Solved Need advice for new hardware for Win7 Desktop PC

[Valsako]

This appears to be the right area to post this. If it's not, I'm very sorry, I just joined.

Anyway, a friend of mine recommended this forum to me, for answers to a few questions I have.

I'm looking into making my current computer be built up to the right standards for gaming, but I don't know a whole bunch about PCs, as such, I've resorted to asking people who do know, before making any big choices.

Here are my current system specs:

OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit (6.1, Build 7601) Service Pack 1

Processor: Intel(R) Pentium(R) CPU G630 @ 2.70GHz

Cores: Dual Core

Memory: 8192MB DDR4 RAM

Graphics card: Intel(R) HD Graphics Family


I'm already going to be replacing the graphics card with a Nvidia GTX 680, which, to my understanding, is a great graphics card for a good price.

Note: I don't have a LOT of money to work with, so I'm more or less going for what would be "good, but not ridiculously expensive".

If you need more info than what I provided, just ask.

Thanks for any help!

 

[Cranky69]

Upgrading to a SSD will help with you, OCZ Vertex 4. Also, what is the brand of your memory? You may be able to get more performance out of better ram.

 

[indianacarnie]

I agree about the ssd. There are many out there in different price ranges so look for one in your size and price range. At least 128gb,imho. My M4 Crucial is smokin and fairly inexpensive. The Samsung 840 Pro is outrageous in its speed but a tad pricier.

 

[KKS21199]

Ya, actually ssd are better then normal hard disk, if ssd cost much to you, then buy 128- 256gb ssd and 1tb to 2 tb normal hard drive. Use the ssd as boot hard drive. how much is your power supply, sometimes if your ram and cooling is good, without power supply you can'r oveclock it

 

[Valsako]

Upgrading to a SSD will help with you, OCZ Vertex 4. Also, what is the brand of your memory? You may be able to get more performance out of better ram.

Alright, I'll look into that. As for the brand of my memory, the company that made it is "Mushkin Enhanced". Also, which would be the most important thing to upgrade? The SSD, Processor, Cores, or the amount of RAM? I'm pretty sure 8 GB of RAM is enough, though. xD

I agree about the ssd. There are many out there in different price ranges so look for one in your size and price range. At least 128gb,imho. My M4 Crucial is smokin and fairly inexpensive. The Samsung 840 Pro is outrageous in its speed but a tad pricier.

Alright, thanks! I'll look into the M4 Crucial.

Ya, actually ssd are better then normal hard disk, if ssd cost much to you, then buy 128- 256gb ssd and 1tb to 2 tb normal hard drive. Use the ssd as boot hard drive. how much is your power supply, sometimes if your ram and cooling is good, without power supply you can'r oveclock it

I know this has a really good power supply, I forget exactly how much, but I know it was pretty high.

 

[KKS21199]

and also if you are going to make a gaming pc check my system specs,

 

[Valsako]

Okay, so far, this is what I have for what I'll be upgrading to:

Processor: AMD Phenom II, or intel i5 3570k (whichever is compatible)

Cores: Quad Core

Memory: 16 GB DDR4 RAM

SSD: M4 Crucial

Graphics card: Nvidia GTX 680

Any other suggestions?

 

[indianacarnie]

Looking pretty good to me, be sure to post back with your speeds/timings when you get it finished!

As an aside, most games can only "see" two cores from your processor if that will make any difference to you.

 

[Valsako]

Looking pretty good to me, be sure to post back with your speeds/timings when you get it finished!

As an aside, most games can only "see" two cores from your processor if that will make any difference to you.

Excellent! I'll be sure to post the speeds and all that once I get the upgrade. I'll be getting it in a couple of weeks.

That helps a lot, and means a lot for me. Since I don't have a real big budget for doing this with. xD

Thanks for all the help, I really appreciate it!

 

[DeaconFrost]

I may be wrong, but it seems like DDR4 won't be out for another year, or the end of this year...so if you are buying soon, you'd be getting DDR3 instead.

 

[indianacarnie]

No problem, you're very welcome we love to help here. Happy computing/gaming!

 

[Valsako]

Oh okay, wasn't sure if it was DDR3 or 4, I just remembered it was one of the two. xD

 

[Thorsen]

from your specs you say your mobo is this: Foxconn 2ABF Mainboard Specs

For the HP Pavillion.


the specs say you could upgrade your CPU to a few different options. Here is your where your current CPU stands: PassMark CPU Lookup

Processor Support Socket LGA 1155. (Sandy Bridge) (MAX 95W) Intel Core i7-2700 (K), 2600 (K) Quad Core, Core i5 2500 (K), 2400, 2300 Quad Core, Core i3 Dual Core, Pentium G630, G620 Dual Core.​

Not sure if this is compatible from the list, but this would be good little boost up if your going for budget ($74.99) not sure if its worth the money as an upgrade standpoint though PassMark - Intel Pentium G2120 @ 3.10GHz - Price performance comparison

otherwise, the i7-2700K looks like the best option, but has a much higher price point (~$290.00)
CM8062301124100 Intel Core i7 Processor i7-2700K 3.5GHz 5.0GT/s 8MB LGA 1155 CPU, OEM - Intel Core i7 - SuperBiiz.com

Another thing to think about is replacing the motherboard as it is a stock board from HP. you probably won't be able to overclock anything with the HP mobo (if that's a desire). Might increase your price range for the rebuild. If you look into this, just make sure RAM and other components are compatible.

Also it is listed as a Micro-ATX board, so I would measure the space to make sure the GTX 680 will fit in the case.

And you said your PSU was good, but I don't see any specs for it. If it is stock, I would replace that as well when you get a chance just out of care for PC to have a good PSU. The 680 will need a 550W+ PSU or you might not have {2} 6-pin cables free on the current PSU. Just check to make sure. PSU specs can be found on the PSU hardware.

GTX 680 power requirements can be found here:
PSU REQUIREMENTS - RealHardTechX

Oh and good luck with the upgrade and welcome to SevenForums if you have questions on anything, just ask

 

[bobkn]

Okay, so far, this is what I have for what I'll be upgrading to:

Processor: AMD Phenom II, or intel i5 3570k (whichever is compatible)

Cores: Quad Core

Memory: 16 GB DDR4 RAM

SSD: M4 Crucial

Graphics card: Nvidia GTX 680

Any other suggestions?

The AMD Phenom II won't fit your current motherboard. Your board is Socket 1155, and it has no pins on the CPU, unlike the AMD chips. (Intel uses an LGA, land grid array, with pads on the CPU that are contacted by pins in the socket.)

An I5-3570k would physically fit the socket. Your motherboard appears to use an H61 chipset, which can support Ivy Bridge CPUs. (I'm a little surprised by that, but it seems to be true.) Whether HP offers a BIOS that supports Ivy Bridge is another issue.

As others have remarked. there is no DDR4 on the market at this time. There are no motherboards that can use it.

As regards the GTX680, my favorite graphic card maker recommends at least a 550W PSU with 38A on the +12V rail:

EVGA | Products | EVGA GeForce GTX 680 | 02G-P4-2680-KR

Does your HP have that?

If you're getting a $200+ CPU, plus a $400+ graphics, and a new power supply, you may want to go the whole hog (hope you're not a Vegan) and get a new motherboard and case. You can get a serviceable full ATX Asus Z77 motherboard for around $150, and a mid tower ATX case for $40-80.

I recommend getting away from appliance PCs.

 

[KKS21199]

ya ddr4 is not being available in most countries so it is hard to get it now which mother board are you using. You could upgrade you processor to i7 so the speed is unlimited for gaming and amd for graphics, use a good motherboard and also use quad core ram, try inserting atleast 4 piece of ram so your pc can oveclock when needed

 

[Valsako]

Okay, so far, this is what I have for what I'll be upgrading to:

Processor: AMD Phenom II, or intel i5 3570k (whichever is compatible)

Cores: Quad Core

Memory: 16 GB DDR4 RAM

SSD: M4 Crucial

Graphics card: Nvidia GTX 680

Any other suggestions?

The AMD Phenom II won't fit your current motherboard. Your board is Socket 1155, and it has no pins on the CPU, unlike the AMD chips. (Intel uses an LGA, land grid array, with pads on the CPU that are contacted by pins in the socket.)

An I5-3570k would physically fit the socket. Your motherboard appears to use an H61 chipset, which can support Ivy Bridge CPUs. (I'm a little surprised by that, but it seems to be true.) Whether HP offers a BIOS that supports Ivy Bridge is another issue.

As others have remarked. there is no DDR4 on the market at this time. There are no motherboards that can use it.

As regards the GTX680, my favorite graphic card maker recommends at least a 550W PSU with 38A on the +12V rail:

EVGA | Products | EVGA GeForce GTX 680 | 02G-P4-2680-KR

Does your HP have that?

If you're getting a $200+ CPU, plus a $400+ graphics, and a new power supply, you may want to go the whole hog (hope you're not a Vegan) and get a new motherboard and case. You can get a serviceable full ATX Asus Z77 motherboard for around $150, and a mid tower ATX case for $40-80.

I recommend getting away from appliance PCs.

I don't know whether it has Ivy Bridge support or not, but I'll be taking it over to the local Computer Deli to have them upgrade it anyway (I'm not touching this thing myself xD), and I'd just have them tell me whether it'd be compatible or not.

Yeah, it was so long ago that I got the memory put in this and I've been busy with so many thing, I just forgot whether it was DDR3 or 4.

Not entirely sure. Any way to find that out?

I'm not a Vegan. And, alright, I'll look into that.

from your specs you say your mobo is this: Foxconn 2ABF Mainboard Specs

For the HP Pavillion.


the specs say you could upgrade your CPU to a few different options. Here is your where your current CPU stands: PassMark CPU Lookup

Processor Support Socket LGA 1155. (Sandy Bridge) (MAX 95W) Intel Core i7-2700 (K), 2600 (K) Quad Core, Core i5 2500 (K), 2400, 2300 Quad Core, Core i3 Dual Core, Pentium G630, G620 Dual Core.​

Not sure if this is compatible from the list, but this would be good little boost up if your going for budget ($74.99) not sure if its worth the money as an upgrade standpoint though PassMark - Intel Pentium G2120 @ 3.10GHz - Price performance comparison

otherwise, the i7-2700K looks like the best option, but has a much higher price point (~$290.00)
CM8062301124100 Intel Core i7 Processor i7-2700K 3.5GHz 5.0GT/s 8MB LGA 1155 CPU, OEM - Intel Core i7 - SuperBiiz.com

Another thing to think about is replacing the motherboard as it is a stock board from HP. you probably won't be able to overclock anything with the HP mobo (if that's a desire). Might increase your price range for the rebuild. If you look into this, just make sure RAM and other components are compatible.

Also it is listed as a Micro-ATX board, so I would measure the space to make sure the GTX 680 will fit in the case.

And you said your PSU was good, but I don't see any specs for it. If it is stock, I would replace that as well when you get a chance just out of care for PC to have a good PSU. The 680 will need a 550W+ PSU or you might not have {2} 6-pin cables free on the current PSU. Just check to make sure. PSU specs can be found on the PSU hardware.

GTX 680 power requirements can be found here:
PSU REQUIREMENTS - RealHardTechX

Oh and good luck with the upgrade and welcome to SevenForums if you have questions on anything, just ask

Okay, I'll see what I can get done. xD

I'm working with $900 here, $500 of which is going on the graphics card alone, leaving me with $400 to get the other parts with. The SSD I'm getting is the M4 Crucial, which costs about $130 according to google, so that brings me to $270, then the processor I'm getting, the intel i5 3570k or i5 2500, costs $200, which brings me to $70...

So, replacing the Motherboard with $70 might be tricky, to say the least.

Is there anything I'm considering getting that would be considered less important, that I could just get later on? Or is there at least a cheaper alternative for some of the parts, without sacrificing too much quality? xD

 

[KKS21199]

Okay, so far, this is what I have for what I'll be upgrading to:

Processor: AMD Phenom II, or intel i5 3570k (whichever is compatible)

Cores: Quad Core

Memory: 16 GB DDR4 RAM

SSD: M4 Crucial

Graphics card: Nvidia GTX 680

Any other suggestions?

The AMD Phenom II won't fit your current motherboard. Your board is Socket 1155, and it has no pins on the CPU, unlike the AMD chips. (Intel uses an LGA, land grid array, with pads on the CPU that are contacted by pins in the socket.)

An I5-3570k would physically fit the socket. Your motherboard appears to use an H61 chipset, which can support Ivy Bridge CPUs. (I'm a little surprised by that, but it seems to be true.) Whether HP offers a BIOS that supports Ivy Bridge is another issue.

As others have remarked. there is no DDR4 on the market at this time. There are no motherboards that can use it.

As regards the GTX680, my favorite graphic card maker recommends at least a 550W PSU with 38A on the +12V rail:

EVGA | Products | EVGA GeForce GTX 680 | 02G-P4-2680-KR

Does your HP have that?

If you're getting a $200+ CPU, plus a $400+ graphics, and a new power supply, you may want to go the whole hog (hope you're not a Vegan) and get a new motherboard and case. You can get a serviceable full ATX Asus Z77 motherboard for around $150, and a mid tower ATX case for $40-80.

I recommend getting away from appliance PCs.

I don't know whether it has Ivy Bridge support or not, but I'll be taking it over to the local Computer Deli to have them upgrade it anyway (I'm not touching this thing myself xD), and I'd just have them tell me whether it'd be compatible or not.

Yeah, it was so long ago that I got the memory put in this and I've been busy with so many thing, I just forgot whether it was DDR3 or 4.

Not entirely sure. Any way to find that out?

I'm not a Vegan. And, alright, I'll look into that.

from your specs you say your mobo is this: Foxconn 2ABF Mainboard Specs

For the HP Pavillion.


the specs say you could upgrade your CPU to a few different options. Here is your where your current CPU stands: PassMark CPU Lookup

Processor Support Socket LGA 1155. (Sandy Bridge) (MAX 95W) Intel Core i7-2700 (K), 2600 (K) Quad Core, Core i5 2500 (K), 2400, 2300 Quad Core, Core i3 Dual Core, Pentium G630, G620 Dual Core.​

Not sure if this is compatible from the list, but this would be good little boost up if your going for budget ($74.99) not sure if its worth the money as an upgrade standpoint though PassMark - Intel Pentium G2120 @ 3.10GHz - Price performance comparison

otherwise, the i7-2700K looks like the best option, but has a much higher price point (~$290.00)
CM8062301124100 Intel Core i7 Processor i7-2700K 3.5GHz 5.0GT/s 8MB LGA 1155 CPU, OEM - Intel Core i7 - SuperBiiz.com

Another thing to think about is replacing the motherboard as it is a stock board from HP. you probably won't be able to overclock anything with the HP mobo (if that's a desire). Might increase your price range for the rebuild. If you look into this, just make sure RAM and other components are compatible.

Also it is listed as a Micro-ATX board, so I would measure the space to make sure the GTX 680 will fit in the case.

And you said your PSU was good, but I don't see any specs for it. If it is stock, I would replace that as well when you get a chance just out of care for PC to have a good PSU. The 680 will need a 550W+ PSU or you might not have {2} 6-pin cables free on the current PSU. Just check to make sure. PSU specs can be found on the PSU hardware.

GTX 680 power requirements can be found here:
PSU REQUIREMENTS - RealHardTechX

Oh and good luck with the upgrade and welcome to SevenForums if you have questions on anything, just ask

Okay, I'll see what I can get done. xD

I'm working with $900 here, $500 of which is going on the graphics card alone, leaving me with $400 to get the other parts with. The SSD I'm getting is the M4 Crucial, which costs about $130 according to google, so that brings me to $270, then the processor I'm getting, the intel i5 3570k or i5 2500, costs $200, which brings me to $70...

So, replacing the Motherboard with $70 might be tricky, to say the least.

Is there anything I'm considering getting that would be considered less important, that I could just get later on? Or is there at least a cheaper alternative for some of the parts, without sacrificing too much quality? xD

then wait and add some budjet

 

[Thorsen]

Another thing to note is that if you replace the MOBO, the OEM Win7 you currently have might not activate. If it was pre-installed, then it can not be used with another system and all new parts will constitute a new system. So you will need to purchase a retail version of win7. So tack on $100 for that as well if you get an OEM copy.

Another thing to note lol is that your current motherboard only has SataII at 3.0/mbs. I am not sure if you could find a cheaper SSD or if you should still go with the newer SataIII SSD.

Not sure if II vs. III will make a difference by that much. hopefully someone else has some input on this (just don't want you to be wasting money on something if you won't benefit from it as much)

 

[Valsako]

Another thing to note is that if you replace the MOBO, the OEM Win7 you currently have might not activate. If it was pre-installed, then it can not be used with another system and all new parts will constitute a new system. So you will need to purchase a retail version of win7. So tack on $100 for that as well if you get an OEM copy.

Another thing to note lol is that your current motherboard only has SataII at 3.0/mbs. I am not sure if you could find a cheaper SSD or if you should still go with the newer SataIII SSD.

Not sure if II vs. III will make a difference by that much. hopefully someone else has some input on this (just don't want you to be wasting money on something if you won't benefit from it as much)

I'll look into it... This is a lot more complex than I originally thought it would be. xD