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Thread: Cheap PC Update advice needed

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    • therealjohnpeat's system
      • Motherboard:
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      • CPU:
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    Cheap PC Update advice needed

    I have £200 to spend upgrading my current PC. I play some games, develop software, write, made the odd video and it does those things OK but I'm feeling the pinch with some work which I suspect is mostly down to having just 2 cores (and perhaps the GPU too)

    Specifics of the current system - K10N78 Mobo, AMD 245 (2.9 dual core), 4GB RAM and a 5670 (512Mb)

    The way I see it I can do one of 2 things

    Buy a new mobo/cpu/memory and keep my 5670 - I was thinking a Gigabyte 970 Mobo with an FX 4300/6300 and 8GB RAM would be in budget - I might even squeeze an SSD into that.

    Upgrade the existing board with an Athlon 640 x4 and a 7850 - or maybe a 965BE+custom cooler+7770 - either works-out to about the same money and is also in-budget (and, of course, the GPU can be reused in future systems).

    The first option gets me a much faster 'heart' (SATA III, USB 3 etc.) but the GPU will hold it back quite a bit I reckon and I can't see a budget for an upgrade for a while.

    The second option is a bit of a bodge but I'd end-up with a more 'rounded' system - the only downside is having to reinstall Windows if it takes a stoppy about the CPU swap?

    WWYD?
    Last edited by therealjohnpeat; 24-03-2013 at 01:18 AM.

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    Re: Cheap PC Update advice needed

    What PSU do you have??

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    • therealjohnpeat's system
      • Motherboard:
      • K10N78 Micro-ATX variant
      • CPU:
      • Athlon x2 245 (2.9Ghz)
      • Memory:
      • 4Gb
      • Storage:
      • 2x 512Mb HDD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Radeon 5670 512Mb (GDDR5)
      • PSU:
      • Gigabyte 430
      • Case:
      • Knock-off cheapiespecial
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 7 64bit
      • Monitor(s):
      • LG Flatron IPS234
      • Internet:
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    Re: Cheap PC Update advice needed

    I have 2 PSUs I could use - a slightly aging Gigabyte 430W (1x6 pin) and a brand-new unopened (warranty replacement) Corsair 430M (again just 1 6 pin) - either would run either of those I reckon?

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    Senior Member Bonebreaker777's Avatar
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    Re: Cheap PC Update advice needed

    Compromise and go for a Trinity / AMD APU? Pretty sure you would be between the two options you mentioned above.

    The IGP in the AMD APU is far better what you have right now and CPU performance wise you would gain again.

    Not sure how soon the new generation AMD APU is coming out (I vaguely remember that it should be soon).

    Or you can wait for CAT's suggestion, he usually have excellent advises.

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    Re: Cheap PC Update advice needed

    The cheapest way forward would be to get a Phenom II X4 965BE:

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/AMD-HDZ965FB...4046909&sr=1-1

    The buy another 4GB of DDR2,and a new graphics card. The GTX650TI Boost Edition will be out soon,and hopefully it will drive down the price of the recently released HD7790 nearer to £100.

    Another,more convoluted way is to try and find an HD7850 1GB for around £125,and if it has Bioshock:Infinite and Tombraider,you can sell the games,to lower the price of the graphics card.

    Is it a Corsair CX430W or CX430W Modular PSU?? Either should be OK.

    Is it an HD5670 GDDR3 or GDDR5??

    Also,what case do you have?

    Another alternative is to get an FX6300,a 970 ATX motherboard and 8GB of DDR3. I would probably do this,and get an better graphics card at some point.

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    Re: Cheap PC Update advice needed

    I would get the Phenom II X4 965BE that CAT suggested and an SSD drive because you mention work as the main reason for the upgrade. I recommend the Crucial m4 that I have but the Samsung SSDs have got good reviews and no reliability problems.

    I am trying to get my friends and family to purchase an SSD rather than buying new laptops because it makes such a big difference to how a computer runs. For now the X4 CPU upgrade and a new SSD would make a massive difference to your system performance, enough to let you save for a year or so to get a better graphics card.

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    • therealjohnpeat's system
      • Motherboard:
      • K10N78 Micro-ATX variant
      • CPU:
      • Athlon x2 245 (2.9Ghz)
      • Memory:
      • 4Gb
      • Storage:
      • 2x 512Mb HDD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Radeon 5670 512Mb (GDDR5)
      • PSU:
      • Gigabyte 430
      • Case:
      • Knock-off cheapiespecial
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 7 64bit
      • Monitor(s):
      • LG Flatron IPS234
      • Internet:
      • ADSL2 (18MB/1MB)

    Re: Cheap PC Update advice needed

    The 965BE is a power hungry/hot chip which would probably mean putting more cooling into this case (and having more noise which I generally like to avoid) - which is why I wondered about the 640 as I'd ideally like to stick to a chip which will run on the stock cooler and without extra fans (the current system works on a stock cooler and the PSU fan only so it's very, very quiet)

    This 5670 is a Sapphire which I'm pretty sure is GDDR5

    The PSU is the latest modular Corsair 430W

    Thx for the tips so far!
    Last edited by therealjohnpeat; 24-03-2013 at 01:18 AM.

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    Re: Cheap PC Update advice needed

    Quote Originally Posted by therealjohnpeat View Post
    The 965BE is a power hungry/hot chip which would probably mean putting more cooling into this case (and having more noise which I generally like to avoid) - which is why I wondered about the 650 as I'd ideally like to stick to a chip which will run on the stock cooler and without extra fans (the current system works on a stock cooler and the PSU fan only so it's very, very quiet)

    This 5670 is a Sapphire which I'm pretty sure is GDDR5

    The PSU is the latest modular Corsair 430W

    Thx for the tips so far!
    Depending on the heatsink you choose you could get one that is quiet. Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro that I have on this machine is brilliant, cooling a Q9550 that is overclocked without a hassle. It is a lot less noisy than the stock cooler and fits in a desktop case.

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    Re: Cheap PC Update advice needed

    I definitely go for the AMD 6300 route and for now keep the 5670 which is a god awful card but your CPU is more in need of an upgrade than your GPU.

    The PSU is fine.

    Motherboard - http://www.dabs.com/products/asus-m5...l?q=AM3&src=16

    CPU - http://www.dabs.com/products/amd-fx6...l?q=AM3&src=16

    RAM - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Patriot-PVI3...083782&sr=1-23 - The delivery on this item can take upto a month! So be wary.

    Althernative RAM - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-KHX...4083843&sr=1-1

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    • therealjohnpeat's system
      • Motherboard:
      • K10N78 Micro-ATX variant
      • CPU:
      • Athlon x2 245 (2.9Ghz)
      • Memory:
      • 4Gb
      • Storage:
      • 2x 512Mb HDD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Radeon 5670 512Mb (GDDR5)
      • PSU:
      • Gigabyte 430
      • Case:
      • Knock-off cheapiespecial
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 7 64bit
      • Monitor(s):
      • LG Flatron IPS234
      • Internet:
      • ADSL2 (18MB/1MB)

    Re: Cheap PC Update advice needed

    The other downside to the 965BE is that they're almost £90 delivered in the UK atm - add on a cooler and that's a massive waste of cash on this old board IMO

    That cost is why I'd suggested the Athlon x4 640 - they're under £65 delivered and should be OK on the stock cooler.

    Spending more - I'd far get a new mobo/cpu/memory bundle - £180 would get me a new board (with Sata III and USB 3 and 8Gb DDR3 RAM) and an FX processor which is as-good-as the 965!

    p.s. going back to the idea of an 'APU' - I really don't see the point of one of those, their GPU is no better than my GPU and so I'm paying for something I've already got - the crossfire options are pathetically limited and so I think that's a dead-end frankly (I actually think all those processors are really a dead-end - I just don't see the point of them).

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    • therealjohnpeat's system
      • Motherboard:
      • K10N78 Micro-ATX variant
      • CPU:
      • Athlon x2 245 (2.9Ghz)
      • Memory:
      • 4Gb
      • Storage:
      • 2x 512Mb HDD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Radeon 5670 512Mb (GDDR5)
      • PSU:
      • Gigabyte 430
      • Case:
      • Knock-off cheapiespecial
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 7 64bit
      • Monitor(s):
      • LG Flatron IPS234
      • Internet:
      • ADSL2 (18MB/1MB)

    Re: Cheap PC Update advice needed

    Quote Originally Posted by Drudgery View Post
    I definitely go for the AMD 6300 route and for now keep the 5670 which is a god awful card but your CPU is more in need of an upgrade than your GPU.

    The PSU is fine.

    Motherboard - http://www.dabs.com/products/asus-m5...l?q=AM3&src=16

    CPU - http://www.dabs.com/products/amd-fx6...l?q=AM3&src=16

    RAM - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Patriot-PVI3...083782&sr=1-23 - The delivery on this item can take upto a month! So be wary.

    Althernative RAM - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-KHX...4083843&sr=1-1
    Yeah, that's pretty much what I was looking at for the 'new guts' option - tho I'm not entirely sold on the need for a six-core, the tiny amount more it costs over the 4 seems worth the effort!?

    Looking at the games I play, most would see more benefit from a GPU upgrade but only in terms of looking better, the few which flatten my cpu (mostly driving games) need the upgrade just to work properly (NFS: Most Wanted is one hell of a demanding game!!)

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    Re: Cheap PC Update advice needed

    This RAM is in stock:

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-Tec...4122432&sr=1-3

    BTW,the FX4300 also has half the L3 cache of the FX6300,meaning even in lightly threaded games it is usually slower.

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    • therealjohnpeat's system
      • Motherboard:
      • K10N78 Micro-ATX variant
      • CPU:
      • Athlon x2 245 (2.9Ghz)
      • Memory:
      • 4Gb
      • Storage:
      • 2x 512Mb HDD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Radeon 5670 512Mb (GDDR5)
      • PSU:
      • Gigabyte 430
      • Case:
      • Knock-off cheapiespecial
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 7 64bit
      • Monitor(s):
      • LG Flatron IPS234
      • Internet:
      • ADSL2 (18MB/1MB)

    Re: Cheap PC Update advice needed

    Quote Originally Posted by CAT-THE-FIFTH View Post
    This RAM is in stock:

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-Tec...4122432&sr=1-3

    BTW,the FX4300 also has half the L3 cache of the FX6300,meaning even in lightly threaded games it is usually slower.
    As nice as that memory is for the price - am I right in thinking that RAM faster than 1333/1600 is really only required if you're planning to overclock everything to the bitter-end?

    With a £200 budget, saving money on the RAM and (initially, at least) skipping an aftermarket cooler means I get a better board and CPU to build-on later.

    OCing is not really on my radar unless it's a no-brainer anyway - I want this system to run quiet/low-maintenance and I can't be bothered with faffing around testing overclocks and dealing with bluescreens - if I do any OCing, it will be S&S and moderate.

    I'm currently looking at

    ASROCK 970 Extreme 3 mobo (I've had a few Asrocks, they've been good and this board comes well recommended) - £66
    FX-6300 - £105
    8Gb Corsair RAM - £32

    That's the budget blown - esp when postage is factored-in. A 4300 would save me £15 I could throw at the memory but I think the 6300 is a better home for the money than the memory?

    That's the thing with budgets - if you don't stick to them, you start to leak in extras everywhere...

    Later I can throw in a new case (for better cooling), an aftermarket cooler, and SSD and so on - only downside here is that the 5670 will instantly become my weak link and the budget for anything better is nowhere in sight.

    Hey ho

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    Moosing about! CAT-THE-FIFTH's Avatar
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    Re: Cheap PC Update advice needed

    Quote Originally Posted by therealjohnpeat View Post
    As nice as that memory is for the price - am I right in thinking that RAM faster than 1333/1600 is really only required if you're planning to overclock everything to the bitter-end?

    With a £200 budget, saving money on the RAM and (initially, at least) skipping an aftermarket cooler means I get a better board and CPU to build-on later.

    OCing is not really on my radar unless it's a no-brainer anyway - I want this system to run quiet/low-maintenance and I can't be bothered with faffing around testing overclocks and dealing with bluescreens - if I do any OCing, it will be S&S and moderate.

    I'm currently looking at

    ASROCK 970 Extreme 3 mobo (I've had a few Asrocks, they've been good and this board comes well recommended) - £66
    FX-6300 - £105
    8Gb Corsair RAM - £32

    That's the budget blown - esp when postage is factored-in. A 4300 would save me £15 I could throw at the memory but I think the 6300 is a better home for the money than the memory?

    That's the thing with budgets - if you don't stick to them, you start to leak in extras everywhere...

    Later I can throw in a new case (for better cooling), an aftermarket cooler, and SSD and so on - only downside here is that the 5670 will instantly become my weak link and the budget for anything better is nowhere in sight.

    Hey ho
    I looked at RAM which was in stock,not in 1 months time and the 1600MHZ kits were not any cheaper. BTW,check how much that set costs elsewhere. Even if you run it at 1600MHZ it is still not expensive for a dual channel 8GB set,as RAM pricing has gone up.

    I assume you are looking at this:

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-8GB-...400497&sr=1-16

    Running the RAM in single channel is going to crater performance. Also,the motherboard can only support faster RAM via overclocking:

    http://www.asrock.com/mb/memory.us.a...970%20Extreme3

    The PD CPUs natively support 1600MHZ and 1866MHZ DDR3 without overclocking. If I was overclocking the CPU I would probably get one of the higher end 970 based motherboards anyway.

    Since,you are not really overclocking I would get the following:

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-M5A97-R...4400781&sr=1-1

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/AMD-FX6300-E...4400944&sr=1-1

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-Tec...4401002&sr=1-3

    That should come to around £204.
    Last edited by CAT-THE-FIFTH; 27-03-2013 at 05:22 PM.

  15. #15
    Moosing about! CAT-THE-FIFTH's Avatar
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    Re: Cheap PC Update advice needed

    The Biostar TA970 is back in stock:

    http://www.ebuyer.com/436858-biostar...FYfJtAod2g0AhQ

    I would get that instead of the Asus. It has VRM cooling and I know a few people who have used it and it is a solid motherboard for the price.

    The CPU is also slightly cheaper at Ebuyer too:

    http://www.ebuyer.com/409191-amd-fx-...-fd6300wmhkbox

    You can also get cashback too:

    http://www.topcashback.co.uk/home

    I would get the RAM from Amazon.

  16. #16
    Senior Member Pob255's Avatar
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    Re: Cheap PC Update advice needed

    I'd agree with an fx6300 if you want new only, if you're willing to go 2nd hand then a phenom II x4 or x6 is still a solid cpu

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