It's about time for an upgrade - £500-750 non gaming update

john swainston

john swainston

john swainston

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31 May 2018
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So in 2010 I bought a "Krypton Intel Core i7 920 D0 2.66GHz @ 4.00GHz Overclocked Bundle" from Overclockers, and have been running with it ever since. It's been playing up a bit recently (freezes etc.) and despite me doing what I can to resolve problems then sometimes its difficult with drivers that are typically over 5 years old. I'm now getting a bit fed up with nursemaiding it along, and after 8 years it's probably time for an update.

I mainly use it as a desktop/media server, and use lightroom/photoshop/or transcoding tools quite a bit. The tools I use are typically all multithread aware, so i potentially don't need singular massively high clock speeds if going wider with cores is a better option.

Things that will definitely need changing/upgrading are
  • Motherboard
  • CPU
  • Cooler
  • RAM
Things that might need an uplift are
  • GFX card - I've a AMD Radeon R9 380 4Gb at the moment which is used for GPU acceleration in lightroom and if it works with a new MB then i might keep it as it doesn't seem to be a bottleneck for my use. That said, nowadays something better might be able to be had for a few quid - hence this might need looking at.
  • PSU - currently a Corsair TX 650W ATX SLi Compliant Power Supply. Might be OK, but I've no idea whether the new MB's have changed their power demands in the last 8 years.
Things that "should" be fine
  • Case - Coolermaster CM-690 II Lite Window Edition Dominator Case
  • Monitor
  • HDD's / SDD's
  • BlueRay Writer
So I've a budget in mind of £500-£750 to do an uplift on my rig, but there are so many options/architectures out there I'm not too sure what's best for my non-gaming purpose. I'd ideally like 32Gb RAM, but starting with 16Gb and upgrading later is an option if that keeps me within budget.

So do any of you out there have any recommendations for an upgrade based on the above?

Thanks in advance,

John....
 
For what you have said u mainly use the system for.

I personally would opt for B350/X470 mobo, Ryzen 7 X or non X all depends on if you just want plug and play or to tinker. And the best possible memory u can get for that platform (Samsung b die).

The basket below is just for guidence, as mobo choice is a personal thing, that basket is a simple install turn on and change xmp and start using.

The stock cooler that comes with the Ryzen 7 is'nt actually that bad, but ofcourse if your really going to be working the cpu you would most likely want to add a better aftermarket one (again personal choice thing).

Pick the best mobo that u think you need, be that B350/X470 what features you need vs what features are nice to have, X470 is the newer and more enthusiast based chipset.

Both baskets have 8Pack memory in them due to the fact they are samsung B die, which basically means very good timings at high speeds, and are simply plug and play.

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £691.43 (includes shipping: £10.50)​
​

32Gb memory basket:

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £851.43 (includes shipping: £10.50)​
​
 
The build below might be OK for you - has 32gb RAM

I would keep your current graphics card for now, might be worth replacing your case fans when rebuilding if they are also 8 years old

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £748.00 (includes shipping: £11.10)
​
 
Hi john, great name btw.

For now update your bios and get a x5650 or higher. OverclockOverclock it and that will give you a massive boost in performance.

It will cost you from £20-70 depending which you buy (all the same really)

If your not happy then buy something new.
 
koooowweeee said:
Hi john, great name btw.

For now update your bios and get a x5650 or higher. OverclockOverclock it and that will give you a massive boost in performance.

It will cost you from £20-70 depending which you buy (all the same really)

If your not happy then buy something new.
Click to expand...

Probably worth reading the op, as performance isn't his only reason for changing ;)
 
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