Upgrade Build

[marshalex]

Hi All

Upgrading my brothers PC from an i5 750 and a 4870 to this this.

Coolermaster VS-Series 550W Semi Modular 80+ Gold
Intel Core i5 4950
Gigabyte GA-Z97P-D3
MSI R9 280X GAMING

Memory etc he can use from existing PC along with the other bits and bobs.

Thoughts?

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

You need to make sure the DDR3 runs at not more than 1.5V.

Edit!!

You can get an MSI R9 290 for around £200:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/4gb-m...eams-dp-hdmi-2

[marshalex]

You need to make sure the DDR3 runs at not more than 1.5V.

Edit!!

You can get an MSI R9 290 for around £200:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/4gb-m...eams-dp-hdmi-2

The 290 is just that bit too far out of budget really, despite the significant gains in performance (I might look at it for my computer in the near future!)

The memory is this crucial ballistix sport which says it runs at 1.5V

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

OK,it might be worth looking on CEX though. They sell secondhand CPUs with a 12 month warranty and the non-K series CPUs cannot be overclocked too.

Edit!!

https://uk.webuy.com/product.php?sku...A#.VT4nl5Pvaq5
https://uk.webuy.com/product.php?sku...0#.VT4nZJPvaq4
https://uk.webuy.com/product.php?sku...0#.VT4nZ5Pvaq4
https://uk.webuy.com/product.php?sku...0#.VT4n25Pvaq4

[marshalex]

OK,it might be worth looking on CEX though. They sell secondhand CPUs with a 12 month warranty and the non-K series CPUs cannot be overclocked too.

Edit!!

https://uk.webuy.com/product.php?sku...A#.VT4nl5Pvaq5
https://uk.webuy.com/product.php?sku...0#.VT4nZJPvaq4
https://uk.webuy.com/product.php?sku...0#.VT4nZ5Pvaq4
https://uk.webuy.com/product.php?sku...0#.VT4n25Pvaq4

Some bargains to be had there. Any problems with the Mobo or the PSU. From my reading around this morning it all seems pretty good?

[DanceswithUnix]

TLDR: I would do 2 steps, upgrade GPU first (with PSU if needed) and then consider CPU/mobo.


The CPU upgrade is worth about 30% improvement if you are CPU limited.

The 4870 is now old enough that it is hard to find on benchmark comparisons, but the 7750 seems to behave about the same in gaming so this is the jump of about 3 times:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1140?vs=1041

So basically I am assuming this is an upgrade for game playing, in which case almost all the improvement is coming from the GPU.

So stepping back a bit, what is he having trouble playing & doing? I would be tempted to hold off on the CPU upgrade until you have tried the GPU upgrade first. That puts a 290 in reach, and if you want more then you have a much faster system while saving for that extra 30%.

Also, replacing motherboards usually means a Windows re-install which just upgrading the GPU will avoid.

[marshalex]

Yeah it's for game playing. GTA is complaining about lack of memory and the 4870 is pretty old now anyway so it should be a significant jump to just the 280X.

Yeah be nice to avoid the windows install as well. Just the jump to the 290 might be a bit out of range from what he wanted to spend on a graphics card. Are the differences between the 280X and 290 worth the extra £30?

[MrJim]

Yeah it's for game playing. GTA is complaining about lack of memory and the 4870 is pretty old now anyway so it should be a significant jump to just the 280X.

Yeah be nice to avoid the windows install as well. Just the jump to the 290 might be a bit out of range from what he wanted to spend on a graphics card. Are the differences between the 280X and 290 worth the extra £30?

I would say yes, just for the extra gigabyte of VRAM. So add the extra performance too, & I'd say it was definitely worth the extra. But I guess it depends on how tight your budget is...

[marshalex]

I would say yes, just for the extra gigabyte of VRAM. So add the extra performance too, & I'd say it was definitely worth the extra. But I guess it depends on how tight your budget is...

I'm thinking for the sake of £30 it's a no brainer and get the other bits at a later date. I'll contribute the difference and call it a birthday present!

[DanceswithUnix]

290 uses newer silicon, so is fully Freesync compatible if that might be of interest. Otherwise, the extra memory should make is a bit longer lasting and it has about 20 to 30% more performance than the 280X depending on game being played.

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Some bargains to be had there. Any problems with the Mobo or the PSU. From my reading around this morning it all seems pretty good?

PSU and motherboard should be up to the job IMHO.

[marshalex]

Gah the MSI card on scan has gone out of stock now, bit annoying. In trying to find a replacement I've read that the 290 cards can be quite power hungry under load. Will the PSU I've specced work OK with it under load? Cards I've spotted instead is this or this. thoughts?

[MrJim]

Gah the MSI card on scan has gone out of stock now, bit annoying. In trying to find a replacement I've read that the 290 cards can be quite power hungry under load. Will the PSU I've specced work OK with it under load? Cards I've spotted instead is this or this. thoughts?

My vote would definitely be for the Asus card over the XFX. The warranty is longer for Asus, & I've heard terribble things about XFX after-sale service (or lack thereof).

[marshalex]

Gone for the Asus, not heard good things about reliability for the XFX card which has also swayed things

[marshalex]

Gone for the Asus, not heard good things about reliability for the XFX card which has also swayed things

Gah, in waiting for work to order the Asus card it's gone out of stock and the price has gone up. Considering some of the bad reviews around the XFX 290 I linked to seems the only way to go is to a 280X. (Unless anyone knows of a decent 290 available for around £200)...

[Psycownage]

if you can find a used GTX 780 on ebay for around £200 this will be faster/cooler/quieter than 280x / 290.

I know they go for about this much as I am trying to sell one at the moment...