Upgrade from Phenom II

Kei

Kei

Kei

Soldato
Joined
24 Oct 2008
Posts
2,752
Location
South Wales
I have been considering it for a fair while but haven't really felt the need up to my getting a GTX 780. (even then i still don't see it as essential) I had been waiting for steamroller, but that looks like it's no longer coming. So I'm looking at the current options. Budget is ~ £500 with and absolute maximum of £600, obviously i'd like to spend less where possible without sacrificing overclockability or reliability. I'm indifferent about SLI/xfire, never actually tried it, so it's not essential.

My pc gets used for photoshop, Video editing via avid media composer & sony vegas, video conversion using various tools, audio editing via audition and creation via FL studio and obviously gaming. (both current and old games) Current system spec is as follows:

Phenom II X4 955 C2 @3.7GHz CPUNB @ 2.4GHz
Gigabyte MA790FXT-UD5P
12GB Kingston/Crucial 1600MHz @ 9-9-8-20-24-1T
MSI GTX 780 3GB + EKWB
Corsair TX650V2
Asus Xonar essence ST deluxe PCI (another smart move :o)
128GB Crucial M4 SSD (Via sata-II)

Here are all of my considerations...

The intel route requires a new waterblock as koolance don't sell a conversion kit for the cpu-380. I was originally going to buy an EK supremacy too :rolleyes:

X79 - This also requires an extra pair of memory modules to go with my existing 8GB hyperX kit. I think the VRM heatsink and EPS positions won't work with the radiator in the top of my case. The workstation version looks like it would fit, but costs over £100 more and doesn't have a pci slot.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel 4820K 3.70GHz (Ivybridge-E) Socket LGA2011 Processor - OEM (CM8063301292805) £239.99
1 x Asus P9X79 Intel X79 (Socket 2011) DDR3 Motherboard £199.99
1 x Kingston HyperX Genesis 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit (KHX1600C9D3K2/8GX) £65.99
1 x XSPC RayStorm CPU WaterBlock (Intel) £51.98
Total : £557.95 (includes shipping : FREE).



Z87 - The other board i could get is the maximum VI Hero but it has no pci slot which means i'd need to find get replacement sound card too. Colour scheme on either isn't really going to work well with what i have though. The G1 sniper has the perfect colour scheme, but i don't think it would fit. (nor do i know how well it compares)

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K 3.50GHz (Haswell) Socket LGA1150 Processor - OEM £249.95
1 x Gigabyte Z87X-OC Intel Z87 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £158.99
1 x XSPC RayStorm CPU WaterBlock (Intel) £51.98
Total : £460.92 (includes shipping : FREE).



FX8320 - The gigabyte UD5 looks to be an identical layout to my 790 which would be a perfect fit. I have no idea how well the board can clock an FX8 chip though, which would be essential. My parents have an 8320 in one that i clocked up to 4.2GHz but their cooling is dreadful so i can't push it any further. (I also found a bug in the bios which makes turning turbo off a pita) Not sure how much of an upgrade it would really be too, as i know it has lower ipc than my phenom, but obviously it could clock much higher.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte 990FXA-UD5 AMD 990FX (Socket AM3+) DDR3 Motherboard £141.95
1 x AMD Piledriver FX-8 Eight Core 8320 Black Edition 3.50GHz (Socket AM3+) Processor - Retail £119.99
Total : £261.94 (includes shipping : FREE).



The biggest issue i have run into so far is that my case/watercooling config overlaps the motherboard by a small margin. (Just covers the top screw holes on the board) In this area, there is about 1" (25mm) of room between the board and the radiator. This image shows what i mean. There is about a 2mm gap between the memory latches and the rad.
12019525825_a7dce986eb_o.jpg


The motherboards i've chosen above "look" like they might be ok based on images. I reckon i'd need to connect the EPS power with the radiator free from the top of the case and it'd probably be a squeeze to get it back in place if it fits. The only way to get around these problems would be to swap the XT45 radiator from the top with the EX240 in the bottom. I then have the risk of the reservoir not fitting under the HDD bay. I could change the case, but then i run into the issue of not having room for anything deeper, plus it adds to the cost.

Whatever I get will need to last around 5 years or so to match the phenom which i've had since 2009. If i have to replace the sound card due to lack of pci, it will be a sound blaster ZxR i'll go for. I'd try to recoup some of my loses there by selling my Xonar on, but can't see it making more the £70 even with the H6 card.
 
I think you've forced yourself into taking the AMD route..

With that thick rad placement, thats the only option really..

Unless you but a thinner rad or a taller (more space for thick rads) case..

I think the 4820k or the 4771 (not 4770k) would have been you're best option.
 
Just had a quick look through your build log, is that a different rad in the roof or the same one you started with?
 
I started out with an xspc ex240 in the roof which would allow me to fit any motherboard as it has no overlap. The alphacool xt45 was added later on to improve cooling capacity. I reckon it might be possible to swap the rads over and still have enough room for the reservoir.

With this being the case, all I'd "need" on the motherboard would be a pci slot for the sound card. I want it to be a competent overclocking board. Not much point in being watercooled and not overclocking it.
 
As that's the case I think that the 4820k is the best way to go.

I know its more expensive but it has more RAM and CPU upgrade options in the future. It will also be the best performing of the bunch and allows you to overclock. Some have got upto 5ghz too. :).
 
I've had a look around and it seems i can get a retail 4820k for less than oem elsewhere. This allows me to get the koolance 380i instead of the raystorm and the total still comes to <£557.

I am assuming that running 1600 ram isn't going to severely affect the performance of a 2011 system when run as quad channel?

How will it look colour scheme wise? This is how it is currently with my old gigabyte.
11573979616_2e5c5d8c1e_o.jpg
 
The only version of the supremacy i like is the clean acetel/copper version which, sadly, is out of stock. Next up would be the full nickel, but given EK's history with nickel and that i like the koolance, it seems like a good idea to stick with it.

It will certainly look interesting with the green in my cable sleeving.
 
Yeah I endured the painstaking task of braiding all of the cables on a hard wired TX650. If it goes bang in the future, I'll chop them off and turn them into long extensions.

The coolant used to be green, but after the leak just before christmas i left it out. (partly because the bottle was in the boot of the car and i couldn't be bothered to go and get it) Used to look like this when it was all illuminated.
9758854152_85e3ecbe31_o.jpg


I've ordered all the bits now and will continue my build log next week once it arrives. Thanks for the help. :)
 
All the kit should be here tomorrow, so i thought i better check this now. As i have been using anything but intel since the mid 90's, this will be new territory for me.

I am hoping that i won't require a fresh install of windows when i change over the parts, as that will be rather awkward to sort. Normally i haven't needed to, like when i moved from an athlon64 to my phenom etc. (but obviously this might be different) Is there anything i should do prior to striping down the system like stripping off the amd ahci drivers and such like?
 
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Kei! You have gone and tempted me as well! With regards to the install on windows, this will be very interesting! My theory it that you will likely need to reactivate windows with the new hardware. Many say fresh install to ensure any software issue is eliminated to troubleshoot quicker.
 
It was your thread that tipped me over the edge. I've been considering making the move for a few years. (back when sandybridge was current) It didn't help that two friends have also asked about upgrades too.

I'll miss my phenom though, it's been the longest lasting system i've ever built.
 
I would just remove all your old mobo drivers and anything else associated with it and just stick it in your new system. That`s what I always do, especially if you have a lot of stuff on it. Never had any problems.
 
Kei said:
It was your thread that tipped me over the edge. I've been considering making the move for a few years. (back when sandybridge was current) It didn't help that two friends have also asked about upgrades too.

I'll miss my phenom though, it's been the longest lasting system i've ever built.
Click to expand...

haha! :DKeep me posted on your build log. I may be in a similar situation very very soon. Just trawling through the members market at present! :cool:
 
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