TheWhiteOne

That's interesting. I would like someone to try this.

In that case, you would need an adaptor, or just buy a new one if you can.

With a Xeon, you need a standalone GPU, as it doesn't have onboard GPU. But a very cheap card is going to be enough for a server

If you live in Canada Xeon is cheaper than i7 (but not all of them, usually those with lower base clocks). Also, we're talking about Xeon E3 (specifically E3 1231), not Xeon E5.

I'm only saying it won't perform BETTER at stock clocks, they would perform same. But you can OC iú, but you can't OC Xeon. Xeon doesn't have GPU, so if your AMD/Nvidia GPU dies and you have no replacement - well, you can't use your PC. Xeon has some extra specific features (ECC Memory support, extra instructions...). Overall stock performance is the same as an i7.

E3 1231 is basically an i7 without GPU and OC. i7 won't perform better in gaming.

Xeon E3 that cost somewhere in the i5 to i7 range are just like i7 processors without GPU and overclocking. They also have some other features - ECC Memory support, ... Most boards made for i7 support these Xeons - but to be sure, check processor compatibility of the motherboard (BIOS needs to support them, most of them do support them anyway).

I'm not exactly sure what you mean. Do you want to boot with your old HDD, run Windows from it and download Windows, and then erase (format) your HDD and install Windows from USB stick?That would work, you'd need Windows USB/DVD Download Tool, available here (to 'burn' ISO file to USB): http://wudt.codeplex.com/

I'm not asking about power. I'm asking about data. Is it SATA or IDE? Your motherboard doesn't have IDE connector.

Could you answer these questions please? 1. Budget & Location You may have listed a heap of parts that all add up to your preferred budget but it is easier if you just list the total amount you'd like to spend and the currency as well as if you'd consider going above that budget for more performance. We need the location as well because $US are different to $AUD and $CAD ect. 2. Aim What is the system going to be used for? Web browsing, 3D work? Different systems need different levels of performance - a computer based for web browsing and office use won't handle heavy graphic design and video editing and a proper video editing system isn't good for gaming. If your aim is for gaming, please list what sort of gaming. In the same way that different usage types need different systems, you'll need a lot more power to run Far Cry 3 or Crysis 2 than you would Minecraft. 3. Monitors How many monitors do you plan on running? Do you plan on moving to more monitors in the future? What resolution are they at too? 4. Peripherals Do you also need to purchase peripherals such as keyboards and mice as well as monitors ect. Also please tell us if you'll need an OS such as Windows. 5. Why are you upgrading? We ask this because you may see upgrading as the only path to solve an issue but things such as driver updates, reconfiguration or cleaning can boost performance without spending a cent.

It is on a bit pricier side, but you can get rid of the SSD (price would be 400£ then) or get rid of i3 and pick a celeron (a saving of 20£). PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor (£78.79 @ Aria PC) Motherboard: MSI H81M-P33 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£31.74 @ Ebuyer) Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (£57.47 @ Amazon UK) Storage: Crucial MX100 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (£51.68 @ Amazon UK) Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£35.94 @ Aria PC) Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270X 2GB Dual-X Video Card (£119.00 @ Amazon UK) Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case (£30.25 @ Scan.co.uk) Power Supply: Corsair CSM 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply (£43.00 @ CCL Computers) Total: £447.87 Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-13 16:34 GMT+0000

What about an AMD processor? Actually not, it costs more in a lot of scenarios

What connector does the DVD Drive have?

What kind of games are you going to play? Also, where would you like to buy components? EDIT: This should be posted in New Builds and Planning section of the forum, not in General Discussion.

It has never been a problem for me, but you have a very interesting point.