Replacing Mobo, CPU, RAM and Cooling.

Komada101

Komada101

Komada101

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Joined
17 Sep 2012
Posts
13
Location
Cork, Ireland
Greetings chaps,
I'm looking to do an almost complete overhaul of my old PC. My Budget is around €500 (aprox. £400) I bought my Rig quite some time ago. It's an Alienware pre-built system, and it ran well for a number of years. I replaced a few parts peace-meal over the years such as the Graphics card and the RAM, but now it's really beginning to pack up. I've decided to replace the Mobo, CPU, RAM and the two case fans. I just thought I might ask you good folks here on the forum for a bit of advice before I take the plunge.
My current Mobo is the INTEL D975XBX, and I'm currently using a 485w 12v Enermax powersupply, Link Here).
I'm also using a 500g Hitachi 3Gb/s HDD (I'll probably upgrade from this , when funds and time allow), and a Sapphire Radeon HD 4670 1GB GPU.
I'm intending to use this Rig for some smooth, fairly high FPS gaming, but not overclocking.
I know I could do better with the Graphics card, but my budget is limited, and I will probably pick up a card in a sale some time in the future, and use it with Crossfire (any suggestions for a likely candidate would be very welcome).

The two casefans I'm picking up are 120mm (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FG-000-XI) and 80mm (http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=FG-002-XI).

I'll be replacing my CPU, RAM, and MOBO with the following:
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W)
MOBO: Gigabyte Z77X-UD5H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3
RAM: Corsair Vengeance Blue Low Profile 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz
Case fans: 120mm, and 80mm

My main worry, not being terribly tech educated (not tech-illiterate though mind you), is compatibility issues. I'm not entirey sure if I'll need a new power supply to run this Mobo. Also, will I need to perhaps downgrade the Mobo, and invest in a better case if those two fans alone might not provide the necessary airflow for that kind of processor. Otherwise, I would just like to hear any opinions and suggestions anyone might have.
Cheers.
 
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Not right now no, but it's an option I'm considering for the future. I might end up replacing it altogether, but I'll probably make that decision some time in the future if I see a good replacement.
 
Komada101 said:
Not right now no, but it's an option I'm considering for the future. I might end up replacing it altogether, but I'll probably make that decision some time in the future if I see a good replacement.
Click to expand...

Just replace it. Too many generations of cards are gone by to make it even worth considering.
 
bremen1874 said:
Just replace it. Too many generations of cards are gone by to make it even worth considering.
Click to expand...

Will do, cheers. Do you think I should pick up a cheaper Mobo/CPU combo and replace the card?
Or will it hold up for a while until I can save up a few bucks for a better card?
 
If you can live with a single GPU something like this is a fairly normal starting point:-

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-3570K 3.40GHz (Ivybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor (77W) - Retail £184.99
1 x Gigabyte Z77-D3H Intel Z77 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard £84.98
1 x TeamGroup Elite 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C11 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (TED38192M1600HC11DC) £29.99
Total : £311.36 (includes shipping : £9.50).



If you really don't want to overclock then you could save even more on both the CPU and the motherboard.
 
 
 
Komada101 said:
Do you think I'll need the third-party cooler if I'm not overclocking? Doesn't the CPU come with a stock cooler?
Click to expand...

My 3570K is currently at 4GHz on the stock Intel cooler (haven't decided what to replace it with at the moment).

If you 100% don't want to overclock (you really should consider it) then a K series CPU isn't necessary, and you could use a cheaper motherboard.
 
bremen1874 said:
My 3570K is currently at 4GHz on the stock Intel cooler (haven't decided what to replace it with at the moment).

If you 100% don't want to overclock (you really should consider it) then a K series CPU isn't necessary, and you could use a cheaper motherboard.
Click to expand...

Well I'll look into overclocking. I've never really delved into that world, because my current cpu and mobo are fairly terrible, but I suppose it would be a shame to pick up such a nice CPU and not overclock it.

Would there be many negative effects (long-term or otherwise) if I were to overclock the 3570k?
 
Komada101 said:
Cool. I'll look up some guides and give it a go.

Also, do you think my current 485w power supply will handle this set-up?
Click to expand...

As long as you're fairly conservative the GPU it would probably be okay from a Wattage point-of-view. It’s the actual age of it that would put me off reusing it.

I’d budget for a replacement of a similar size, maybe a bit bigger. You really need to decide what your plans are for GPUs as they’ll be the deciding factor.
 
bremen1874 said:
The main thing you lose is proper CrossFire support. If you think you may want to go down that route there are boards such as the Z77X-D3H worth considering.
Click to expand...

The Z77X-D3H looks like a nice board. I think I can budget for that.

Thanks for all the advice, I think I'm about ready to buy at this stage.
 
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