Going to upgrade my CPU/Mobo/Hard Drive

matthewc

matthewc

Registered User
Joined
Nov 6, 2012
Messages
72
So, I'm looking to upgrade my CPU and Mobo. I'm running an AMD 1055t and MSI 790FX-GD70. I'm also using an old Hard Drive, so it's time to upgrade. My current GPU is a 660 TI.

I'm looking to buy Intel, I'm sick of the AMD framerate issues games seem be having these days (looking at you Planetside 2!)
I'm browsing the NCIX Winter Sale (NCIX.com - Canada's Premier Computer Store - Online PC Discount Store, Buy Computer Accessories) and looking at either of these kits:
NCIX Gaming Bundle Deal Intel Core i5 3570K Unlocked CPU & MSI Z77 Mpower DDR3 SLI Motherboard
NCIX Bundle Deal Intel Core i5 3570K Unlocked Quad Core CPU & Gigabyte GA-Z77X-UD3H Motherboard
NCIX Gaming Bundle Deal Intel Core i5 3570K Quad Core & ASUS P8Z77-V Pro SLI DDR3 Motherboard

Now, they are all the same CPU, which I'm assuming is pretty badass CPU. Thoughts on this one? Or is there a better one thats just a bit more money?

Besides all the variations in maybe overclocking options and ports, I can't see exactly what the differences are between the mobos. I'm not going to be doing any hardcore overclocking or nothing, so I could even go for a better CPU and a shittier motherboard. Don't do any Crossfire/SLI at this time.

For my SSD, I'm looking at this one: OCZ Vertex 3 480GB 2.5in SATA3 6Gbps SandForce SF-2281 Solid State Disk Flash Drive SSD


Any help you folks can give me would be great, I've had this gear for a couple years and I'm really looking forward to stepping into the modern age of gaming. Feel free to tell me I'm wrong and what I should get, you folks seem to know what your talking about.

Thanks guys!
 
The CPU is fine if your going ivy bridge. Don't need a 3770K but it also wont hurt. Alot of us here like to avoid MSI motherboards, but in the motherboard world its easy to get a dud no matter what you get.
 
RainMotorsports said:
The CPU is fine if your going ivy bridge. Don't need a 3770K but it also wont hurt. Alot of us here like to avoid MSI motherboards, but in the motherboard world its easy to get a dud no matter what you get.
Click to expand...
I have no idea what an Ivy bridge is, I'm almost embarassed. I used to be pretty techie and work at London Drugs in the computer department, but now that I'm a film redneck I don't quite keep up on it.

Right now, it's my CPU and hard drive bottlenecking me, it'd be nice to stay on top of it for a couple years. The 1055T just doesn't seem to hold up so well these days.
 
No worries this stuff changes so fast it's difficult to keep up. Ivy Bridge is just a name they gave the CPU. It does mean something for sure, but it's pretty easy to match up what you need/want. As far as the kits you posted i would recommend either the Gigabyte or the Asus. I have not had good luck building rigs with MSI. Granted that was years ago and I actually do know a few people that use the newer stuff today with no problems whatsoever. With that being said though if you were to ask me to build you a rig today I would no doubt go with the Asus.

I have not looked in a few weeks now, but Samsung had some offerings in the SSD realm that were very impressive as far as cost and performance goes.
 
Personally, I prefer the Asus boards; always rock solid good overclockers but not the best overclockers. Gigabyte I like too, just don't like new bios as much as Asus. You can't go wrong with either one, but I'd definitely steer clear of the MSI motherboard AND the OCZ SSD. I don't trust OCZ ssds since they seem to use inferior NAND flash memory on various lines and for an SSD I want stability and reliability first and foremost. Seriously consider another SSD. GFor that money I'd go intel or SAMSUNG Intel 520 Series 480GB 2.5IN SSD MLC 25nm SATA3 Solid State Disk Drive Retail W/ Mounting Bracket
Samsung 840 Series 500GB 2.5in SATA3 MDX Solid State Disk Flash Drive SSD w/ Full Kit
 
I've got a two of the 128 samsung 830's in Raid 0 and they run like a dream. I ran a single 128 for awhile, which was great, however its just not enough space.
That i5 is great, and it will give you the option to overclock IF you want. I'm personally running a sandy bridge i7 (2nd generation, Ivy bridge is the current generation)and I don't think the i7 makes a huge difference in gaming performance over an i5. Especially if you overclock.

I also am a HUGE Asus fan. I've used Asus motherboards for my last 5 builds (mine and family) and haven't been disappointed yet. I sprung for one of the Asus Saber tooth boards last year, and I don't have any regrets. I also own 4 Asus monitors and they are going steady. Oh, and I got my Asus Saber tooth board at Microcenter as an openbox, which was fantastic. I saved about 50 bucks that way.
 
I usually skip "good" lists and go straight for "bad" lists. MSI isn't on my shit-list. Neither is Asrock, Asus, Gigabyte, or MSI. ECS, however, is shit-listed. Reason there being they've had a very long history of cutting a lot of corners for a slight price advantage.

Anyways, use anything if it works. That MSI board isn't bad. There are many other choices, too. Order your priorities. Features needed versus features desired. Overclocking potential of the board, as well as how good you are at using said features. Also, remember that retailer reviews aren't everything. You hear a lot more about bad experiences than good ones. Plus, people are idiots. They'll use incompatible or improperly installed hardware and blame the manu for their own mistakes.
 
All the feedback is excellent. Overclocking is such a low priority on my list. I just want to make sure I'm getting the right processor and motherboard to really make my machine scream. You figure the i5 is more than good enough? Or will I get a couple more years out of the i7 for gaming as the i5 is already slightly older?

Thanks guys, looking forward to the upgrade. I'll probably go ASUS, I'm not extremely picky. Not sure if I can shill out $500 for the SSD but I can probably live with a 240 or something for now.
 
I've had excellent luck with my AMD 8150 FX 8 core and liquid cooler that I got off newegg for just $199. Benchmarks are nearly identical to the i7's and its marginally cheaper, plus if you're running Windows 8 it will actually support all 8 cores in future updates and the current mutli-core support is noticeably better than Windows 7, my system boots in about 15 seconds from a standard 1TB Hdd.

With Mobo's I've ran Gigabyte brand for years and they have all been awesome, including my 660Ti! They are a good mid-range price with really high quality. ASUS, from whatI've heard, is another solid option. I know lots of friends that run their boards. I just recently upgraded mine and bundled with newegg and got a mobo and 16gb of RAM for around $200

Edit: check out the ASUS sabertooth, they are brutal as hell...
 
The core I5 is more than enough for gaming now. And yeah, if you can't get the larger SSD get a smaller one. I have a 256gb one and love the damn thing. Have fun with the upgrade!
 
If you're gonna play NS2 get some Intel that goes to 4 GHz at least.

For "normal" games, anything will do xD ...
 
matthewc said:
All the feedback is excellent. Overclocking is such a low priority on my list. I just want to make sure I'm getting the right processor and motherboard to really make my machine scream. You figure the i5 is more than good enough? Or will I get a couple more years out of the i7 for gaming as the i5 is already slightly older?

Thanks guys, looking forward to the upgrade. I'll probably go ASUS, I'm not extremely picky. Not sure if I can shill out $500 for the SSD but I can probably live with a 240 or something for now.
Click to expand...

The Ivy Bridge i5 and i7 are the same generation. Only big difference is the i7 has 4 virtual cores that make it act like an 8 core cpu. Its great IF you have anything that can actually benefit from it. I don't think you will probably notice any difference ESPECIALLY if you get around to overclocking your i5 (you want the model with the K on the end). I'm sure some people here would have some awesome insight on overclocking. I have my i7 running at 4.3 GHZ, though I had it at 4.7 for a long time.

One of the samsung 240 SSD's should work great. You can always get another down the road and do a clean install with them in raid0 or something. I actually use a 320 laptop harddrive for a lot of my media and apps that don't need/benefit from the SSD as much.
 
So thanks for all the great help guys! I ended up getting the i5 3570K unlocked, along with a Samsung SDD. My new PC is fucking screaming. I can finally play NS2 and Planetside!
 
Glad to hear it! It's nice to get an upgrade that makes a real difference. Have fun with the new rig.
 
matthewc said:
So thanks for all the great help guys! I ended up getting the i5 3570K unlocked, along with a Samsung SDD. My new PC is fucking screaming. I can finally play NS2 and Planetside!
Click to expand...

Awesome dude! Just be sure and install the samsung magician software to ensure that all the settings get optimized and such.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top