How should I upgrade this computer?

HexagonalBolts · 27 Nov 2011 at 18:54

Hello all, how's it going?

I'm thinking of upgrading my computer for Christmas, primarily because my old graphics card died and I now have a new shiny one that seriously outstrips the rest of the computer. It is a gaming computer.

My current rig:

Replacing
Asus P5K Premium
Corsair 4GB DDR2 XMS2 Dominator PC2-8500C5
Q6600 G0 "Energy Efficient SLACR 95W Edition" @ 2.40GHz

Keeping
MSI 6950 HD OC
Blu-ray drive
1920x1080 27" LG
1TB HDD
Windows 7 x64
CM690 (it's a bit battered so I might get something new if I have the money)
Corsair HX Series 520W Modular PSU (Do you think this would need replacing?)

I'd like to get an average i5 processor, I care a lot about sound so a motherboard with an SPDIF sound output (thoughts on soundcards seem to be so mixed?) and 6 or 8GB of RAM.
-How much do you think this would cost?
-Can you recommend any compatible components in particular?
-Do you think I would need to replace the (three years old) PSU with these upgrades?
-Would you upgrade this computer differently?

Your advice is much appreciated,
Thanks!

Irish_Hawk · 27 Nov 2011 at 18:57

If it is for gaming then i5 2500k seems the way to go.
Are you planning on overclocking it/much?

stulid · 27 Nov 2011 at 18:58

Is your optical drive and HDD SATA?

Budget?

HexagonalBolts · 27 Nov 2011 at 20:06

stulid said:
Is your optical drive and HDD SATA?

Budget?

Yes, for gaming.

I believe they are SATA, yes (I have two optical drives by the way).

I will probably overclock the processor a bit but I don't plan on breaking any records or anything.

I don't have a set budget, I was hoping I'd get a couple of different suggestions... Let's see... the i5 2500k 3.3ghz is around £165, the 'Asus P8Z68-V PRO Z68 Socket 1155 8 Channel HD Audio ATX Motherboard' has S/PDIF and is around £140 (I'd go for a cheaper one if it had S/PDIF and good sound quality), RAM I imagine to be £40ish...? If I'm overclocking I should probably spend £30-£40 on a cooler, so that would, extremely roughly, be around £350?

-edit- oh actually I've just seen a motherboard for £80 with SPDIF, 'Asus P8Z68-V LX Socket 1155 Onboard graphics output 8 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard'... I always struggle with motherboards, what makes the other motherboard so much more expensive?

stulid · 27 Nov 2011 at 20:22

Your basketProduct Name Qty Price Line Total
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - OEM £155.99
(£129.99) £155.99
(£129.99)
Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3P Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £139.99
(£116.66) £139.99
(£116.66)
Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) **BLACK FRIDAY SPECIAL DEAL** £34.99
(£29.16) £34.99
(£29.16)
Arctic Cooling Freezer 13 High Performance CPU Cooler (Socket LGA775/1155/1156/1366/939/AM2/AM2+) £17.99
(£14.99) £17.99
(£14.99)
Sub Total : £290.80
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £9.50
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £60.06
Total : £360.36

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3912

Realtek ALC889 codec
High Definition Audio
2/4/5.1/7.1-channel
Support for Dolby® Home Theater
Support for S/PDIF Out

http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/gigabyte_z68xp_ud3p_review,1.html

HexagonalBolts · 28 Nov 2011 at 16:40

stulid said:
Your basketProduct Name Qty Price Line Total
Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - OEM £155.99
(£129.99) £155.99
(£129.99)
Gigabyte Z68XP-UD3P Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £139.99
(£116.66) £139.99
(£116.66)
Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3X2K2/8GX) **BLACK FRIDAY SPECIAL DEAL** £34.99
(£29.16) £34.99
(£29.16)
Arctic Cooling Freezer 13 High Performance CPU Cooler (Socket LGA775/1155/1156/1366/939/AM2/AM2+) £17.99
(£14.99) £17.99
(£14.99)
Sub Total : £290.80
Shipping cost assumes delivery to UK Mainland with:
DPD Next Day Parcel
(This can be changed during checkout) Shipping : £9.50
VAT is being charged at 20.00% VAT : £60.06
Total : £360.36

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3912

http://www.vortez.net/articles_pages/gigabyte_z68xp_ud3p_review,1.html

Thank you. I'm rather bad with understanding motherboards, can anyone help me as to why I should choose the above motherboard over the much cheaper 'Asus P8Z68-V LX Socket 1155 Onboard graphics output 8 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard' that still has external SPDIF?