Upgrading feedback (CPU, mobo and RAM)

Skibbli

Skibbli

Skibbli

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Joined
22 Jul 2014
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12
Hi guys

I am looking to upgrade my CPU, motherboard and RAM in the next month and a half and was hoping for some feedback on what would be best to go for.

My current setup is listed below:

AMD Phenom II X2 Dual Core 555 3.20GHz Black Edition with a Gelid Tranquillo Rev 2 for cooling
Patriot Viper 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C7 1600MHz Dual Channel Kit
Corsair CX 600W ATX Power Supply
ASRock M3A770DE AMD 770 (Socket AM3) DDR3 Motherboard
Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 7850 OC Windforce 2X 2048MB GDDR5 PCI-Express
120GB Samsung 830 SSD, 250GB + 1TB HDDs
Antec 300 Ultimate Gaming Case
Windows 7 Ultimate

I use my computer mainly for MMOs, but will be starting a game programming course at university near the end of September. I am looking at spending around £250, with £300 being an absolute upper limit if it allows a significant upgrade for the extra £50. I've listed what I feel to be some reasonable upgrades below, and was hoping for some input.

YOUR BASKET
1 x AMD Piledriver FX-8 Eight Core 8350 Black Edition 4.00GHz (Socket AM3+) Processor - Retail £119.99
1 x MSI 990FXA-GD65 AMD 990 FX (AMD AM3/AM3+) DDR3 Motherboard £79.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan RED 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-17100C11 2133MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLD38G2133HC11ADC01) £59.99
Total : £269.57 (includes shipping : £8.00).



Thanks in advance!
Skibbli
 
Last edited:
Hi and welcome :D

Drop the 8350 for the 8320 - other than 500mhz clock speed they're the same processor, which you'll be overclocking anyway, surely? The money saved could go towards a decent 3rd party cooler such as they Raijintek below, a requirement really given how very awful the stock cooler is (both loud and ineffectual).

You could save a little on the motherboard too, unless you really need SLI. The RAM is a good choice but why not go for the cheaper, faster stuff?

YOUR BASKET
1 x AMD Piledriver FX-8 Eight Core 8320 Black Edition 3.50GHz (Socket AM3+) Processor - Retail £99.95
1 x Gigabyte 970A-UD3P AMD 970 (Socket AM3+) DDR3 Motherboard £65.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC11CDC01) £55.99
1 x Raijintek Themis Direct Contact CPU Cooler £19.99
Total : £251.52 (includes shipping : £8.00).

 
ExRayTed said:
Hi and welcome :D

Drop the 8350 for the 8320 - other than 500mhz clock speed they're the same processor, which you'll be overclocking anyway, surely? The money saved could go towards a decent 3rd party cooler such as they Raijintek below, a requirement really given how very awful the stock cooler is (both loud and ineffectual).

You could save a little on the motherboard too, unless you really need SLI. The RAM is a good choice but why not go for the cheaper, faster stuff?

YOUR BASKET
1 x AMD Piledriver FX-8 Eight Core 8320 Black Edition 3.50GHz (Socket AM3+) Processor - Retail £99.95
1 x Gigabyte 970A-UD3P AMD 970 (Socket AM3+) DDR3 Motherboard £65.99
1 x TeamGroup Vulcan ORANGE 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual Channel Kit (TLAD38G2400HC11CDC01) £55.99
1 x Raijintek Themis Direct Contact CPU Cooler £19.99
Total : £251.52 (includes shipping : £8.00).

Click to expand...

Don't get that motherboard, it has poor VRM/VRM cooling, which is absolutely crucial using these high-end FX chips. Without it, the VRM gets very very hot, and instability is almost guaranteed. I'd get one of these two boards, preferably the Gigabyte for more power phases.

YOUR BASKET
1 x Gigabyte 990XA-UD3 AMD 990X (Socket AM3+) DDR3 Motherboard £79.99
1 x Asus M5A97 EVO R2.0 AMD 970 (Socket AM3+) DDR3 Motherboard £74.99
Total : £164.58 (includes shipping : £8.00).

 
Thanks for the welcome :)

I will be overclocking it a bit for sure - not every last drop kind of stuff but there will be some! Would I not be able to use the cooler I have at the moment? I have checked r.e. AM3 cooler on AM3+ chip and there seems to be no issue there (the one I have at the moment does a good job). I opted for the MSI motherboard as it has a larger system bus (5.2gt/s as opposed to 4.8gt/s) and can handle RAM up to 2133 mhz (2000mhz on both Gigabytes linked). Will the VRM cooling on the MSI also not be very good?

With the RAM the timings on the lower speed ones are slightly better, and in the motherboard specs it says it can't handle 2400mhz (not sure if the specs are the law or if there are workarounds for this).

Thanks for the input! (sorry if I've said anything silly above - I try to research things before I ask anything!)
 
Lol no problem, I have no idea about that msi board to be honest, but I like gigabyte from experience as they have a great rma service and the board are great and excellent value!
 
Shivy011 said:
Don't get that motherboard, it has poor VRM/VRM cooling, which is absolutely crucial using these high-end FX chips. Without it, the VRM gets very very hot, and instability is almost guaranteed. I'd get one of these two boards, preferably the Gigabyte for more power phases.
Click to expand...

Well that's not quite right. The motherboard is certainly more budget-centric but is easily capable of decent overclocks with good case cooling. It has 8+2 VRM cooling and there are many happy owners here. To say that 'instability is almost guaranteed' is at best fallacious and at worst downright misleading

Having done a little research on the Gigabyte board you've recommended I see plenty of results of people having VRM issues with it too. Link
 
:o Sorry perhaps mixed them up or something, or just got it fully wrong sorry! I definitely know that Asus board is good though
 
Would anyone be able to weigh-in on this? The 8320 seems to be a fine choice instead of the 8350 to save an extra £20. I don't know much about the motherboard handling RAM, and was under the impression that the motherboard could only handle RAM speeds stated in the motherboard specs - is this not the case? It's why I opted for RAM with lower speed but slightly quicker timings.
 
That MSI board is a very good board and you're correct - the motherboard will only handle RAM up to the stated speeds. Having said that timings make very little real world difference nowadays, but it makes sense to get the stuff with the better timings if the price is the same. I wouldn't pay a premium for better timings though
 
How does a second hand 3570k (£100ish, judging by the last few I've seen sold on eBay) with an Asus P8Z77-V LX Intel Z77 (£85.99 new) sound? £85.99 is for it new, there's quite a few second hand ones on eBay - should I stay away from manufacturer refurbished ones? I see it only has 4+1+1 VRM but as it's Intel it sounds like that doesn't matter as much?
 
For ~£50 more you could get a brand new Z97 setup with a 4690k. Not worth it really unless you get the mobo cheaper
 
Skibbli said:
Any help with this is greatly appreciated! :)
Click to expand...

As you already have 2x2GB DDR3 1600MHz you could save some cash by just getting another two sticks instead of buying a new 2x4GB kit.

Also I would recommend getting the AMD Piledriver FX-6 Six Core 6350 Black Edition to save some more as it's only £90 and will perform just as well as the eight core for your usage and will over clock easier if you so wish (less heat).
 
That Intel motherboard was the only decent one on OC - is it advisable to get it used? I've not bought used before so not sure what parts are advisable to get. I saw quite a few manufacturer refurbished ones on eBay for around half the price.

I didn't think of getting another 2x2gb sticks - I'm guessing they should be the same speed, and if the timings are off can I change my old sticks to run slower to match? (current is CL7). Also, would used be ok?
 
Used should be fine tbh, but for £220 (~£155 for a 4690k and £65 for a Z97P-D3) you can get a brand new, warrantied up Intel setup
 
Actually, looks like you'll want some new RAM too

YOUR BASKET
1 x Intel Core i5-4690K 3.50GHz (Devil's Canyon) Socket LGA1150 Processor - OEM £161.99
1 x Gigabyte Z97P-D3 Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard £65.99
1 x Avexir Core White Series 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-12800C9 1600MHz Dual Channel Memory Kit (AVD3U16000904G-2CIW) - White Light £61.99
1 x RAIJINTEK Themis Black Heatpipe CPU Cooler PWM - 120mm £19.99
Total : £319.56 (includes shipping : £8.00).



The cooler isn't entirely necessary but would be good for some overclocking :)
 
I have a cooler already so that's ok. With the RAM are there performance penalties for running dual channel as quad, and you also have to make sure they have the same speed/voltage as the existing sticks? I'm guessing the timings of the faster sticks can be slowed to match the others.

My trouble is I like saving/don't like spending money and this is between a used 3570k + mobo + 4gb RAM for £180-£200 or a new 4690k + mobo + 8gb RAM for £300. Or that age old conundrum of paying for peace of mind (plus a little extra performance). It's a pain that I have a lot of extra expenses coming up (need a car or scooter for uni) so need to not overspend.

I'll have a think on my options and let you know what happens. Thanks for the input guys! :D
 
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