Brand new at putting a system together - any advice?

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illustriouss1

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First of all, hello, I'm brand new here, and have been told Tom's is the go to place for these sorts of questions.

I'm looking to put a gaming rig together, but to cannibalize as much of my current system as is humanly possible.

I've currently got one of these: http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/dell-studio-xps-7100/4505-3118_7-34117339.html (I can't seem to hyperlink while typing).

I've made some modifications, but not many. I *had* a Corsair 650w power supply feeding a radeon HD 6870, but the Corsair unit blew up in a cloud of smoke and acrid smell a few weeks ago. I'm going to ship it back to them this week for a replacement. Currently, I'm just using the original radeon HD 4670, because the 350 or 400w power supply isn't enough to handle the bigger card (so I've been told).

Ideally, what I would like to do is change (1) the case [the xps one is a bit small], and (2) the motherboard, I'm assuming, so I can upgrade (3) the CPU [I have a AMD XT1090, the six core, which is okay, but could be better].

Now, throughout 26 years of life I've changed about every part in a computer at least once, but have never (a) tried to change a CPU, or (b) tried to put together a system into a brand new case.

I'm a big fan of newegg, and their promotions feature daily pictures of brightly colored, cool-looking motherboards to appeal to my inner five year old.



Basically, I'm just looking for a new rig at moderate cost, but see no reason to buy a whole new one when this one works perfectly fine, but is bottlenecked (I think) at the CPU/motherboard/case area. Anyone care to advise a newbie how hard it is to upgrade a CPU by yourself onto a new motherboard, into a new case? I'd like to keep the CPU/mobo combination under $500, but that's not a concrete top end.

Thanks in advance-

 
Solution
tinmann


It's a piece of cake the cpu will only fit in the socket one way. There is are 2 notches on the cpu you need to line up in the motherboard cpu socket first, then lock it down, apply a small amount of thermal paste and install the cpu cooler and connect the fan for the cooler. Make sure you connect the cpu fan on the right fan header ( it will say cpu fan)

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tinmann

tinmann

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New rig, moderate cost you say? Well say no more. Since this is for gaming I'd go with the Ivy Bridge platform. I'm sure there will be a ton of people recommending the new Haswell but look at the
ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Intel Z77 Motherboard =$139.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131837
The Intel i5-3570K = 219.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504
CORSAIR Vengeance Pro 8GB =$77.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233526
Total = $437.97
Your CPU may be six core but look at the benchmarks compared to a i5 2500K
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/146?vs=701
And the Intel i5 3570K
http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/146?vs=288
 
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illustriouss1

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Thanks for the advice. I looked into those two components and they look to be a decent upgrade from the 6 core AMD.

How difficult is it to replace the CPU, though? Something a newbie could learn on the first try? I understand its not exactly like plugging in new ram sticks.
 
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tinmann

tinmann

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It's a piece of cake the cpu will only fit in the socket one way. There is are 2 notches on the cpu you need to line up in the motherboard cpu socket first, then lock it down, apply a small amount of thermal paste and install the cpu cooler and connect the fan for the cooler. Make sure you connect the cpu fan on the right fan header ( it will say cpu fan)

 
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Wolfshadw

Wolfshadw

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While Tinmann does give some solid advice, there are a couple of gotchas.

1) The operating system on your current hard drive is tied to your current motherboard and cannot be transferred. You will also need to include a new Operating System (~$100).
2) While installing the CPU onto the motherboard is fairly self explanatory, installing thermal paste and then the heat sink is a bit more delicate. Once the heat sink makes contact with the thermal paste, there is no going back. You must install the heat sink at that point or you will have to remove the heat sink AND the thermal paste and start over. Normally, not a big issue (especially with Intel CPUs), but definite problems if installed incorrectly.

Everyone who builds computers has to do it the first time. There's no getting around that, but if it was so difficult to do, forums like this wouldn't exist. Take your time, read the manual (over and over) and just make sure you understand what goes where and it's orientation. Once you get over the jitters and successfully complete your first build, you'll see it's not much more difficult than a 3D jigsaw puzzle.

-Wolf sends
 
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illustriouss1

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Thanks Tinman for the explanation and picture, and Wolf for the additional info.

Wolf, a few months ago I bought a Thinkpad laptop with a broken HD from my job and swapped out the HD from my then-school-laptop, a compaq of some kind, into the Thinkpad (without changing anything else). The Thinkpad of course didn't recognize any of its peripherals, and I spent the day installing drivers for everything, but windows 7 remained functional, and still does. Should I not expect roughly the same thing if swapping my PC's hard drive to a new rig?

Also, I spoke to a friend who has installed CPUs, he said that the processors fresh from the box (i.e. the one you suggested from Newegg) have the thermal paste already applied, and that its simply a matter of proper installation, a-la Tinman's picture. Truth?

 
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Wolfshadw

Wolfshadw

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Illustriouss1 - Simply swapping hard drives and updating drivers *may* work, but I wouldn't count on it. A fresh install of Windows 7/8 would be much cleaner (not to mention, legal).

CPUs from Newegg do come with thermal paste already applied and it is just a matter of proper installation, but on the off chance of a mishap, you should have thermal paste, and Isopropyl alcohol on hand for cleaning and re-applying.

-Wolf sends
 
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illustriouss1

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Good to know.

As far as a new case goes (I have an ATX mid... and things are a bit tight), any objections to this one? I'm pretty decent at deciphering what computer-related acronyms are, but have never bought a case before. I'm assuming that something this high-end will fit what tinman recommended, but want to make sure.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147158

I quite like the way it looks (and am quite aware it blows through my $500 limit... but sometimes sacrifices must be made!)
 
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illustriouss1

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So, I've ordered all the parts, plus some new RAM, and a solid state drive. My final question is in two parts:

1 - if not planning to overclock, do I need to buy... those giant metal things that sit on top of the CPU? The I5 comes with one... I just want to make sure that's fine to use for normal stuff.

2 - will a 650w power supply be enough to power these components plus a radeon HD 6870? Its this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150561

I had to return the power supply to corsair because it exploded, and am waiting for its replacement in the mail.
 
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Sangeet Khatri

Sangeet Khatri

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Sangeet Khatri

Sangeet Khatri

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