Upgrade or new build?

so, gonna be ordering this soon, anymore feedback on the 280 vs 290, worth the money or total overkill?

Anf stronger fan recomendations?

and still wondering about whether i need to buy a new copy f windows or will my current version work?

Thanks again in advance :)
 
Any mileage in building a completely new PC and keeping your existing machine for a back-up? Seems a shame to cannibalise a perfectly good (if old) i3 rig just to use the case, PSU & cooler. Think you said budget could stretch to £800? Should build a decent full machine for that? Just a thought :)
 
yeah all im using now is the dvd drive and hdd :)

Gonna et the stuff doomed recommended and just upgrade the cooler for if i sli later in life, only decisions left are which cooler and whether to spend the extra and swap the 280 for a 290:)

Just seeing if anyone has recommendations for the cooler and gpu :)
 
if you got the cash, get the 290. Tri X for example. otherwise 280X will be just fine.

you don't SLI AMD cards.

for the SSD get 256GB Crucial MX100
 
Can I offer a different perspective?

You may not need a new motherboard: you can upgrade the CPU to an i7-8xx and RAM to 8 or 16 GB.

I'm guessing, but I expect you have the 32 bit version of Windows 7 installed, in which case you'll need to install the 64 bit version. You can't upgrade in place but you can use the same license key, and Windows Easy Transfer makes the process very simple.

Also, it's possible that your CPU is throttling because the TIM needs replacing. A tube of Arctic Silver or similar costs very little, and is very easy to apply.

All that means that you will have more money for the GPU and SSD. I'd go for the R9 290 if you can afford it. The motherboard supports Crossfire, so you have that further upgrade path available.
 
Sorry kefan, what do you mean you dont sli them?

the windows version is 64-bit but still7 :) The other stuff sounds a little complex to me as Ive never done a self build before.

Quick question for you all, my friend is selling a nvdia GPU, 760 series, is it any good or upto the 280/290 standard?

Thanks all for your input

Dave
 
The 760 isn't as good as the 290 but is on a par with the 280. Note that your current motherboard supports Crossfire but not SLI.
 
oh ok, thanks for that, so whats the difference between sli and crossfire? I thought it was nvidia and amd's branding names and that was the only difference :p

To be honest I think I'd rather pair a new chip with a new motherboard, the idea of replacing one sounds like its going to add to the stress, and i want to make my first build as painless as possible :)
 
DaveB653 said:
oh ok, thanks for that, so whats the difference between sli and crossfire? I thought it was nvidia and amd's branding names and that was the only difference :p

To be honest I think I'd rather pair a new chip with a new motherboard, the idea of replacing one sounds like its going to add to the stress, and i want to make my first build as painless as possible :)
Click to expand...

Me again.

SLI is Nvidia's multi card setup 'interface' and Xfire is AMD equivalent (as you may already know).

The difference is Xfire can running on x16/x4 PCI-E lane setups whereas SLI needs atleast x16/x8.

Example, this motherboard supports Xfire only:

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte Z97P-D3 Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £69.95
Total : £79.55 (includes shipping : £8.00).



Due to this:

1 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x16
1 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x4
Click to expand...

Whereas this motherboard supports SLI

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte Z97X-SLI Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £101.99
Total : £111.59 (includes shipping : £8.00).



Due to this:

1 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x16
1 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x8
Click to expand...

Yeah, id certainly suggest getitng a new motherboard and CPU, while you CAN keep your motherboard and get a New CPU, its old technology and won't last as long (no where near) as the new versions. :)

As for the GPU choice, the 760 isn't great. Its on-par (just below) the R9 280(non-X). The 280X and 290 rise above it.

The 280X is ideal but if you can afford the extra the 290 is a good idea too, neither are bad decison atall, just whatever you fancy at the time. :)
 
thanks doomed,

I think I'll initially go with the 280x as you suggested then if necessary i can double it up xfire?

Could you recomend a stronger fan for me please, and if its not to much to ask basket it all? Im offshore at the moment so i cant download apps etc :(

Then all i need to do is swap across my HDD right?
 
ok so buying in the next couple of days so just need the fan update :)

Also is it as simple as when its built, simply turn on and install windows or am I gonna have to mess with BIOS etc?

Oh and will i need a new windows or will i be able to transfer my windows 7 across, or re install it?

Many thanks for alll the help so far.
 
OK so gonna buys these bits tonight/tomorrow depending on time, how do i do it from here, can I even do it without the basket app?

Also appreciate if someone could give me an idea of an upgraded fan so i dont have to replace it if/when i xfire any cards :)

Still a little nervous about building it to be honest so any tips or hints to follow?

Thank you for all the help, especially doomed :) :D
 
DaveB653 said:
Still a little nervous about building it to be honest so any tips or hints to follow?
Click to expand...

Relax. Ground yourself periodically by touching a radiator. Don't have a cup of tea or coffee to hand. The most fiddly bit will be connecting the front panel switches - power, speaker, reset, etc - as they're very easy to get the wrong way around.
 
Thanks Quartz,

So I take it its kind of like a jigsaw or mechano set? then when its built just power it up and then what? Just insert the windows disc?
 
Not bought as yet, just waiting for you experts to recommend an upgraded fan for future xfire, and if i need to order windows or can use my windows disc on the new pc :)
 
ETA if you've a cat or dog, keep it out of the room while you're building - the pet rubbing itself on your legs can create a static charge.
 
Ok just found out you can download things if you plug in the network cable we have here, so could some provide the basket app link if possible as i cant find it on the site :p

Also any last recommendations for stronger PSU and to confirm whether i need a new windows program or not? :)
 
Doomedspeed said:
That's good,

So I'd say the case, Cooler (as long as its got 1155 fittings), PSU and Hard drives can be carried across, no problems.

So really you'll be needing only a few bits. But the important ones. :)

YOUR BASKET
1 x Powercolor Radeon R9 280X TurboDUO 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card £229.99
1 x Intel Core i5-4690K 3.50GHz (Devil's Canyon) Socket LGA1150 Processor - Retail £189.95
1 x Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 7 Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £139.99
1 x Intel 320 Series 120GB Internal SSD SATA 3GB/s 2.5" 7mm (SSDSA2BW120G3) £59.99
Total : £629.52 (includes shipping : £8.00).



New CPU, RAM, GPU and SSD.

The board may look high spec and the RAM may look missing. But the RAM (which is great stuff) comes free with that motherboard. Its only £5 more than a low spec motherboard + the same RAM, so why not.

The GPU comes with a free games voucher.

The SSD is a great choice for that money. This will obviously replace your HDD as the boot drive and the HDD will become just a storage drive. This will mean re-installing all programs again, which is good for performance. :)

It is also a fraction of your budget, so may I suggest looking at a new case/PSU/cooler too.

YOUR BASKET
1 x BitFenix Ronin Tower Case - Black £69.95
1 x SuperFlower Golden Green HX 550W "80 Plus Gold" Power Supply - Black £55.99
1 x Alpenföhn Matterhorn Pure Edition CPU Cooler £29.99
Total : £167.63 (includes shipping : £9.75).



Much better. :)

THoughts?
Click to expand...


Just ordering :) had a couple of thoughts/questions about the tower.

Is the clear panel able to swap sides? I only ask as my desk only has left sided space for a tower so the clear portion will be hidden :( Also where can I get some lights to illuminate the inside (is this easy and reasonable to do?) If I'm going to do it, I'm going to do it properly :p

Also swapped to the 750W PSU as you suggested

Oh and the processor is out of stock, ETA 23/6/14 :(

Thanks so much for the help, be prepared for more, HELP threads when I'm building :p

Dave
 
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