Upgrade advice


Recommended Posts

My current homebuilt rig is in my sig. If I recall, my Gulftown i7 extreme is coming up on 8 years old. Would I benefit from upgrading my mobo, ram, and cpu to a 7th gen i7? I do mostly 4K gaming and a lot of VR. Even though I have a 1080 video card, VR seems a little sluggish lately. I thought I read somewhere that VR benefitted somehow from current gen i7's.

 

So, I was thinking about getting a new combo of RAM, mobo, and CPU to stay with the times. I am open to Ryzen if it is a worthwhile upgrade from my aging Gulftown.

 

Any advice?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes you would do yourself a justice if you went with newer tech in CPU, RAM, and mobo.

For instance, the new CPUs are much faster
With a new mobo - you get great things like bolting on a Smasung 960 Pro NvMe SSD, not to mention all the new connections (Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.1/C, etc)
And some speedy new DDR4 RAM 
All come in handy with 4K/VR tech.

Move your RAID 0 & 1080GTX over and you have a great gaming rig.
You didnt mention PSU - that always scares me when someone goes through the trouble of listing components of a computer, but leaves out brand of PSU

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, T3X4S said:

Yes you would do yourself a justice if you went with newer tech in CPU, RAM, and mobo.

For instance, the new CPUs are much faster
With a new mobo - you get great things like bolting on a Smasung 960 Pro NvMe SSD, not to mention all the new connections (Thunderbolt 3, USB 3.1/C, etc)
And some speedy new DDR4 RAM 
All come in handy with 4K/VR tech.

Move your RAID 0 & 1080GTX over and you have a great gaming rig.
You didnt mention PSU - that always scares me when someone goes through the trouble of listing components of a computer, but leaves out brand of PSU

It's been so long since I built, I forgot the brand. I'm pretty sure it's a Corsair PSU. I bought a beefy one because I was running SLI for a long time. I'm a big Corsair fan. RAM, water cooler, etc.

 

Do you think Ryzen might be the way to go or is 7th gen i7 still going to be best?

 

EDIT: budget around $1000

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, patseguin said:

It's been so long since I built, I forgot the brand. I'm pretty sure it's a Corsair PSU. I bought a beefy one because I was running SLI for a long time. I'm a big Corsair fan. RAM, water cooler, etc.

 

Do you think Ryzen might be the way to go or is 7th gen i7 still going to be best?

Yeah Corsair makes some really good stuff, I am a fan as well.

As far as CPU - it would appear budget is not an issue with you - so there really is no reason to go with AMD.

They have yet to create an intel-killer since the old Athlon XP days... what was that  ?  15 years ago ?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Can you give me that? :laugh:

 

Looks like a strong system :) Pair that with a good M.2 SSD, you'd be set.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Will an m2 ssd be substantially faster than my Samsung 950 I have right now?

 

Will my current power supply still work with the new mono and CPU? I think yes because it's still atx right?

 

Also will my Windows 10 license follow me to new system or will I need a new license?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Depends what M.2 you get, but yes, it is faster, but in real world scenarios, no.

 

Your PSU should be fine.

 

Your Windows 10 License should not go through, as it is a new CPU and Motherboard.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Asus Maximus ix hero or asus strix z270f. 

Intel 7700k

Corsair vengance

corsair h115i 

i have a 960 and it is damn fast. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are actual prices

 

AMD Ryzen 7 1700X - $319.99

ASRock X370 Taichi - $189.99

Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 - $109.99

_______________________________________________________________

Total - $619.97

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, patseguin said:

Will an m2 ssd be substantially faster than my Samsung 950 I have right now?

 

Will my current power supply still work with the new mono and CPU? I think yes because it's still atx right?

 

Also will my Windows 10 license follow me to new system or will I need a new license?

First, M.2 SSD comes in two types: SATA III and PCIe (AHCI or NVMe)

 

PCIe SSDs are faster, but for what you do, I doubt you would notice the difference.

 

You power supply is fine.

 

You don't need a new Windows 10 license. Simply call MSFT and say that you want to transfer your Windows 10 license to another computer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sounds like a good plan, I would definitely upgrade.

 

You will need to budget for a new power supply as well. As someone above mentioned, there is ATX, but there are many versions (different specs).

Get a power supply that is compliant with at least ATX version 2.3 or 2.31. You can see a brief list of ATX versions here ATX version 2.3 and up

 

A power supply that I purchased literally 2 weeks ago is the SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze (I prefer the modular ones). Seasonic 620 watt

 

I also prefer a good deal -- got this for $38 after the $20 rebate that was running at the time. If you watch NewEgg every few days you can catch a good deal like that. But $40 to $65 is probably what you would spend.

 

Also note that CPUs these days require more power. That requires a separate cord from the PS called the EPS 12volt. You can get a complete list of EPS power supplies here. NewEgg PS list (485w to 675w)

 

It is possible to buy a motherboard these days that doesn't *require* EPS, but you would need to research that and confirm that the MB and CPU that you purchase do not use EPS.

 

GOOD LUCK!!

 

EDIT: Looking at the list myself, I would not go any cheaper than $44.90. Not enough purchases and reviews on the cheaper ones. The "little brother" of the one I got is the "SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze" which is listed there as well.

Edited by hitchcock42
update on recommended
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, hitchcock42 said:

Sounds like a good plan, I would definitely upgrade.

 

You will need to budget for a new power supply as well. As someone above mentioned, there is ATX, but there are many versions (different specs).

Get a power supply that is compliant with at least ATX version 2.3 or 2.31. You can see a brief list of ATX versions here ATX version 2.3 and up

 

A power supply that I purchased literally 2 weeks ago is the SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze (I prefer the modular ones). Seasonic 620 watt

 

I also prefer a good deal -- got this for $38 after the $20 rebate that was running at the time. If you watch NewEgg every few days you can catch a good deal like that. But $40 to $65 is probably what you would spend.

 

Also note that CPUs these days require more power. That requires a separate cord from the PS called the EPS 12volt. You can get a complete list of EPS power supplies here. NewEgg PS list (485w to 675w)

 

It is possible to buy a motherboard these days that doesn't *require* EPS, but you would need to research that and confirm that the MB and CPU that you purchase do not use EPS.

 

GOOD LUCK!!

 

EDIT: Looking at the list myself, I would not go any cheaper than $44.90. Not enough purchases and reviews on the cheaper ones. The "little brother" of the one I got is the "SeaSonic S12II 520 Bronze" which is listed there as well.

So the PSU I already have that powers my i7 extreme and SLI would still have to be swapped out if I bought the new mobo and CPU? Others have said I would not need to so now I am confused. I've always built my own systems but this one was really future proofed so it's been 8 years and I might be a little out of touch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, patseguin said:

So the PSU I already have that powers my i7 extreme and SLI would still have to be swapped out if I bought the new mobo and CPU? Others have said I would not need to so now I am confused. I've always built my own systems but this one was really future proofed so it's been 8 years and I might be a little out of touch.

It really depends, you will need to look at the cables on your current PSU. I'm inserting an image of what the EPS socket looks like on the MB (on most modern boards). You can do an image search on Google for "EPS 12v" for other images.

EPS

So if the PSU has the right connector, you are good. If not -- well then it "still depends" on the motherboard. As an example, look at the page for an ASRock (kaby lake) MB: ASRock socket 1151 on NewEgg

If you zoom in the top left, it clearly has this socket (black) in the top left of the MB. Also, the specs list "1 x 8-pin 12V Power Connector". Does it REQUIRE this to be connected? I cannot say because I don't know b/c the power draw depends on the CPU; plus I don't have info on how many amps the normal 24-pin ATX power connector can supply.

What I would do is find a motherboard that you are interested in and research the hell out of it. You can ask questions of other people on Newegg that have purchased the same board, or contact the manufacturer (which would be more reliable).

 

I know that I have made a point of getting the EPS connector on every PSU I have used in the last 4 years -- so I haven't run into it NOT working because all my PSU's have the connector...

 

I hope that helps. If what I wrote is confusing, please let me know.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, sc302 said:

PSU may be fine (I can't see your sig with mobile). The power usage in kabylake is lower than older systems.

Copied off of Pat's sig

 

 

PC: Homebuilt "Gulftown" i7 extreme 3.47GHz, 24GB RAM, 512GB Samsung 850 Pro SSD, 4TB HD in RAID0, nVidia 1080, LG 27" 4K display, Windows 10, HTC Vive
Laptop: 2011 MacBook Pro 15" i7, 16GB RAM, 1 TB Samsung 850 Evo SSD
Phone: iPhone 7+ 128GB
Tablet: iPad Pro 9.7 256GB
Server: Synology 1511+, DX513, 30TB WD Red NAS storage

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/17/2017 at 4:12 PM, patseguin said:

Will an m2 ssd be substantially faster than my Samsung 950 I have right now?

 

Will my current power supply still work with the new mono and CPU? I think yes because it's still atx right?

 

Also will my Windows 10 license follow me to new system or will I need a new license?

If you get one of the Samsung 960 NVMe ones - they are about 5x as fast as a normal SSD.  3.5GB/sec reads & 2.5GB/sec writes - crazy fast.

Yes, if it is a good 750W Corsair - just use it.  (by "good" I mean not one of the Bronze-rated)

I know that comment might ruffle feathers - but personally, if I am spending thousands of dollars on something, I am not going to skimp on PSU to save $30 by getting the bottom of the barrel

You can always get this :   :D

MasterWatt 1500W @ $1000
main.thumb.png.0ab719b5c5062fd9f54651d47878f388.png
 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It really depends, you will need to look at the cables on your current PSU. I'm inserting an image of what the EPS socket looks like on the MB (on most modern boards). You can do an image search on Google for "EPS 12v" for other images.
EPS_12v.thumb.png.fba09d5697bf1e2c969258b8883683d2.png
So if the PSU has the right connector, you are good. If not -- well then it "still depends" on the motherboard. As an example, look at the page for an ASRock (kaby lake) MB: ASRock socket 1151 on NewEgg
If you zoom in the top left, it clearly has this socket (black) in the top left of the MB. Also, the specs list "1 x 8-pin 12V Power Connector". Does it REQUIRE this to be connected? I cannot say because I don't know b/c the power draw depends on the CPU; plus I don't have info on how many amps the normal 24-pin ATX power connector can supply.
What I would do is find a motherboard that you are interested in and research the hell out of it. You can ask questions of other people on Newegg that have purchased the same board, or contact the manufacturer (which would be more reliable).
 
I know that I have made a point of getting the EPS connector on every PSU I have used in the last 4 years -- so I haven't run into it NOT working because all my PSU's have the connector...
 
I hope that helps. If what I wrote is confusing, please let me know.
 

I think if you look up lga1366 motherboards (the one that support his processor, I couldn't do any homework on his current system because I couldn't see his sig, on vaca and no access to laptop) and you will find they have that connector.

If he waits until the summer better processors will be released.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, T3X4S said:

If you get one of the Samsung 960 NVMe ones - they are about 5x as fast as a normal SSD.  3.5GB/sec reads & 2.5GB/sec writes - crazy fast.

Yes, if it is a good 750W Corsair - just use it.  (by "good" I mean not one of the Bronze-rated)

I know that comment might ruffle feathers - but personally, if I am spending thousands of dollars on something, I am not going to skimp on PSU to save $30 by getting the bottom of the barrel

You can always get this :   :D

MasterWatt 1500W @ $1000
main.thumb.png.0ab719b5c5062fd9f54651d47878f388.png
 

I keep forgetting to look when I am home but I want to see it's a 1000W Corsair, at least. I bought everything overkill when I built this system. It handled SLI no problem. So I'm assuming the power is plenty for the new system but there is still question of whether it has the right connector for modern mobos?

 

As for the upgrade itself, a big part of my considering it is for VR. I am using a Vive and a lot of guys are using Supersampling at 2.0 to get sharper rendering. I've tried that value and everything gets pretty choppy. I'm running an i7 and 24GB RAM and a 1080 so I thought I could handle anything. I thought I had read somewhere that the current gen CPU's are better for VR somehow. is there anything to that?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Coffee Lake may also be released in August...6 cores... at least that is the rumor.  May have confirmation during Computex in a few weeks.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Would suggest going for an i7 7700K if you feel like upgrading now. Ryzen isn't the best choice if your main use case is gaming. The next-gen 6-cores from Intel look sweet though, I'd wait ;)

 

The rest of the system is more than fine, I doubt performance really is an issue with a Samsung 850 Pro...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

35 minutes ago, Andre S. said:

Would suggest going for an i7 7700K if you feel like upgrading now. Ryzen isn't the best choice if your main use case is gaming. The next-gen 6-cores from Intel look sweet though, I'd wait ;)

 

The rest of the system is more than fine, I doubt performance really is an issue with a Samsung 850 Pro...

When do you think coffee lake will come out? I've never been one to wait for the next thing when doing my builds. I would hate to do it now though and then have those new six core ones in June...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.