Another Computer Upgrade Advice Thread.

Pulse

Pulse

Pulse

Soldato
Joined
25 Jul 2006
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Location
Taunton
I know you guys are probably sick to death of upgrade advice, but I'm sure you'll still be willing to help :)

My current rig is as per sig, want something a bit faster and bit more powerful to keep up with games that are due for release soon. So what's my best path to take? I've thought of a few things and wondering if I've got a better option

A). New CPU, RAM, Mobo, GFX and SSD.

B). Buy the above 2nd hand.

C). Just add an SSD.

D). Just upgrade certain components.

E). Get an SLi 775 board and install a 2nd 470.

I'm not looking at a massive budget, I've looked around and think about £450ish for CPU, RAM, Mobo and new CPU cooler. I have no idea which is a decent GFX to upgrade from my 470 so don't know what to set aside for that. Any advice would be appreciated as I haven't upgraded anything in my PC for over 2 years so well out of the loop :D

Update:

Bought an i5 3570k from the MM. And looking to pair with the following, anything you'd change?

Gigabyte Z77X-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £109.99
Prolimatech Megahalems Rev C CPU Cooler £46.99
GeIL Dragon 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-10666C9 1333MHz Dual Channel Kit (GD38GB1333C9DC) £37.99
Prolimatech Blue Vortex Blue Wings 120mm Fan £10.99
Total w/ Shipping : £217.37
 
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Okay, I'll keep an eye out but what should I consider a good upgrade? i5, i7? 2500k, 3700k? I don't really know what's the difference is :confused:
 
YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - OEM £179.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77X-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £109.99
1 x Crucial RealSSD M4 128GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (CT128M4SSD2) £99.95
1 x GeIL Dragon 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (GD38GB1600C11DC) £35.99
1 x Akasa AK-CC4007EP01 Nero 3 CPU Cooler (Socket LGA775/1155/1156/1366/2011/AMD AM2/AM2+/AM3/FM1) £23.99
Total : £461.30 (includes shipping : £9.50).



Ivybridge is clocked slightly faster, uses less power to operate and has an improved IGP. The IGP can be used for quick sync to help turbo boost video encoding by supporting software. I used the OEM CPU as it is cheaper and you don't need the stock heatsink. It only comes with a one year warranty though, the retail CPU has 3 years.

Z77 mobo which allows the overclocking of the CPU, has lucid MVP to provide a performance boost to your 470 GPU. It also supports SLI and Xfire so you could add another 470 later (psu dependant) should you see one going cheap.

SSD is a good size for the OS, apps and a fair few games. It's sataIII and will load the OS and games faster than a mechanical drive.

Hope this helps
 
That's a massive help so I know what I should be aiming for, quick question though.... on a lot of motherboards I've noticed the sli pci-e speeds are either x16/x8 or x8/x8, would that not impact massively on the 2nd card or both if they're not running at x16/x16?
 
Pulse said:
That's a massive help so I know what I should be aiming for, quick question though.... on a lot of motherboards I've noticed the sli pci-e speeds are either x16/x8 or x8/x8, would that not impact massively on the 2nd card or both if they're not running at x16/x16?
Click to expand...

8x/8x is fine for crossfire/SLI - it's only 4x that can be limiting or when dealing with 3 or 4 cards that you may need more
 
Updated the OP, still looking for more advice. As per the parts I posted is there anything you'd change or get rid? I'm looking to do this as cheap as possible.
 
Haha, almost did, then thankfully someone dropped out.

Just wondering if there is a cheaper option for the CPU cooler, was hoping to keep that lot under £200.
 
 
Was looking at the Crucial, will the extra speed be noticeable? Help increase clocks?

Also, stupid off topic question, but am I missing something when people are posting these specs? Everyone's seems to be the same formatting with the pictures linked at the bottom, how do I do that?
 
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With ya! Might go for this cooler instead, had some good reviews and keeps up with the £50-£60 coolers for a bit less, can always add a 2nd fan if needs be.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte Z77X-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £109.99
1 x Xigmatek Prime SD1484 CPU Cooler with 140mm Fan (Socket LGA775/1155/1156/1366/2011/AMD AM2/AM3/FM1) £39.98
1 x Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (BLS2CP4G3D1609DS1S00CEU) £38.39
Total : £188.36 (includes shipping : FREE).

 
Yup and ordered, thanks for the help everyone, especially Idleman, thought I might get a few more people responding, but I'm sorted now thanks to you. :D
 
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