Upgrading RAM (and gpu) for ASUSTek / i7 950

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elainethesplash

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Feb 14, 2017
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MoBo: ASUSTeK P6X58D-E (LGA1366)
CPU: Intel Core i7 950 @ 3.07 GHz


I plan to replace the current RAM, but don't know what to look for.

I have 6 memory slots, and currently have 4 triple-channel DDR3 sticks (@534 MHz, 7-7-7-20).


I don't do a lot of graphics-intensive anything, but I do game - but not many shooters and no MMOs or MOBAs. (I will be getting a GeForce GTX970 though, fwiw.)


Whatever I get, I want to last until I next upgrade the mobo/CPU. Would also like the cost to be reasonable. IOW not the latest and greatest. :)


Also happy to provide any more info. I'm using Speccy.


Thank you!

 
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imsqam
And here is a suggested upgrade build with new RAM, GPU and HDD. The GPU and HDD would be okay with a new mobo/CPU setup, the RAM is a possibility with a new mobo/CPU setup but probably not the best choice as we are now using DDR4 ram. Chose a Hybrid HDD (SSHD) here but if you will get an SSD at some point just get a regular 7200RPM HDD.

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/YBH8Cy
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/YBH8Cy/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-950 3.06GHz Quad-Core Processor ($0.00)
Motherboard: Asus P6X58D-E ATX LGA1366 Motherboard ($0.00)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate FireCuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid...
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imsqam

imsqam

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Mar 25, 2011
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This mobo is restricted to 1, 2 and 4 GB ram sticks so max 4GB per slot. As well, DDR3-1600MHz ram is restricted to one stick per channel, you have 3 channels. We want to use DDR3-1600MHz so 12GB total, but that should be plenty for what you want to do. FYI, the ram you have is DDR3-1066MHz CAS 7. A ram upgrade here won't produce much of difference so I will ask are you sure you want/need to do this?

Here are three choices, the XMS3 ram is quite good.
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/yNbp99,YrjG3C,4Nbp99/
 
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elainethesplash

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Feb 14, 2017
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Sorry for the delay - I was waiting for an email notification which I don't seem to have actually enabled.

Based on what you said I probably don't need to upgrade the RAM. I need to upgrade my GPU and replace my one failing hard drive. I was going to max out my RAM just because (I'd planned to migrate the upgraded RAM when I replace the mobo, but since that will be several years it's probably not as brilliant an idea as I originally thought).


Where did you see 1066MHz? Or is it simply telepathy between you and my computer?

As for the hard drive, I saw a reply to someone else's question that said any 7200 RPM non-composite, non-SS one would do. I know I'm in the wrong forum but if you disagree let me know and I'll look more. :)

Thank you!
 
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imsqam

imsqam

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Mar 25, 2011
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No problem, good things come to those who wait.

First, RAM has come in many different data rate configurations with the latest being DDR ram. The acronym stands for Double Data Rate which means that data is transferred twice per clock cycle. So if your clock cycle is 533MHz then you double it to get the data transfer rate, a 1066MHz data rate.

Hard drives are not all created equal even if they operate at 7200 RPM, differences in cache size being of primary importance. You have 4 basic configurations for home storage

    ■ Hard Disk Drive (HDD) only. Your cheapest choice but allows for larger storage sizes , most only need a 1TB HDD.
    ■ Solid State Hard Drive (SSHD) only. This option seeks to obtain Solid State Drive (SSD) performance by assign flash memory to those pieces of information that are used/accessed most frequently. Second cheapest option but can produce much better performance, especially if your computer is accessing certain operating instructions on a regular basis.
    https://pcpartpicker.com/product/n28H99/seagate-firecuda-1tb-35-7200rpm-hybrid-internal-hard-drive-st1000dx002
    ■ SSD only. Many gamers or people who do not require a lot of storage space opt for this. Second most expensive option.
    ■ SSD plus HDD. This is how I design most of my builds. You put Operating System and program software on the SSD for fast operation and use the HDD to store larger files like pictures, movies, etc. Most expensive option.


For the HDD only option make sure to get one with at least 64MB of cache. I tend to lean towards Seagate drives. Here are some options.

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/dCxfrH/seagate-internal-hard-drive-st1000dm003
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/internal-hard-drive/#t=7200&X=0,8529&S=240000,1000000&sort=a10&f=2&c=64

Now before you buy a GPU for an upgrade, best to have someone (me?) check for compatibility and applicability. Issues of Power Supply Unit (PSU) size/quality, space in the case, CPU bottlenecking, etc. should be considered.
 
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elainethesplash

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Feb 14, 2017
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Sigh. This is why I hate hardware, which is why it's so nice there are people like you who like it. :)

For the GPU, I planned to get a GeForce GTX970. I don't know what other info about my system you might need to know. I don't plan on using VR, though I too would like to have videos of me falling down posted on the internet.


For the hard drive, I have two 1T drives. One was used for my games, and that's the one that fails (I've had to reformat it twice in the past year). I *could* buy an SS drive and move the system onto it, but I'd rather wait to do that with my next rig.

FYI the 1066MHz number makes perfect sense now! :)

I've had problems with both Seagate and Western Digital, so I could literally toss a coin. I guess I'll give Seagate another chance...

Thank you yet again!
 
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imsqam

imsqam

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Mar 25, 2011
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Okay, first, you are quite welcome, I love your sense of humor. Who knew what VR tripping would really be :ptdr:

Next, here is some info on HDD reliability, truth is, HDD do tend to fail at a much greater rate than other computer components. And I learned something today, that HGST is Hitachi (I had always just looked at the BackBlaze website).

http://www.pcworld.com/article/3071180/storage/who-makes-the-most-reliable-hard-drive-latest-backblaze-survey-claims-to-know.html
https://www.backblaze.com/blog/hard-drive-benchmark-stats-2016/

Now for the GPU, I am assuming that you are not getting the GTX 970 new and through retail. Otherwise, there are much better choices. So we need to make sure that you have a big enough PSU, that the PSU has the right power connectors, that the card will fit in the case you have and that your CPU is woefully under-powered as compared to the GPU.

Okay, questions.

  • ■ Did you buy your computer as a pre-built, if you did, provide make and model and any modifications you have done
    ■ If it is not a pre-built, then I need to know the make/model of your PSU, HDD, RAM and your case.
    ■ To get the PSU info, open the case and look for a label on the PSU like this one.
    https://www.pcper.com/images/reviews/206/PSU-1.jpg
    ■ Biggest problem is getting the case info if you don't know it. Look for logos, labels, etc. See what you can do.
    ■ To get the RAM info, you can just run this program. It is not critical to know though in case you want to skip it.
    http://www.cpuid.com/softwares/cpu-z.html
PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/HXbtt6
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/HXbtt6/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-950 3.06GHz Quad-Core Processor
Motherboard: Asus P6X58D-E ATX LGA1366 Motherboard
Total: $0.00
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-03-14 08:29 EDT-0400


 
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elainethesplash

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Sure, we can look at other GPUs... >.> <.< >.> I would love to have one that puts my CPU in the shade. (A friend recommended the GTX970 years ago and he still loves it *and* I still have the note from back then. :)

However, cost is a bit of a factor. But if I upgrade my mobo soon enough (ha) and migrate the GPU, that might help. But the "(ha)" is a real thing!

PSU: XFX 850W Black Edition
HDD: 977GB Western Digital WDC WD10EARS-00MVWB0 ATA
RAM: http://imgur.com/gallery/vSEcl
Case: Antec ATX 600

Is this it? It seems like I'm missing something...
 
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imsqam

imsqam

Splendid
Mar 25, 2011
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Okay, looks like you will have no problems, lots of space and a really good PSU if somewhat oversized. Even if the PSU is 5-6 years old I would still have no fears with this PSU.
http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=165

Now the i7-950 is performing at about the same PassMark level (5603) as a AMD Athlon X4 880K (5618) and a Intel Pentium G4600 (5336). So while the 950 is still a valid CPU the level of performance now is at the budget level. If your GPU is being bought simply match the performance of the CPU I would be looking at a NVidia GTX 1060-6GB, which is about 10% faster than the GTX 970 or an AMD RX 480-8GB, about 6% faster. Gaming performance goes back and forth, look at the comparison for FPS scores by title.
http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-970-vs-Nvidia-GTX-1060-6GB/2577vs3639

Here is a list of available 1060's and 480's, prices range from about $210-$300 (the couple above $300 are not real prices)
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/video-card/#c=373,370&sort=a8&r=8192,6144&X=1993,451900

Here are my two choices

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/tJyxFT/evga-geforce-gtx-1060-6gb-sc-gaming-video-card-06g-p4-6163-kr

https://pcpartpicker.com/product/YHGj4D/sapphire-radeon-rx-480-8gb-nitro-video-card-11260-07

The 1060 and 480 will provide excellent 1080p and good 1440p graphics
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gpus,4380.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gpu-hierarchy,4388.html

If you wanted something that will be appropriate for a future upgrade then you might want to look at a GTX 1070
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/video-card/#c=369&sort=a8&r=8192,6144&X=1993,451900
 
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imsqam

imsqam

Splendid
Mar 25, 2011
1,912
1
23,960
And here is a suggested upgrade build with new RAM, GPU and HDD. The GPU and HDD would be okay with a new mobo/CPU setup, the RAM is a possibility with a new mobo/CPU setup but probably not the best choice as we are now using DDR4 ram. Chose a Hybrid HDD (SSHD) here but if you will get an SSD at some point just get a regular 7200RPM HDD.

PCPartPicker part list: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/YBH8Cy
Price breakdown by merchant: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/YBH8Cy/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i7-950 3.06GHz Quad-Core Processor ($0.00)
Motherboard: Asus P6X58D-E ATX LGA1366 Motherboard ($0.00)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate FireCuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Hybrid Internal Hard Drive ($78.88 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB SC GAMING Video Card ($239.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: Antec Six Hundred ATX Mid Tower Case ($0.00)
Power Supply: XFX Black Edition 850W 80+ Silver Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($0.00)
Total: $418.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-03-15 09:04 EDT-0400
 
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elainethesplash

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Feb 14, 2017
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Awesome!

I may have planned to upgrade the CPU by now (and most definitely the GPU) - I had this rig built in 2010 - but then I had the dubious joy of becoming a homeowner.

I'll definitely need to upgrade the CPU/mobo in a couple years; and thank god there are videos showing how... It's not difficult, I just don't like hardware and I don't know why. I enjoyed working with people who like it, though! :)


Waitaminute! I thought you said my RAM didn't need to be upgraded! Not that I have a problem doing it, but unless it's going to actually give me value I'd rather not spend $100 on something that will be replaced in 2-3 years. (You may laugh. :)) Though I guess if it's 3 years it would be worth it.

Or are you suggesting RAM because my CPU is now budget level? :,(
 
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imsqam

imsqam

Splendid
Mar 25, 2011
1,912
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Ack, do not buy this RAM. Forgot from earlier that this board will not take 8GB sticks so that's that. I guess I was just keyboard happy when I did this.

If you want to upgrade the ram, get the Corsair XMS that I suggested before. You have 8GB so that should be enough for the time being, the difference between DDR3-1600 with timings of 9-9-9-24 and DDR3-1066 with timings of 7-7-7-20 is not great.

If you plan to upgrade in the near future, don't upgrade the RAM, not worth it. 8GB is considered a minimum these day with 16GB being the new standard, that would be the reason to upgrade. But if you buy the XMS you will likely not be able to use it with a new mobo/CPU.
 
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elainethesplash

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Feb 14, 2017
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Thank you SO! MUCH! for your help!

I'll get the Corsair XMS because otherwise I'll probably want to throttle my CPU in a couple years and the extra RAM might help save it. (Plus, $75 feels like a lot less than $100? Don't ask me.) "Near future" suggests maybe 6 months; in electronics it might suggest 6 weeks ;); but it will probably be a couple years.

I'll get a non-hybrid Hitachi drive :))) because I will prob buy an SSD for my system drive in the next rig.

And I'll get the GeForce GTX 1060!


Is that it? Are we done? I feel like I should do more than just upvote your replies. Well, since they don't have a cookie, I'll choose this one: :hello:
 
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