Out the Loop part 2 - Component Upgrade

greymack

greymack

greymack

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Hi

About this time last year I was considering a pc upgrade but the general consensus on these forums was that it wouldn't be worth me doing so as there wasn't a big enough jump from my old kit to the new and I was advised to hold of for a year.

So here we are one year on and I would really like to update my motherboard/CPU/Memory base components however as the threat title says I really am out of the loop when it comes to what's best bang for buck in the PC world at the moment so I'm turning to you guys for help.

My current base components bought in 2009 are:

Motherboard:Asus P6T Delux V2
CPU :Intel Core i7-920 DO
Ram :Corsair Dominator TR3X6G1600C8D

I don't want top end but somewhere just below, something i can build a new rig around that'll last me another 4 years, so what's out there at the moment and how does it compare to my 2009 set-up?
 
This should last you a good 4 years and easily wipe the floor with your old setup.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £259.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87X-OC Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £179.99
1 x Noctua NH-D14 Dual Radiator CPU Cooler £65.99
1 x Patriot Viper "Black Mamba" Generation 3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (PV38G160C9K) £53.99
Total : £571.36 (includes shipping : £9.50).



Dont know if you need an i7 or not it depends on what your doing with your pc i just put one in based on your current cpu, also idk if you wish to over clock or not but if you do thats the cooler i would get, i wanted it but it wont fit in my case :'(
 
Hi,

Im going to be hoinest, i still think an upgrade isn't need.

THe 920 is still a very capable chip. Unless your leaning towards Xfire/SLI i see no reason to change it..

I disagree with Ripjaw, the 4770k won't wipe the floor with your rig, itll be better yes, but £500-£600 worth of better? I think not..

Is your 920 overclocked? If not have you got an aftermarket cooler? If not, get one. :)
 
I really wouldn't do it. A i7 920 is still a excellent cpu and most will hit 3.8-4Ghz with a decent cooler. I am very underwhelmed with my "upgrade" from a i5 760 @4Ghz to my 4670k @4.5Ghz and sometimes wish i hadn't bothered.
 
Interesting replies guys.

It amazes me that people are recommending sticking with the i7 920 when it's 4 year old, what does that say about the current generation of cpu's or maybe it tells us the 920 was just a very good cpu?

The 920 is not over-clocked so i suppose some headroom there but there's a little bit more of a back story to why I'm considering the upgrade. My current system has a silverstone fortress FT-01 case but it's falling to pieces in conjunction with my cpu i think i have a corsair H60 self contained water cooler but that too has seen better days..............the radiator and fan and currently held together with tape.

I had been looking at cases and i fancied the Corsair 550D Quiet case and Overclockers were selling Corsair H100 recondition units for about £49 so was going to stick one of those in gap for 2 x 120 fans on the roof. So new case, new cooler in my world that meant new motherboard and cpu.

Answering the question what do i want to do with my system, well game yes, photo edit yes, surf net yes, the usual stuff really but one thing is I have just bought an Asus PB278Q monitor and all its 2560x1440 loveliness so i know i'm going to have to upgrade my gfx card but i also thought updating ram and cpu would help me run more things at that insane resolution, please correct me if I'm wrong.

Really appreciating the feedback as i really have been out the loop for a while and it's a steep learning curve to get back into it.
 
Okay, So basically.

  • Your case is falling apart (shame because i love the FT01's)
  • Your cooler is giving up the Ghost (my H50 did the same)
  • And you have a lovely 1440p screen. (Yumm!)

Firstly im jealous.. :)

Secondly the 1440p screen makes this upgrade a bit more meaningful..

I found this on my travels, it evaluates CPU's for 1440p gaming (and includes the 4770k but not the 920, i can only assume it would sit around the 1100T mark?): http://www.anandtech.com/show/6985/choosing-a-gaming-cpu-at-1440p-adding-in-haswell-

As for your case the 550D is a good shout as is the 650D and newly released 750D if you want a bigger case. :) (though i think the 750D may be too big).

Cooler wise the H100 refurbs are a bit shoddy, some/most have been shipped fine and being used with no issues though i have seen stories of a 'soaked box' turning up and some of the cooler leaking while installing it..

I'd personally have a big air cooler, the D14 is very nice. :)
 
^^ Were always still learning lol specially me, i normaly get my advice from what im taking to call the 'big four' doom, ether, stulid and snips im sure they will give the best advice ;)

But from my perspective new is always nicer lol if you've got the cash and the itch (witch it seems you most certainly do) i'd just go for it, bare in mind that actually you wont get as big as jump as i thought initially as has been said. @ that res your gonna defo want a good gpu 7970/gtx 780 or probs what would be best is wait a little longer for the 9xxx amd gpus, theres some leaked benchmarks flying about now and it looks promising but no one will know for sure till there actually realised, you could always go nuts and get some faster ram too?

I've been looking a lot at coolers recently and tbh i think airs the way to go, personally i'd not buy anything reconditioned fair enough its cheap but the warantees tiny and if your plan is to build a nice system would'nt a new cooler be better?

Wow sorry to ramble on a bit :\
 
You can always do it in parts - if your case & cooler are dying get a new case, new cooler, get a nice OC on the 920 (4GHz is a decent target)

That'll get you not too far off stock 4770k performance, though of course you can OC the 4770k too (not as big a % increase as the 920'll do, but still very substantial!)
Pick out a new graphics card, try it out, if you still feel the itch you've not lost anything and can go on and upgrade but in the meantime you've saved some cash and can hopefully pick your GPU with a bit more freedom as a result. Possibly add an SSD if you don't already have one as an alternate way of making your system seem faster?
 
In all fairness theres a fair amount of guys lol not forgetting rjc and wazza too i could probably even make it a full 11 and put me in as the mascot haha.
 
Cheers again guys

David the plan is to do it in bits with the gfx xard the final piece in the jigsaw.

I may have the monitor now but i'll run games on it at 1920x1080 until i can aford the upgrade card.................possible xmas time, I currently own an MSi Twin Frozr III OC 570 which has been a great card and has run anything i throw at it fine @1080p

The Silverstone FT-01 was a great case but my side panel for example is being held in place by tape, I moved house 2 years ago and i think it took a few knocks too many :( But reading reviews of the Corsair 550D it gets good write ups but what confuses me is it's a sealed box, with a hinged door, so how does it create good airflow? Never the less the reviews are by and large positive plus it's a good size for my desk.

I must admit i do like the sealed water cooler solutions but i shall avoid the recondition units, i would hate for it to spring a leak on my new build................I'm a bit of a noise freak and i aim for a silent build.

Doomespped from what your saying i'm guessing the new cpu and definetly the newer faster and pottentially more ram will help the higher resolution monitor as well (I appreciate the gfx card does most of the grunt work)?

So baring all that in mind, the original spec listed by Ripjaw, if you remove the air cooler and replace with a water cooler....say the antec model is that roughly what i'm after?

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £259.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87X-OC Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £179.99
1 x Patriot Viper "Black Mamba" Generation 3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (PV38G160C9K) £53.99

1x Antec Kúhler H2O 1220 Series 4 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler ????????????????
 
I personally think its a good option :) I love them antec coolers, but didnt go for one as theres a fair few more wires then the corsair ones but the reviews are cracking on them, you could still perhaps get faster ram? aparently haswell likes faster ram, i didnt bother tho on mine.
 
Cheers Ripjaw
Ok taking the components one at a time if your saying that cpu is about the best bang for buck for my needs how about the motherboard is that a top performer or is there others maybe cheaper options?
Also and sorry to appear dim but when you say faster ram can you give me an idea by highlighting a product?
 
From what i know thats a really good motherboard for the price, you could however get a slightly cheaper one for eg

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI Z87-G45 Gaming Series Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £124.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan RED 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17100C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLD38G2133HC11ADC01) £69.95
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17100C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2133HC11ADC01) £69.95
Total : £275.69 (includes shipping : £9.00).



i've read good things about that board too, also put on the ram red or orange depending on the board :P
 
I like the look of that motherboard, £50 cheaper yet apparantly still a top performer.
From the one review i found it does well at stock level too but draws a bit more power due to its' inbuilt sound.
I have a fata1ty card so i wouldn't be using that anyway.

Looks a good motherboard and i will certainly consider that unless anyone thinks there's a better at that price point?
 
I still think a big air cooler and a new graphics card is a good bet. Why?
1. CPU is still capable and with a good overclock, you'll get a good boost
2. Broadwell is due for release in 2014
3. A new graphics card can make a surprising deference. AMD announce their new range today, but the current 7970s are the bargain of 2013 :D
4. Slight chance the upgrade could disappoint

Hardware evolves quicker than the software which us why your current chip is still a great performer.
 
Last edited:
snips86x said:
I still think a big air cooler and a new graphics card is a good bet. Why?
1. CPU is still capable and with a good overclock, you'll get a good boost
2. Broadwell is due for release in 2014
3. A new graphics card can make a surprising deference. AMD announce their new range today, but the current 7970s are the bargain of 2013 :D
4. Slight chance the upgrade could disappoint
Click to expand...

1. Agreed really, though it was well worth exploring the options.
2. I have heard broadwell is mobile only and skylake is the next desktop CPU (2015)
3. Agreed, my upgrade 570 to 670 was amazing. :)
4. Agreed. :)
 
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