Replacing Mobo, CPU, RAM and Cooling.

Komada101 · 22 Sep 2012 at 01:06

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.

Komada101 · 22 Sep 2012 at 01:27

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 · 22 Sep 2012 at 01:42

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

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?

Komada101 · 22 Sep 2012 at 02:20

Idleman said:
What sort of clearance have you for a cooler.

A CPU cooler? Fairly good, at an eyeball, about 20cm. It's a fairly large case.

Komada101 · 22 Sep 2012 at 02:31

Idleman said:
Should manage a cooler and a small ssd.

Do you think I'll need the third-party cooler if I'm not overclocking? Doesn't the CPU come with a stock cooler?

Komada101 · 22 Sep 2012 at 02:50

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.

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 · 22 Sep 2012 at 02:57

bremen1874 said:
Not unless you push things too far.

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?

Komada101 · 22 Sep 2012 at 03:21

bremen1874 said:
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.

What I might do is replace the Gigabyte Z77X-UD5H with the Gigabyte Z77-D3H, and pick up a powersupply to replace my current one.
Would that hinder any attempts at overclocking?

Komada101 · 22 Sep 2012 at 03:38

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.

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.

Komada101 · 22 Sep 2012 at 03:45

I'll do that. Cheers.

Komada101 · 22 Sep 2012 at 16:34

Idleman said:
How long have you had this Psu?
You might want to have it checked out. If you happen to have or know someone who has a voltage meter, it should give you an indication to the health of your Psu. As good as it was in its day, it may or may not be giving out the wattage you may require. Better safe than sorry.
Just had a look on Extreme Power Supple Calculator. I factored in the following:
1x3750k Ocedx4.5Ghz.
2xSata hdd+1xdvd
4xfans
1x4670

Minimum Psu wattage required= 264w
Recommended Psu wattage required= 314w

So your Psu should be sufficient, but depending on its age, have it checked out.

I believe it's around 5/6 years old. I can't recall precisely.

I'll ask around and see if anyone has a voltage meter. I also have a friend who has a spare PSU of about 550w, which is apparently fairly new, so I could always use that instead.
Do you think I'll have any other compatibility issues?

Komada101 · 22 Sep 2012 at 18:31

Idleman said:
What make and model is the 550w? Don`t use it, if it is a non branded Psu.

Turns out it's a 580w PSU, but the branding makes me think its a generic non-branded piece of kit.
It's called a "G7 Power Extreme 580w" I think he probably picked it up in Maplin. Seems like I'll have to pick up a branded one instead.

Komada101 · 23 Sep 2012 at 16:42

Cheers Idleman. I might have ended up with a dodgy PSU if not for your advice.