Upgrade needed for as little as possible...

SneakBS

SneakBS

SneakBS

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Joined
7 Jul 2011
Posts
85
Hi Guys,

Have a bit of an issue. Looks like my Motherboard and/or PSU are starting to give up the ghost on my current PC. Rather than just blindly search ebay for a like for like replacement I want to take the opportunity to potentially upgrade the PC instead.

My current build -

Intel Core i5-2500K 3.30GH LGA1155
Asus P8Z68-V PRO Intel Z68 (Socket 1155)
Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz
MSI GeForce GTX 970 (New so doesn't need to be replaced)
3TB WD Green Hdd
750w PSU (can't remember the make / model.)

Ideally I would like to replace all the above excluding the new GPU but cost is a definite issue for me at the moment so it may be a case of just replacing the bear minimum to get back up and running and still see a performance improvement..

I would like to add an SSD to improve the performance of the PC in general but may have to leave it as it is for the moment to keep the costs down.

Any advise or suggestions for the best and most cost effective solution going forward as I am quite strapped for cash at the moment so can't justify a full new at the spec I am looking for.
 
Add a SSD and get a decent PSU if that one isn't that great. CPU and RAM is fine if you mainly game, if it is the motherboard on it's way out buy another one :)
 
What SSD's do you recommend? I have been looking at the Samsung EVO models which look pretty good.

Can't get the motherboard new anymore (well not that I can find anyway.) would have to be second hand or an upgrade to a newer chipset..
 
SneakBS said:
What SSD's do you recommend? I have been looking at the Samsung EVO models which look pretty good.

Can't get the motherboard new anymore (well not that I can find anyway.) would have to be second hand or an upgrade to a newer chipset..
Click to expand...

Samsung Evo or Cruical MX100, iirc there is a newer option to the MX100 but they are basically the same, someone else should be able to clear that up.
 
apart from getting a SSD and a decent PSU I would keep the rest, processor etc is fine for gaming and for the amount it would cost to upgrade you may not get much of a fps boot out of it.

the PSU maybe fine if you get a make from it

I am running a I7 950 @ 4ghz and I used to have a 970. other thing is what monitor are you using?
 
I suspect a fault with the PSU and / or motherboard so was hoping to replace them plus get a SSD and upgrade the memory to 16GB as I can't really justify a new setup all together unless really necessary.
 
For a couple of weeks been having an issue where the computer just hangs and becomes unresponsive for 20-30 seconds. In games it was very choppy (unplayable) but FPS and usage were normal with nothing to suggest why. Last night while in Diablo 3 the computer switched off twice in a 30min period. The first crashed created a minidump which suggested a fault with the page file the second time there was no minidump. I have reinstalled onto a second hard drive and the problems were still there so do not believe the problem is Hard disk related but am leaning towards it been a fault with the PSU or Motherboard but honestly I'm guessing...
 
have you checked the gpu and cpu temps at all?

if they are over heating it could be that causing a issue, do you have a OC on the cpu? again if its the PSU at fault the OC maybe straining the PSU
 
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Will check the event log again tonight when I get home but nothing jumped out at me last night it was as though you had just held the power button and then 30 - 60 seconds later it came back on... Very frustrating problem.
 
The plan is to get a second GTX 970 once I have the PC upgraded and if I have enough money (not looking very likely to happen this year but one can hope) and don't want to limit myself my saving a couple of quid on a cheaper PSU to only have to replace it down the line because it doesn't have the juice.. Have been looking at the Corsair Builder Series CX 750W V2 '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CP-9020015-UK) - What are peoples thoughts on these?
 
Will keep it all in mind will likely go for the SuperFlower 750W PSU and a few other bits but have to post a little longer on the forums for free delivery :) half way there... nearly lol
 
Before you do any upgrades I would have a look at your BIOS. Upgrade to the latest one and reset the CMOS battery. I ignored this advice and would have issues with my new shiny 970 GPU. Once I cleared the CMOS properly I no longer had random reboots (which I was attributing to a PSU on its way out or dodgy motherboard).
 
Have done a upgrade on the BIOS last night so am just keeping an eye on it for now. Fingers crossed it stays ok but god only knows lol
 
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