Complete PC Noob Looking for some awsome (patient) People for advice!

[Mr_Knott]

Well a brief description, I have just started tinkering with the few dead pc's laying in my shed and I'm actually surprised how much I enjoy it!

I already have a high end gaming PC but I would like to begin building my own PC's as a kind of hobby because I find it so enjoyable.

Keeping in mind that until last week I have never opened a computer case and have always relied on a professional to perform any maintenance or upgrades. So far I have managed to make a working all be it crappy PC from 4 Pc's with various problems which I must admit was pretty awesome!

So the last part I am looking for some more information is the CPU upgrades. I have a spare PC which I am going to try and upgrade the CPU in.

So the motherboard is a Foxconn G31MX-K, It currently has a E5400 @ 2.70 GHz. If I have researched enough and am correct I can upgrade to the Quad Core Q9505 or Q9550. It also has 4GB DDR3 Ram, and a 7750 GPU I picked up for peanuts. I have practised removing the CPU's from the non working pc's i have, cleaning the thermal paste off and then re-applying and re-installing.

So after my long post (sorry, talkative) a few questions.
-What would be the best CPU upgrade for that motherboard - keeping in mind I want to get the best performance for £.
-Secondly I have been reading a lot and have seen some people mention that the Bios must be compatible with the CPU... is this correct and how do I check?
-Lastly, if I am only upgrading the CPU /Fan+Heatsink will I need to re-install windows?

Apologies again for the long post i just wanted to get all information across and tbh.. I love to type,

Thanks in advance

 

[stevydinho]

The motherboard supports Core 2 Quad processors. The problem is Core 2 Quad is quite expensive for what it is, and it is hard to find new Core 2 CPUs. However, a search on eBay brings up a Q8300 @ 2.5GHz for £50 which is a significant performance increase. Prices begin to soar after that, so regarding for money, I wouldn't recommend a Q9550, although it is a very good CPU.

From experience of upgrading 3 CPUs on three different builds I've never had to reinstall Windows.

Check the Foxconn website http://www.foxconnchannel.com/ProductDetail.aspx?T=motherboard&U=en-us0000345 I had a quick look and it doesn't indicate a BIOS update needed, although there is a patch for people using the Q9550 to stop it from failing.

Hope this helps

 

[Mr_Knott]

Hi Stevydinho,

Thanks a great deal for you reply! And all the advice, I have read up some more on BIOS and the different updates etc and have found what you suggested which is great!

I am able to get my hand on a fully working (never overclocked) Q9550. I usually wouldn't bother going with somethign used but i know the person selling it very well and also as this is going to be my first stepping stone before shelling out a lot of money to do my own build do you think it would be ok?

Thanks again,

 

[stevydinho]

A Q9550 would be a really great starting point, that's almost as good as you can get with socket 775, and it would compliment your RAM and graphics card nicely, so yes, if you can get your hands on one do so!