Hi there, long time lurker finally getting round to doing a proper build and get rid of my Dell. I'm hoping to keep a few parts from what I currently have at least for the time being and am after some opinions and advice on what I've been looking at to buy. Trouble I'm having with the current setup is one upgrade seems to necessitate another, for a new CPU I would need a new mobo for the socket, for a new mobo I need a new case because Dell use non standard and so on. I use for gaming mostly along with the other standard things. Did think about streaming to the TV etc but I'll forget about that for now as it might come to nothing.
What I have at the moment;
Dell Studio XPS 8100
i7 860
Windows 7
8Gb RAM
MSI 7950
Seasonic 550W PSU
I want to keep the video card and PSU, and if compatible the RAM. My current thoughts on what to buy are as follows;
Case - Decided I'd prefer white as it's in the lounge and a normal 'big black box' (such as Corsair 300R) might not go down too well. At the moment I'm stuck between Corsair 500R, Bitfenix Shinobi and Fractal R4 (out of stock or not sold here). Hard to compare as they are different prices and some go for quiet over cooling etc. Only practical things I can see are the Bitfenix doesn't allow a side fan and the Fractal I imagine the fans at the front would struggle with there being a door in the way. Probably comes down to taste and personal opinion but any pointers would be helpful or other recommendations around or below £90. Checked out the Corsair 540 as it appeared a lot but the footprint is too large.
Processor - i5 4670 seems to be most recommended on here so I'll go for that and probably the K version for resale value and if I ever do OC it. Not sure if I need retail or OEM, I was thinking about a cooler and I guess it would be best to get that at the same time, is that the only difference?
Cooler - Can't decide between an all in one water system such as Corsair H80i or a standard air cooler. If I had a retail processor are these easy to add in at a later date, if budget becomes a problem?
Motherboard - Found it hard to see the differences between some of them. MSI had some good models, such as G43 or G55 but for £20 extra I couldn't see what you got, although I'm sure it's there. Anything less than £100 is what I'm after, saw some of the dearer ones with WiFi but I'll probably take the card from the old PC instead of pay the extra for that feature.
Windows - Only £1 difference between 7 and 8, is it down to preference or should I go for 8 being newer?
RAM - If it's not compatible with the new board, or I should get some new anyway then 8Gb should be fine for now, unless the standard has moved on and I need to catch back up. Not too fussy here althought I guess if there's a faster option I should go for it.
HDD/SSD - Will probably get a fresh HDD in case I sell the old PC as a whole, and have 2 external drives that I'd like to move indoors. Also thinking at the start is best time to add an SSD before the Windows install? Perhaps a 2TB Seagate Barracuda looks a good price and Crucial M500 240Gb for the SSD would be a good combo?
I think that's everything, apart from any sundries like thermal paste or case fans I might need? Can't buy anything for a week or so and might wait a couple of weeks after that so I can buy it all at once or close together in case of problems. I'm still looking at things but hopefully I can get some input to narrow things down and end up with some kind of shortlist or a final shopping list even of what to go for. As for the overall budget I'll try and come in at £600, if I end up missing out or having too many compromises I'll see if I can stretch it a bit further.
Thanks very much
What I have at the moment;
Dell Studio XPS 8100
i7 860
Windows 7
8Gb RAM
MSI 7950
Seasonic 550W PSU
I want to keep the video card and PSU, and if compatible the RAM. My current thoughts on what to buy are as follows;
Case - Decided I'd prefer white as it's in the lounge and a normal 'big black box' (such as Corsair 300R) might not go down too well. At the moment I'm stuck between Corsair 500R, Bitfenix Shinobi and Fractal R4 (out of stock or not sold here). Hard to compare as they are different prices and some go for quiet over cooling etc. Only practical things I can see are the Bitfenix doesn't allow a side fan and the Fractal I imagine the fans at the front would struggle with there being a door in the way. Probably comes down to taste and personal opinion but any pointers would be helpful or other recommendations around or below £90. Checked out the Corsair 540 as it appeared a lot but the footprint is too large.
Processor - i5 4670 seems to be most recommended on here so I'll go for that and probably the K version for resale value and if I ever do OC it. Not sure if I need retail or OEM, I was thinking about a cooler and I guess it would be best to get that at the same time, is that the only difference?
Cooler - Can't decide between an all in one water system such as Corsair H80i or a standard air cooler. If I had a retail processor are these easy to add in at a later date, if budget becomes a problem?
Motherboard - Found it hard to see the differences between some of them. MSI had some good models, such as G43 or G55 but for £20 extra I couldn't see what you got, although I'm sure it's there. Anything less than £100 is what I'm after, saw some of the dearer ones with WiFi but I'll probably take the card from the old PC instead of pay the extra for that feature.
Windows - Only £1 difference between 7 and 8, is it down to preference or should I go for 8 being newer?
RAM - If it's not compatible with the new board, or I should get some new anyway then 8Gb should be fine for now, unless the standard has moved on and I need to catch back up. Not too fussy here althought I guess if there's a faster option I should go for it.
HDD/SSD - Will probably get a fresh HDD in case I sell the old PC as a whole, and have 2 external drives that I'd like to move indoors. Also thinking at the start is best time to add an SSD before the Windows install? Perhaps a 2TB Seagate Barracuda looks a good price and Crucial M500 240Gb for the SSD would be a good combo?
I think that's everything, apart from any sundries like thermal paste or case fans I might need? Can't buy anything for a week or so and might wait a couple of weeks after that so I can buy it all at once or close together in case of problems. I'm still looking at things but hopefully I can get some input to narrow things down and end up with some kind of shortlist or a final shopping list even of what to go for. As for the overall budget I'll try and come in at £600, if I end up missing out or having too many compromises I'll see if I can stretch it a bit further.
Thanks very much