Help With First Build!

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MrSar9e

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Apr 8, 2017
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Hi all I'm new here but over the last few days ive been trawling through threads regarding ram failure after upgrading.

I currently have a shop bought
acer tc603
I7 4770k
nvidea gtx 640 or 50 I think? cant remember..
12gb ddr3 ram
a poor build I know  

recently tried to upgrade to 16gb patriot viper ram but system is really unstable with it in. would not boot at all in dual channel. as far as I can see the only difference between the two types is the timings which I cant change in my current bios options.

any ideas?

anyway, subsequently ive decided that if my store bough isn't as upgradeable as I thought perhaps its time to build my own!

that being said I would like to save as many of the elements of the acer as I can. Any opinions on what could be saveable? processor etc?

was hoping with crossed fingers it would be an easy matter of a new mother board, graphics card (along with the new ram ive already bought) and maby a new power supply? Thoughts? could I get it all back in the same case? bit of a noob at the mo.. been a long time since high school computing!

any help greatly received, regards.
 
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X31 69.5 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($68.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z97 Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($126.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC GAMING ACX 3.0 Black Edition Video Card ($374.00 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($53.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $688.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-04-08 13:50 EDT-0400
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Finstar

Finstar

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Sep 7, 2013
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Yes building your own would pretty much be as easy as getting a new mobo, psu, gpu (not needed but your old one is pretty slow...) and possibly a new case since you might have some problems trying to fit new parts into the acer case.

Psu= Anything from Seasonic that's 500w or more (more than 500w is not really needed for anything unless you're planning on a multi gpu setup)
Mobo= Anything z97 based
Gpu= Depends on what you're going to use the pc for
Case= What you like

I can make more precise part suggestions if you give some budget info and what the pc is gonna be used for.
 
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M

MrSar9e

Honorable
Apr 8, 2017
21
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10,510
thanks for the fast reply!

budget isn't really a problem but that being said I would like to keep it as low as possible. I plan on picking up the pieces a little at a time to hide it from the mrs! hence the idea of the stealth build in my current case :)

predominantly to be used for gaming

 
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geofelt

geofelt

Titan
Oct 9, 2006
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1. problems adding ram is not unusual.
Ram is sold in kits for a reason.
A motherboard must manage all the ram using the same specs of voltage, cas and speed.
Ram from the same vendor and part number can be made up of differing manufacturing components over time.
Some motherboards can be very sensitive to this.
This is more difficult when 4 sticks are involved.
That is why ram vendors will NOT support ram that is not bought in one kit.
I would think that 12gb is fine for most desktop work or for gaming.
If you want more ram, go to a ram web site and access their ram selection guide.
Enter your motherboard or make/model of the pc and you will get a list of compatible ram kits.



2. Your I7-4770K(are you certain it is a i7-4770K and not a I7-4770?) is still a very good processor, particularly if your motherboard supports overclocking.
CPU-Z will identify your motherboard. Fast single thread performance is what games need most.
CPU-Z will also identify your graphics card.

3. Your GT640 is a very weak graphics card for gaming.
You undoubtedly can install a GTX750ti with a minimal psu to good effect.
Past that, you may need a stronger psu.
Here is a chart for other options:
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm
Open up your case and look for the required data plate on the psu.
Likely, it is a cheap unit that needs replacing regardless.
 
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Finstar

Finstar

Honorable
Sep 7, 2013
2,420
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X31 69.5 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($68.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z97 Killer ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($126.98 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 8GB SC GAMING ACX 3.0 Black Edition Video Card ($374.00 @ Amazon)
Case: NZXT S340 (Black/Red) ATX Mid Tower Case ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($53.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $688.85
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-04-08 13:50 EDT-0400
 
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Solution
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MrSar9e

Honorable
Apr 8, 2017
21
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10,510


thanks man, processor is indeed i7 4770
motherboard model info from cpuz just says aspire TC-603
intel haswell chipset ?

I take it that due to the new 2x8GB ram sticks not working that ive picked duds for my machine? anything I could do to make them work?

will check the PSU when I get home from work tonight.

thanks again
 
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MrSar9e

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Apr 8, 2017
21
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10,510


that's awesome thanks! I take it removing my hard drive and putting in a new build will mean ill have to buy another copy of windows and do a clean install/ loose everything on that disk?
 
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Finstar

Finstar

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Sep 7, 2013
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You can call Microsoft and tell them to reset the activation on your license. (not exactly sure how it works but i know it's possible). Clean install of windows is always recommended on a new build as having windows optimized for the old parts can cause crashes and hurt performance.
 
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M

MrSar9e

Honorable
Apr 8, 2017
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10,510


that's grand, thanks again for your help
 
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M

MrSar9e

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Apr 8, 2017
21
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10,510


would you recommend adding an SSD to the build?
 
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Finstar

Finstar

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Sep 7, 2013
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Definitely.
 
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