Planning to upgrade Motherboard and all that entails

[DarkLucifer69]

heyo!
 

Background

okay so, to explain what i want to achieve here. simply put, i have a computer i have been using for 6 years, over those years I've replaced and upgraded parts within (in a rather Frankenstein way, using spare parts from other PCs and the like). however its at the point were my CPU (and Intel core duo 1.7Ghz) is kinda struggling with well... basically everything. 3GB of DDR2 (DDR2, woe is me) RAM in 4 sticks (2x512, 2x1gb) in two different brands  (yeah... i know that's bad but, i need that extra space!) 

 

so i finally have the means to get a new Motherboard, CPU (and i'm guessing a non stock fan),  ram, and PSU and case. so basically everything bar my HDD and my G-Card (a ASUS GTX550 TI http://www.eclipsecomputers.com/product.aspx?code=GCA-XNGTX55T1 if you are curious)

i'll have to upgrade it at some point but don't have the means at the moment. and it does *awkward smile*)

 

i also have 2 3.5' drives (1x512GB 1x1.5TB) one booting and one for a large collection of videos. which i'll pass over to the new system.

 

i primarily use my PC for watching videos and playing games naturally i'm quite limited on what games will run ATM without my CPU choking hard but hopefully that will be remedied with this build

 

also i'm in the UK

 

Budget

i've got about £300, £400 as the Absolute max to get the components i need.

 

Current Build Plan

okay, so i found the site (http://www.logicalincrements.com/) ages ago that i've been using to "window shop" which as I've dreamed about upgrading. but i'm not totally sold on a few items. particularly the PSU. i mean, the Compaq case my computer came in originally has been doing its job fine. and by that i mean its not falling apart . but its small so it can be a little awkward to move around in, particularly the RAM is difficult because the power cables go right over them. so i'd really like a nice spacious case, but i don't need much past that. and way, on the the Parts i'm looking at.

 

CPU 

i3 4130   £81

or

i5 4430   £120 with Fan 212 Evo  £26 

 

these are the two CPU's i'm looking at but the i3 is a little less than i want and the i5 is a little more than i think i need. though given the choice i think i'm gonna go with the i5.

Intel is a must for me though.

 

Motherboard

ASRock Z87 Pro4 £73

 

ASRock Z87 Extreme4  £97

 

i really don't know much Motherboards, so i dont know much about the differences between the two (apart from obvious connection differences), but i'm willing to go the extra £25 on the hope build quality goes up (probably gonna be with me for a good number of years after all). it fits the CPU and looks like it's got all the connections i'd need, recommendations welcome naturally here.

 

PSU

so this one i'm really clueless on so...

the site says SeaSonic M12II 620W £50 in the i5's tier so...? i cant imagine you can overload the Comp with a PSU that produces more power then components can use can it? its just an efficency thing right? again, recommendations here would be very welcome.

 

RAM

pretty sure on the http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9-Vengeance-Performance-Desktop/dp/B004CRSM4I/ seams like a clear choice. seen it used in tones of builds. and 8GB is like a dream compared to the 3gb mismatch i got going on now

 

and finally the Case. here i really dont feel the need to get anything special as i said before

so... maybe Antec GX500 £42 front fan space, seams like good ventilation, roomie enough, looks like it has that nifty back panel to hide the cables thing i've seen in a linus video too. so that's the one i'm looking at. 

 

ohh, and i'll need to buy a thermal paste right?

 

 

Wrap-up

so that's what i'm looking at atm, any advice, or to tell me about an over site i've made would be very appreciated, thanks in advance. 

 

did i miss info in my post?

[Rheinwasser]

what games are you playing?

[miyabwah]

Since the processors you plan to get are locked, I'd get a H97 or B85 motherboard. Thermal paste comes with your Hyper 212 Evo.

[PC-NOOB]

Dont get a z87/z97 board with a non K chip.

H chipset is good enough

[Held657]

You made some good choices there already. Go with the i5 4460 if possible because it's the Haswell Refresh with better heat transfer etc. You don't need thermal paste it's included with the CPU-Cooler, mentioning it the Evo 212 is a great choice. A 620W power supply is a bit overkill, you won't need that much (it won't damage anything or perform worse, but it's unnecessary). Get a H97 motherboard. Z87/Z97 is for overclocking and only makes sense with an Intel K cpu. Case is a personal choice, I got nothing to say against an Antec GX 500.

[Guest]

I would go for the i5 and Hyper 212. The ASRock H97 Pro4 can save you money because you can't overclock that processor anyways. 500 watts is really all you need unless you are going to sli or crossfire. You can also probably fine some cheaper RAM. 

 

[PCPartPicker part list](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/WZHGbv) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/WZHGbv/by_merchant/)

 

Type|Item|Price

:----|:----|:----

**CPU** | [intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54430) | £119.99 @ Aria PC 

**CPU Cooler** | [Cooler Master RR-T4-18PK-R1 70.0 CFM Rifle Bearing CPU Cooler](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rrt418pkr1) | £19.37 @ Scan.co.uk 

**Motherboard** | [MSI B85-G41 PC Mate ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-b85g41pcmate) | £50.41 @ CCL Computers 

**Memory** | [Kingston Black Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-memory-khx16c9b1bk28) | £58.18 @ Amazon UK 

**Power Supply** | [EVGA 500W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-100w10500kr) | £31.43 @ Aria PC 

 | | **Total**

 | Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | £279.38

 

I am assuming your case is compatible with ATX size motherboards. 

[DarkLucifer69]

what games are you playing?

 

well i play all sorts though mostly games that dont require high FPS atm since i cant reach those numbers with my current build. even though i'd like to play PC FPS.

 

atm i'm playing divinity original sin, an although i get 20 or so at a guess fps, since its a turnbased game that's not a problem, crushes my CPU though, maxed out constatly and takes like 3 min on every loading screen. 

 

i love RTS games like C&C, supreme commander and hero's of might and magic. i play MC 1 once every half a year or so for about a week with new mods ect. 

 

RPG games a love of mine too, skyrim, enchanted arms ect.

 

basicly i'm a gamer want to game more but my PC cant. to put in in perspective i have over 60 360 games again of all different types ^^

[Rheinwasser]

[PCPartPicker part list](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/67n6pg) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/67n6pg/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646g3258) | £41.99 @ Aria PC
**CPU Cooler** | [Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-rr212e20pkr2) | £24.25 @ Scan.co.uk
**Motherboard** | [Asus H81M-E Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-h81me) | £37.21 @ Amazon UK
**Memory** | [Kingston Fury White Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-memory-hx318c10fwk28) | £59.45 @ CCL Computers
**Storage** | [samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Drive](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te120bw) | £59.59 @ Aria PC
**Video Card** | [sapphire Radeon R9 270X 2GB Dual-X Video Card](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/sapphire-video-card-112170120g) | £124.24 @ Amazon UK
**Case** | [Cooler Master N200 MicroATX Mid Tower Case](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-case-nse200kkn1) | £31.44 @ Aria PC
**Power Supply** | [EVGA 500W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-100b10500kr) | £36.81 @ Amazon UK
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | £414.98

 

save up for this gpu and sell your old one.

 

btw you could get the v300, that way you would save the 15 bucks.

Edited July 11, 2014 by Rheinwasser

[Sack]

First of all your RAM link is broken, you have too many HTTP's. The ram is fine, I've used it in my father's computer, and it performs well.

 

Definetly get the i5 cpu, and the after market cooler if you don't want a jet engine in your case.

 

If you want to go lower on the PSU I recommend checking out what the wattage your GPU can pull + you future CPU, then just add a little more for good messure, and "future-proofing".

 

A quick check on amazon says the cooler comes with CPU-paste pre applied, so no you don't seem to need to buy a tube of goo.

 

Hope you found this info usefull, and good luck with the build

[DarkLucifer69]

thanks for the reply's guys.

 

do you recommend going the over clocking root or getting a the other Mother boards. i hesitate to over clock since life expectancy is a must for me.

[s3ns3]

Definetly get the i5 cpu, and the after market cooler if you don't want a jet engine in your case.

intel cpu cooler is SILENT ! 

---

a locked i5 doesnt need an aftermarket cooler. stay with the stock one and if you are not pleased you can change it later. get i5 4460 with h97 board. it will be a very good gaming cpu for a loooong time

Edited July 11, 2014 by s3ns3

[DarkLucifer69]

so reading the replys, no K-CPU means go for a asrock H-Chipset. so maybe 

 

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Fatal1ty%20H87%20Performance/?cat=Specifications ?

[s3ns3]

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/pFbPVn

[Held657]

so reading the replys, no K-CPU means go for a asrock H-Chipset. so maybe 

 

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Fatal1ty%20H87%20Performance/?cat=Specifications ?

 

Doesn't have to be an ASrock, just a H chipset. I'd recommend H87/H97. And get the Evo 212, it's worth it. And I wouldn't go with the Pentium, it requieres serious overclocking and won't be a long term solution.

[Held657]

intel cpu cooler is SILENT ! 

---

a locked i5 doesnt need an aftermarket cooler. stay with the stock one and if you are not pleased you can change it later. get i5 4460 with h97 board. it will be a very good gaming cpu for a loooong time

 

You know if something is silent or not is a completly individual opinion. For me the Intel stock heatsinks are extremely loud. But then again for me silent is taking silent fans like Noctuas NF12 and only use the with the LNA. But one thing is for sure: An i5 gets pretty hot with the stock heatsink, so getting an aftermarket heatsink increases lifetime and improves stability under circumstances.

[Sack]

intel cpu cooler is SILENT ! 

---

a locked i5 doesnt need an aftermarket cooler. stay with the stock one and if you are not pleased you can change it later. get i5 4460 with h97 board. it will be a very good gaming cpu for a loooong time

 

That is an outright lie! before my H100i arrived, I had to use the intel cooler and that was the only thing you heard from my case. The same goes for the i5 that my faterher uses, you can only hear the intel fan.

[s3ns3]

That is an outright lie! before my H100i arrived, I had to use the intel cooler and that was the only thing you heard from my case. The same goes for the i5 that my faterher uses, you can only hear the intel fan.

damnit i have 3 . they are FAR FAR FAR apart from your description. jet engine hah. the amd one is loud but not even that doesn`t sound like a jet engine. a 290X is