Replacing motherboard, ram and processor. Suggestions?

[tornados2111]

My brother's old computer broke a few months ago and I finally have some time to deal with it. After a lot of troubleshooting I have found no answer to the "USB device overcurrent detected" which stops me from reaching the bios and doing anything. Basicly, I'm replacing this motherboard, which means a new processor too because this is socket 775. Also means replacing ram, because this is DDR2 RAM.

 

I don't keep up to date on what the best bang for buck components are, so I need your help. I'm on no specific budget but I'd like to save everything possible, especially since my brother doesn't need amazing performance. To put things into perspective, he'll be running a 9800gt, so i don't really want anything overkill for that. Next time he upgrades he'll probably upgrade everything anyway and mostly he'll be playing minecraft or team fortress 2 which are easy to run anyway.

Also, I have a 550W power supply, so the parts I'm getting should be satisfied by that. My thought is that intel cpu is better because it uses less power, maybe a dual core i3? AMD then is cheaper, but uses more power so perhaps that means I gotta get a new PSU too? which possibly would make them almost equal in price in total. Any suggestions appreciated, just looking for low end stuff that will get the job done!

 

TLDR

-I have a 550W power supply

-9800gt

Need to complete a PC with cheap enough mobo, cpu and ram. Open to either intel or amd

Thanks guys

[AnotherTechGuy]

.

[Held657]

So an i3 wouldn't make any sense with that GPU. A low end Intel or AMD will do:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($59.97 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81M-H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($49.38 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $144.34
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-06 08:59 EDT-0400

 

Anything better would really not make any sense with an old HDD and GPU.

[Bennyboy1993]

To be fair mate, all i would say is, take a look at this, http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/TgcCZL 

 

There is plenty of overclockability on the new pentium for the price. And there is no need to go for an expensive motherboard, i have a cheap Foxconn on mine, and i am running an i7, and GTX780Ti 

 

For a budget improvement build, i would say there is no need to spend over £100, when you can get ample for that. Also, i added a new GPU for you to take a look at, if he wanted a bit of extra leeway

[Held657]

To be fair mate, all i would say is, take a look at this, http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/TgcCZL 

 

There is plenty of overclockability on the new pentium for the price. And there is no need to go for an expensive motherboard, i have a cheap Foxconn on mine, and i am running an i7, and GTX780Ti 

 

For a budget improvement build, i would say there is no need to spend over £100, when you can get ample for that. Also, i added a new GPU for you to take a look at, if he wanted a bit of extra leeway

 

404 Page not found ...

 

 

EDIT: So the link works now, altough only after manually apllying. And srsly where is there any overclockability? I'm sure you mean the anniversary edition Pentium G3258, because that's the only Pentium with an unlocked multiplier. For that you need a H97/Z97 mainboard though because there are no H91/B95 mainboards yet. And H97 board are not that cheap. And to use the multiplier you even need a Z97 board.

Edited August 6, 2014 by Held657

[Bennyboy1993]

404 Page not found ...

 

 

EDIT: So the link works now, altough only after manually apllying. And srsly where is there any overclockability? I'm sure you mean the anniversary edition Pentium G3258, because that's the only Pentium with an unlocked multiplier. For that you need a H97/Z97 mainboard though because there are no H91/B95 mainboards yet. And H97 board are not that cheap. And to use the multiplier you even need a Z97 board.

 

 

Thanks for correcting my forgetfulness, I probably shouldn't try multi-tasking a desk job and posting on here. This is the set up I was supposed to be quoting, but my mind slipped off into office land.  

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/pkfpmG

Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/pkfpmG/by_merchant/

 

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor  (£44.34 @ Aria PC) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  (£60.32 @ Ebuyer) 

Memory: Kingston 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  (£28.99 @ Amazon UK) 

Total: £133.65

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-06 14:45 BST+0100  

 

That way you have the unlocked CPU, a Z97 board (from a decent brand) and 4gig of RAM is ample. 

 

And this is the voltage table for the OC's http://images.anandtech.com/doci/8232/G3258%20OC%20Results.png 

[Held657]

 

Thanks for correcting my forgetfulness, I probably shouldn't try multi-tasking a desk job and posting on here. This is the set up I was supposed to be quoting, but my mind slipped off into office land.  

 

PCPartPicker part list: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/pkfpmG

Price breakdown by merchant: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/pkfpmG/by_merchant/

 

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor  (£44.34 @ Aria PC) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  (£60.32 @ Ebuyer) 

Memory: Kingston 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  (£28.99 @ Amazon UK) 

Total: £133.65

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-06 14:45 BST+0100  

 

That way you have the unlocked CPU, a Z97 board (from a decent brand) and 4gig of RAM is ample. 

 

And this is the voltage table for the OC's http://images.anandtech.com/doci/8232/G3258%20OC%20Results.png 

 

 

Ah looks better already  . But I just want to mention that this only makes sense with a new GPU.

[SpyRosL]

I would get a 4th gen i3(core i3 4150),a cheap H97 motherboard and 4gb of high speed ddr3 ram. <--This config,provided he will buy a new graphics card eventually because his current one is soooo old.

Higher than the budget? Replace the i3 with the pentium g3258 and the cheapest z97 motherboard.

[ben89]

CPU: Intel® Pentium® Processor G3258, CPU, one click overclock 4.8 GHZ

Mobo: ASRock Z97M Anniversary

Ram: DIMM 8 GB DDR3-1600 Kit

[Held657]

CPU: Intel® Pentium® Processor G3258, CPU, one click overclock 4.8 GHZ

Mobo: ASRock Z97M Anniversary

Ram: DIMM 8 GB DDR3-1600 Kit

 

Sure every Pentium G3258 simply overclocks to 4.8 GHz. My location is not updated yet btw, I live on the dark side of the moon.

[tornados2111]

Tbh, your PSU might be at the age where it's a good idea to replace, and the 9800GT definitely could do with an upgrade.

 

However, some Corsair Budget memory (4GB sounds about right from your description) A low end i3 and a solid $60ish motherboard would probably do.

He doesn't really need anything special. Really it's just for browsing the web and playing a couple of not-at-all demanding games

 

So an i3 wouldn't make any sense with that GPU. A low end Intel or AMD will do:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3220 3.0GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($59.97 @ OutletPC)

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81M-H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($49.38 @ Newegg)

Memory: Corsair XMS3 4GB (1 x 4GB) DDR3-1333 Memory  ($34.99 @ Newegg)

Total: $144.34

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-08-06 08:59 EDT-0400

 

Anything better would really not make any sense with an old HDD and GPU.

 

Thanks for the suggestions, gonna check that out

 

 

 

Thanks everyone for the suggestions so far

[tornados2111]

So I think i mostly made my choice on the combination and this is assuming a GPU upgrade from the 9800gt in maybe the next year.

CPU - g3258 (it's on sale and happens to be only 6 pounds more expensive than the g3220, I assume it's better, from what I can see 3.2Ghz instead of 3.0) - http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Other+products/Intel+Pentium+K+Anniversary+G3258+Socket+LGA1150+Processor+?productId=6106

 

MOTHERBOARD - the gigabye micro atx one that was mentioned above. My only question is that g3258 is haswell, right? and haswell should have Z87 or whatever the number is. But it doesn't state it in the description. Is that important? It just says H81, what does that mean? http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/Intel+Socket/Socket+1150+-+Intel+H81/Gigabyte+GA-H81M-H+%28Socket+1150%2FH81+Express%2FDDR3%2FS-ATA+600%2FMicro+ATX%29+?productId=61157

 

RAM - I figured the cheapest 4gb from a decent brand will do. Does this look ok from crucial? http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/RAM/DDR3/Single+Modules/Crucial+Ballistix+Sport+4GB+%281x4GB%29+DDR3+PC3-12800+C9+1600MHz+Single+Module+?productId=55091

 

Again, I'm hugely thankful for your help guys. Making this way easier for me

[Held657]

So I think i mostly made my choice on the combination and this is assuming a GPU upgrade from the 9800gt in maybe the next year.

CPU - g3258 (it's on sale and happens to be only 6 pounds more expensive than the g3220, I assume it's better, from what I can see 3.2Ghz instead of 3.0) - http://www.aria.co.uk/SuperSpecials/Other+products/Intel+Pentium+K+Anniversary+G3258+Socket+LGA1150+Processor+?productId=6106

 

MOTHERBOARD - the gigabye micro atx one that was mentioned above. My only question is that g3258 is haswell, right? and haswell should have Z87 or whatever the number is. But it doesn't state it in the description. Is that important? It just says H81, what does that mean? http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/Intel+Socket/Socket+1150+-+Intel+H81/Gigabyte+GA-H81M-H+%28Socket+1150%2FH81+Express%2FDDR3%2FS-ATA+600%2FMicro+ATX%29+?productId=61157

 

RAM - I figured the cheapest 4gb from a decent brand will do. Does this look ok from crucial? http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/RAM/DDR3/Single+Modules/Crucial+Ballistix+Sport+4GB+%281x4GB%29+DDR3+PC3-12800+C9+1600MHz+Single+Module+?productId=55091

 

Again, I'm hugely thankful for your help guys. Making this way easier for me

 

That's why I picked the G3220 instead of the G3258. Because the G3258 is Haswell Refresh you need a H97/Z97 mainboard, which is quite more expensive. But if you choose to still go with it I'd recommend this maiboard: http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/Intel+Socket/Socket+1150+-+Intel+Z97/Gigabyte+Z97P-D3+Intel+Z97+%28Socket+1150%29+DDR3+ATX+Motherboard+?productId=60524

But as you can see it costs much more than the H81 board. Sure you can now overclock the G3258, too, but is it worth it? I think you would be better of getting the G3220 and the H81 board.

This Crucial RAM is totally fine, you can buy it.

[tornados2111]

That's why I picked the G3220 instead of the G3258. Because the G3258 is Haswell Refresh you need a H97/Z97 mainboard, which is quite more expensive. But if you choose to still go with it I'd recommend this maiboard: http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Motherboards/Intel+Socket/Socket+1150+-+Intel+Z97/Gigabyte+Z97P-D3+Intel+Z97+%28Socket+1150%29+DDR3+ATX+Motherboard+?productId=60524

But as you can see it costs much more than the H81 board. Sure you can now overclock the G3258, too, but is it worth it? I think you would be better of getting the G3220 and the H81 board.

This Crucial RAM is totally fine, you can buy it.

Ah yes sorry, I realise what you meant by your previous post now. Ok, I'll just go with the g3220 and the h81 board. Thanks very much for your help