Upgrading - Need advice

[baxterjnr]

Hi all

I'm upgrading from an old e6600 2.4 and Asus P series motherboard.

I'm looking for a new CPU (pref i3 or i5) and compatible Motherboard and 8GB of RAM

I have an Eartwatt 500w PSU on my current setup and an AMD 6850 GFX (XFX) card, i also have an ANTEC case and a fairly recent but standard HDD with win7 64bit.

Can i simply buy a new motherboard and processor and ram, and put it into my existing case with my psu?

I have about £250 - 350 to spend and mostly want it for gaming (mmo's Tera/GW2) not too fussed about higest settings

Thanks

 

[WR2]

Can i simply buy a new motherboard and processor and ram, and put it into my existing case with my psu?

I have about £250 - 350 to spend

Yes you can. And your budget is about right. Are you looking to overclock?

 

[baxterjnr]

Hi

Not looking to overclock, if i can avoid it.

Also whats the lifespan of a PSU? would like to be able to use the one i have in if possible

Thanks

 

[WR2]

Five or six years, easy, for a good model and you have one there.
How old is it?

 

[baxterjnr]

I can't remember exactly, perhaps 4 or 5 years old i would say.

Any idea what processor and mobo to go for? or even where to buy from, i'm from the UK. I have been looking at the i5 2500k, but can't decide if it's worth the extra over the i3, with my gfx card and budget

 

[WR2]

Ivy Bridge Core i5 3450 3.1Ghz Quad Core £145
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/nda-=-29-april-2012-intel-core-i5-3450-s2011-retail

Corsair 8GB Vengeance Low Profile DDR3 1600 Kit £40
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/8gb-%282x4gb%29-corsair-ddr3-vengeance-jet-black-lp-pc3-12800-%281600%29-non-ecc-cas-9-9-9-24-xmp-15v

Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H Intel Z77 Ivybridge Motherboard £82
http://www.scan.co.uk/products/gigabyte-ga-z77-d3h-intel-z77-s-1155-ddr3-sata-iii-6gb-s-sata-raid-pcie-30-d-sub-dvi-d-hdmi-atx

 

[WR2]

You're going to be using less power with the more efficient IVB CPU.
Should be OK sticking with your current PSU.

If you're not going to overclock you don't need the K model CPUs (SB i5-2500K/ IVB i5-3570K)

 

[WR2]

THG article: Best Gaming CPUs For The Money: April 2012

Gaming CPU Hierarchy Chart
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/gaming-cpu-review-overclock,3106-5.html
You can use the chart to confirm you're getting a worthwhile upgrade.
THG suggests a 3 tier move is about right for upgrading and thats where the SB i5-2400/IVB i5-3450 upgrade would take you.

 

[baxterjnr]

Thanks alot WR2

My final question is how easy is taking out my old motherboard, and putting the new one in? i don't need any special tools or anything? Previously i have always bought semi build sytems, with case , mobo and cpu installed

 

[WR2]

Lets talk about your case... which Antec?

 

[baxterjnr]

It's an ANTEC Sonata III that came with the 500w PSU

 

[WR2]

It's a standard type case which will make everything straight forward.
No special tools required - just a screwdriver for the screws holding the motherboard to the standoffs underneath.

You'll want to take care of labeling the wires (or keeping a diagram where they go) you take off the motherboard so you can re-attach them correctly to the new motherboard.
Most especially the front panel connectors. Pwr/Reset/USB, etc.

 

[WR2]

-> The usual advice; read the manual / install guide; look at the parts, read the manual again and if everything makes sense and looks right - then go ahead with the install.

While you're waiting for delivery you can download the online version of the motherboard manual and start getting familiar with it.

 

[baxterjnr]

Right, sounds good. I think i'll go for it then. with that i5 3450 and gigabye board. I'll pop round to the computer shop and pick up some cleaning kit, and some sticky labels. Thanks for all the help. Fingers crossed

 

[WR2]

Be sure to let us know how things work out.

Here is a Step-by-Step Guide to Building a PC

Look over the forum's "System won't boot" checklist to see some of the common build errors and how to avoid them.

 

[baxterjnr]

I'm giving them a read now, thanks again.

Final question. Will i need any aftermarket coolers? or will i be fine without?

 

[WR2]

The stock Intel cooler that comes in the retail box is fine for non-overclocked systems.

 

[baxterjnr]

Not sure if your following but thought i would give a quick update. And a thanks WR2.

In the end i went to a local computer shop, thought i can pick it up and help out local shop at the same time.

I ended up with an i5 -2500k an Asus P8Z68-Vlx and 8GB kingston hyperthread. Installed it all today, had a bit of a problem with my GFX card no longer lining up on the back of the case, but just took out the slot above and below it. So far so good, all working

So thanks for the help, and the guides they were very useful. Guess i should one day look into overclocking with this 2500k now