Dear Anyone more knowledgeable/experienced than I,
I have a several-yrs-old desktop, HP Pavilion HPE450f:
Chipset = H57
CPU = i7-870 @2.93-3.6GHz
GPU = Radeon HD5770
OS = Win 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Over time, for purposes of photography & some multitasking, I have upgraded to:
RAM = 16GB DDR3 max
SSD OS drive & scratch disks
and some little PCI & USB peripherals
With my computer gradually losing a little speed/responsiveness/performance, as programs become more complex, I would like to upgrade what I believe to be the most significant weak links in my system.. the CPU & GPU. But, every few hours in my research/education on the matter, I seem to uncover new challenges/obstacles.
My fantasy was that I might just plop in a new CPU & GPU. But, it seems that my motherboard can't handle that. And then my case MIGHT not be able to handle the new mobo. So, now, I'm getting swamped in various configurations of CPU + GPU + mobo + case. And the newest challenge.. maybe Windows 7 can't handle that?! (AND maybe I need a dedicated CPU cooler, as well?)
What would you do in my shoes?
-i7-7700K looked like a good upgrade, but then not for Windows 7, so I started thinking about i7-6700K.
-GTX 1070 seems to present no problems.
-Do I need to care about Z170 vs Z270 mobo?
-Do I NEED a CPU cooler?
-How can I make this process as non-invasive as possible and keep Windows 7?.. And, is it true that I may not be able to just connect my currently-in-use hard drives (with OS, programs, and data) into this new mobo-CPU-GPU assembly and have Windows 7 and everything else just pick up and go?
-And RAM.. will it be possible to keep my DDR3 RAM for the time being? Would it be possible to upgrade to something like 24GB (because I sometimes bump up against my current 16, but I wouldn't like to spend money for 32GB if I don't need it)?
(I expected, of course, to spend some money, but I am already surprised by how much... GPUs are more expensive than I expected, and I didn't expect that I might have to replace the mobo, and, probably, the case. Money is an object. That's why I'm trying to make piecemeal improvements, rather than just buying a new computer [and I also dislike waste, and I like things to be customized for my needs]).
-And, while I don't yet have the math, I understand that I might have to upgrade the 460W PSU.
What can I do?
Thanks, In Advance!
I have a several-yrs-old desktop, HP Pavilion HPE450f:
Chipset = H57
CPU = i7-870 @2.93-3.6GHz
GPU = Radeon HD5770
OS = Win 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Over time, for purposes of photography & some multitasking, I have upgraded to:
RAM = 16GB DDR3 max
SSD OS drive & scratch disks
and some little PCI & USB peripherals
With my computer gradually losing a little speed/responsiveness/performance, as programs become more complex, I would like to upgrade what I believe to be the most significant weak links in my system.. the CPU & GPU. But, every few hours in my research/education on the matter, I seem to uncover new challenges/obstacles.
My fantasy was that I might just plop in a new CPU & GPU. But, it seems that my motherboard can't handle that. And then my case MIGHT not be able to handle the new mobo. So, now, I'm getting swamped in various configurations of CPU + GPU + mobo + case. And the newest challenge.. maybe Windows 7 can't handle that?! (AND maybe I need a dedicated CPU cooler, as well?)
What would you do in my shoes?
-i7-7700K looked like a good upgrade, but then not for Windows 7, so I started thinking about i7-6700K.
-GTX 1070 seems to present no problems.
-Do I need to care about Z170 vs Z270 mobo?
-Do I NEED a CPU cooler?
-How can I make this process as non-invasive as possible and keep Windows 7?.. And, is it true that I may not be able to just connect my currently-in-use hard drives (with OS, programs, and data) into this new mobo-CPU-GPU assembly and have Windows 7 and everything else just pick up and go?
-And RAM.. will it be possible to keep my DDR3 RAM for the time being? Would it be possible to upgrade to something like 24GB (because I sometimes bump up against my current 16, but I wouldn't like to spend money for 32GB if I don't need it)?
(I expected, of course, to spend some money, but I am already surprised by how much... GPUs are more expensive than I expected, and I didn't expect that I might have to replace the mobo, and, probably, the case. Money is an object. That's why I'm trying to make piecemeal improvements, rather than just buying a new computer [and I also dislike waste, and I like things to be customized for my needs]).
-And, while I don't yet have the math, I understand that I might have to upgrade the 460W PSU.
What can I do?
Thanks, In Advance!
Thanks, Nitinvaid.. you've given me some confirmation that this is like a cascade, where one change leads to another.
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