Upgrading MB/CPU/RAM, any recommendations?

Madmaxneo

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I currently have an old Core 2 Quad (Q6700 2.66ghz) CPU running off a Dell optiplex 745 system, with a basic set of upgrades (500 watt PSU, max RAM, Geforce GT 630 video card, Soundblaster Z series card, 1 TB hard drive) . I will be in the process of upgrading soon. And I want to start with a motherboard/CPU/RAM set first. I will not have a lot of money to spend at one time. I would like to start with the minmum (lowest cost) cpu (with higher priced options to consider) socket set that will take the the high end i9 series CPU's eventually. I like a lot of options when it comes to slots because of the video (SLI?) and sound cards. A good wireless rating would be awesome.
So what would you pros recommend? If possible please include all three MB/CPU/RAM. This computer will be used for everything from video games to audio editing to office doc manipulation, maybe even some video editing in the future.
Thank you.
Bruce
 
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Even here people get over opinionated. Just because you (not you Bruce but one; a person, one who is speaking etc.) have a valid point doesn't mean that you're right for what the person wants. That said, kudos for holding your ground. By now Bruce I get that you are a grown man who can make good decisions for himself and are smart enough to ask for help but are even smarter for knowing when NOT to listen!
Anyhow, I would just read the reviews between the 2 boards on newegg and critique who is voicing their opinion and make sure your happy with your given board.
I see that the msi has wireless ac; I actually remembering helping you try to find mobo's that had wifi and the gigabyte seems to lack this. Other than that they are both...

jnewegger23

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Unfortunately, if you've noticed the trend lately, by the time intel creates an i9 the socket type of any mobo you buy today will more than likely be obsolete. I just built my 1155 rig last year and it has already been replaced by the 1150.
Your case will likely not house the best components due to its small form factor. I'd recommend just creating a new build all together. What would your initial budget be? I'd be glad to recommend some builds after that.
 

Madmaxneo

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Everything will be upgraded eventually. I forgot to mention the case, apologies there. I am starting my upgrade with a motherboard/CPU/RAM combo. Btw the case I have is a mid size tower (could be considered full size) and is not the small form factor case. The optiplex case came in several forms. The small form factor couldn't hold 4 x 2gb 800 mhz RAM modules, mine does. My initial budget will be about $1000 at most, depending on a few things.
 

jnewegger23

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Madmaxneo

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That is a nice set up jnewegger23. It even gives extra room for OC (which I have yet to try) especially with the 2133mhz RAM memory. It may take about a month or two at this point though. I am hoping sooner. Now based on IDontUnderstand's comment, what kind of PSU does that set up require? Btw, second stage will either be a SSD or a video card(s). Cases are a different matter as it all depends on preferences. I will keep everyone updated.

Bruce
 

jnewegger23

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Glad you like it. Most gpus will require between a 400W to 650W psu so your current psu should be more than adequate until you find that gpu you want to upgrade to.

You mentioned desiring the potential ability to go multi card down the line. I would then recommend around an 860W psu (eg Corsair AX860). I personally have an AX1200 (I know way overkill for most) but you are approaching your build much the way I remember myself starting out and I wanted as much future proofing as possible. While most cards in sli won't push much past the 860W barrier some are starting to and I can handle even 3 way sli on most cards. However, that said most any benchmark reviewer will tell you that the heat increase and driver issues far outweigh any gains you can see when you go past 2 way sli/crossfire on cards these days so being prepared for 2 way sli is really the most future proofing most of us would care about as your system will probably be the bottleneck by the time you'd even consider 3way if you get what am saying at this point.

As for cases, that is definitely a big choice I think as it's what you'll see most after your monitor. I recommend getting at least a mid tower. I'm not really a full tower guy but more power to those who are. I feel that with mid tower you can get standard ATX size boards in and don't have to settle for micro ATX and plus you get improved air flow and cooling. Full tower guys would argue you can even get Extended ATX and may say the same thing to me! Anyhow, if you're on the fence this is a good looking budget case that has most of the higher end features but at a dirt cheap price with some good reviews:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146102&clickid=W5x0MT1kdRLyyLsVtc0fyx7hUkTRXvxfPwwW0I0&iradid=97618&ircid=2106&irpid=79301&nm_mc=AFC-IR&cm_mmc=AFC-IR-_-na-_-na-_-na
You can see my build in my signature btw.
 
I personally don't think it's worth it to purchase 32GB of RAM as it costs 3 times the cost of 16GB in most cases and only professional video editors will need 32GB in my opinion.
I suggest to go with jnewegger23's list with the MSI motherboard and this RAM http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231627
With the $300 you saved from that you can get yourself GTX 760, maybe 770 on sale or PSU or SSD.
 

jnewegger23

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When you do video editing ram comes at a premium, he did mention that he may be doing some video editing but for gaming even 16GB is overkill so I understand your point. He listed his budget and I just put together something I would get as I do some similar things with my rig. The ram could be an area to save a lot of money though so again that's a good point; the dominators are pretty but you pay for that sexy look; definitely not the best bang for the buck I admit. I think the ares by gskill are a better value but I'm not sure about his taste, priorities etc so I put in the best even if it wasn't the most cost effective. He seems to be wanting the highest quality as he spaces out this budget so I excluded the strategy of saving for gpus and psus now and let him decide if he sees better value; just posting something for him to strive towards. But again I agree with what you said over all.
 

Madmaxneo

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I am more of a "best bang for the buck" then a "pretty little features" kind of guy. When it comes to cases I actually prefer ease of access and room to move around. In the past I have always used the mid tower's but have wondered what I could do with a full tower, especially when it comes to cooling. The NZXT looks like a good choice for a tower. So does "IDontUnderstand's recommendation
I did not notice that the Asus board didn't have onboard WiFi. I have an inexpensive ethernet card that has a throughput higher than what I can get from the wireless router for now, but I prefer not to take up any slots when it can be avoided. I will probably go with 16gbs of RAM and upgrade as time goes on. I use a couple of graphics programs like Illustrator, which is why I am sticking with at least 16gbs of ram.
In regards to the RAM, isn't higher clock speeds a bigger deal than the total amount of RAM? Btw, I have been drooling over the 770 gpu since it has been released. I would like to build a system worthy of its specs before I purchase.

As a side note I also really enjoy a good sound system. My first real; experience with 5.1 surround was with the original thief video game. The sound was amazing, it even freaked my dog out! I plan on purchasing the logitech z906 ($235 on amazon) 5.1 speakers in time. It has two optical inputs (what I currently need for best quality). Then I plan on getting shivers from games like the fear and dead space series.
Bruce
 

Madmaxneo

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I lettered and numbered everything in case someone wanted to comment.
Good set there. I like it. The case is ummm, interesting looking.
A. I am guessing that with a case that "wide" it would be better for modded cooling?
B. Is there a difference between the different brands of 770 overclocked cards? I actually prefer to purchase from EVGA, I have had nothing but great customer service from them and I have never had a problem with any of their products (plus I would get a discount on their handheld platform if I decide to get it).
It looks as though I will be purchasing this in pieces as I look more at my budget. This is my proposed order of importance. I'm not sure how much prices may drop in the next couple of months but I figure RAM will drop the most if any:
1. Motherboard
2. CPU
3. RAM
Then (these three might change order):
4. PSU
5. 770 video card
6.Case
I almost forgot.
C. I also plan on purchasing a new combo optical drive and maybe a blu ray burner just to say I have one...lol, not sure if I really need it. But I don't know how to compare the combo drives, they all claim to have some cool features, what do you guys recommend? Is lightscribe any good?This may actually end up being purchased first as it is probably the most inexpensive out of everything.
EDIT: Blu ray isn't that important, just the regular combo drive is.
Bruce
 
The choice of casing really depends on your preference, it's more about the look than anything else.
Different brands of GPU comes with a different tweaks on the PCB and a different cooler, if you like EVGA and are ok with their pricing, then I don't see why not.
I don't see a value in purchasing a BD/DVD drive anymore since pretty much everything is moving towards cloud storage, but if you want it then I would suggest to just get one with good ratings and that's about all I know in regards to picking those.
 

Madmaxneo

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I will do, I didn't know that website helped with that. I thought you guys were coming up with this based on personal opinions. Right now I am a little confused by two things.
1. There are other 2x 8gb modules at 1866ghz for a lower price, is there a performance difference? Why choose the Corsair vengeance pro modules?
2. Is there any of those high speed 1866mhz (or higher) available in single 8gb modules? I was thinking about what you guys said about not needing more than 8gb at first. I could suffer a little. I did a simple search on Amazon and found that there is nothing available for the 8gb modules in one RAM stick. Only in the 2 x 4gb modules.
Bruce
 

jnewegger23

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I picked those last pair bc of the low cas latency and high speed. Happened to be corsair again. I gave no weight to appearance this time around.
Here's a list of 1866 1x8GB sorted by price:
http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/memory/#s=301866&Z=8192001&sort=a10

I like this one due to low cas latency and price:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148772&clickid=W5x0MTx%3A-RGtTsAVOhSMAVIUUkTRj-0fPwwW0I0&iradid=97618&ircid=2106&irpid=79301&nm_mc=AFC-IR&cm_mmc=AFC-IR-_-na-_-na-_-na

When selecting ram, keep this formula in mind:
(CAS Latency/Speed)*2000= time in nanoseconds
The lower the number the faster (better) derived from ROG (Republic of Gamers) forums. It helps you compare ram across different latency and speeds. Just fyi
 

Madmaxneo

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Thanks so far guys. I will post what I have come up with either tonight or tomorrow. I also discovered something. I mentioned that I had been 'drooling' over the 770 cards since they had come out. I was wrong, it is the Titan black card that I have been drooling over. After looking at the price of this beast, I will have to make sure I drink plenty of fluids because I am going to have to just keep on 'drooling'. I did find a great set of cases, the NZXT black cases. Black blends in with my desk. I am going for a full size tower for the bays and I will need plenty of fan space for cooling. Any recommendations?

I have also decided that I will either have about $350 to spend every two weeks or I will save up until I have enough to get everything at once. I am not sure yet. I will probably go to about $1500 total or a little more. This total will also include windows 8 and other minor pieces.

Bruce
 

Madmaxneo

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This is my current build. I went a little over budget but, this build is over time so...
http://pcpartpicker.com/user/Madmaxneo/saved/3UEt
Tell me what you pros think.
First I want to note a few things on prices:
The cost of the NZXT case on Amazon is higher than what it lists in my build
The cost of the EVGA video card is cheaper on the EVGA website, but the superclocked one is about the same price.
A few things will probably change.
I am thinking about getting higher speed RAM, and maybe the next step up in a video card (maybe one with more onboard memory).
I choose Win 8.1 pro for a few reasons, mainly to do with the extra stuff included over the regular 8.1 (bitlocker for one).
In the meantime I have a few questions about video cards. As I was perusing the EVGA website I found some interesting things and looked hard at the specs. In comparing the Titan black to the lower cost cards it just doesn't seem worth it.
1. Should I or should I not get a card with a double bios feature ?
2. What about the 2 cards in one (basically two video cards inside one shell)? Or is running two separate cards in SLI better?
That is all I can think of for now.
Bruce
 

jnewegger23

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Double bios is great for quick overclocking. If you don't plan on doing that then you can save your money.
With regard to your 2 cards in one are you referring to the MARS 760 or the GTX 790? Either way, both are basically SLI in one package. I believe that these have slight advatages over 2 actual cards in sli; for one, it saves you a pci-e slot, I have to check the data but I would imagine it would yield a little less heat with less physical space being used but both situations have the limitation of certain games not scaling well bc of sli; more games are designed with sli in mind so this becomes less of an issue. I recommend getting a single stronger gpu rather than going sli.
Overall, I think you've made a great selection on parts. The only part in question is the A-Data SSD. I see the bang for buck here but if you can find a Samsung 840 Pro on sale then that is the top performer:
http://www.guru3d.com/articles_pages/samsung_840_pro_ssd_benchmark_review_test,1.html

Have fun!
 

Madmaxneo

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Yeah I was wondering about that SSD. It got a 4.5 star rating so I put it in there. I figured you or someone else would comment on that.
The 840 pro is nice. I was wondering what I should put on a SSD. Originally they were used for OS's and video games. But even HDD's have advanced from what I have seen. If I get the 128gb, there isn't much more than the OS and maybe a video game or two and possibly my music. I would never fit all my graphics program stuff on there. So I am thinking a 128gb for now and maybe a higher cost one later.

As far as overclocking goes. I have never done it, but I would like to try. Which is part of the reason for such a large case. I am thinking of going for water cooling eventually. The NZXT case I picked specifically supports high end water cooling and I can only see that being used for OC. Then again, I may never need to mod....
Another reason for a large case is I like to add gadgets. Way back in the day there was this 5.25" bay fan controller/readout that simply looked 'cool' and it had a function, I wanted it but never got around to purchasing it.
Bruce
 

jnewegger23

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I only really put the OS on the SSD. Other than faster load up times you don't really experience any difference by having your games on there. See my setup. I have a 4TB HDD and it's plenty fast. I keep all non system data on there. If you can afford it great but it's still about 10:1 or 6:1 cost SSD:HDD so you have to pick and choose here while putting the rest of the system together and 128GB is plenty good for the OS and some say you can put up to 75% and still have good performance but I like to "over buffer" and limit to 50% but with trim these days I'm probably being way too conservative. That said I put everything on the HDD pretty much that's not OS related when possible on top of utilizing multiple ssd longevity/performance strategies but that's all for another thread.
 

Madmaxneo

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Since I am going to purchase and build this rig over about 2 months; in what order should I start purchasing the items? Basically I would save the ones most likely to go down in price for last.
My updated build:http://pcpartpicker.com/p/32rZr
Bruce