Purchase Date: 8/15/14
Budget Range: None because it's more long term so I'm willing to wait and save as long as it takes to have the appropriate amount of money.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, surfing the internet
Are you buying a monitor: Already have a 1080p one but am looking to buy another, Acer XB280HK bprz 28-inch Display Ultra HD 4K2K NVIDIA G-SYNC (3840 x 2160) Widescreen Monitor
Parts to Upgrade: Motherboard, Case, Graphics Card, Processor? RAM?, Cooling System?, Power Supply?, anything else you suggest!
Do you need to buy OS: No, currently using Windows 10
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Whichever has the best deal but Amazon is what I've been using.
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio, 45211, USA
Parts Preferences: I don't really care about brands for most parts except I'm pretty sure I want to keep the processor Intel and graphics card Nvidia.
Overclocking: No
SLI or Crossfire: No
Your Monitor Resolution: Currently, 1080p. Looking to buy, 4K. This monitor is what I'll probably get and I'll dual monitor them.
Additional Comments: Don't care about how loud or quiet the system is, system is in the attic which can get hot during the summer but is air conditioned while I'm in the room. (Almost always) And is always running but haven't had any issues with overheating yet.
Why Are You Upgrading: Want to move the guts into a new case for easier upgrade down the line.
Parts you have already selected:
Monitor: Acer XB280HK bprz 28-inch Display Ultra HD 4K2K NVIDIA G-SYNC (3840 x 2160) Widescreen Monitor
Graphics Card: GeForce GTX 980 Ti
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, I posted a few questions on the Alienware forum and got some answers but once I got into some detail they suggested posting here. Here is a link to the topic in case it helps: http://en.community.dell.com/owners-club/alienware/f/3746/p/19642676/20792423
Here are the detailed computer specs:
Processor: Intel Core i7-4790 @4GHz
Operating System: Windows 10 64-Bit
Monitor: Dell S2340M 23" 1080p
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 Ti OEM
Memory: 16 GB DDR3
SSD: Samsung 850 Pro 256 GB
Optical Drive: Slot-Loading Dual Layer DVD Burner (9.5mm)
Wireless: DW 1550 802.11 b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi + Bluetooth Wireless Combo
Keyboard: Logitech MK700/MK710
Mouse: Logitech M705
Memory Slots: 2x 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM Slots
Chassis Dimensions & Weight
Front-Height: 13.504” (343mm)
Rear-Height: 12.54” (318.5mm)
Depth: 12.52” (318mm)
Width: 3.74” (95mm)
Starting Weight: 12.1lbs (5.49 Kg.)
External Chassis Connections
Front
(2x) SuperSpeed USB 3.0
(1x) Microphone In
(1x) Headphone/Speaker Out
Rear
(1x) On-board HDMI 1.4 Output
(1x) RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet
(2x) Hi-Speed USB 2.0
(4x) SuperSpeed USB 3.0
(1x) Front Left/Right Speakers
(1x) Center Speaker
(1x) Rear Left/Right Speakers
(1x) Side Left/Right Speakers
(1x) SPDIF Digital Output (TOSLINK) (1x) SPDIF Digital Output (Coax)
Internal Chassis Connections
(3x) SATA 6.0Gb/s Ports
Chipset: Intel® H87 Express Chipset (Standard)
Dimensions & Weight
Height: Front: 13.504" (343mm) Rear: 12.54" (318.5mm)
Depth: 12.52" (318mm)
Width: 3.74" (95mm)
Starting Weight: 12.1 lbs. (5.49 kg.)
Motherboard Class: Mini-ITX Motherboard
Processor Cooling: Alienware™ High-Performance Air Cooling
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To sum up the responses I got there, they said I should get a new ATX motherboard, a closed loop liquid cooler, and a new power supply to support the Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 Ti GPU.
I was also wondering if I should get new RAM and go from DDR3 to DDR4. There seems to be some controversy on whether DDR4 is better or not. I've found 165 motherboards that can support all my current components and DDR4 ram so finding a board for it isn't an issue.
Also, do you think I should upgrade my processor now so I won't have to get a whole new motherboard if I want to upgrade later but the socket types don't match up. If I were to upgrade it, the socket types would have to be LGA 1150, LGA 1155, LGA 1156, or LGA 2011.
Also, I can't decide what type of form factor to get for my motherboard. I'm stuck between ATX, Extended ATX, Ultra ATX, and XL ATX. Would it be too difficult to find a case that supports anything besides the plain ATX?
The graphics card and monitor would probably be the last things I'm going to upgrade since those are the priciest. With that said, does that also mean I should/could hold off upgrading the power supply and cooling system until then?
Also looking for any part upgrade suggestions I haven't already mentioned.
If you have ANY questions, even the smallest, just ask them below and I'll clarify anything as much as I can!
Thanks!
Budget Range: None because it's more long term so I'm willing to wait and save as long as it takes to have the appropriate amount of money.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, surfing the internet
Are you buying a monitor: Already have a 1080p one but am looking to buy another, Acer XB280HK bprz 28-inch Display Ultra HD 4K2K NVIDIA G-SYNC (3840 x 2160) Widescreen Monitor
Parts to Upgrade: Motherboard, Case, Graphics Card, Processor? RAM?, Cooling System?, Power Supply?, anything else you suggest!
Do you need to buy OS: No, currently using Windows 10
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Whichever has the best deal but Amazon is what I've been using.
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio, 45211, USA
Parts Preferences: I don't really care about brands for most parts except I'm pretty sure I want to keep the processor Intel and graphics card Nvidia.
Overclocking: No
SLI or Crossfire: No
Your Monitor Resolution: Currently, 1080p. Looking to buy, 4K. This monitor is what I'll probably get and I'll dual monitor them.
Additional Comments: Don't care about how loud or quiet the system is, system is in the attic which can get hot during the summer but is air conditioned while I'm in the room. (Almost always) And is always running but haven't had any issues with overheating yet.
Why Are You Upgrading: Want to move the guts into a new case for easier upgrade down the line.
Parts you have already selected:
Monitor: Acer XB280HK bprz 28-inch Display Ultra HD 4K2K NVIDIA G-SYNC (3840 x 2160) Widescreen Monitor
Graphics Card: GeForce GTX 980 Ti
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, I posted a few questions on the Alienware forum and got some answers but once I got into some detail they suggested posting here. Here is a link to the topic in case it helps: http://en.community.dell.com/owners-club/alienware/f/3746/p/19642676/20792423
Here are the detailed computer specs:
Processor: Intel Core i7-4790 @4GHz
Operating System: Windows 10 64-Bit
Monitor: Dell S2340M 23" 1080p
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 Ti OEM
Memory: 16 GB DDR3
SSD: Samsung 850 Pro 256 GB
Optical Drive: Slot-Loading Dual Layer DVD Burner (9.5mm)
Wireless: DW 1550 802.11 b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi + Bluetooth Wireless Combo
Keyboard: Logitech MK700/MK710
Mouse: Logitech M705
Memory Slots: 2x 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM Slots
Chassis Dimensions & Weight
Front-Height: 13.504” (343mm)
Rear-Height: 12.54” (318.5mm)
Depth: 12.52” (318mm)
Width: 3.74” (95mm)
Starting Weight: 12.1lbs (5.49 Kg.)
External Chassis Connections
Front
(2x) SuperSpeed USB 3.0
(1x) Microphone In
(1x) Headphone/Speaker Out
Rear
(1x) On-board HDMI 1.4 Output
(1x) RJ-45 Gigabit Ethernet
(2x) Hi-Speed USB 2.0
(4x) SuperSpeed USB 3.0
(1x) Front Left/Right Speakers
(1x) Center Speaker
(1x) Rear Left/Right Speakers
(1x) Side Left/Right Speakers
(1x) SPDIF Digital Output (TOSLINK) (1x) SPDIF Digital Output (Coax)
Internal Chassis Connections
(3x) SATA 6.0Gb/s Ports
Chipset: Intel® H87 Express Chipset (Standard)
Dimensions & Weight
Height: Front: 13.504" (343mm) Rear: 12.54" (318.5mm)
Depth: 12.52" (318mm)
Width: 3.74" (95mm)
Starting Weight: 12.1 lbs. (5.49 kg.)
Motherboard Class: Mini-ITX Motherboard
Processor Cooling: Alienware™ High-Performance Air Cooling
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To sum up the responses I got there, they said I should get a new ATX motherboard, a closed loop liquid cooler, and a new power supply to support the Nvidia GeForce GTX 980 Ti GPU.
I was also wondering if I should get new RAM and go from DDR3 to DDR4. There seems to be some controversy on whether DDR4 is better or not. I've found 165 motherboards that can support all my current components and DDR4 ram so finding a board for it isn't an issue.
Also, do you think I should upgrade my processor now so I won't have to get a whole new motherboard if I want to upgrade later but the socket types don't match up. If I were to upgrade it, the socket types would have to be LGA 1150, LGA 1155, LGA 1156, or LGA 2011.
Also, I can't decide what type of form factor to get for my motherboard. I'm stuck between ATX, Extended ATX, Ultra ATX, and XL ATX. Would it be too difficult to find a case that supports anything besides the plain ATX?
The graphics card and monitor would probably be the last things I'm going to upgrade since those are the priciest. With that said, does that also mean I should/could hold off upgrading the power supply and cooling system until then?
Also looking for any part upgrade suggestions I haven't already mentioned.
If you have ANY questions, even the smallest, just ask them below and I'll clarify anything as much as I can!
Thanks!