Upgrading Computer Help?

[Fazar]

In the place now where Im looking at upgrading my computer.  Current one is a little older, and just some wear and tear suffering like spilt drinks, fans not quite working as well as they used to, Windows 7 copy is not legit and has lots of inconveniences hitting me.  I unfortunately know very very little about computers and what's 'in' or how to compare good/better upgrades.  I'm not savy enough to really clean up, and pick individual parts or diagnose small issues with a computer so was thinking just a new computer would be a best solution.

Mostly looking for a gaming computer, and not looking to spend 2k or anything crazy for the tower, and I know my sources are limited up here (in the Yukon) so I think I may be limited to staples.  If anyone would mind giving me some tips, or pointers, or even help pointing in the direction of a good set up, I'd appreciate it :)

What I currently have is
-6.00 gb RAM (unsure of type)
-Intel i7 CPU 950 @ 3.07 GHz
-64 bit windows 7
-AMD Radeon HD 5800 Series

That's all I can think of as important bits.

[Sasha]

I am not familiar with AMD video cards, but your system already appears top of the line. You cannot go much further than an i7 at what you have, so I think an operating system upgrade and finding someone trustworthy to clean your computer out is what you need to do.

Tigerface.

[IMWarden]

In the place now where Im looking at upgrading my computer.  Current one is a little older, and just some wear and tear suffering like spilt drinks, fans not quite working as well as they used to, Windows 7 copy is not legit and has lots of inconveniences hitting me.  I unfortunately know very very little about computers and what's 'in' or how to compare good/better upgrades.  I'm not savy enough to really clean up, and pick individual parts or diagnose small issues with a computer so was thinking just a new computer would be a best solution.

Mostly looking for a gaming computer, and not looking to spend 2k or anything crazy for the tower, and I know my sources are limited up here (in the Yukon) so I think I may be limited to staples.  If anyone would mind giving me some tips, or pointers, or even help pointing in the direction of a good set up, I'd appreciate it :)

What I currently have is
-6.00 gb RAM (unsure of type)
-Intel i7 CPU 950 @ 3.07 GHz
-64 bit windows 7
-AMD Radeon HD 5800 Series

That's all I can think of as important bits.

You spill things in your tower? If so, that would be concerning.

As for the parts, your CPU is not bad; dated, but more than capable of most tasks and shouldn't be bottlenecking many other components. A lot of the advice I'm going to be giving is dependent on what you'll be using your PC for; if you're gaming a lot, then what I say will be more relevant than if you were doing a lot of video editing, using it for a server or just checking emails/browsing webpages.

Anyway, should you have the funds to expand your budget, or just want a new set of parts, the i5-4670k (or AMD FX-8350) is a very nice middle ground (or just i5-4670 if you're not planning on overclocking). If you're switching to a Haswell chip, though, you'll need a new mobo as the architecture is completely different, so if you're switching CPUs, something like the Z87X-UD3H will suffice. For RAM these days, 8 GB DDR3 is standard. Specifications on those don't matter too much if you're not going to be tweaking all the time, so the brand and warranty is really what you should be looking for there. I went with some Corsairs myself. Finally, the Radeon 5800 is also somewhat dated (though like I previously said, if you're not gaming a lot, then you could withhold upgrading your GPU for a bit), and if you game, then I'd recommend an R9 280x or GTX 760/770 (went with the 770 myself because of a number of deals/free games that came with the bundle. Use your best judgement and compare prices fairly).

As for your tower, if you're spilling things, then you'd probably want to get that changed as well. Find one with good reviews on its build, structural integrity and make sure its size aligns with whatever components you've chosen, and maybe buy an extra fan or two, and you should be set.

Lastly, you may or may not need to change your power supply depending on your wattage.

All in all, I bought all that and an SSD for about $1000 CAD (plus a bunch of free games), which is a pretty good deal and should fall pretty nicely in your budget. If you're using your computer for a completely different purpose, then my advice may need some tweaking. Either way, hope that gives you some pointers. If you need clarifications of any sort, I'd be happy to help.

[Choco]

I agree about the liquids as that isn't a good combo with computers and other electronics so may be wise to move the tower to a location it won't receive spillage

spec wise your system isn't actually that bad though for sure some upgrades can be done to give it more oomph for gaming

[Pat The Fox]

Is ordering in not possible? NCIX and Newegg usually have some very affordable parts in a wider selection than Staples. Staples is going to gouge you for subpar parts. I've even gotten counterfeit goods from staples once. A Hitachi drive was relabelled as a Sony.

[Choco]

can't believe I missed the part about staples lol. I would go to other places like NCIX that are geared specifically more for higher end computers and gaming rigs then places like staples when it comes to getting upgrades. Most Stores don't carry the higher end parts and their prices can be quite questionable if it's from staples. NCIX or other Computer specific stores would have the know how and parts to upgrade your machine and ordering online from places like Newegg isn't a bad option either

[IMWarden]

Indeed. I ordered most of my parts from NCIX building my PC a few months ago, and consulted Reddit's /r/buildapc sub for reference and help. The subreddit also has some useful links to places like PCPartPicker, though I don't think it works that well for Canadian builders.

Either way, it's better than Staples for sure. I've only gone there to buy stationery, but I don't need to check their section to know that their expertise isn't in computers. NCIX and Newegg are your best bet for reliability, but I have also ordered from MemoryExpress and CanadaComputers before (without problem, I might add), so it's up to you.

[Sevrin]

You didn't provide enough info on your graphics card, though the 5800 series are generally pretty powerful. Don't just shop staples or ncix or whatever, look about the internet for good deals, try newegg, that's where I got some of my parts.
Assemble it all yourself of course. Make sure you have good cooling systems.
You should consider upgrading to a 4+ Ghz CPU, something with 4+ cores.
Your video card should be the most expensive piece of your computer. If your current one has crossfire capability you should get another one to match it so you can have dual video cards.
Upgrade your ram for sure, you should have minimum 8GB for modern games. Check to see the number of slots you have for ram open (if you've got 6BG you most likely have 3/4 slots filled, so consider buying a 4GB ram stick to upgrade to 10GB)

And before you buy, make sure your motherboard can handle all this new hardware, if you don't have enough slots it's a waste of money! Also make sure you have a good enough PSU! ESPECIALLY if you get two video cards!

[Silverski wolf]

Just my opinion here, but unless you are a hardcore gamer who is playing the latest games at high detail, (or a bigtime workstation user like myself) you really do not need an upgrade.  Your system is still plenty fast enough by today's standards.  Honestly what I would do is, 1) clean the whole system with an air compressor (not one of those stupid compressed gas can dusters from the store, you need an air compressor at 60+PSI to get the thing crystal clean of dust), 2) if the dusting didn't make the fans work any better get some 3-in-one oil from somewhere such as Canadian tire and put a drop in the bearings of every fan you have, and finally 3) save all your data and format/reinstall windows (buy a legitimate copy if yours is pirated and don't want to deal with a pirated copy).

Formatting your harddrive and reinstalling windows may be a bit intimidating the first time, but honestly it's not all that hard.  There's plenty of tech minded people here that can help guide you through it.  Key is to make sure everything important is backed up and make sure you have your network drivers before doing it, as there is a good chance that your copy of windows may not have them built in, which means no internet or nothing until you get them.  If your system was custom built try and look for the motherboard CD as they would likely be on there.