CPU/MOBO Upgrade Spec

FinalSquall

FinalSquall

FinalSquall

Associate
Joined
25 Jul 2011
Posts
278
Hi OC

So I have been doing my first job since graduating
from uni and I am looking to upgrade my
i5 2500K gaming PC in two stages.

The first stage will be the CPU and MOBO, which often leads to upgrading
the majority of the PC =/.

Some relevant parts of my current spec;(most/all of which are no longer available to buy here)
RAM - Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit
PSU - Antec TruePower New Modular 650W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply
MOBO - MSI Z68A-GD65-G3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard

If the PSU would be sufficient for whatever is specd
and my current GTX 770 then I will upgrade the PSU later with the GPU.

Anyway for the first stage I need:

1. A MOBO and CPU (obviously). I am looking to go for a Skylake build
Or anything better, but from the limited research I have done, that
is the way to go. I would say an i5 (skylake equivalent of the 2500k if there is one) is all I need.
2. A decent CPU cooling system (air ideally, water sounds like a pain!)
3. Some new RAM (16GB. I suppose could possibly wait if my old RAM works ok with the new MOBO)
4. A new PSU
5. A new case for all this.
6. An SSD, large enough for Windows and a few favorite games.
Probably 128GB, 256 if there is an affordable and decent option.

For stage 2 which I will probably purchase in a month or so:
Basically just a new GPU

So a spec up for my suggestions would be very welcome!

Cheers for your time and assistance.
George.
 
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If it was me I'd buy the GPU first as your current CPU, especially overclocked, is still fine.

Also, what budget do you have and what type of case are you loking for? Windowed? micro ATX? Full tower?
 
I really wouldn't bother upgrading the CPU.

I'm running a 2500k @ 4.6ghz, have been for over 4 years now.
Last month I added a new SSD (500gb Samsung 850), another 8 gigs of RAM (Up to 16), and a Radeon Fury X.
No further framedrops in Crysis 3, Witcher 3 etc.

Next month i'll be getting an H80i AIO cooler just to keep the cpu running into the far future.

Sandybridge won't be a bottleneck for a few years yet.

Also, case-wise what are you looking for, and what is your budget?
 
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Probably mid tower or full tower. Depending on component sizes and cooling. Well i was going to buy a new pc and use the remaining components for a home server/pc. In total im probably looking at a 1k budget cheers.
 
Also, would my Rig handle (From a PSU and MOBO compatibility perspective) a GTX 980Ti? As from what you guys are saying maybe I would go for a GPU and an SSD first.

Thanks for any help!
 
My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £819.43
(includes shipping: £14.70)
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My basket at Overclockers UK:

Total: £885.43
(includes shipping: £14.70)
​


​
 
Hey FixupSellon. Will look into what you have specd me there. Cheers!

@ExRayTed currently not running any oc at all. Am running at stock 3.3ghz. I game at 1920x1080. Not likely to change for some time. Thanks!
 
FinalSquall said:
Hey FixupSellon. Will look into what you have specd me there. Cheers!

@ExRayTed currently not running any oc at all. Am running at stock 3.3ghz. I game at 1920x1080. Not likely to change for some time. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Going from an i5 2500K to a Skylake i5 is not really worth it. You still have a very good cpu.

Your Antec power supply is also very good (Seasonic OEM). Don't waste money changing it.


If you are only gaming, then a new graphics card will give you a nice boost in performance.

For the SSD I would go with a 250GB as it gives you a bit of breathing space. A 120GB will fill up very fast.

Something like the Coolermaster Hyper 212 or Alpenfohn Matterhorn are good budget air coolers.

The case is personal pref so just go with what you like. Just make sure it has enough clearance for the cooler.
 
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