Should i upgrade or wait?

smithy1988

smithy1988

smithy1988

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Joined
3 Jul 2007
Posts
354
Location
Newcastle UK
Hello, as above.

Im debating doing a new build to maximise performance on upcoming titles.
Assassins creed, BF4 etc.

There's no immediate rush as my pc can cope with most I throw at it.

Do I upgrade within the next couple of months with Haswell architecture or do I wait until next year and go with Broadwell?

Iv got a wind force gigabyte 7950, so wouldn't need a gpu I don't think.
But would be a full new build other than that. Budget would probably be 700-800 quid.

Any advice, thanks
 
Well it's a bit early as we don't know anything about Broadwell just yet but it's unlikely to be leaps and bounds ahead of Haswell. Intel will probably continue their 5-10% increase trend in performance from previous generations. You could do a simple CPU and motherboard upgrade. The 955 was an epic processor back in the day but with titles like BF4 you will see a markedly improved performance boost. Can obviously be done well within budget even if you go for a high end motherboard and a 4770K.
 
Well, if you're willing to wait for the next one, you may as well wait for the one after that, and the one after that, and the one after that.

You have to hop on the wagon somewhere. The next generation will probably only be a couple of % increase in performance like all the previous generations since Sandy Bridge anyway.
 
Buy a new mobo cpu and bundle, and if you have a real upgrade itch get a bigger psu and whack in another 7950 as they are really good prices :)
 
Can any of you kind fellows whack me together a build to see what I would be looking at.

Id probably aim to split or sell on this pc to recoup a little bit of money, usually pass them onto friends or family.

Thanks
 
Can you do a list of what components you will DEFINITELY keep?

I can see most of it in your sig but to get the best for your budget I need to see EXACTLY what you can keep so you can spend money on other parts. ;)

Also, are you willing to overclock at all?
 
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Its likely I'll pass the current pc on (minus gpu) to friends or family.

So would be a brand new build

Case/Mobo/Ram/Cpu/PSU/HDD/SSD?/Optical/OS

Im happy with current monitor keyboard and mouse. GPU would go across to new build
Thanks
 
will have a go :)


YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £185.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87X-OC Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £158.99
1 x Corsair Carbide 540 High Airflow ATX Cube Case - Black £116.99
1 x Antec High Current Gamer 750W Modular '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (0-761345-06223-7) £89.99
1 x Samsung 120GB SSD 840 EVO SATA 6Gb/s Basic - (MZ-7TE120BW) £83.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC11CDC01) £65.99
1 x Seagate Barracuda 7200RPM 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST1000DM003) HDD £47.99
1 x Corsair Hydro H100 Extreme Performance Liquid CPU Cooler *Manufacturer Refurbished Unit - 90 Day Guarantee £44.99
Total : £814.82 (includes shipping : £16.60).



OS could try the windows 8 eval edition would give you 3 months of a working system to get cash for which ever one you want 7 or 8.1 :)
 
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That doesn't look bad...
Few questions is 750w necessary for a single GPU. Im thinking a 600-650w would be more than enough power for a single gpu setup. Im unlikely to ever go crossfire or sli.
If im not going to be overclocking can I get away with a retail version of the cpu aslong as case airflow is ok?

The teamgroup ram, how has it proved reliability wise? Any problems anyone experienced? Iv always had corsair in the past.
Lastly, whats the normal procedure for the SSD, install games and OS onto it and everything else onto the normal HDD. Any conflicts or problems doing this?

Thanks
 
I'd say that around 650w is easily enough, make sure to get an 80+ certified one.

If you're not going to be overclocking may I suggest the Xeon E3-1230V3? It's like an i7-4770 without the intergrated GPU for about the same price as a 4670k.

I'm not that experienced with ram, it's cheap and cheerful and tends to work, probably not a lot for a Corsair Vengeance upgrade. ;)

What I tend to do with SSD's is install the OS to it and any games you play a lot currently. Then when you're done with them move them to your HDD where it will only effect load times. Demanding games such as ARMA or Battlefield 3/4 I keep on the SSD at all times as they take advantage of the speed of the SSD to load textures 'n' stuff. :D
 
Thanks for the input. I may overclock a little but certainly never push anything to breaking point. My phenoms currently at 3.6ghz from 3.2 with just a multiplier increase.

So if I did overclock I could look at buying an aftermarket cooler at a later date.

I like the look of the corsair case specced, how would say an antec 902 compare in terms of cooling performance?

Thanks
 
Ok, so you're planning to overclock. To be honest I buy a non-reference cooler right off the bat just because it's quieter and better than the standard heat-sink. It's usually something like a cheap Hyper 212 Evo, can't go wrong for under £30. ;)

The air 540 is the best case for airflow to date as all components are directly cooled (No HDD's/Optical drives in the way etc) it's fair to say it'd be a lot better.
 
The reason i specced the 750 is its a good seasonic OEM thats on special and would leave you room for future upgrades eg crossfire, the Case i specced because it can handle a lot of config option even custom water cooling loops easily but it is designed for great airflow/cooling, the ram is descent and goes with the color scheme, this ofc is a general idea you being the person coughing up the cash can ofc change and get it the way you want it lol
 
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smithy1988 said:
Its likely I'll pass the current pc on (minus gpu) to friends or family.

So would be a brand new build

Case/Mobo/Ram/Cpu/PSU/HDD/SSD?/Optical/OS

Im happy with current monitor keyboard and mouse. GPU would go across to new build
Thanks
Click to expand...

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - OEM £245.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87-D3HP Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £109.99
1 x Corsair Carbide 330R Silent Mid Tower Case - Black £74.95
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £71.99
1 x Toshiba SSD HDTS212EZSTA 9.5mm 128GB Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £69.95
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) HDD £68.99
1 x Patriot Viper "Sapphire Blue" 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-14900C9 1866MHz Dual Channel Kit (PV38G186C9KBL) £65.99
1 x Antec High Current Gamer 520W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £55.99
1 x Pioneer 24x Internal DVR-221LBK DVD Rewriter - OEM £14.99
Total : £799.34 (includes shipping : £17.10).



Mobo comes with a decent cooler for free.
 
honosuseri said:
YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - OEM £245.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87-D3HP Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £109.99
1 x Corsair Carbide 330R Silent Mid Tower Case - Black £74.95
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £71.99
1 x Toshiba SSD HDTS212EZSTA 9.5mm 128GB Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £69.95
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) HDD £68.99
1 x Patriot Viper "Sapphire Blue" 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-14900C9 1866MHz Dual Channel Kit (PV38G186C9KBL) £65.99
1 x Antec High Current Gamer 520W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £55.99
1 x Pioneer 24x Internal DVR-221LBK DVD Rewriter - OEM £14.99
Total : £799.34 (includes shipping : £17.10).



Mobo comes with a decent cooler for free.
Click to expand...

That looks like good bang for buck to me. I7 is a welcome addition, wasn't sure it was possible for my budget.
Thanks
 
honosuseri said:
YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - OEM £245.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87-D3HP Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £109.99
1 x Corsair Carbide 330R Silent Mid Tower Case - Black £74.95
1 x Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-Bit DVD - OEM (WN7-00614) £71.99
1 x Toshiba SSD HDTS212EZSTA 9.5mm 128GB Solid State Hard Drive - Retail £69.95
1 x Seagate Barracuda 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6Gb/s 64MB Cache - OEM (ST2000DM001) HDD £68.99
1 x Patriot Viper "Sapphire Blue" 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-14900C9 1866MHz Dual Channel Kit (PV38G186C9KBL) £65.99
1 x Antec High Current Gamer 520W '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply £55.99
1 x Pioneer 24x Internal DVR-221LBK DVD Rewriter - OEM £14.99
Total : £799.34 (includes shipping : £17.10).



Mobo comes with a decent cooler for free.
Click to expand...

This is better, it's more powerful than the previous build specced and you are still able to overclock it a little, good for your situation as you don't like to overclock much and you also lose the risk of a refurb watercooler leaking (however unlikely :D).

Might be a bit too much of a weak PSU, that's the only thing I'd scrutinise a bit.

You should be alright with that case and a decent aircooler, I would have a look into how much airflow it would provide. Should be fine, just not as good at cooling as the air 540.

I'm pretty sure this is the best the OP is gonna get for his money. ;)
 
smithy1988 said:
That looks like good bang for buck to me. I7 is a welcome addition, wasn't sure it was possible for my budget.
Thanks
Click to expand...

That's because it is ;) You're welcome :)

Nothing wrong with what scotsdragon posted, I've spec'd that in other threads. It is OTT from what you said, also doesn't the windforce 7950 have a blue PCB? Would be nice if the kit doesn't clash.

500W ish is ample for a single GPU setup as you know from what you own now. A modular would be nice to be fair. Case is a personal preference, the 330R is a very decent case for the cash
 
DDR4, when it comes out, will be massively overpriced for at least the first year, just like DDR3 was. Even then there might be teething problems during its initial launch. Seeing as DDR4 just increases the clock (ie the standard clock for DDR4 will be 2133Mhz, whereas DDR3 is 1333Mhz) you may as well just get some highly clocked DDR3 which probably won't be much different.
 
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