoming

Digging a bit further it seems there's a fair chunk between them going by videocardbenchmark.net... or is it just that the 1080 has had longer to be tuned / optimized?

RTX 2060 isn't much more and that does score slightly ahead of the 1080, plus has ray tracing if that's ever much of a thing

Homelander

That's not really digging further though, it's just using a generic benchmark suite. Older games are likely going to favor the GTX1080.

But look at comparison videos for modern games - Assassins Creed, Hitman, Wolfenstein 2, Far Cry New Dawn, Battlefield V, whatever - they are extremely close, sometimes the 1080 is faster, sometimes the 5600XT is faster.

It is similar to how in some older games Intel performs much better than AMD, but the Ryzen 3600 is still a way better processor than say, the Intel 9400F or whatever the competitor is.

No matter what reviews you read you will find some games that favor Nvidia and some AMD, but for the latest games both cards are extremely similar....but for the same price only one is brand new, with warranty, and free AAA games.

2ndcoming

I've an RX 480 8gb that's done me since it launched but it is starting to show its age, either would be a huge upgrade. I just want something I can throw in and forget about for another 4 years.

I can order from Newegg and get the brother to forward it on from his place in the States so I have it down to two options -

AS Rock Phantom RX 5600XT 6GB with free Monster Hunter World & RE3 - €266

or

EVGA RTX2060 KO Ultra 6GB with free Deliver Us The Moon - €280

Which would be the right one there? I've a FreeSync monitor but I believe NVidia cards work with Freesync now?

Aodhan5000

Will you not get charged import fees?

K.O.Kiki

Aodhan5000 wrote: »

Will you not get charged import fees?

Technically no, since it can be sent as a gift.
But you'd want to insure it.

Thus would be cheaper to buy it retail in Europe.

2ndcoming

He's posted me loads of stuff before and never had any issues so I've never considered insurance. Very slim chance of something going wrong, same as posting from any other country at the end of the day.

Aodhan5000

Have decided that I'm more than likely just gonna rip out my motherboard Cpu and ram and sell it second hand and go AMD however I've a few questions.
1. Am I better off buying a CPU,MOBO, RAM and a GPU now or should i put it off for Ryzen 4000 series and see if there's any graphics card leaks in that time?
2. If I'm buying a CPU now should I go for a Ryzen 5 1600, a Ryzen 5 2600 or a Threadripper 1900x to future proof myself a bit with 8 cores (I'm guessing I'd be sacrificing a bit in terms of futures upgrades and I've heard that the 2600 performs better in gaming but lets look at the long run here. I don't mind if I've to pay a bit more for TR).
3. How much could I get for an i5 6400, 8gb ddr4 2400mhz and an Asus Z170-P.
Thanks for all the help so far!

Edit: Just saw the price of X399 motherboards. Not a f*cking prayer unless there's some MASSIVE benefit. Any point in going for a Ryzen 7 over Ryzen 5?

K.O.Kiki

Ryzen 7 is good if you're doing anything that can utilize 8+ cores, e.g. video production, rendering, etc.

If it's just gaming, get a 6-core for now unless you can budget for a 3700X/3800X - those are the same CPUs that will be in the upcoming PS5/XBOX Series X so in that respect they're future-proof.

Personally I bought a 3600X & will upgrade to a 4000-series 8+ core.

Aodhan5000

3700x is a bit out of the budget. Anything wrong with Ryzen 7 2700x?

Homelander

Ryzen 3600 is the best for gaming in that price range. If you're really trying to keep the budget down the Ryzen 1600 AF version is excellent, just £100 or so.

K.O.Kiki

You're better off with the 3600 for gaming.

Aodhan5000

So you'd be going Ryzen 5 3600 over Ryzen 7 2700x for gaming? Are their editing capabilities fairly similar as I'd be doing a small bit of premiere pro for the local rugby club (forgot to mention that sorry) or would I be better off just using GPU acceleration?

A brief look suggests they're fairly similar
https://youtu.be/_R5YxqzEsJs