Budget mATX upgrade path

LostPhil

LostPhil

LostPhil

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Joined
6 Feb 2007
Posts
530
Location
Norwich, Norfolk
Hi all,

Put together this PC a while back which serves me well. I added an HD 4670 later and took it off of HTPC duty.

My needs have changed and I'd like to switch to a faster set up for games, video encoding and general usage.

I can't afford a complete upgrade straight off so I'm weighing up my options. I'm planning on re-using as much as possible so sticking with mATX. I won't be overclocking and favour longevity/stability/bang-for-buck over out-right performance.

First "phase", CPU, motherboard and RAM.
Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail [BX80637I53570K]
Gigabyte H77M-D3H Intel H77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard [GA-H77M-D3H]
Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit
Cost: £300ish

Second phase being an SSD
Cost: £110ish

Third being new graphics and power supply (if needed).
Cost: Not even going to think about it just yet :D

I see it as being the best route at the moment as I'll see a good benefit after each stage but I'd like some opinions on this or better ways of going about it or more suitable kit. Only going to be gaming at 1440x900 for the time being.

Would I need a new power supply for current mid level GPUs?

EDIT: Having seen a few second hand monitors, I may be upgrading to a larger/higher res monitor soon...
 
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Idleman said:
Hope you don`t miss out. Drop a post in and see if he will save you one.;)
Click to expand...

Ha, if I could I'd snap one up now! However, my MOT's on Friday and I can't hold him up until then - I can imagine he's out of pocket at the moment. It's a great deal though!
 
I'm just about to hit the button on all of it... Could someone check the spec for me please?

Already owned:
Silverstone TJ08 (mATX)
WD Caviar Green 1TB
Optical Drive
Windows 7 HP
i5 3750k from the members market

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI HD 7850 Twin Frozr III OC 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Cards £179.99
1 x Crucial RealSSD M4 128GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (CT128M4SSD2) £88.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77M-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £86.99
1 x OCZ ZT 550W '80 Plus Bronze' Modular Power Supply £63.98
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £44.99
1 x OcUK Professional 2.5" to 3.5" SSD Adaptor Plate - Black £4.99
Total : £481.93 (includes shipping : £10.00).



Thought I'd just go all out :D Didn't think it was worth paying extra for the X version of the motherboard as I'll never use SLI or Crossfire.

Any thoughts?
 
The X version also allows better overclocking. I don't think the M version allows volting the cpu higher. Worth it for a extra £14.
 
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Vegeta said:
The X version also allows better overclocking. I don't think the M version allows volting the cpu higher. Worth it for a extra £14.
Click to expand...

Thats very true, just checked for you, its doesn't support voltage tweaks on the CPU. Worth the extra £14 i think.

Though you've not got an aftermarket cooler.

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI HD 7850 Twin Frozr III OC 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Cards £179.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77MX-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £99.98
1 x Crucial RealSSD M4 128GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (CT128M4SSD2) £88.99
1 x Cooler Master Silent Pro Modular 600W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £65.99
1 x Corsair Vengeance Low Profile 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (CML8GX3M2A1600C9) £43.99
1 x Gelid Tranquillo CPU Cooler (Socket 754/939/940/AM2/AM2+/AM3/LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366) £25.99
1 x OcUK Professional 2.5" to 3.5" SSD Adaptor Plate - Black £4.99
Total : £521.93 (includes shipping : £10.00).

 
I'm reluctant to add a large cooler to the CPU due to the size of my case. Also, I'd rather keep the overclocks to a minimum and trade it for cooler and quieter running.

Besides SLI and voltage changes, there isn't a difference in performance between the two boards is there? While it's only 11, I'll spend the money on peripherals or towards a new monitor.

Is there any reason you've chosen a different PSU? I can see why you changed the RAM.

EDIT: Scratch that, I've stuck the MX board in the basket and changed to the Cooler Master PSU, you'd better have a good taste in PSUs... Seems like everything I'd picked went up in price today though!

I'm home now and checked inside my case. Unless I swap cases to a larger form factor, I'd be uncomfortable with using a larger cooler in there as it seems a bit too tight. Thanks for the suggestions though! Considering overclocking a bit more now but I'll stick with stock for the time being.
 
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After much deliberation, I've ordered:

YOUR BASKET
1 x MSI HD 7850 Twin Frozr III OC 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Cards £199.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77MX-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Micro ATX Motherboard £99.98
1 x Crucial RealSSD M4 128GB 2.5" SATA 6Gb/s Solid State Hard Drive (CT128M4SSD2) £88.99
1 x Cooler Master Silent Pro Modular 600W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £65.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) £44.99
Total : £499.94 (includes shipping : FREE).



Under £500 :D I saw some sense and removed the SSD mounting kit as I don't think it's really worth £5! That's budget building...

I'll post pics once it's completed if anyone's interested.
 
Possibly a really daft question but... Motherboard standoffs - only use the ones correlating to the screw holes in the motherboard or use all for the form factor? My previous board used all of the mATX mounts but this doesn't! The manual isn't very helpful with this.

Edit: Turns out there was only one which would be under the board with no corresponding hole so removed it.

:)
 
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