Helping son upgrade his gaming computer

ktrenholm · Nov 26, 2017

My son wants to upgrade his gaming computer.
He currently has an AMD 4300 Quad-core processor (3.8 3.8GHz) with a MSI 760 GMA-P34 motherboard.
He is looking at an Intel Core i7-7700K, but have no idea if it is compatible with his current motherboard (I'm thinking not, but he says it is.)
He also says it is easy to replace (most I have ever dome are drives and RAM).
So, what I an seeking is some best advice on upgrading his processor and/or motherboard.
Thanks in advance.

Paul NZ · Nov 26, 2017

He'll need a Kaby Lake mobo, (socket 1151) for the 7700k and it uses DDR 4 ram.

The mobo you have now is AMD, the new one is Intel.

You can't install AMD CPU's on Intel mobo's or vice-versa

According to the MSI site the mobo you have now, supports DDR3. DDR 3 and 4 ram are not compatible with each other

So you'll have to buy DDR 4 ram

And you should buy a B250 or Z270 motherboard for the 7700K.

If you buy a Z170, or H170 mobo,you'll have to update the BIOS first to support the 7700K. And you'll have to buy a Skylake CPU to do it

You can reuse the hdd (but you'll have to do a clean install to use it on a new system) the case, the PSU.

If the new mobo fits in the case

bjornl · Nov 26, 2017

ktrenholm :

I remember the first time my son and I built a PC together. It was a fun bonding experience.

The 7700k was the best all around CPU for a while, but it has been surpassed. If your son does not already have the CPU I suggest you consider the below instead:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel - Core i5-8400 2.8GHz 6-Core Processor ($199.89 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - Z370 HD3 (rev. 1.0) ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($101.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($154.99 @ Newegg)

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($189.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - B350 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($154.99 @ Newegg)

Both builds for roughly comparable performance are 700. The Intel is faster at gaming, the AMD is faster at other stuff.

If he already has bought the 7700k, I strongly urge you to get a z270 motherboard and a good cooler to go with it.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU Cooler: Noctua - NH-D15S 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($78.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - Z270 Pro4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($101.39 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($191.88 @ OutletPC)
Total: $372.15

The 7700k is unlocked and one of the main advantages of that is that it can overclock (the speed of the chip can be adjusted up). This works best on the z270 motherboard for that chip.

All of these newer CPUs will require ddr4 ram.

Installing a CPU is not difficult. You will have to remove everything from the current motherboard and then remove that motherboard from the case.

Note the orientation of the CPU indicator (on the chip) and the indicator on the motherboard.. Put the CPU in the socket, lower the lock-arm.

Mount the new motherboard.

Put a very small drop (the size of a BB or smaller) of thermal paste on the CPU. Arctic Silver is a good brand. You must not use very much. Use a business card to spread it around.

Install the ram.

Mount the CPU cooler.

re-install things back in the case.

note the Ryzen 1600 and i5-8400 come with a factory heatsink with thermal compound pre-applied. The steps above assume he has already bought the 7700k.

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