System refresh...

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Joined
26 Jun 2013
Posts
30
Hi all,

looking for some advice on refreshing my rig. It's more or less gaming exclusive. Current set up is as follows:

Crosshair 3 formula
Phenom II X4 955BE @3.8
8GB DDR3 1333mhz
GTX 590.

I got the 590 dirt cheap from a friend which is why it's so GPU heavy, had a pair of 5770's before which worked really well. I want to update the CPU and mobo to get as much out of it as possible. So far I've looked at getting the Asrock Z87 Extreme6 with an i5 4670k Haswell chip and some beefier DDR3 to go with it.

Any thoughts or recommendations on putting that lot together?

Thanks!
 
Hi and welcome.

I got an idea for some core components to give you a boost,


YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-4670K 3.40GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail with FREE Grid 2 PC Game £194.99
1 x Gigabyte Z87X-OC Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £167.99
1 x TeamGroup Xtreem LV 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C10 2400MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (TXD38G2400HC10QDC01) £64.00
Total : £437.77 (includes shipping : £9.00).




The OC board is the best board in this segment, it will find the CPU's weakness before it ever gives up.

Just sort some good cooling out that will clear the RAM's tall height.
 

I would go with this but for some reason would stick with the 8gigs of RAM he already has and see how it feels. Faster RAM is only going to yield an extra fps or two.

Unless of course he can trade up the RAM for a good price
 
Thanks, guys! I've currently got a Thermaltake Frio cooler, but I don't think that will support the 1150 socket so might have to stick with stock for the time being - is the stock cooler any good? I remember the old C2D's stock cooler was pretty good, hopefully they've built on that. I'm tempted to hang on to the RAM as well, not sure if it will make a noticeable difference, but will see what budget allows!
 
I just thought you could flog the current CPU/RAM/Board to someone and get the nice new stuff?

Fast RAM makes a PC more efficient, as the OC board is geared for overclocking and the memory controller in Haswell CPU's is really good I just thought you should try and maximize both potentials.

If your cooler has socket 1156/55 support then it will fit with new thermal paste applied.
 
I'll certainly try to flog the old stuff. I might as well get the RAM, it's not particularly expensive these days.

Thanks for the input guys, very helpful :)
 
Oh - can you guys recommend sticking with the stock cooler or using an after market one? I don't overclock to extremes, and will probably settle for stock speeds or a minor 200mhz~ boost depending on BIOS settings. I've already got some arctic silver paste laying around and could just use that with the stock cooler, I guess?
 
If you are not overclocking the stock cooler is fine. It may be a bit noisy though and I would recommend getting a aftermarket one if you have the money, but it's not urgent :)
 
Cheers guys - I've gone for the Gigabyte Z87X-OC and Team Extreem 2400mhz RAM. Arrived today looking nice and shiny!

I've still not bought the CPU as I'm debating getting the Hyper 212 - Does anyone know if I'd have clearance issues as the heat sinks on the RAM are pretty tall!
 
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