What cpu and motherboard can i upgrade too

[lilshane757]

Hello,
Im a little new to upgrading computers. And i recently have needed to upgrade my computers processor and mobo. My question is how do i know which mobo and processor my computer can hold.
I currently have a dell xps 625 With the amd x2 5600 2.85 ghz processor.
Another question is how good of a motherboard and processor can my bios support. Being the old dell 1.0.2 bios.

 

[rolli59]

BIOS is a part of the motherboard so it is just a question of what fits your case.

 

[lilshane757]

Sorry for the non being very smart in the matter. Just trying to clean a few things up, so thanks for the time.
When i buy a different processor/motherboard, it will need an entirely different bios?

And the xps 625 case is fairly big. Im not sure of the size of the motherboard.
Is there a limit to what motherboard/processor i can put into (i.e. enough power supply/will my hard drive, and disks drives work on the new motherboard/ other compatible parts)

 

[lilshane757]

I know im not much help not knowing alot, But im simply just looking for an upgrade from a dual core, to a quadcore. And a upgrade mobo, cause mines max is 8 gigs and im looking for 16.
Will a new amd fx quad 3.8 ghz with matching mobo work properly in my computer?

 

[rolli59]

BIOS comes with the new board.
IDE drives are now obsolete but SATA should work.
Cant find the size of your PSU but should be fine if you are keeping similar GPU.

 

[lilshane757]

THe power supply is max 750 watts. I now understand the mobo/processor issue.
And have found that any standard atx mobo will fit into my case.
And when you say ide drives are now obsolete? Does that mean that i have one in my computer and should upgrade to a SATA hard drive along with the processor and mobo upgrade. Or am i fine with the 500gb hard drive thats in it now.

Im just a little confused on exactly what processor and board i should purchase, I dont want to spend money on something and it not fit/ or mess up my computer in the process.
Again thanks for the time

 

[rolli59]

New boards do not come with IDE connectors any more so all your drives need to be SATA. 750watt is plenty of power so your case taking ATX boards is good and you can put what ever you like in there.
For gaming the choice would be Intel I5 3570K with a Z77 LGA1155 board or AMD FX8350 with an AMD 990FX chipset AM3+ board but really all based on budget.

 

[lilshane757]

New boards do not come with IDE connectors any more so all your drives need to be SATA. 750watt is plenty of power so your case taking ATX boards is good and you can put what ever you like in there.
For gaming the choice would be Intel I5 3570K with a Z77 LGA1155 board or AMD FX8350 with an AMD 990FX chipset AM3+ board but really all based on budget.

I have come to the conclusion that i will just build my own custom computer over the next few weeks. But i still have the decisin on wether to go with the i5 3570k or the amd fx8350.
One quesiton i have about both of them is what is the advantages, disadvantages of the i5 being a quad core, and the fx being an 8 core. They are around the same price, just the z77 motherboards are a tad bit expensive which isnt a problem.

If i dont want to dip into liquid cooling, or any major cooling systems besides fans and a heatsink. Which would be better the i5, or the fx.
Ive heard the fx's run hotter and use more power?

 

[logainofhades]

The i5 is faster in all but the most heavily threaded applications. Depending on your budget and intended use, an FX 6300 and spending the savings on a faster graphics card might be a better option.

 

[rolli59]

Both CPU's compared http://www.anandtech.com/bench/Product/697?vs=701 Really if you go with a FX8350 I would recommend going with a 990FX chipset board which is about the same price as good budget Z77 boards for the I5

 

[lilshane757]

I think im leaning more toward the i5 as of now. Ive heard alot of good things about intel. Plus i believe i can come up with the extra money that running an intel would imply.

That being said, what is a good z77 motherboard thats not cheap or flimsy, with 4 ram slots? Looking online at mixed reviews is not very helpful. I dont need anything overkill, but i decent one would be nice.

 

[rolli59]

Couple of options http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007627%20600093976%20600315497&IsNodeId=1&page=2&bop=And&CompareItemList=280%7C13-157-293%5E13-157-293-TS%2C13-131-837%5E13-131-837-02%23

 

[lilshane757]

Couple of options http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007627%20600093976%20600315497&IsNodeId=1&page=2&bop=And&CompareItemList=280%7C13-157-293%5E13-157-293-TS%2C13-131-837%5E13-131-837-02%23

See when i look at this, all i see is alot of numbers and fancy features, i dont mean to sound rude, its just a guess im a little under educated in this matter. i would have no clue which board would be more useful too me, the asus has a 2.0 pci slot and 3.0, rock has just 3.0. Rocks ddr is 2800+ compared to asus' 2400. And i know 2800 is faster. and so is the 3.0 pci slot.

I have no clue what i would need when it comes to connectors, bios, and features...know what i mean?

 

[rolli59]

Couple of options http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007627%20600093976%20600315497&IsNodeId=1&page=2&bop=And&CompareItemList=280%7C13-157-293%5E13-157-293-TS%2C13-131-837%5E13-131-837-02%23

See when i look at this, all i see is alot of numbers and fancy features, i dont mean to sound rude, its just a guess im a little under educated in this matter. i would have no clue which board would be more useful too me, the asus has a 2.0 pci slot and 3.0, rock has just 3.0. Rocks ddr is 2800+ compared to asus' 2400. And i know 2800 is faster. and so is the 3.0 pci slot.

I have no clue what i would need when it comes to connectors, bios, and features...know what i mean?

The difference between the boards is minimal and do not worry about the comparison that is the only way I can get you to both boards in 1 link. Both are Z77, both will allow for a reasonable overclock on a "K" series CPU both support SLI and Crossfire. The extreme 4 is very popular but I have the Asus LK and am very happy with it.
Most people go with 1600MHz ram with either board.

 

[lilshane757]

Couple of options http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007627%20600093976%20600315497&IsNodeId=1&page=2&bop=And&CompareItemList=280%7C13-157-293%5E13-157-293-TS%2C13-131-837%5E13-131-837-02%23

See when i look at this, all i see is alot of numbers and fancy features, i dont mean to sound rude, its just a guess im a little under educated in this matter. i would have no clue which board would be more useful too me, the asus has a 2.0 pci slot and 3.0, rock has just 3.0. Rocks ddr is 2800+ compared to asus' 2400. And i know 2800 is faster. and so is the 3.0 pci slot.

I have no clue what i would need when it comes to connectors, bios, and features...know what i mean?

The difference between the boards is minimal and do not worry about the comparison that is the only way I can get you to both boards in 1 link. Both are Z77, both will allow for a reasonable overclock on a "K" series CPU both support SLI and Crossfire. The extreme 4 is very popular but I have the Asus LK and am very happy with it.
Most people go with 1600MHz ram with either board.

Cool, i see what you mean tho. I will definately choose between these two boards.
Um, since your the only one posting, i have a question.
The i5 3570k vs the 3570. I understand the K cpu can be easily overclocked. But i wont be needing to do that, let alone know how (Or maybe its easy, i have no clue). But the 3570k is only 5 dollars more expensive on new egg over the non K. Would i only purchase the K if i were to be doing OC? or is the k somehow better than the non k.

 

[rolli59]

The difference is that it can overclock, for $5 more I would take the "K" just because it will be more sought after used when you upgrade next time and you will get your $5 back selling it.
With the none K or no overclocking you can save some money on the motherboard and get H77 or B75 chipset board.

 

[lilshane757]

The difference is that it can overclock, for $5 more I would take the "K" just because it will be more sought after used when you upgrade next time and you will get your $5 back selling it.
With the none K or no overclocking you can save some money on the motherboard and get H77 or B75 chipset board.

Yea for 5 dollars and maybe a little bit more expensive z77chipset board, i think thats the way to go if i want to upgrade later in the future.
So theres no downfall to getting the K cpu but not overclocking? (i.e. one of my friends said it would make the processor over work when its not needed, idk if this is true or not). Basically i'm asking if there are any downfalls to not OC'ing a K CPU. Also i wont be doing crossfire or sli being as i will only have one graphics card.

 

[rolli59]

No downfalls.

 

[lilshane757]

No downfalls.

And with this processor and mobo, i wont need any additional cooling besides some good fans right?

Ive already bought the case and fans. So hopefully ill have the processor and mobo in the mail sometime soon.

 

[rolli59]

Stock cooler is fine if you do not overclock and a case with intake fan in front and exhaust fan in back is sufficient.

 

[lilshane757]

Stock cooler is fine if you do not overclock and a case with intake fan in front and exhaust fan in back is sufficient.

Thank you so much for the help, lol. I know i basically started this out knowing nothing, so i know it might of been hard to explain but thanks.

Is there anything im missing that we haven't gone over throughout the thread.
I can get the drives, and everything on my own. (i.e. How to get the computer internet/i think its a card? lol i sound stupid.)

And i have a buddy helping me actually put it together so dont worry about me not being experienced lol.

 

[rolli59]

The boards come with a LAN onboard so connecting to a wired connection is through there but if you are going wifi then I suggest a PCI or PCIe add on card.