What should I upgrade? Part 2

theleader6 · Feb 20, 2014

I have a Intel Core I7 920 2.67 ghz

4x1gb RAM memory sticks ddr3

Thermaltake TR2 TR-600 600W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Power Supply

PowerColor AX7850 2GBD5-DH Radeon HD 7850 2GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video ...

Dell motherboard 0R849J

I was given a lot of good advice in the first thread I made. I was told to get 3x4gb sticks of ddr3 for my computer and to get rid of my sketchy PSU.

One person suggested that I get a new motherboard, Aftermarket cpu cooler, and overclock my 920. This gave me more questions that I needed answers to.

Should I

A. just stick with my motherboard and get the 3 sticks of ddr3 4gb ram. Then get a aftermarket cpu cooler and case and overclock my 920.

I am not sure if my motherboard is capable of overclocking.

Someone also said something about ddr4 coming out

B. buy a new motherboard and get 2 sticks of 8gb ram (I don't know if this would work with the triple channel stuff people where talking about before)

One more question I checked the power usage of my system and it ended up at around 370 watts or something like that. Does that sound correct because with a 600 watt PSU I though I would be using more power.

theleader6 · Feb 20, 2014

I have a lot of questions still

RacAtat007 · Feb 20, 2014

What is your budget? Honestly the only thing I would hang on to is the GPU if you have the money to upgrade. If you are able to play game now then I would say to hold out and save up some money then get a new mobo, cpu and ram at the same time. Other than that I don't know how much gaming performance you will see from upgrading a single part of this PC.

AgentTran · Feb 20, 2014

Without going overboard and spending huge amounts of money, I don't see how any small upgrade could be made.
The 7850 is a good budget GPU, and can play most things well.

Your CPU is alright too, and that power supply could be a bit off, so if anything you may want to replace that with a higher tier PSU. Oh and if you're only pulling 370W or so, then opt for a higher quality, lower W power supply.

theleader6 · Feb 20, 2014

RacAtat007 :

I don't really have a budget. I don't mind dropping a large amount on upgrades I just want to get the most for my money, not looking to play games on super ultra just close enough without burning money.

The other guy said my cpu was good for overclocking.

davcon · Feb 20, 2014

You will not be able to overclock your cpu on a Dell mobo = it's locked
You'll also have one hell of a time sourcing a new X58 mobo.(that supply dried up a couple of years ago).
You're better off to upgrade to an 1150 build at this point.

theleader6 · Feb 20, 2014

davcon :

Is the X58 mobo necessary for an i7 proccessor
I assume 1150 is the CPU socket that is more common now right?

davcon · Feb 20, 2014

Yes for an i7 920 a X58 mobo is required.
The latest intel (haswell) processors require an 1150 mobo.

geofelt · Feb 21, 2014

What problem do you need to fix?

1.
I might guess that you need/want more ram.
If so:

Is your os 32 or 64 bit? 32 bit can only support 4gb.
Assuming you want the max 12gb, Look for a 3 x 4gb kit. Ram speed does not matter much.
You want documented ram compatibility. If you should ever have a problem, you want supported ram.
Otherwise, you risk a finger pointing battle between the ram and motherboard support sites, claiming "not my problem".
One place to check is your motherboards web site.
Look for the ram QVL list. It lists all of the ram kits that have been tested with that particular motherboard.
Sometimes the QVL list is not updated after the motherboard is released.
For more current info, go to a ram vendor's web site and access their ram selection configurator.
Enter your motherboard, and you will get a list of compatible ram kits.
While today's motherboards are more tolerant of different ram, it makes sense to buy ram that is known to work and is supported.

2. Do you need more compute power?
Overclocking a 920 might gain you 20% if it were possible.
But the bios on Dell is usually locked so that may not be possible for you.
A 920 has a passmark performance rating of 5001.
You could replace the 920 with a 940 at 5475 bot that seems pointless.
Any other change requires a motherboard replacement.
A i5-4670 would be reasonable @7519. Pair it with any socket 1150 motherboard and 1.5v ddr3 ram.

3. For a nice boost in everyday performance, I suggest a SSD, at least for the OS and your frequently used apps.
If your capacity needs are modest, Samsung and Intel offer free cloning utilities to migrate.

theleader6 · Feb 21, 2014

geofelt :

What problem do you need to fix?

1.
I might guess that you need/want more ram.
If so:

Is your os 32 or 64 bit? 32 bit can only support 4gb.
Assuming you want the max 12gb, Look for a 3 x 4gb kit. Ram speed does not matter much.
You want documented ram compatibility. If you should ever have a problem, you want supported ram.
Otherwise, you risk a finger pointing battle between the ram and motherboard support sites, claiming "not my problem".
One place to check is your motherboards web site.
Look for the ram QVL list. It lists all of the ram kits that have been tested with that particular motherboard.
Sometimes the QVL list is not updated after the motherboard is released.
For more current info, go to a ram vendor's web site and access their ram selection configurator.
Enter your motherboard, and you will get a list of compatible ram kits.
While today's motherboards are more tolerant of different ram, it makes sense to buy ram that is known to work and is supported.

2. Do you need more compute power?
Overclocking a 920 might gain you 20% if it were possible.
But the bios on Dell is usually locked so that may not be possible for you.
A 920 has a passmark performance rating of 5001.
You could replace the 920 with a 940 at 5475 bot that seems pointless.
Any other change requires a motherboard replacement.
A i5-4670 would be reasonable @7519. Pair it with any socket 1150 motherboard and 1.5v ddr3 ram.

3. For a nice boost in everyday performance, I suggest a SSD, at least for the OS and your frequently used apps.
If your capacity needs are modest, Samsung and Intel offer free cloning utilities to migrate.

It looks like ill be getting a new CPU motherboard and Ram then. Ill put a basic gpu in my current rig and pass it to a friend. Take my current gpu and put it in my new build.

Search

What should I upgrade? Part 2

theleader6

Honorable

theleader6

Honorable

RacAtat007

Distinguished

AgentTran

Honorable

theleader6

Honorable

davcon

Judicious

theleader6

Honorable

davcon

Judicious

geofelt

Titan

theleader6

Honorable

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page