Next step in upgrade...!

katie279

katie279

katie279

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A sunnier or damper area than Ron-ski....
Hi folks,

Been gradually upgrading one of the pcs in the house following some good advice from forumites.

Original spec was:
MB: Asus P5K SE
CPU: Intel Core 2 Q6600
RAM: 8GB DDR2 (PC2-5300 - 4 x 2 dimms)
GPU: Geforce GTX 285 1GB
HD: Maxtor 2tb 7200rpm
PSU: Corsair 620W Modular
Case: Thermaltake Armor VA8000SWA Silver Aluminum ATX Full Tower

I've since upgraded the Graphics (MSI Gaming 970 GTX) and added a 500gb SSD (Samsung Evo 850).

Think my next step needs to be the CPU, and to do that I'll need to upgrade the MB... And prob some new RAM.

Any suggestions on good value to performance options? Was looking at this:
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=BU-012-GI

But be delighted to hear better advice - ie is high end i5 better than lower end i7 etc...
 
As above, if you are just gaming then go with an i5. For other things like editing/rendering then the i7 is better.
 
katie279 said:
Ah, good tip - that's the kinda stuff I mean! Thanks!
Click to expand...

Get a cheap cooler as well if you don't have an aftermarket one and plan on overclocking. Even if you don't overclock it will run quieter than the stock intel job. And don't forget your Ram.




YOUR BASKET
1 x Kingston HyperX Fury Black 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-14900C10 1866MHz Dual Channel Kit (HX318C10FBK2/8) £49.99
1 x Raijintek Themis Black Heatpipe CPU Cooler PWM - 120mm £19.99
Total : £79.58 (includes shipping : £8.00 Ex.VAT).

 
Yes, good thinking actually - happy to spend more if there's better CPU coolers. Is there a big difference between their performance? Don't plan to overclock, but like it as cool as poss.

Also any advice on best thermal compound rather than stock stuff? Can never tell if there's much between silver vs ceramic etc. I've always used arctic silver 5, but I hear Coollaboratory Liquid Copper Thermal Compound can be pretty transformational if you get it right into the pins of the CPU and sockets of the MB....
 
katie279 said:
Yes, good thinking actually - happy to spend more if there's better CPU coolers. Is there a big difference between their performance? Don't plan to overclock, but like it as cool as poss.

Also any advice on best thermal compound rather than stock stuff? Can never tell if there's much between silver vs ceramic etc. I've always used arctic silver 5, but I hear Coollaboratory Liquid Copper Thermal Compound can be pretty transformational if you get it right into the pins of the CPU and sockets of the MB....
Click to expand...

:)

great thermal paste round up by Stulid i have since been using Gelid solutions for around 2-3 years and never looked back

Link for thermal paste round up :)
 
Awesome post! OCUK only seem to have a big £20 tub of gelid left, but agree it looks very effective!
 
katie279 said:
Any similar reviews/thoughts on aftermarket coolers? It's quite a maze! Got a full tower case, so space shouldn't be a prob and guess quiet/cool are the two key priorities as always....

This looks reasonable??

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-037-AL&tool=3
Click to expand...

If you are not overclocking then pretty much any £20 cooler will be quieter than the stock intel one. I also wouldn't bother with the extra expense of buying thermal paste. The paste that comes pre-applied is perfectly fine imo for a stock system.

The Raijintek Themis is a good budget option along with the popular Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo.
 
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