Old system needs updating. I could use some help.

KateB

KateB

KateB

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Hi all.

I need to update my system and am looking for some recommendations?

My current system is:

Asus Rampage Formula motherboard - https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/RAMPAGE_FORMULA/

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9450 CPU - http://ark.intel.com/products/33923/Intel-Core2-Quad-Processor-Q9450-12M-Cache-2_66-GHz-1333-MHz-FSB

8GB DDR2 400Mhz memory

850W Modular PSU (Forgot Brand Name)

Geforce GTX 960

Sound Blaster Z

Case is an Antec 1200

Win 10 pro 64

I think it’s pretty obvious I need a new motherboard, CPU and memory. The question is which?

This month Cyan’s (Myst) new game comes out called Obduction that will have Oculus Rift support, although Cyan have yet to release system specs that is the minimum I’m aiming for.

Long run I probably won’t upgrade the motherboard, CPU or Memory for at least another 5 years after this so that needs to be taken into consideration. I would like a minimum of 16GB of memory, maybe 32GB.

Basically as future proof as possible for the motherboard, CPU and memory for at least 5 years.

Budget about £400 - that’s not rigid but would be nice to stay close to that.

So Motherboard, CPU, Memory, CPU cooler? Thermal paste, anything else?

Thanks for your thoughts.

Kate.
 
£400 isn't a huge budget, but it'll still get you something very decent for your money:

CPU and motherboard bundle:
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/giga...-6600k-bundle-10-pounds-saving-bu-026-gi.html

16GB RAM:
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/king...hannel-kit-black-hx430c15sb2k2-my-238-ks.html

Air cooler:
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/alpenfoehn-matterhorn-black-cpu-cooler-hs-050-al.html

or

AIO liquid cooler if you fancy something different:
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/antec-h600-kuhler-120mm-aio-liquid-cooler-hs-013-an.html

Total ~£401

The 6600K is a very good CPU for gaming and if you're not bothered about SLI/Crossfire in the future, the the Gigabyte board is fine. 16GB RAM is more than enough for now. If you wanted to, you could upgrade in the future.

The Matterhorn is a tried and tested CPU cooler. It will be absolutely fine, as long as it fits in the case. Alternatively, the Antec Kuhler AIOs are very good and would offer you a compact but highly efficient cooling solution. Both coolers should come with thermal paste.

I assume you already have an SSD?
 
That is a very good value deal, but I would personally go with the 6600K because it is fully unlocked. You should still be able to overclock the 6600K to 4.4GHz.

The i5 6400 is not a K series CPU, so the multiplier is locked. That bundle is OCed using a BCLK overclock. This is something that wasn't possible with Haswell but is possible with Skylake. You need to be aware of this:

Updating the CPU microcode via BIOS update or software may effect the overclocking of this bundle. So once installed CPU microcode on provided BIOS should remain the same. We can only guarantee the overclock on the the CPU microcode which is provided when you receive the bundle.
Click to expand...
 
You mentioned Oculus Rift and that you have a 960. That's going to give you ******** performance, you know that, right?

You should have at least a 980 if not a 1070 or 1080 for a buttery smooth O.R. experience.
 
Yes the graphics card will be updated after.

First is the CPU, Motherboard and memory.

Then pre order Oculus Rift for I think an August release.

Obduction has been delayed until 26th July so plenty of time to update all of those items and save up for a 10xx
 
Yes, to get decent VR performance, the OP will need at least a 980 or better. As the basis of a VR system though, the 6600K and 16GB DDR4 is a lot better than an aging Q9450 and 8GB DDR2. There is no point chucking a high-end modern GPU into a system that old.
 
I've downloaded the Oculus PC ready app and I fail on 3 things, Graphics, Processor and USB and the last two will definitely be covered by the CPU & Motherboard bundle linked above and the GTX 960 will be more than enough to play Obduction non VR version and when Oculus Rift is released I believe some time in August I'll pick up a 10xx and then I'll come as close as possible to fulfilling my childhood fantasy of wandering around Myst island in VR but this time in a new world created by Cyan.
 
I think I would hold off until AM4 and Bristol Ridge. The performance probably won't beat an i5 but I think it might offer more for the money.
 
I've just been looking at some of these motherboards and noticed that for a few pounds more (not in a bundle deal) I can get a board with the USB Type C socket.

I don't know much about this or type A for that matter but would it be worth spending a few extra pounds to get one with a Type C on it and if yes and not restricted to the bundle and staying to a budget of no more than £125 for the board which would you recommend?

Thanks

Kate.
 
I don't really know much about USB 3.1 to be honest. At the moment I don't think many devices actually come with a type C connector. From what I've read, Type A is your standard USB plug, they just had to call it something to make it different from Type C (the new style). Type B is the device-cable style plug used on printers etc.

I would stick to either Gigabyte or Asus personally. If you do want to opt for a board with a type C socket, then:

Asus Z170-E:
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/asus...cket-1151-ddr4-atx-motherboard-mb-675-as.html

Gigabyte Z170X-Gaming 3 (this is currently on special offer, down from £125):
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/giga...cket-1151-ddr4-atx-motherboard-mb-528-gi.html
 
Excellent, I'll take a look at them.

As I'm not going to change the board for at least 5 years it makes sense to get this 3.1 Type C socket.

Same Memory with both boards?

Thank you
 
I've decided to go with the Gigabyte.

One last question if you don't mind, will that Matterhorn cooler definitely fit the 1151 CPU socket?

I ask as when you go to the page here it says Socket Compatibility: 775 / 1150 / 1155 / 1156 / 1366 / 2011 / AM2 / AM2+ / AM3 / FM1 / FM2

Thanks again.

Kate.
 
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