Upgrading Case/Motherboard/RAM question

[Jacob96]

Hi, I'm finally looking to upgrade my case and motherboard for my 'prebuilt' Dell desktop. I've upgraded the GPU, PSU and added my own hard drive/SSD. My current case is an absolute mess, I've had to tear up metal brackets just so the GPU would fit thus leaving my SSD/hard drive just laying on the side of the case where it's away from the rest of the components. (I have the case sitting on its side)

 

These are my current specs that I would like to re-use (Excluding 1tb WD driver and 240gb samsung SSD) https://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/CQQLNN 

 

This was the specifications for my pre-built desktop when I originally bought it http://downloads.dell.com/Manuals/all-products/esuprt_desktop/esuprt_inspiron_desktop/inspiron-660_reference guide_en-us.pdf 

 

My budget is around 200$~250$~ Canadian, my primary reason for upgrading is because I need more RAM to support all the heavy workload as I've had a lot of issues with running just 8gb. 

 

So I'm looking for a case (Doesn't really matter how it looks, prefer with glass panel but I can live without it), motherboard and RAM (At least 16gb in total).

 

Regarding the RAM, can I use the 8gb that is currently in the prebuilt system? From the actual physical RAM, it says 'Samsung 4GB 2Rx8 PC3 - 12800U - 11 - 10 - B0.' and below it says 'M378b5273CH0-CK0'

 

Edit: Also should mention that I'm also looking for a air fan cooler for the CPU as I want to move away from the stock. 

[Guest]

The 8GB currently in there is 2x 4GB of DDR3. If you want more memory, use the 2x 8GB pair in this list. If you're fine with 8GB, use the ones you have.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Motherboard: MSI - H61M-P31/W8 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard  ($77.31 @ Amazon Canada) 
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($144.99 @ Newegg Canada) 
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox Lite 5 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($69.99 @ Newegg Canada) 
Total: $292.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-06-28 02:25 EDT-0400

[Malibooroo]

Why do you need to change the motherboard? Or you just don't like the look of it?

[Jacob96]

5 minutes ago, Malibooroo said:

Why do you need to change the motherboard? Or you just don't like the look of it?

Current motherboard only supports 2 RAM slots, both of which currently have 4gb of ram in each atm. 

[Malibooroo]

23 minutes ago, Jacob96 said:

Current motherboard only supports 2 RAM slots, both of which currently have 4gb of ram in each atm. 

Why not just keep the motherboard and upgrade the ram? It’d be unusal to not support at least 16gb of ram.

[Jacob96]

15 hours ago, Malibooroo said:

Why not just keep the motherboard and upgrade the ram? It’d be unusal to not support at least 16gb of ram.

Unfortunately the motherboard only supports up to 8GB of RAM. I bought it quite a few years ago so that's probably why. The trouble I'm having right now is finding a motherboard that supports the i5-3330, I tried pcpartpicker but most of them are out of order.

[Jacob96]

16 hours ago, LeinadTM said:

The 8GB currently in there is 2x 4GB of DDR3. If you want more memory, use the 2x 8GB pair in this list. If you're fine with 8GB, use the ones you have.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Motherboard: MSI - H61M-P31/W8 Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard  ($77.31 @ Amazon Canada) 
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory  ($144.99 @ Newegg Canada) 
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox Lite 5 ATX Mid Tower Case  ($69.99 @ Newegg Canada) 
Total: $292.29
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-06-28 02:25 EDT-0400

How big is the difference between different RAM brands? Are there any that wouldn't be compatible with certain motherboards and any that I should avoid? 

[Malibooroo]

5 minutes ago, Jacob96 said:

How big is the difference between different RAM brands? Are there any that wouldn't be compatible with certain motherboards and any that I should avoid? 

Don't worry about the brands too much, just make sure its the correct standard. Not sure what you're running, but probably something like DDR3 1333MHz. Personally, I always go Corsair or G-Skill, but any of the big brands will do. With regards finding a mobo that supports the i5-3330, you'd be better off looking at the second-hand market or a reseller on eBay that offers some kind of warranty if that's your concern

[Jacob96]

1 hour ago, Malibooroo said:

Don't worry about the brands too much, just make sure its the correct standard. Not sure what you're running, but probably something like DDR3 1333MHz. Personally, I always go Corsair or G-Skill, but any of the big brands will do. With regards finding a mobo that supports the i5-3330, you'd be better off looking at the second-hand market or a reseller on eBay that offers some kind of warranty if that's your concern

Alright, I suppose ebay would be by best bet for a mobo. Similar to RAM, are there any mobo brands I should avoid / should consider over others? 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Jacob96 said:

Alright, I suppose ebay would be by best bet for a mobo. Similar to RAM, are there any mobo brands I should avoid / should consider over others? 

Personally, I like ASUS, but MSI, GIgabyte, AsRock etc all make reputable boards.