Help buying new motherboard and cpu

Associate
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2 Oct 2018
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Hi there,

My motherboard has given up the ghost and I need to replace it. I am aware I possibly also need to replace the CPU at the same time given how old my cpu is.

I have a fairly modest budget of about £200. I have set out below my current setup. I don't do any kind of gaming anymore so don't need anything too crazy. I am worried about ensuring everything stays compatible as i really don't know what to look for in a bundle. any help greatly appreciated. Thank you!

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32mb cahce
RAM: 2x8GB HyperX Fury 1866 MHz DDR3
CPU: AMD Phenom II x4 quad core 850 3.3GHz
Power: OCZ ZS Series 750W 80 Plus Bronze
Graphics Card: Asus NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 4GB 128bit memory, pci express
 
Associate
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you could go ryzen 5, a very very good processor but 8 gig of DDR4 ram alone wil set you back around £80

what size board do you need? ATX or MATX?
 
Associate
OP
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you could go ryzen 5, a very very good processor but 8 gig of DDR4 ram alone wil set you back around £80

what size board do you need? ATX or MATX?

Hmm, yeah, I'd probably rather not replace the ram if I can avoid it. I don't have any specific size requirement, as far as I'm aware, my case supports all sizes and I only use 1 pcie slot for the gpu
 
Associate
OP
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OK, thanks for your help guys. So you think moving to DDR4 is a better option than trying to find a motherboard and processor to support DDR3? It takes me over budget, but maybe I can sell my DDR3 RAM
 
Associate
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OK, thanks for your help guys. So you think moving to DDR4 is a better option than trying to find a motherboard and processor to support DDR3? It takes me over budget, but maybe I can sell my DDR3 RAM

Absolutely, you buget is £200 and to go a whole generation up for an extra £20 is an absolute no brainer :)
 
Man of Honour
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OK, thanks for your help guys. So you think moving to DDR4 is a better option than trying to find a motherboard and processor to support DDR3? It takes me over budget, but maybe I can sell my DDR3 RAM


You have no choice really because all modern platforms both AMD and Intel use DDR4. The only option to reuse your DDR3 would be to go for something like a second hand Intel Haswell motherboard and cpu. The problem with that is that it may end up costing more for just a cpu and motherboard than doing a clean break and upgrading to a modern platform. AMD's Ryzen is the best all around value right now but is there anyway you can increase your budget (selling your current components will help and you should get a decent price for that 16Gb of DDR3 alone)? The reason I ask is because do you want components that you are going to be happy with for a good amount of time or do you want to buy components and risk being underwhelmed with what you have bought knowing that you have bought into the bottom of the platform. I have never been of the opinion that buying the cheapest of anything is a good way to get into something. While the build suggested above is much better than your current cpu the Ryzen 3 1200 is the lowest of the Ryzen line up and while 2400mhz DDR4 is faster than your current ram you really need 3000mhz+ to get the most out of the Ryzen platform. Something like this bundle is what I would be aiming for:-

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £330.47 (includes shipping: £10.50)​


That would be a massive upgrade from what you and I know it's significantly over budget but it would be worthwhile to go for that and be happy for some time to come without upgrading.
 
Soldato
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I have to agree with pastymuncher - I used to do it with HiFi - find what you want then buy next stage up - you would be surprised at how quickly you recover that extra outlay and you are never disappointed.
 
Associate
OP
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Thanks for the help guys. I've gone with spank's system, ordered it and set it up today. Problem is the red led cpu light is on and it won't post. Reading about the problem seems like it's a bios issue. Appreciate this is not a troubleshooting thread, but any advice anyone can give on how to resolve?
 
Associate
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if its a b350 board and a 1 series ryzen processor (1200, 1300, 1500 and so on) it should post no probs. have u got a gfx card plugged in?
 
Associate
OP
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Soldato
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Thanks for the help guys. I've gone with spank's system, ordered it and set it up today. Problem is the red led cpu light is on and it won't post. Reading about the problem seems like it's a bios issue. Appreciate this is not a troubleshooting thread, but any advice anyone can give on how to resolve?
Does the pc power up with the fans spinning etc?
 
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