Cheapest upgrade from existing spec

TheBrooder

TheBrooder

TheBrooder

Soldato
Joined
8 Jan 2007
Posts
3,321
Location
Cognac, France
MSI P55-GD65
1st generation I5 @ stock
4gb Kingston hyper-X Genesis
6850

My main issue is the 2nd stick of ram isn't detected so I'm limited to 4gb, I've tried everything but it doesn't work. I need a decent upgrade with 8gb ram for as cheap as possible. I mainly play Planetside 2.
 
mickyflinn said:
I believe his cpu is socket 1156 not 1155.
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Buggers that up then. My fault, should have checked the mobo spec.

Best get looking in the MM for a 2nd hand mobo. Or look for an i5(1155) Cpu, mobo and ram bundle. Been a few good bargains the last couple of weeks. You might also get a decent Gpu.
 
MSI P55-GD65 Skt 1156 motherboard with 8Gb DDR3 1600Mhz (4x2Gb Kingston) This board is a bit picky on memory and is common that it wont recognise certain configurations/sizes.
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It seems this board is known to have problems with memory. I took that quote from a thread in the MM.

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18509255

As far as upgrading goes, if the chip still does everything you require of it, then why upgrade. If you have a low budget but would still like to upgrade, then the MM would be a good place to start. You could at least open a Wanted thread and see what other members have available.
Talking of budgets, what would be the max you can spend, as this will help determine the best upgrade path. And is it just the Cpu and mobo you wish to upgrade.
 
I guess £200ish is the budget. I'm convinced that the other 4gb ram will help me run Planetside 2 better.

I'll upgrade the gpu later on, so just mobo & cpu for now. I've been looking at the i5 3570 but I'm not sure whether I'll notice much improvement in-game to justify the cost & hassle of re-installing windows.
 
You would get more performance increase with a GPU upgrade than RAM.
Have you tried a BIOS update just in case to try and resolve the faulty RAM slot?

You should try and overclock your CPU to gain some free performance :D
 
 
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I'd buy a Haswell bundle and then sell your CPU to make up some of the difference. It'll be slightly more expensive but by the time you get some money back for your CPU it won't be as dramatic and you'll have an entirely new core system.
 
TheBrooder said:
I'm not sure whether I'll notice much improvement in-game to justify the cost & hassle of re-installing windows.
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Assuming you are running Windows 7/8 you won't need to reinstall. Gone are the days of reinstalling Windows for a chipset change.
 
You could get a 35£ cooler and overclock your i5, it will greatly help your performance. Alternatively, the 128GB Samsung 840 ssd is on offer for £80 I believe? That would make a nice upgrade.
 
Thanks for the advice guys, really helpful!

I didn't know I could stick a new cpu in without reinstalling windows 7 these days, that's brilliant.

I've actually got a Noctua cooler, and I used to have it overclocked a bit, not sure why I removed it.

I think I'll buy an i5 3570 with a cheapo mobo, is Z77 the best chipset to go for? I may as well keep my 2x4gb Kingston hyperx too. I can't use the MM as postage to France will make it expensive.

I would like a 7950 eventually but not sure my old Enermax Noisetaker 600w will cope with it!?
 
You'd want the 3570K buddy. The K CPU is multiplier unlocked to allow overclocking with the Z series mobos.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £179.99
1 x **B Grade** Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £60.00
Total : £251.39 (includes shipping : £9.50).



The Z77-D3H is better than the Asus LX2, this one being B grade makes it's cheap too. Ok it might be missing sata cables but hopefully you already have that covered :)
 
TheBrooder said:
Thanks for the advice guys, really helpful!
I can't use the MM as postage to France will make it expensive.
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It will still cost you more than the £9.50 shipping cost in hono`s spec. The bundle I linked would cost £175 inc and even if you pay a little extra, I can`t see it costing more than about £20. Failing that, I`m sure you must have some family or friends coming over for a visit, who could bring it with them.
Just trying to save you money mate . :D
 
Idleman said:
It will still cost you more than the £9.50 shipping cost in hono`s spec. The bundle I linked would cost £175 inc and even if you pay a little extra, I can`t see it costing more than about £20. Failing that, I`m sure you must have some family or friends coming over for a visit, who could bring it with them.
Just trying to save you money mate . :D
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I don't have an issue with the i5 2500K 2nd hand, still a great CPU. That Asrock mobo started Stulids unrivaled hate for Asrock. He sold his one on when he upgraded and it died not long aftrewards, apparently the RMA was aggro too.
 
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