Out the Loop part 2 - Component Upgrade

greymack

greymack

greymack

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Hi

About this time last year I was considering a pc upgrade but the general consensus on these forums was that it wouldn't be worth me doing so as there wasn't a big enough jump from my old kit to the new and I was advised to hold of for a year.

So here we are one year on and I would really like to update my motherboard/CPU/Memory base components however as the threat title says I really am out of the loop when it comes to what's best bang for buck in the PC world at the moment so I'm turning to you guys for help.

My current base components bought in 2009 are:

Motherboard:Asus P6T Delux V2
CPU :Intel Core i7-920 DO
Ram :Corsair Dominator TR3X6G1600C8D

I don't want top end but somewhere just below, something i can build a new rig around that'll last me another 4 years, so what's out there at the moment and how does it compare to my 2009 set-up?
 
Interesting replies guys.

It amazes me that people are recommending sticking with the i7 920 when it's 4 year old, what does that say about the current generation of cpu's or maybe it tells us the 920 was just a very good cpu?

The 920 is not over-clocked so i suppose some headroom there but there's a little bit more of a back story to why I'm considering the upgrade. My current system has a silverstone fortress FT-01 case but it's falling to pieces in conjunction with my cpu i think i have a corsair H60 self contained water cooler but that too has seen better days..............the radiator and fan and currently held together with tape.

I had been looking at cases and i fancied the Corsair 550D Quiet case and Overclockers were selling Corsair H100 recondition units for about £49 so was going to stick one of those in gap for 2 x 120 fans on the roof. So new case, new cooler in my world that meant new motherboard and cpu.

Answering the question what do i want to do with my system, well game yes, photo edit yes, surf net yes, the usual stuff really but one thing is I have just bought an Asus PB278Q monitor and all its 2560x1440 loveliness so i know i'm going to have to upgrade my gfx card but i also thought updating ram and cpu would help me run more things at that insane resolution, please correct me if I'm wrong.

Really appreciating the feedback as i really have been out the loop for a while and it's a steep learning curve to get back into it.
 
Cheers again guys

David the plan is to do it in bits with the gfx xard the final piece in the jigsaw.

I may have the monitor now but i'll run games on it at 1920x1080 until i can aford the upgrade card.................possible xmas time, I currently own an MSi Twin Frozr III OC 570 which has been a great card and has run anything i throw at it fine @1080p

The Silverstone FT-01 was a great case but my side panel for example is being held in place by tape, I moved house 2 years ago and i think it took a few knocks too many :( But reading reviews of the Corsair 550D it gets good write ups but what confuses me is it's a sealed box, with a hinged door, so how does it create good airflow? Never the less the reviews are by and large positive plus it's a good size for my desk.

I must admit i do like the sealed water cooler solutions but i shall avoid the recondition units, i would hate for it to spring a leak on my new build................I'm a bit of a noise freak and i aim for a silent build.

Doomespped from what your saying i'm guessing the new cpu and definetly the newer faster and pottentially more ram will help the higher resolution monitor as well (I appreciate the gfx card does most of the grunt work)?

So baring all that in mind, the original spec listed by Ripjaw, if you remove the air cooler and replace with a water cooler....say the antec model is that roughly what i'm after?

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £259.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87X-OC Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £179.99
1 x Patriot Viper "Black Mamba" Generation 3 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (PV38G160C9K) £53.99

1x Antec Kúhler H2O 1220 Series 4 High Performance Liquid CPU Cooler ????????????????
 
Cheers Ripjaw
Ok taking the components one at a time if your saying that cpu is about the best bang for buck for my needs how about the motherboard is that a top performer or is there others maybe cheaper options?
Also and sorry to appear dim but when you say faster ram can you give me an idea by highlighting a product?
 
I like the look of that motherboard, £50 cheaper yet apparantly still a top performer.
From the one review i found it does well at stock level too but draws a bit more power due to its' inbuilt sound.
I have a fata1ty card so i wouldn't be using that anyway.

Looks a good motherboard and i will certainly consider that unless anyone thinks there's a better at that price point?
 
Ah now your appealing to my frugal side :)

Ok but what about other advantages of new motherboard, USB 3.0, Sata 6?

Not saying that makes it worthwhile but these are nice to haves surely?
 
Well i don't need a set up for multiple graphics cards etc.
I'm going to have to give this some thought.

Maybe just buy a new graphics card and let it ride for another year

Decisions, decisions

P.S. What graphics card am i looking at which will run BF4 at 2560x1440....I know you may not know for sure but a rough idea would be a great help. Oh and i would always pay a premium to get one that is quiet (better fans etc)

Cheers guys
 
I appreciated all the advice and i will wait but i was wondering what models i would be looking at so i could evaluate prices.

Pretty much made up my mind to leave things as they are for another year although i may look at getting a new cpu cooler.
One other thing if i may, my current rig runs the following memory - Corsair Dominator TR3X6G1600C8D
Would this be worth upgrading, again i'm thinking it may give my current set up a bit longevity? And if worth doing any suggestions.

Again thanks for all advice it's most welcome, you have already saved me £500+ today :)
 
Cheers Rip

I favor the 770 myself always been an nvidea man :)

But i'm in no screaming hurry I can wait but it's good to have a particular model in mind so you can monitor prices.

One thing on the 770 would the 4gb be better than he 2gb for running the high resolution?
Also you recommended the EVGA model, my previous card is an MSI which was great because using afterburner i could control the fan speeds, do other manufacturers have something similar?
 
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