Looking for an upgrade / downgrade

Derek W · 24 Dec 2011 at 17:19

Hi,

I've currently got a pc I built when i first joined.....spec as follows

Antec 1200 case
Intel Q9550 quad core
ATI Radeon HD 5770 1Gb GPU
GigaByte X48T-DQ6 Mobo
Corsair 4Gb Ram - forget which model
1.75Tb storage over 3 drives + external HD and remote NAS for backup
Antec 750W PSU

Most of the above will probably be sold to part fund the new build.

Also got a wifi card, extra USB / firewire card and a bluetooth dongle but the chances are they will be sold / used in the new build.

Been having a nosey around at either an i5 or i7 setup (depends on cost)

I know I'll have to basically change all the main parts (the upgrade) but I'm looking to reduce the size of the case as well as the PSU (the downgrade)

I quite like the look of the following so far.......

Asrock Fatal1ty Intel P67 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard **B3 REVISION**
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-049-AK

G.Skill RipJawsZ 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual/Quad Channel Kit (F3-12800CL9Q-16GBZL)
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-064-GS

Corsair Hydro H80 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (Socket LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366/LGA2011/AM2/AM3) [CWCH80]
http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-008-CS

One thing I've noticed on the Asrock website the code for the 4 x 4gb ram doesn't appear on the list but the 2 x 4gb does. Will I need to change the ram for 2 x (2x4gb) instead?

Oh and in case anyone has spotted a theme I'm going for a red / black theme here so a case with decent airflow in that colour scheme might be nice as well

At the moment I've added the i7 3.4ghz to the basket and things are totaled around 600quid but any alternatives are more than welcome.

I'll mainly be using the pc for photo editing as well as a bit of COD. I'll need to chuck in an OS as well and if the mood takes me I could add things like an SSD later when the price of storage comes down.

Stoner81 · 24 Dec 2011 at 18:03

For red/black have a look at the HAF series by Coolermaster.

Stoner81.

Purgatory · 24 Dec 2011 at 18:28

Derek W said:
One thing I've noticed on the Asrock website the code for the 4 x 4gb ram doesn't appear on the list but the 2 x 4gb does. Will I need to change the ram for 2 x (2x4gb) instead?

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MY-064-GS&groupid=701&catid=8&subcat=1517

Don't worry that memory will work just fine on that motherboard, do remember when you get the motherboard to install the new BIOS for it before you start installing windows. So make sure while you have a working PC to download the BIOS file and stick it on a USB drive for you to have ready to update the BIOS and it can be done inside the BIOS itself to flash the BIOS, download the Instant flash version for flashing inside the BIOS.

Version 2.00 6/28/2011 Instant Flash 2.85MB Update CPU code.

http://www.asrock.com/mb/download.asp?Model=Fatal1ty P67 Professional&o=BIOS

scrlk · 24 Dec 2011 at 18:30

New Ivy Bridge CPUs and chipsets are coming out in Q1 from Intel - if you can wait, I suggest that you do so.

numatic.nathan · 24 Dec 2011 at 18:31

It won't be worth getting a less powerful PSU by time you've sold yours.

Derek W · 24 Dec 2011 at 18:31

cheers for that.

And thanks Stoner, will look at the cases. I'll happily admit that the setup may take a few months to pull together as I'm going to be dropping a few quid to pay off the remains of my student loans as well looking for a house to buy in the new year! Good thing is I'm remembered about some holiday cash that i need to convert back to pounds so that gets things kicked off and I've still got a couple of quid from my work christmas bonus so i should manage something soon!

Vinni3 @H|H said:
New Ivy Bridge CPUs and chipsets are coming out in Q1 from Intel - if you can wait, I suggest that you do so.

Might have to look into that then

I'm sure i can wait though!

numatic.nathan said:
It won't be worth getting a less powerful PSU by time you've sold yours.

The reasoning behind the less powerful PSU is that since I'm getting my own place I'd rather keep the electricity bill as low as possible

Purgatory · 24 Dec 2011 at 18:38

Derek W said:
The reasoning behind the less powerful PSU is that since I'm getting my own place I'd rather keep the electricity bill as low as possible

It does not work that way mate, the system consumes a set wattage and even if you have a more powerful PSU it will still use the same wattage as a lower specificationed PSU. Keep the Antec 750 you have mate and save yourself some money and it's a very good PSU is the Antec. All a higher wattaged PSU will do is give you in the future some headroom to add more components that could make use of the extra wattage and amps it can supply. Also you don't want a small rated PSU (one that is just enough) because they can heat up quicker and be more noisey once stressed, always good to have some extra headroom that can allow the system to breath when it requires it or for some reason the system locks up and the CPU and GPU and other components kick into full power use and can fry a PSU that is just enough for normal everyday use but not upto taking a hit like that.

Derek W · 24 Dec 2011 at 18:43

That would make more sense wouldn't it.

Derek W · 24 Dec 2011 at 19:34

Been reading up on the Ivy Bridge stuff, looks like it will be April - June time next year before its released. Would that then mean the lot shooting match (Mobo, Cpu, Ram) would be different to whats currently available?

Purgatory · 24 Dec 2011 at 20:12

Naa if the motherboard supports Sandy Bridge it will support Ivy Bridge and only thing you would change is the CPU and to make sure you are running a BIOS that can use an Ivy Bridge CPU (updates for motherboard BIOS chips have started already for Ivy and will be more nearer the time they come out), really the Ivy Bridge chips are only 10% faster at most on the CPU side and the GPU side a bit faster then the current top end GPUs in the CPU, but as a gamer you wont use the inbuilt GPU anyway and only for encoding with Quick Sync if software supports it. It's only worth upgrading to Ivy Bridge if you need the PCI-E version 3.0 support and currently only the AMD 7970 can support that. Also real world benefit of PCI=E 3.0 is not really here or there at the moment not unless Graphics cards get a lot faster and require more bandwidth. I'm guessing the 7990 will show good gains on PCI-E 3.0 compared to version 2.0 or 2.1.

Just get a I5-2500k if you game only mate and an I7-2600k or I7-2700k if you do things like video editing and rendering or a lot of photo editing that can use the 8 threads of a 2600k or 2700k.

Derek W · 24 Dec 2011 at 20:31

it will be mainly for the photo editing rather than gaming so I'd hope that I'd be aiming for the i7 of some sort.

beejjacobs · 24 Dec 2011 at 22:14

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7-2700K 3.50GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - Retail £263.99
1 x Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £159.98
1 x Corsair Hydro H80 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler (Socket LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366/LGA2011/AM2/AM3) £84.98
1 x Cooler Master HAF 912 Plus Case - Black £69.98
2 x G.Skill RipJawsX 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL ) £41.99 (£83.98)
Total : £677.02 (includes shipping : £11.75).

The HAF cases aren't small I don't think and I don't personally like the design, but they are good and they are red/black!

Z68 is the chipset of choice for Sandybridge, with a few more features than the P67. Though are you likely to SLI in the future (I guess not due to not gaming much?) because that board only has a few PCIe slots.

Derek W · 24 Dec 2011 at 22:32

I did have a look at that board but its currently out of stock here

beejjacobs · 24 Dec 2011 at 22:34

True, depends how desparate you are for red/black. They are some great motherboards out there for a lot cheaper.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=MB-364-GI&groupid=701&catid=5&subcat=1990

This motherboard is actually quite good, especially if you dont need SLI.

Derek W · 25 Dec 2011 at 11:57

I'm looking to have a theme on the case, rather than just a collection of bits so i think I'm quite keen on the red / black colour scheme. Currently got the ATI Radeon 5770 which can go SLI but unsure myself as to whether I'd lump two GPUs in cos I dont think i need it.

Derek W · 30 Dec 2011 at 17:18

Had a minor rethink on the colour scheme regarding the case. I think I'm going to be opting for this case

NZXT Phantom Enthusiast Full Tower Case - Red/White

Still sticking with one of the Asus MOBOs along with some of the RipJaw memory. My question is for the braiding would it look better having a white / red scheme or a black red to contrast with the white of the case?

Derek W · 10 Mar 2012 at 11:25

Bit of a thread revival there!

I've been getting a couple of bits here and there. So far I've got the Corsair H80 cpu cooler, bought myself a Crucial 128Gb M4 SSD and just added the Corsair 600T White Edition case.

Going to be adding CPU, Mobo and Ram over the next couple of months although I'll see what the prices are like on the IVY Bridge stuff in comparison to the Socket 2011 / x79 stuff when its released. See if there's any point with the Ivy Bridge or just go with the high end Sandy Bridge

Opting for a Red and White theme, my sig may give a clue as to my inspiration