Building high performance new PC from old case

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Diego Alpizar

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Jan 18, 2014
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Hi all, I'm not a expert in building PCs, but I have experience in components/installing hardware and tweaking Windows(Installing OS, etc). I have never build a PC before, but this is my first try.

So here we go, I have an old HP pavilion a6600la that works OK. Add a Nvidia Quadro 600 plus a wireless PCI adapter and that's my current desktop.

Software I will surely use:

  • ■ Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, After Effects, etc
    ■ Autodesk Revit / Autocad / 3ds MAX
    ■ Lumion (I not hoping this one to work flawlessly of course)

I do have a monitor, keyboard, mice and plenty other external components, so I don't want to buy a new branded-PC with all that. Plus, I want to reuse my existing HDD, nvidia quadro, case, wireless adapter and hopefully whatever I could save.

Parts I have been considering:
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($327.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Pro4-M Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($154.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($154.09 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($88.99 @ Amazon)

*SDD has LESS prority or can wait further.

My main concerns are:

  • ■ Case not fitting new motherboard / components
    ■ Voltage / watts troubles
    ■ Old HDD not working ok with new SSD

Also, if this sounds too naive, what other options I do have to get a performance desktop and stay in a budget. ($500-800)

 
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clutchc

clutchc

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Apr 22, 2009
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It always can get a little dicey when trying to install a std MB in a proprietary case. But since your PC now uses a std mATX MB, I doubt you'll have an issue with that. Check the FP wiring to be sure it is conventional as well. You should have:
Power Button pair of wires
Reset button pair of wires
HDD activity LED pair of wires
FP LED pair of wires (should be separate wires)
USB cable
HD Audio cable

Your PSU is listed as 300W. That isn't as important as the amp rating of the +12V rail. Check the nameplate on the PSU for that info. But since you're not changing the biggest current drawing components, the gfx card, that should be OK.
Assuming your HDD and optical drive are std SATA, that should be no issue. If your wireless adapter is in the form of an add-in card, it hopefully is PCIe and not PCI since your new MB would only have PCIe.

It would be best to install the SSD at the time you do the build and fresh install Win7 to it*. But... If you plan on adding a SSD in the future as your boot drive, you will want to clone the old drive to the new one, then follow these guidelines to improve the performance and eliminate wasted space on the SSD: http://www.computing.net/howtos/show/solid-state-drive-ssd-tweaks-for-windows-7/552.html

*It wouldn't surprise me if Win7 was installed originally on the HDD with the SATA controller set to IDE mode. You would want that to be set to AHCI mode before installing Win7 to the SSD. That's why it is highly advised to do a clean install of the OS on the SSD with the controller set to AHCI in BIOS. There are ways around that, however if you can't do that. Example: http://www.overclock.net/t/1227636/how-to-change-sata-modes-after-windows-installation
 
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