General Upgrade.

[Bubbleawsome]

New continuation on post #29.

Hello all! I've got myself a pc with an i7 870 and a hd 7770 that I am planning to upgrade. I've already got a hd 7790 in my "idea list" so I am moving on to the cpu/mobo. (And the reason this is in general is because I am open to GPU suggestions too!)
So far I am eyeing a 3 (or 4) 570k but I have no idea what mobo to choose! I have a budget of $220 for the mobo and cpu (So $60 for the mobo(I'm cheap )) but I want the oc of the k. Help?
Oh, and I game at 1280x1024, mostly minecraft, emulators, nfs hot pursuit, stuff like that.

 

[Termie]

There's very little difference between a 7770 and 7790 - certainly not worth upgrading the GPU. You don't need it for those games at 1280x1024 anyway.

Why are you interested in upgrading anyway? Is your i7-870 not performing as well as you'd like? An upgrade may help slightly in those games, but you won't get a -K chip and overclocking motherboard for anything under $235, and that's in-store at Micro Center. Otherwise, it's at least $280.

 

[lehtv]

Tbh, if I was upgrading, I would get a new 1080p monitor and just lower settings for games that don't run that well on the 7770.

 

[Bubbleawsome]

I could get a 1080p for 130, so that would mean my budget would be $230 still. :| I am looking at a new cpu for a) cooler, the 870 is a loud, mildly annoying beast. b)overclocking c) I have a few programs that would get better frames. (i.e. rigs of rods, minecraft render distance, F@H)

I could get a 4770k for a good price if I didn't spend on anything else. But I have no idea what the PSU thing is with haswell. My budget en-total is 360 USD.

What do you guys recommend? I have no decision making power. Over the past moth or so I've gone between a hd 7950 and a 1080p monitor, a new mobo and cooler for my current cpu to get another .5ghz out of it, a 1080p and a 7850 and a new cooler. I can't decide.

Oh, and if I got a good bundle I would get a 80 water cooler for oc'ing.

EDIT: Heck, I could even get better ram, I have the stock dell ram right now. Or a SSD for my OS. My problems right now are 1) Not snappy 2) A bit lower fps than I would like, not bad though. I'm not good at decisions. XD

 

[lehtv]

OK let's clear something up... : http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=80121

 

[sm625]

The only upgrade you need is a monitor. You're talking about dropping $400 just to get a minor speed bump. I suppose since you mentioned the 870 being too loud and hot, you might want to try a 4670k when it releases. You shouldnt notice the loss of thread count. But it is so new that no one can really recommend a good motherboard yet. You're on your own there. Definitely dont mess with the video card.

 

[Bubbleawsome]

Ok.

1) Using it for gaming

2)$260 if I don't sell my videocard, $360 if I do. -80 off each if I get the cooler listed below.

3)US

5) Don't care.

6)Any that I don't sell

7)Overclocking

8)1280x1024 or 1080p

9) whenever I have it sorted+2 weeks or so.

I know that 1 thing I really want is a mobo with 2+ of 3 and 4 pin fan connectors And I am not upgrading my PSU, so haswell might not work. This is my cooler. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Asetek-545L...-Cooler-/271088154066?ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

...and I agree, its not always because you need to do something, sometimes its because you want to
Moto

 

[Insert_Nickname]

I suppose since you mentioned the 870 being too loud and hot

That's nothing a Coolermaster Hyper 212(whatever) or similar won't fix. The mounting brackets for LGA-1156 and 1155 are identical, so both types of cooler fits. I'm assuming you're using the standard Intel cooler?.

If noise/heat from the CPU is the only problem that you have with your system, it seems quite overkill to spend $350 on it, when ~$20 can fix the problem. If you got the itch, go for it though...

 

[Bubbleawsome]

That's nothing a Coolermaster Hyper 212(whatever) or similar won't fix. The mounting brackets for LGA-1156 and 1155 are identical, so both types of cooler fits. I'm assuming you're using the standard Intel cooler?.

If noise/heat from the CPU is the only problem that you have with your system, it seems quite overkill to spend $350 on it, when ~$20 can fix the problem. If you got the itch, go for it though...

I always have an itch. If I had a i7 3970x @ 5ghz and 8way titan sli I would want to go and build a server. I just don't have the $$$.:awe: I wanted the watercooler for size, I have a dell xps 8100 case. It just seems a bit overkill to get a watercooler and not a k processor.

I am thinking some faster ram, then maybe a SSD for the windows. Hm. :hmm: needs more snap right now. Then maybe the cooler. Then a 1080p screen. Is that the correct order?

 

[Bubbleawsome]

Thunderstorms, gonna be out for the rest of the day maybe.

 

[Torn Mind]

I always have an itch. If I had a i7 3970x @ 5ghz and 8way titan sli I would want to go and build a server. I just don't have the $$$.:awe: I wanted the watercooler for size, I have a dell xps 8100 case. It just seems a bit overkill to get a watercooler and not a k processor.

I am thinking some faster ram, then maybe a SSD for the windows. Hm. :hmm: needs more snap right now. Then maybe the cooler. Then a 1080p screen. Is that the correct order?

It would be stupid to overclock a server as preserving data integrity is already a chore and there is no need to add an additional source of data corruption. A GPU is practically unnecessary once it is set up since it can be administered remotely.

 

[Insert_Nickname]

I am thinking some faster ram, then maybe a SSD for the windows. Hm. :hmm: needs more snap right now. Then maybe the cooler. Then a 1080p screen. Is that the correct order?

If its snappiness you're after, definitely get the SSD first. Its something you have to try to really understand why. That's the best upgrade you can make on a budget. You can even reuse it in a new build in the future.

A nice 1080p monitor is a good investment too. A quality one can be had for very reasonable prices.

 

[Bubbleawsome]

If its snappiness you're after, definitely get the SSD first. Its something you have to try to really understand why. That's the best upgrade you can make on a budget. You can even reuse it in a new build in the future.

A nice 1080p monitor is a good investment too. A quality one can be had for very reasonable prices.

yeah, I'm looking at RAM and a SSD. But my current mobo (and maybe CPU) only supports 3.0gb/s so that would dampen that. A 1080p screen sounds good. OPTIONS! XD

 

[Insert_Nickname]

But my current mobo (and maybe CPU) only supports 3.0gb/s so that would dampen that.

Don't worry about that. Its only burst speed. What's really important in an SSD is the random access time. Even on an old SATA1 (1.5Gbit) connection, an SSD will blow the socks off any HDD.

I've personally used an Intel X-25V 40GB. That's about the slowest SSD you're ever going to find (130MB/s read/40MB/s write, if I remember right), and it was still WAY snappier then any HDD-based machine I've ever used.

 

[Bubbleawsome]

I may, I would only use it for my OS and a few programs that I use at startup. Right now this is my order. New 8GB 1333 ram (came with 1066), 1080p screen, 7850. Tight budget. >.<
EDIT; I may get nfs rivals and nfs most wanted, and that will kill my GPU budget, might get the watercooler+games instead of the 7850.

 

[mfenn]

Ok.

1) Using it for gaming

2)$260 if I don't sell my videocard, $360 if I do. -80 off each if I get the cooler listed below.

3)US

5) Don't care.

6)Any that I don't sell

7)Overclocking

8)1280x1024 or 1080p

9) whenever I have it sorted+2 weeks or so.

I know that 1 thing I really want is a mobo with 2+ of 3 and 4 pin fan connectors And I am not upgrading my PSU, so haswell might not work. This is my cooler. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Asetek-545L...-Cooler-/271088154066?ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

An AIO water cooler, even a 92mm one should be totally fine for overclocking your 870 or any future processor. I expect the reason that it's loud is that you don't have a quiet fan profile set in your BIOS.

As for upgrades, $280 will only get you an overclockable i5 and Z77 motherboard if you wait for a good sale or live near an MC.

For gaming, I would spend my money on a new GPU and monitor.

HP LV2311 1080p $130
ASUS 7970 GHz Ed. $220 AR

 

[Bubbleawsome]

An AIO water cooler, even a 92mm one should be totally fine for overclocking your 870 or any future processor. I expect the reason that it's loud is that you don't have a quiet fan profile set in your BIOS.

As for upgrades, $280 will only get you an overclockable i5 and Z77 motherboard if you wait for a good sale or live near an MC.

For gaming, I would spend my money on a new GPU and monitor.

HP LV2311 1080p $130
ASUS 7970 GHz Ed. $220 AR

But the 870 won't oc, locked. And I don't have the watercooler, only the stock intel right now. Set at 100% fan (80mm @ 4500rpm. >.<) I was getting blue screens before.

I am looking at that monitor, and I might stay with my 7770. And this might all be incoherent. And I'm not going to post anymore as I am sleep deprived, see you on this thread tomorrow.

 

[fffblackmage]

Unless I'm confused here... the i7 870 probably has a "locked" multiplier in the sense you can't increase it higher for overclocking purposes, but you should be able to overclock by increasing the FSB. Or does your mobo not allow any changes to FSB clocks or something?

 

[Bubbleawsome]

Unless I'm confused here... the i7 870 probably has a "locked" multiplier in the sense you can't increase it higher for overclocking purposes, but you should be able to overclock by increasing the FSB. Or does your mobo not allow any changes to FSB clocks or something?

It's a stock, OEM, dell mobo. It's sad. I found a used i5 3570k for $99 on ebay. Probably won't get it, but what are the thoughts on that?

 

[fffblackmage]

Going from 7770 to 7790 doesn't sound like much of an upgrade. Going to a 7850 does, but it looks like you're just playing some older games, so I don't know if upgrading the graphics card would do all that much for you.

How much ram do you have currently? Although more ram is good, once you "have enough," more won't make your computer any faster. I think 8GB is a good amount of ram for most purposes. Faster ram isn't necessarily going to make much difference either. So, I would suggest upgrading to get more ram, but not necessarily to replace what you have with something faster.

The i7 870 isn't all that slow, even if you can't OC it. I just don't see why you you would need a faster cpu, although we can understand why you would want it anyways.

Anyways, here's what I would recommend:
Make sure the cpu cooler is clean and not clogged with dust. If you do buy a new cooler, go with something like the CM 212+ Evo rather than the AIO watercooler. It's cheaper, it'll be decently quiet enough, and the money saved can be used elsewhere.

Get an SSD. Nothing else will make you computer so snappy.

New 1080p monitor. You're going to be staring at this as long as you use you the computer. Might as well have a nice monitor to stare at.

I would go with those first, since you mentioned you have a OEM Dell mobo... If you wanted to upgrade the cpu and mobo, then I'm guessing you'd have to move everything to a new case too (assuming the mobo/case is in a proprietary format)?

 

[Bubbleawsome]

Going from 7770 to 7790 doesn't sound like much of an upgrade. Going to a 7850 does, but it looks like you're just playing some older games, so I don't know if upgrading the graphics card would do all that much for you.

How much ram do you have currently? Although more ram is good, once you "have enough," more won't make your computer any faster. I think 8GB is a good amount of ram for most purposes. Faster ram isn't necessarily going to make much difference either. So, I would suggest upgrading to get more ram, but not necessarily to replace what you have with something faster.

8GB, pretty good.

{quote]The i7 870 isn't all that slow, even if you can't OC it. I just don't see why you you would need a faster cpu, although we can understand why you would want it anyways.

Anyways, here's what I would recommend:
Make sure the cpu cooler is clean and not clogged with dust. If you do buy a new cooler, go with something like the CM 212+ Evo rather than the AIO watercooler. It's cheaper, it'll be decently quiet enough, and the money saved can be used elsewhere. [/quote] Ok.

Get an SSD. Nothing else will make you computer so snappy.

New 1080p monitor. You're going to be staring at this as long as you use you the computer. Might as well have a nice monitor to stare at.

Yep

I would go with those first, since you mentioned you have a OEM Dell mobo... If you wanted to upgrade the cpu and mobo, then I'm guessing you'd have to move everything to a new case too (assuming the mobo/case is in a proprietary format)?

I think it's micro ATX. Not sure though.

 

[mfenn]

And I don't have the watercooler, only the stock intel right now.

This is my cooler. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Asetek-545L...-Cooler-/271088154066?ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

I guess "this is my cooler" means something different to you than it does to me.

Anyway, you should definitely not consider getting an AIO water cooler for a CPU that is in an OEM motherboard. It's entirely pointless and unlikely to fit in the case anyway.

 

[Bubbleawsome]

Is there any point in getting a ghz 7970? Higher binning, better BIOS?

 

[mfenn]

Mostly just higher clock speeds at stock and a correspondingly higher OC limit. You can get a normal 7970 up to GHz Ed. speeds without much fuss.

 

[Bubbleawsome]

Looks like I want a ghz. But I assume oc'ing it would really push my 550w PSU to the limit with my i7 870 too. :/ Might get an 850w. I have the HIVE 550w, "550w continuous @ 40c 80+ bronze."