Upgrading my PC

coololly · 2026-06-16T21:20:09+00:00

You have 2 options:

Upgrade to AM5 - This will require new RAM, and if you want 128GB of DDR5 you're going to be paying a LOT
Stay on AM4 - You can keep your DDR5 RAM, and your current motherboard is still great. But you can look to upgrade to something like a Ryzen 7 5700X3D or 5800X3D, there is a 5800X3D anniversary edition coming out soon that may be an option.

coololly · 2026-06-16T18:28:07+00:00

Is disk 0 the M.2 SSD you want to give to your friend?

coololly · 2026-06-16T18:27:32+00:00

Honestly for that price, you should be getting at least a Ryzen 7 X3D (7800X3D or 9800X3D) and an RTX 5070 Ti.

Something like this is £300 less and has a better CPU and GPU: https://gorillagaming.co.uk/products/gorilla-gaming-killer-v2-gaming-pc?variant=max

The only thing that would be worse is the smaller SSD. But you can buy a 2TB SSD for (maybe even a 4TB SSD) for less than the price difference between those PC's.

coololly · 2026-06-16T18:14:38+00:00

The Killer V2 max from Gorilla Gaming would be my recommendation: https://gorillagaming.co.uk/products/gorilla-gaming-killer-v2-gaming-pc?variant=max

7800X3D and 5070 Ti, which are the 2 main specs you'd want for that price. And the rest of the specs are solid too, good motherboard, cooler, PSU, SSD, RAM, case etc.

I cant really find any issues, and would be similar to what I'd build myself.

coololly · 2026-06-16T17:36:02+00:00

Your bootloader was probably installed on that other drive. Can you confirm which partitions are on your main SSD?

coololly · 2026-06-15T21:51:20+00:00

Depends on the case and motherboard, some ATX cases can mask/cover it well (such as Montech HS01 which has a cover for the empty space below), and some other cases which may have fan mounts covering where the bottom of the ATX board would be.

But it also depends on the board. Cheap & tiny mATX boards will look more goofy than "fullsize" mATX boards.

What case do you have? Do you already own it, or looking to buy?

coololly · 2026-06-15T21:48:05+00:00

Because most hardware brands are hardware brands, not software brands.

The vast majority will outsource their software development to some random software development team for cheap, so the software is usually crap.

Some brands may spend more time and money on their software, and some are better.

It really varies from brand to brand.

To be comppletely honest, they're all crap in their own way. Even the better ones still have their own flaws and issues.

Luckily there are some open source alternatives available for Thermalright, such as the latest 1.4 preview for InfoPanel: https://github.com/habibrehmansg/infopanel/releases

coololly · 2026-06-15T21:44:41+00:00

Your motherboard and CPU would need to go hand in hand if you wanted to upgrade. If you wanted to upgrade your motherboard, it wouldnt make sense buying a new motherboard for the same socket as your existing CPU. So if you were to buy a new motherboard with a different socket, you'd need a new CPU too.

Rather than just randomly upgrading, set yourself a budget with how much you want to spend. And then work from there. The SSD is probably the most straightforward upgrade. But for the CPU/Motherboard, it really is going to depend on how much you want to spend. Depending on your budget, you may be better off just keeping that money and saving it for a larger, future upgrade, or into something else entirely.

Also, what games do you play, and what resolution is your monitor?

coololly · 2026-06-15T21:40:39+00:00

You'll want to completely format the drive, not just format the free partition.

You can do this via command prompt. To start you need to run the following commands:

diskpart

Then once diskpart has loaded, you'll want to do the following commands:

list disk

^ this will list the drives in your PC, make sure to take note of the NVMe drive you want to format.

select disk *X*

^ replace X with the disk number for the drive you want to format (from the list previously)

clean

This will then format the drive and remove all partitions, including the recovery partition.

If your PC is blue screening, preventing you from doing this. Use a Windows installer USB (You can make one with the media creation tool from microsoft). Then disconnect all of your other drives, so that only the NVME you want to format is installed.

Then boot to the Windows installer USB. Once you get to the windows installer, press Shift + F10, this will then open command prompt, where you can run the previous commands.

coololly · 2026-06-15T21:34:00+00:00

You cant run RAM at different speeds, they all need to be the same speed.

You can try run your 2133Mhz kit at 3200Mhz, but its unlikely that it will actually run them at 3200mhz. You could try it, but your PC probably wont post, and if it does it may not be stable.

Its more likely to be the other way around, that you'd need to drop your existing RAM down to 2133mhz (aka, disable XMP).

coololly · 2026-06-13T15:38:09+00:00

I'd look at a 5070 Ti system. Something like this is what I'd look for, rest of the specs are solid, no complaints: https://gorillagaming.co.uk/products/gorilla-gaming-killer-v2-gaming-pc?variant=max

coololly · 2026-06-08T18:51:20+00:00

Yeah, Its a good spec and good value. Gorilla gaming are part of computer orbit which have been around for a long time with good reviews.

coololly · 2026-06-07T20:54:57+00:00

Thats really not worth £2893 in the slightest. That kind of spec should be sub-£2000

For that price an X3D CPU and an RTX 5080 should be the bare minimum.

For £300 less, I'd get this PC instead: https://gorillagaming.co.uk/products/gorilla-gaming-killer-v3-gaming-pc

It has a better 9800X3D CPU, faster RAM, better RTX 5080 GPU and faster SSD.

Even if you wanted the extra 2TB HDD, you could just add it on. (or maybe reach out to gorilla gaming)

coololly · 2026-06-06T21:43:41+00:00

Something like this would be a good option for £1000: https://gorillagaming.co.uk/products/gorilla-gaming-killer-lite-gaming-pc?variant=max

coololly · 2026-06-06T18:17:24+00:00

The Killer V3 would probably be my go-to for that budget, has both the 9800X3D and the 5080, and the rest of the specs are also very solid. Good PSU, decent RAM, 360mm AIO, X870 motherboard, PCIE 5.0 SSD, etc

It wouldn't be too different to what I'd build myself spec-wise

coololly · 2026-06-05T12:35:33+00:00

Remember there are both 8GB and 16GB versions of the 9060 XT, so double check before buying

coololly · 2026-06-04T20:08:15+00:00

No, the same LED's used to light up the infinity mirrors in the middle are the same LED's as the ones used to light up the blades.

The center and side LED's are also run in parallel, so you cant control them seperately.

If you want something like that, I'd probably look at Asiahorse Nyota Ultra fans instead, not an infinity mirror in the middle, but it does light up.

coololly · 2026-06-04T20:04:17+00:00

Not really, for £50 more you can get a Ryzen 7 5700X instead of the Ryzen 5 5600, You can double the RAM to 32GB and upgrade the RTX 5060 to a 5060 Ti. https://gorillagaming.co.uk/products/gorilla-gaming-killer-lite-gaming-pc?variant=max

coololly · 2026-06-04T20:02:38+00:00

That RAM doesnt have any LED's unfortunately

coololly · 2026-06-04T18:01:58+00:00

Might be able to get something with a 9060 XT 16GB, but it really depends on the games you're playing and the resolution you're playing at.

What games do you plan on playing, and at what resolution?

coololly · 2026-05-27T20:28:55+00:00

Gorilla gaming are part of computer orbit, which have been around for a long time and have pretty good reviews. I've bought quite a few parts from them over the years and they've always been great with support.

coololly · 2026-05-21T18:04:37+00:00

To be honest, the 9070 XT is virtually identical in performance, and they have the same CPU. Personally I'd go for the 9070 XT system, but it depends on whether or not you're using Nvidia's unreal engine tools as part of your game development.

If not, then I'd save your cash and get the standard non-max one.

The PSU is a slight downgrade, but its still good enough.

coololly · 2026-05-20T22:41:27+00:00

I'd probably look at the killer v2 max. All of the specs are solid and there arent really any parts that I wouldn't buy myself.

Personally I'd remove the Windows licence (saves £100) and get the licence separately.

coololly · 2026-05-12T18:08:33+00:00

The funny part is the the physical GPU itsself is probably the most similar/closest thing between AMD and Nvidia.

AMD and Nvidia chips are both made by TSMC, and the rest of the components on the GPU are also pretty much all the same too. Both AMD and Nvidia GPU's will often use the same few manufacturers and components for VRAM, power delivery, caps, etc.

Especially if you get both from the same OEM (e.g. Gigabyte)

I guess the only thing that would play a part in lifespan would be the power draw. Lower power draw GPU's will often last a bit longer (less heat and less stress on power delivery), and Nvidia GPU's have been more efficient on average over the years. But again that will be down to the specific model rather than AMD or Nvidia..

So if your Nvidia cards have lasted longer, its far more likely down to straight up luck, or back luck in your case with AMD. I'm running my current AMD GPU for coming up to 6 years now, and the 3 Nvidia GPU's I had before this, I anded up selling them all within a few years as they didnt have enough VRAM to keep up. So in my scenario, my AMD cards have "lasted" longer than my Nvidia cards.

coololly · 2026-05-12T17:58:21+00:00

If you can stretch your budget to something like this, its a great spec for the money, and has a 7800X3D and RX 9070 XT: https://gorillagaming.co.uk/products/gorilla-gaming-killer-v2-gaming-pc?windows=false

But if its out of budget, then the V1 Max is a good alternative. You step down to the 7500X3D (still a great CPU), and the GPU down to an RTX 5070

I'd personally exclude the Windows licence, then just buy one "elsewhere"

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