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Assistance with Upgrading my current PC

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  • Computers
  • Build
  • Motherboards
  • CPUs
Last response: in Opinions and Experiences
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December 31, 2013 12:32:59 PM

As of right now I have a pretty weak computer, it was given to me by a friend and have enjoyed it for the amount of time I have been using it, I just got a job and have been saving up so now I want to upgrade my processor and motherboard and computer case but I need help.

My current Build:
Motherboard- BIOSTAR GROUP A780L3L
CPU- AMD ATHLON II X4 640
RAM- G.SKILL F3-10666CL9S-4GBNT x2
Video- NVIDIA GeForce GTX 650 Ti BOOST
PSU- 650 or 750 I don't remember exactly
HDD- 1TB 3.5
But basically this is what I want to do. I want to get rid of the current motherboard and cpu and upgrade to a Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor with Gigabyte GA-Z87X-UD3H ATX LGA1150 Motherboard. Also get a new case that has good ventilation and all that good stuff.
I would like a case like this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...
but that might be a little too expensive. Can someone please just give me some suggestions or advice on what I should or can do. It would be greatly appreciated.

More about : assistance upgrading current

a b V Motherboard
a b à CPUs
December 31, 2013 8:23:20 PM

to do what? gaming? video editing? etc

budget?

keep in mind that the gpu is only of middling performance and the ram is slow. upgrading to a top end cpu may not be the best idea. it may be a better idea to use a mid range cpu upgrade (say amd fx series) and to also use some faster ram, an overclocking motherboard and a better gpu.

of course that all depends on your budget and if you intend to upgrade gaming performance or if you had something else in mind.

provide some details.
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December 31, 2013 9:55:35 PM

It's for gaming and I will be upgrading my ram to something better just not right away
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December 31, 2013 9:58:06 PM

Sorry also I'll be upgrading my gpu I just figured there was no point until I got a better CPU
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a b V Motherboard
a b à CPUs
January 1, 2014 6:40:20 AM

budget??

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January 1, 2014 11:45:26 AM

Let's go with 600-700 that's counting the motherboard and processor, whatever is left would be for a case then later on ill upgrade the gpu, and the ram
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a b V Motherboard
a b à CPUs
January 1, 2014 2:03:03 PM

big edit: read this first!
Quote:
Let's go with 600-700 that's counting the motherboard and processor, whatever is left would be for a case then later on ill upgrade the gpu, and the ram


so the gpu is on a completely seperate budget along with the ram? if that is the case what would the budget be for them?

i must have breezed over that part as i thought it was all to be on a $700 budget total (which is what the below builds are based on). i saw that you said cpu and motherboard and that ram was seperate but my eyes must have glazed over on the rest.

you could have a look at the below options... however i think we can bump them up with the extra cash. just list a total budget (you can seperate it into the $600-700 now and than $xxx-$xxx future if you want).

sorry i missed that! i'll post some upgraded builds once i get a reply from you on your thoughts!




a few options.... i did throw the ram into these upgrades since honestly its not a whole lot of money and its alot faster than what you have now.

------

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2tTLM) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2tTLM/by_merchant/) / [Benchmarks](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2tTLM/benchmarks/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd8320frhkbox) | $149.99 @ SuperBiiz
**CPU Cooler** | [Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-r...) | $27.17 @ Amazon
**Motherboard** | [Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-m5a97ler2...) | $76.98 @ SuperBiiz
**Memory** | [G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f317000cl11d...) | $73.80 @ Newegg
**Video Card** | [Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvn760...) | $259.99 @ Amazon
**Case** | [Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-300r) | $59.99 @ Microcenter
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $647.92
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-01 16:29 EST-0500 |

why? 8320 is cheaper than an i5 and on a 970 board can be overclocked moderately to get i5 level performance. the ram is much better and isnt going to bottleneck your new parts. a gtx760 isnt a bad card for the budget however at just a bit over your budget the build listed below with a stronger card is a better choice. the 300r isnt a bad case and offers good airflow for a mid tower.

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[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2tTQ4) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2tTQ4/by_merchant/) / [Benchmarks](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2tTQ4/benchmarks/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd8320frhkbox) | $149.99 @ Amazon
**Motherboard** | [Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-m5a97ler2...) | $76.98 @ SuperBiiz
**Memory** | [G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f317000cl11d...) | $73.80 @ Newegg
**Video Card** | [Asus Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-r9280xdc2t...) | $339.99 @ B&H
**Case** | [Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-300r) | $59.99 @ Microcenter
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $700.75
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-01 16:31 EST-0500 |

why? same reasons above except: you would need to buy a cooler for when you plan to overclock the 8320 (or be over budget by $30). the 280x is a decent step up on the 760 (its at gtx770 level).

-------

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2tU0Z) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2tU0Z/by_merchant/) / [Benchmarks](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2tU0Z/benchmarks/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54670k) | $233.99 @ SuperBiiz
**Motherboard** | [Asus Z87-K ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-z87k) | $112.99 @ NCIX US
**Video Card** | [Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-gtx760dc2o...) | $239.99 @ Microcenter
**Case** | [Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-300r) | $59.99 @ Microcenter
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $646.96
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-01 16:37 EST-0500 |

why? please note this build is without ram purchased! the 1333 ram you have currently will hold this build back a bit and i strongly suggest buying better ram (which is why the other builds included it). the i5-4670k is a stronger performing cpu than the 8320 (about on par with the 8350 though give or take) however it is also more expensive. the extra $100+ for the chip limits the other components you can buy (removed ram and downgraded the video card). you would get the most bang for your dollar with amd instead of intel though.

------

final comments and thoughts?

if you want a more solid overclocker (something you can really push pretty good) then i'd go with an 8350 over the 8320 (higher binning means your chances for a better chip are greater) and a 990x or 990fx motherboard (990x is a bit cheaper so i'd go with that). you can likely clock an intel chip like the i5-4670k to a higher overclock easier however to get the chip you would need to enlarge the budget or sacrifice elsewhere in your upgrades. personally i dont feel its beneficial in this case but that is your call.

i would definitely go with some new ram for only $70-80+/- as it wouldnt limit the upgraded parts at all. what i picked is popular and is on sale.

in terms of peformance (and price) from low to high the graphics cards you are most likely looking at are:

hd 7870 ghz edition OR gtx 760 $250+/-
the 760 has a bit more performance so i'd go that route

hd 7970 OR r9-280x OR gtx 770 $300+/-
the 280x is basically a boosted 7970 so if you could get the original for a good deal cheaper you could use that but i dont see many for sale cheaper. the 770 and the 280x are about the same in terms of performance.

one last thing is to doublecheck your psu to make sure you have the correct cables/plugs for the new hardware. (motherboard power pins and gpu power pins)
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Best solution

a b V Motherboard
a b à CPUs
January 1, 2014 2:20:27 PM

bleh... decided to give you a CPU+MOBO+CASE build now (instead of waiting for a reply)

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2tVcq) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2tVcq/by_merchant/) / [Benchmarks](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2tVcq/benchmarks/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54670k) | $233.99 @ SuperBiiz
**CPU Cooler** | [Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhd14) | $73.99 @ Amazon
**Motherboard** | [Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-maximusvi...) | $199.99 @ Microcenter
**Case** | [Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-400r) | $69.99 @ NCIX US
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $577.96
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-01 17:14 EST-0500 |

or....

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2tVf3) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2tVf3/by_merchant/) / [Benchmarks](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2tVf3/benchmarks/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i74770k) | $319.99 @ SuperBiiz
**CPU Cooler** | [Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhd14) | $73.99 @ Amazon
**Motherboard** | [Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-maximusvi...) | $199.99 @ Amazon
**Case** | [Corsair 400R ATX Mid Tower Case](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-400r) | $69.99 @ NCIX US
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $663.96
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-01 17:15 EST-0500 |


----------------------------------

listed both a i5 and i7 (since if your total budget is quite a bit larger.... you can afford them. honestly an i5 is absolutely fine for gaming and i'd go that route over an i7 unless you plan on video editing, streaming video or other such tasks.

i went with a higher end motherboard (well mid grade) for better overclocking. you could get a decent $140-160 motherboard and still do okay though. this particular one has some really great onboard sound (no soundcard needed).

i picked such a large cooler since you wanted less noise (bigger heatsink = less noise) but it also supports really good overclocking.

the case is large enough to fit and is a bit bigger than the 300r i listed in the previous post.

---------------------------------

you COULD still stick with amd (and get an overall build cheaper...

if you did i'd get the fx-8350 for sure and a 990x motherboard. cheaper than an i5 build and just about as good (though if you compare a max O/C 8350 to a max O/C 4670k the intel would win out in the end.




anyways... more things to think about.

what you would want to add to this build is at least that ram i mentioned in prior builds (for $70-90) and also a strong graphics card (i would say something at least in the 280x range which is $330-350+/-)
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January 2, 2014 11:16:19 AM

I want to thank you for everything you did for me, you provided a lot of information for me to choose from. I just got back from celebrating new years so that's why it took me a while to reply. As of right now I'm going to go with the I7 build you posted last. and the ram you used for the other builds. Then after i get all those things and get it all together I will be getting a gtx 770 gpu
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