£450 Upgrade to current system

Deehjay

Deehjay

Deehjay

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Posted a thread about this a couple of weeks back but it kind of died before I came to a decision, so I'm just going to go ahead and make a new one instead of bumping it.

I'm looking to upgrade my current system in the following components:

~ CPU
~ CPU Cooler
~ Motherboard
~ Case

I'm looking for a complete upgrade to the latest generation of processors, and looking to buy them new and not second-hand, just to clarify (and insistent on that)

Here's my current specs:

i5-2500 (non-K)
8gb 1600mhz
R9 280X
AsRock Z68 Pro3

I may have a bit more money to play around with depending on whether or not I decide to sell the components that I replace or keep them for a second build. Here's what I have so far though, any improvements are appreciated:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-4690K 3.50GHz (Devil's Canyon) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £167.99
1 x Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 3 Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £103.99
1 x Corsair Obsidian 450D High Airflow Mid-Tower Case (CC-9011049-WW) £91.99
1 x Corsair Hydro H80i High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler £74.99
Total : £448.56 (includes shipping : £8.00).



Obviously there'll be a bit more money for some more case fans etc. but this is what I'm generally floating towards. If possible I'd like the components to remain a sort of red-ish colour to go with my MSI 280X, although it's not completely necessary and I'm not wanting to sacrifice performance for aesthetics.

Forgot to mention; it's for gaming specifically.

Thanks
 
Last edited:
stulid said:
Tough one as there are some board+CPU bundles available but none really help you come in at that budget.

One suggestion would be this AIO cooler,

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=HS-011-AN
Click to expand...

How does the Antec Kuhler range compare to the H range of Corsair? Everywhere I've looked before the Corsair ones always seem to be the go-to.

Also, how would a liquid cooler within that price range compare to a standard air cooler for the same price?
 
I think they are pretty much all equal, its the price of that Antec unit that currently makes its a great deal as it should be around double that price normally (edit.. it actually says "was £54.99" which still seems cheap).

The big advantage is the ability to use silly tall RAM without fitment issues.

A top end air cooler will be a better performer at a lower fan speed as these AIO can get very loud once you set them to max speed which is what is needed to match a high end air cooler.
 
Are you sure you want to upgrade from that 2500? It's still a very solid CPU and upgrading would only net you a 10-15% performance increase, not really worth it - I suppose it would be a good idea if you were using it for another/secondary rig however :)
 
stulid said:
I think they are pretty much all equal, its the price of that Antec unit that currently makes its a great deal as it should be around double that price normally.

The big advantage is the ability to use silly tall RAM without fitment issues.

A top end air cooler will be a better performer at a lower fan speed as these AIO can get very loud once you set them to max speed which is what is needed to match a high end air cooler.
Click to expand...

I see. How would the H80i/950 fit inside the 450D? I've seen some videos of people having to remove the top plate of their case in order to fit a water cooler, but that was with the H100i mind. Surely the single fan one should be fine sitting fully inside the case?
 
Deehjay said:
I see. How would the H80i/950 fit inside the 450D? I've seen some videos of people having to remove the top plate of their case in order to fit a water cooler, but that was with the H100i mind. Surely the single fan one should be fine sitting fully inside the case?
Click to expand...

Fits on the rear 120mm fan position.

Like this,

8ydtf8.jpg
 
Shivy011 said:
Are you sure you want to upgrade from that 2500? It's still a very solid CPU and upgrading would only net you a 10-15% performance increase, not really worth it - I suppose it would be a good idea if you were using it for another/secondary rig however :)
Click to expand...

I'm definitely wanting to replace it. If push comes to shove though I might purchase an i7-2600k and then stick with the Z68 to save some money, but the upgrade is definitely preferred. I don't think it's particularly worth keeping the 2500 for much longer since it isn't unlocked and therefore a lot harder to overclock, and it's starting to get incredibly hot under stress (90c+) when under stress, especially during summertime, with stock cooler.

I'm not really an advocate of buying things second hand as I feel like there could be a possibility that the item I'm purchasing has lost some performance, so I'd still want to buy it new.
 
stulid said:
Fits on the rear 120mm fan position.

Like this,

8ydtf8.jpg
Click to expand...

Oh I see. I'm assuming that means that since it's so big that I'd only be able to fit one fan at the top side of the case? It looks like it takes up a lot of the space inside the case of that picture.
 
Deehjay said:
Oh I see. I'm assuming that means that since it's so big that I'd only be able to fit one fan at the top side of the case? It looks like it takes up a lot of the space inside the case of that picture.
Click to expand...

Thats not the same case, but its a representation of where the cooler would fit.
 
Quartz said:
If it's for playing games, just upgrade the GPU. The CPU is fine. PCI Express v3 is only of significant benefit with three or four video cards.
Click to expand...

You think I should upgrade the GPU and not the other parts? The R9 280X suits me perfectly, and I only got it 7 months ago.
 
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