Current PC worth upgrading, or just buy all new parts?

[RaistlinZ]

I doubt that GT 430 DDR3 is any better than the integrated Intel 4600 on the 4770K.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

I've never been in a Microcenter, but my understanding is that they have motherboard/CPU packages that often will save you 50 or more.

Do you intend to overclock?

If not, no need to go hog wild on a cooler. The stock Intel is quiet enough until you put a load on the CPU and then it gets too noisy for my taste. If not overclocking, I'd concentrate on a low noise cooler like the Noctua NH-L12. It's low profile, under 3 inches tall and very quiet. Around 65 or 70.

If overclocking, the standard recommendation is the Coolermaster Hyper 212 for medium overclocks. Cheap, around 30. Not sure how quiet it is.

Then there are very large coolers for serious overclockers from Noctua and others, but not sure you have such intentions?

 

[mchas]

I'm not planning on doing any overclocking but my experience with OEM CPU fans is that they are all loud.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

If not overclocking, you don't need a K suffix processor.

You might consider replacing existing case fans. Scythe, Nexus, Noctua all make some good quiet case fans. The Antec "True Quiet" series is also very low noise.

 

[mchas]

These Noctua fans look like exactly what I need. It looks like the NH-L12 is smaller for HTPC cases and such, whereas the NH-D14 is bigger but a little quieter. Would I be able to use that one?

Also, any motherboard suggestions?

 

[ignatzatsonic]

I'm not sure the D14 is quieter, but it certainly is gross overkill for a non-overclocked CPU. It weighs around 3 pounds and is over 6 inches tall.

Look here for some noise ratings. You're not likely to notice differences of 2 or 3 db.

http://www.frostytech.com/articleview.cfm?articleid=2730&page=3

Also consider the Noctua LH-N9i, which is very low profile.

Look around on Frostytech for cooler reviews.

All of the Noctuas should mount on your motherboard, but the taller ones might be too tall to fit in your case, which I know nothing about.

 

[mchas]

Good point. I have no idea what kind of case I have, it's really old (10+ years, from a few builds ago). I just measured it and it's only 6" deep, so you are right the D14 is overkill. Also I checked and I don't have any place for a case fan, so that's not an option.

Still trying to find a good motherboard...

 

[ignatzatsonic]

You first should find out if you have a standard ATX case, rather than some oddball thing that could cause problems with mounting a PSU or motherboard.

If quiet is a major consideration, as it seems to be, I'd probably get a new case as the better new ones are likely to be quieter than something over ten years old. If I understand you, it doesn't have any case fans mounts, let alone for 120 mm fans. I can't recall the last time I saw a case with no fan mounts.

And you need to decide yes or no on a K series processor. If no, you can likely save money on the motherboard. No reason to go K unless you overclock.

 

[mchas]

It looks like my current MB is MicroATX, but I just measured and it will definitely fit a standard ATX size board. Also I realized there is a place for a case fan, but it looks kind of small - something like 80-90mm probably.

If I were to get a new case do you have any suggestions?

Oh, and I don't need the K series processor, i7 4770 should be fine.

Thanks again - really appreciate the help!

 

[Cerb]

As for CPU, I don't mind spending a little extra now to get another few years use out of it (given that my past upgrade cycle is typically 5-7 years), but I think it will depend on what the quietest cooling options are. If I go with an i7 4770K, what are some good quiet CPU fans?

Arctic Cooling i30, and Xigamtek Gaia, off the top of my head, without going overboard. There are plenty of other options, too. The stock ones do get annoyingly loud when under load. Using Noctua is going overboard.

For the graphics card, is my current NVIDIA GeForce GT 430 1GB DDR3 good enough? I already have a quiet fan on it, and I don't seem to have any issues with it performance-wise. If I can keep using it, that would be one less thing I need to buy.

Chances are good that IGP in a 4th gen core will be about as fast. If you want that last little speed boost in Photoshop, a new video card that's a few times faster might be good to buy, but Haswell IGP is the better option, otherwise, IMO.

About Microcenter - yes, I live about 30-40 minutes away from one although I have never been there. Would it be worth the drive? Do they have good deals on anything other than CPUs?

Microcenter tends to have CPU and mobo combos that are often quite cheap, but they are in-store pickup only.

CPU: Intel i7 4770K? or is that overkill?

Probably a bit, yes. OTOH, Photoshop will able to use it right off the bat. If you're not overclocking, though, the i7-4770 or 4771 are just as good, and usually a bit cheaper. While prices vary, that's also where the Xeon E3 CPUs come in.

MB: Any suggestions? I like the idea of having plenty of USB 3.0 ports, SATA3 6.0, and maybe RAID in case I add it later. Is anything else important?

Lots of USB 3.0 basically requires a card. I'm kind of annoyed that, myself. Motherboards with many of them tend to be quite expensive.

RAM: 8GB DDR3-1600 probably? Something like Corsair Vengeance?

If you get a video card, a single 8GB DIMM will do, and allow for plenty of expansion, should you need it. With IGP, 2x4GB, or just go straight to 2x8GB, as IGP will benefit from dual-channel RAM.

Video: NVIDIA GeForce GT 430 1GB DDR3 (will my old video card be good enough?)

It might be enough, but I see no reason to keep it. Photoshop CS 6 or newer officially supports Intel's integrated on the Xeon E3s, and that should be about as fast (it works fine with the non-Xeon ones, though). IGP has come far enough that there's very little point in buying a video card for performance at less than about $75, and if your case, Photoshop is likely the only program that will make any real use of it.

PSU: Cooler Master Extreme Power Plus - 500W Power Supply (my current one)

No. It's getting on the old side...

Toughts?

New everything. The SSD is all that's going to balloon your budget, chances are a new case would be better noise-wise, and it's just not a good idea to hook up an old PSU that wasn't the best when it was new to a set of new expensive parts.

 

[ignatzatsonic]

I have and like an Antec Solo II; full ATX; among the quieter cases; no windows, 2 120 mm fan mounts on the front side; one 120 mm fan mount on the back; solid steel, no unnecessary vents to let noise out; top mounted PSU; PSU can be mounted upside down so the PSU fan faces the top vent; not ostentatious; mid tower, about average size for that class; good drive mounting; cable management OK, but not outstanding; front USB.

I've heard good things about Fractal Design cases, but I haven't paid much attention in the last year or so.

 

[nwo]

Are you seriously considering wasting $$$ on a 1TB SSD with such an old rig? Your motherboard only has two SATA 3 ports, which means you won't even be able to fully utilize the SSD speeds. Even a $40 Ivy or Haswell celeron CPU would be an upgrade over your current CPU.

For the price of a 1TB SSD, you can build a brand new PC, or buy a refurb. I'd only recommend buying because you'd save around $100 bucks on the OS. And you need to upgrade your OS. If you're not a hardcore gamer or overclocker, then buying a refurb is definitely the best option for you.

I'd try to get in on this deal if you still can, or wait for another similar deal. For roughly the same price as a 1TB SSD, that's sure one heck of a build. You can use the mSATA SSD as a cache drive to achieve near SSD like HDD performance .

 

[Cerb]

I got some crud going around, so I'm not mentally up for sufficient deal-hunting. Hopefully mfenn or Lehtv or someone can improve upon this. But, anyway, here's a preliminary parts set, but without a CPU cooler (that's one area where PCPP is a bit lacking).

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1245 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock H87M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($82.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport XT 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($127.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial M500 960GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($457.45 @ Amazon)
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 (Arctic White) ATX Mid Tower Case ($101.98 @ Best Buy)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: LG GH24NSB0 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $1125.38
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-02-01 19:02 EST-0500)

The M500 offers better GB/$, the Xeon E3-1245V3 is supported by that board, and its larger cousin, the H87 Pro4, and is a hair cheaper than i7, and I went ahead and chose 16GB RAM for the hell of it. The XFX power supply should be one of the Seasonic S12II-based models. TBH, though, since your current rig usable at all, a Core i5 might be just as good for your needs, and cheaper.

 

[mchas]

Are you seriously considering wasting $$$ on a 1TB SSD with such an old rig? Your motherboard only has two SATA 3 ports, which means you won't even be able to fully utilize the SSD speeds. Even a $40 Ivy or Haswell celeron CPU would be an upgrade over what you have now.

I was, until you guys set me straight I am now planning on upgrading everything as that seems to make the most sense at this point.

I think I have decided on the following so far:

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770
CPU Fan: Noctua NH-L12
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600
SDD: Samsung EVO 840 1TB (possibly a waste of $ but I like the idea)
MB: ??????
GPU: ?????? (do I even need one?)
PSU: ????? what is a good quiet PSU with enough power for my build?
Case: ?????

 

[nwo]

You don't necessarily need a GPU since a 4770 has a pretty decent onboard GPU. If you're into any sort of high resolution gaming or into newer games, you will need a dedicated card. If you play outdated games or less demanding ones on less than 1080p resolution, then the onboard graphics might suffice.

All new PSUs are extremely quiet compared to the 5-10 year old ones, and it will be really hard to notice the difference between them as far as noise levels are concerned. If you're not going to be using a dedicated GPU, then you don't really need to worry about going all out on the PSU, a 400W would be plenty, but I would recommend at least a 500W PSU just in case you wanted to get a graphics card or two later down the road

As far as the mobo goes, I wouldn't recommend gimping yourself with anything other than a Z87. I'd recommend Gigabyte, MSI, or Asrock.

I also do not understand why you are wasting $$$ on a $70 CPU HSF when you're not going to be overclocking. The stock cooler should be more than sufficient in your case. If you want something silent, there are better options for less $$.

 

[mchas]

I also do not understand why you are wasting $$$ on a $70 CPU HSF when you're not going to be overclocking. The stock cooler should be more than sufficient in your case. If you want something silent, there are better options for less $$.

Suggestions?

 

[nwo]

Suggestions?

Are you worried about the stock HSF heat or noise?

edit:

I'm not planning on doing any overclocking but my experience with OEM CPU fans is that they are all loud.

They aren't loud if you have any case airflow and are not overclocking. Worst thing you can do is try. No reason to waste $$$ if the stock HSF will be sufficient for your needs. Try it out, if it's not good enough, then spend 30 bucks on a CM Hyper 212.

I was lucky enough to grab this baby for only $15 after MIR...

If you go that route, you can probably go without the fan since

Pros: Vapor chamber and heat pipes dissipate enormous amount of heat, suitable for heavily overclocked six and eight core cpus.

Can run silently without the fan, because it is so powerful.

Outstanding mounting hardware. AMD mounts any direction.

Although I'm not sure how your motherboard software or BIOS would react to not having a CPU fan plugged in :\

 

[mchas]

Are you worried about the stock HSF heat or noise?

Noise. I assume if I don't overclock the stock HSF would be fine for cooling, but I know I will want something quieter.

 

[nwo]

I doubt that GT 430 DDR3 is any better than the integrated Intel 4600 on the 4770K.

I think they are roughly on par with each other from some of the sythetic score comparisons I have seen. However, I am leaning towards the HD 4600 as being a better option.

Here is a great review with plenty of benchmarks:
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Intel/Core_i7_4770K_Haswell_GPU/1.html

 

[mchas]

They aren't loud if you have any case airflow and are not overclocking. Worst thing you can do is try. No reason to waste $$$ if the stock HSF will be sufficient for your needs. Try it out, if it's not good enough, then spend 30 bucks on a CM Hyper 212.

That is true and good point - I can try the stock HSF first and see how loud it is.

Right now I am stuck on cases... I need to figure out which case to get before I can pick a motherboard. I am looking at the Fractal Designs cases and they look pretty nice, good reviews, and geared toward silent PCs. I think I like the "Define Mini"...

 

[mchas]

I think they are roughly on par with each other from some of the sythetic score comparisons I have seen. However, I am leaning towards the HD 4600 as being a better option.

Here is a great review with plenty of benchmarks:
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Intel/Core_i7_4770K_Haswell_GPU/1.html

I am liking the idea of using the integrated GPU if possible. It will be silent, and probably good enough for my needs. I can always add a separate graphics card later. I had no idea the new CPUs had GPUs that were this decent!

 

[nwo]

Noise. I assume if I don't overclock the stock HSF would be fine for cooling, but I know I will want something quieter.

With the stock HSF, I doubt you will ever exceed 60-70*C under regular conditions at stock speeds, even with extremely high ambient temps. 60-70*C are safe temps so you wouldn't have anything to worry about. You can always manually control the fan speed and decrease it according to your wants/needs.

 

[nwo]

I am liking the idea of using the integrated GPU if possible. It will be silent, and probably good enough for my needs. I can always add a separate graphics card later. I had no idea the new CPUs had GPUs that were this decent!

Integraded GPUs is the only aspect in which AMD shines over Intel. Their new lineup of APUs is significantly faster than any Intel onboard GPU. I wouldn't recommend going that route though. There are plenty of silent dedicated video cards if you ever need something more than the onboard GPU on your 4770.

 

[Cerb]

I am liking the idea of using the integrated GPU if possible. It will be silent, and probably good enough for my needs. I can always add a separate graphics card later. I had no idea the new CPUs had GPUs that were this decent!

Intel hasn't had them for long. It took them until this latest CPU generation to get them right.

 

[mchas]

If I go with the Fracal Design "Define Mini", it looks like it is MicroATX - any suggestions for a good motherboard that will fit?

Edit: How much am I limiting myself by choosing a MicroATX case? I prefer the smaller towers as long as I'm not giving up any kind of important features.