i5-4670K upgrade advice

[zoobee]

Hi there, I have an aging Z87oc Haswell build, ive added more RAM to 16GB, upgraded card to 1660 Super but i think the CPU is holding it back now. I cant really afford total upgrade, i was hoping i slightly better CPU could give it a new leases of life >.<

*I was a coward and didnt OC the chip i know, even though i bought the OC board =( Its a decent case and cooling, 750w power unit. *sorry if posted in the wrong area, my bad.

 

[zoobee]

Depending on the game, some people have had good results using the 4 core 8 thread CPUs (either Xeon or i7) and they're getting more affordable now, but which game in particular are you having trouble with?

Well, i mostly play Battlefield lol, and football manager, wanted to try latest BF game, but was not sure if im up to it

 

[zoobee]

your only option is 4790k, look at places like CeX and you can pick them up for under £30.

Ahh, i like that kind of price, yeah it dont have to be new, its the i7 then, should i buy or not buy overclocked ones, cheers looking now

 

[zoobee]

Sooo i bought the 4790k and when i boot it spins up for 2 secs then stops, spins up again then stops and so on... I put my old i5 back in works fine so i guess i need to update my bios? Why did i not do that initially... would that be for my Z87 board then or the CPU too? Thanks

You may have to update the bios first before you can drop in the 4790k

 

[zoobee]

Yeah with the others here go for the 4790k and oc the crap out of it. It'll be your cheapest easiest upgrade. Careful though you'll likely get addicted to over clocking

edit just read you did indeed go for it. Did you update your bios first.

I did not update the BIOS first, i need to read up properly of how to do it, i have the latest Gigabyte bios on a USB stick now, bit confused what to do next, do i update it with my i5 still, then sw2itch it out for the i7? I cant get into by BIOS atm, DEL, f5,8,10,12 not working, dont think my KB has power at that point. Ah well, im sure ill work it out lol

 

[zoobee]

Do you have a spare wired keyboard? For Gigabyte you need to press the END key during POST to enter Q-Flash. Alternatively hold the shift button when you press restart in Windows, there should be an option to boot into UEFI, and when you're in there, press F8 to enter Q-Flash.

Thanks, i ended up pressing the CMOS switch on my mobo and it worked, but idk how to flash my BIOS, do i literally DL it the latest from the GIGA website, put it on a stick and boot/flash from it? I have it on a stick now, but i dont want to have to remove CPU again only to have to put it back in if i7 is not working, im so noob at this. I dont want to brick my mobo

I dl the f9c version and put it on a stick, do i then insert stick to USB and boot then goto BIOS? and i can update from there? Ive never done this before, just worried https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA-Z87X-OC-rev-1x/support#support-dl-bios

 

[zoobee]

You download it, and if it's in a zip folder, extract it, then copy to the USB. You want to boot into Q-Flash which is built into the motherboard. Either press END during POST or enter the BIOS first then press F8 which will take you to Q-Flash. Q-Flash will then ask for the new BIOS file, so navigate to your USB and then select the new file. Once it's done it'll reboot the system, probably into Windows, and you can use either CPU-Z or HWiNFO64 to check the BIOS version and it should be the one it just flashed. Once that's down you can then power down and swap the CPU over.

EDIT: Yes, download from Gigabyte's website.

Right, thankyou sir for explaining so well, ok i think i can do this... here goes!

When i post again ill update my bio so you'll know it was a success =))

 

[zoobee]

With age of 4790Ks it would definitely be worth deliding the CPU as the thermal compound between the die and the IHS will have turned to dust by now making the CPU run hotter than when it was new.

Agreed, i clean them and my Heatsink with isoprpoplic alcohol and lint free wipes. They are spotless.

Im sad to report even with the BIOS update its not working, it just spins up for 2 secs and stops, try again ad infiniti. Is the chip likely dead? IS there anything else i can try? Im back with my i5 *sobs*.

 

[zoobee]

How long did you wait for? Usually when you put in a new CPU the BIOS will reset itself and does a few self tests before actually booting up. Usually takes a few minutes.

I waited for about 4 failed spin ups and assumed it was the same problem... Urgh have i screwed up? Should i have waited longer? When i put the i5 back in it booted first time. Quick question, will it let me try to boot without the cooler in place to test for a second or two? I checked my BIOS and i have the new BIOS, maybe i should try another one..

 

[zoobee]

yeah sometimes the pc will come on off on off . i did this the other day exact same third time it then started normal. give it a try again leave it. see if it comes on.

also if you playing bf you want a 6 core cpu atleast. on 4 core cpus it chugs. battlefield loves cores.

you could get a older 6 core amd cpu 2nd hand with mobo and ram for under 100 quid.

OK i will try it again.. will dbl check BIOS and leave it to spin several times before rage removing.

 

[zoobee]

Not just clean. Remove the IHS and replace the dried paste between the die and the IHS.

Wow, i had no idea that could be done OK, if i get it working i will do this lol

where did you get chip from?

take it back.

From a well known tech reseller and way more than £30 lol, it came with 12 month guarantee tho, just hope they dont get funny when i call them, hopefully they can send me another to try.

 

[zoobee]

Im sorry to be back, I returned the CPU and decided to keep my i5, but then i decided i really do want this i7 and i bought another one, but same thing happened =(
Am i doing anything wrong IDK, im wondering if i dont have enough power for it, i have a 750w PSU i think im ok.
NGL it looks like the same chip going by the scratches, but they assure me its a different one and say they test the chips so wtf, it must be me or my system, i just dont get it.

The shop is in my town, they said they tested it so do you think they will let me watch them test it so i can see for myself it working, it will at least tell me for sure its a problem my end.

 

[zoobee]

without reading the thread.. that sounds like bios? did you update it.
what is the model of board used. full model and what ram

I did update it, i have a Giga Z87x OC board, the BIOS version is F9c 2014. Have 16gb RAM, Giga 1660 Super, 750w PSU. Win 10 home 64 bit.

*I'm wondering if i should try another version of the BIOS, but everything ive read so far says this is the correct BIOS and im not keen on flashing the bios again, it came from the Giga website, it is defiantly the one for my board.

You know what? Im just going to take it back and ask for another chip or make them show me this one working so i dont go mad and begin crying, all i ever wanted was a extra few FPS playing BF5 and post in the i7 4790k owners thread *sobs*

 

[zoobee]

Take your pc with you .

I have a Corsair 900d, brb contacting local council for permission to close the road ;p

But seriously i dont have a car and its too far to carry it, id need a suitcase on wheels or somthing or get a taxi which i cant really afford. This is all so tiresome if dont laugh ill cry, i took a day off work to accept delivery of the first chip only for Royal mail to be on strike that day so i took the day off when they were back, but they didnt even knock and left a note instead, so i had to wait 3 more days and take another day afternoon off to pick it up from the post office, and it didnt even work.

All for 10 FPS on BF5, which is a stupid game full of cheats and bots now, and i only ever play one map, in one plane, why on earth am i doing this to myself i have no idea.

 

[zoobee]

back in the day i had the GAz87x oc and a 4790k there is no reason it shouldn't boot.
is the seconds CPU defo not the same one, like you went to a different shop?


unplug the systema and remover the bios battery for 5 mins

Quite sure now its not the same chip, i took it back to the shop for a refund and bought another one they had in stock. Jeez, this will be the 3rd chip i have tried, it doesnt work it must mean problems my end. The guy in the shop said it could be my RAM and the frequencies not compatible, let me check specs..

2 x 4gb Team Group Vulcan-2133
1 x 8gb Crucial 8GB DDR3L-1600 UDIMM
The crucial RAM was an upgrade.

This is all ok right?

 

[zoobee]

Hell to the yeah! bought 2x8gb sticks of 1600 and took out the 2x4gb 2133s, works fine now. =) Everything is a little faster, which is nice.