PC Upgrades

paulski07

paulski07

paulski07

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15 Sep 2012
Posts
23
Hi, I'm looking at upgrading my existing AMD pc to an Intel i7 - new processor, motherboard & cpu cooler. Does anyone know of a competent person or shop in the Greater Manchester area willing to carry out the changes?
I can deliver and collect and of course pay for time.
Thanks
 
paulski07 said:
Hi, I'm looking at upgrading my existing AMD pc to an Intel i7 - new processor, motherboard & cpu cooler. Does anyone know of a competent person or shop in the Greater Manchester area willing to carry out the changes?
I can deliver and collect and of course pay for time.
Thanks
Click to expand...

We wouldnt be able to post up links mate its against the rules but ocuk do pre built systems why not have a look in there?
 
We can help you do the upgrade yourself, if you are lucky there maybe a forum member who lives close who might offer to assist you "on site".

What is your current spec? Case, PSU etc etc? If you give us a budget we can then recommend some parts for the upgrade :)
 
Current system:
coolermaster elite 310 case, amd a8-3870k apu, asus f1a75-m motherboard, 8gb kingston hyperx genesis 1866mhz ram, 500gb wd caviar black hdd, dvd writer, card reader, 450w quiet 80 plus dual rail psu, standard amd cpu cooler, onboard sound, usb ports, lan,win 7 64bit.
Looking to change the cpu & cooler and motherboard to i7-3770 & applicable cooler with the asus maximus v gene motherboard.
Re-use the ram with additional 8gb infuture and all other components.
Eventually upgrade the psu to 650w and add a graphics card hd 7870.
Thanks
 
What was the budget though?

The llano setup you have there is actually quite nice :)

If you dont currently have a GPU that would be my first port of call, it's a dead easy upgrade to do yourself. As is adding an SSD or a boot drive. The Bequiet PSUs are pretty good (I have an L8 630W), that PSU should still be good for a single GPU setup.

If you looked at the nvidia 660 that would probably suit you best. It beats the 7950 in some games and is slightly cheaper, it also adds cuda support to assist your CPU in a multitude of apps (e.g adobe, video editing).

An i7 would be overkill for gaming, an OC'd i5K would offer the best bang for buck alongside the CUDA support but you already have i3 performance with the Llano setup. I would argue that you might be able to "hold out" for Haswell next year though before spending out again.

EDIT

Typed all this before I saw your post. I dont think CUDA is much help with music software but it does have it's uses.
 
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can get the below. Then upgrade yourself. would be good learning curve and its easier than you think

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7-3770K 3.50GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £263.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £81.98
1 x Xigmatek Dark Knight SD-1283 Night Hawk Edition CPU Cooler (Socket LGA 2011/1366/1156/1155/775 and AMD FM1/AM3/AM2+/AM2) £34.99
Total : £392.36 (includes shipping : £9.50).




Incase you think you can't upgrade yourself as you dont know how to. we can help.

if that still dosen't convince you. please read the thread below for some inspiration. if this kid could do it so can you! :D

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18445660

PS im not sure how overkill an I7 is for DAW or whether an I5 would suffice?
 
No gaming just Reason. Having asked the question on Reason website, the ideal cpu is an i7. The llano pc is ok but I've been on an i7 pc and it's far better.
I can buy the cpu (£240) (not overclocked) & cooler (£30) and motherboard (£150) for around £420. I can get an overclocked bundle for around £530 but overclocking isn't my main priority and will have a go at myself eventually. Prefer the money went on components.
Its the assembly I'm hesitant about. I've changed gpu's and ram with no hassle, straight forward but cpu and motherboard is bit out of my depth.
Eventually the psu I'm looking at the Corsair Enthusiast 650w for around £70, gpu either 7850 £150 or 7870 £180 but funds needed first. I believe 2/3 monitors can be run off the cpu for the interim.
 
paulski07 said:
That guy sounds exactly like me so get ready for even more questions lol.
i7 has hyperthreading which is advantageous unlike the i5.
Click to expand...

Post here when you start replacing bits if you decide to do yourself.

Make a new thread first, then post here stating you've mad e anew thread with a link. i've subscribed to this thread and wouldnt wanna miss your building one ^^
 
Having another look at motherboards, which would people go for out of the Asus Maximus V Gene and Asus P8Z77 - V Pro?
Both are around the same price.
 
going for the v-pro. Asus boards were the best choices on the pc build website I was going to use and checked the specs on the Asus website and seem to have want I need and future expansion.
Looked at the Gigabyte board but prefer to spend the extra on the Asus board.
So it's an i7-3770K, Asus P8Z77 - V Pro, Artic Cooling Freezer i30 and Artic Silver 5 compound.
 
paulski07 said:
going for the v-pro. Asus boards were the best choices on the pc build website I was going to use and checked the specs on the Asus website and seem to have want I need and future expansion.
Looked at the Gigabyte board but prefer to spend the extra on the Asus board.
So it's an i7-3770K, Asus P8Z77 - V Pro, Artic Cooling Freezer i30 and Artic Silver 5 compound.
Click to expand...

The i30 isnt great, you dont need paste

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7-3770K 3.50GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £263.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77X-UD3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard with FREE BOOGIE BUG XXL GAMING MOUSE MAT £129.98
1 x Cooler Master Hyper 612S CPU Cooler (Socket LGA1366/1156/1155/775/AM3/AM2+/AM2) £32.99
Total : £438.36 (includes shipping : £9.50).



Gigabyte has a good uk based 3 year warranty. THe Asus mobo you chose has integrated wifi but you could add it to my spec above as the GB mobo is a little cheaper.
 
I was under the impression having read several forums that thermal paste is a must with cpu's and coolers!
Is paste not required with the i7 and 612S?

The wifi element doesn't bother me.

Can any of these bundles be bought fully assembled and tested ready for installation?
 
The stock heatsinks already have it applied anyway. The 612S comes with a tube of paste which you can reuse.

You can buy preoverclocked bundles but it makes sense to do it yourself as it's cheaper and you get a better choice of components. I doubt they would ship the mobo bundle with the heatsink attached as it would be prone to damage from the weight of the cooler, so some assembly would be needed I would wager
 
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