My trusty, battle hardened, FOUR year old Phenom 2 x4 955 has (finally) started to cough and wheeze in the latest and greatest games available. Coupled with a renewed interest in video and image editing, which the phenom 2 is slow as molasses at when compared to a second gen I3 for chrissakes, my computer needs an upgrade, stat.

I've gathered that there is seriously no point in getting an AMD FX cpu, no unless I enjoy spending a silly amount of money for a minor bump in cpu performance, which I thankfully don't. So into Intel's camp I go.

Now my needs are reasonable, I am not going to overclock, ever, I only have 4gb of RAM as of writing this, so that does need to double and I could care less about how my motherboard looks or the laundry list of features I'll never use. Everything will be encased in a gorgeous fractal design r3 (white) anyway.

My budget? Very strict, £240-ish, max. I'm married (yeah, I know, I know) so the wife, although the tall glass of awesome she is, won't tolerate me blowing the budget. I've scoured the far reaches of the internet an drummed up, what I believe, to be a decent part list. But you guys are fuckin' awesome at advice and getting the best tech for your money, so I'll run it past you guys first. Here goes:

CPU:

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54440

Yeah, it's not a K series part, but like I mentioned above I'll never overclock, (never had to), and from the comparisons I've looked at so far, it seems to be the best bang for your buck. I'll stick with the cpu for at least 2 1/2 years.

The i5-4570 is 100 mhz faster, but around £12-20 more. Is it really worth that much of a price increase?

Mobo:

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/msi-motherboard-b85mg43

Seems to be a no frills, solid motherboard with a easily affordable price tag. A micro ITX board should also put my *heavy* computer on a diet, so that's a plus. A question though, does this motherboard support 1.5v RAM or 1.65v? Is that something I should worry about when installing my RAM?

Another question, do micro ITX boards limit the type and size of cpu coolers you can install? I've heard the intel coolers can be loud, so my next upgrade after this one is a silent cpu fan.

Oh and this would be the opportune time to write what setup this mobo will power: An amd 7850 2gb, 1 500 gb HDD, 1 320 gb hdd, a DVD RW drive, a fan controller and 3 120mm fans. For future expansion? An SSD, new gfx card, a silent cpu fan, and changing the 500gb HDD for a 1tb one.

RAM: I understand 1600 is faster then 1333 but the difference between 1.5v and 1.65v is beyond me. Any explanation would be greatly appreciated. Surprisingly, quite a few kits to choose from:

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-memory-cmx8gx3m2a1600c9 --The RAM that caught my eye the most.

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-memory-khx1600c9d3b1k28gx

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-memory-khx16c9b1rk28x

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/kingston-memory-khx16c9t3k28x

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/mushkin-memory-996770

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/patriot-memory-pv38g160c9k

I'm mortified of choosing the wrong one, and I might as well tell you why. My current build CANNOT boot when the RAM is in dual channel slots. I found out about a year ago when I moved the build into the fractal R3. I tried pretty much everything since then to get a dual channel configuration running, but nothing came of it. Eventually I found out though a couple of friends of mine that the ram was bad when I first got the kit. By then the warranty was obviously finished and a cpu+RAM upgrade was at the back of my mind anyway. So I left it as is. Using a gaming computer with single channel ram can be slow and erratic as you'd think. A dual channel RAM config which works without a hitch is a must.

There you have it. Any input, any criticism and any advice would be appreciated.

As a thank you, I'll be gifting the humble bundle weekly sale to a GOGer who helped or advised in getting right parts. This won't be the cheap arse £1 deal, s/he will be getting the full bundle with all of the games.

if i had the money id pay the difference...but i doubt youll notice it really. Most games are gpu intensive, so any lagging is most likely going to come from there.

---- Link says its micro-ATX. that would be bigger than micro-ITX.

if this is what youre getting: Fractal R3 Arctic or maybe the USB 3.0 version?

it seems both fit - but if you want smaller case, why not buy some seriously smaller itx case? Or you have the case already?

--- check which one the mobo supports - it wont affect the performance anyway.

--- This depends more on case, not mobo. So first you decide the case, then have to go checking the max size of the cooler you can fit there - and after that you can start choosing which brand and you actually want.

I have micro ITX setup with Noctua NF-A15 PWM -> its normal height, but slim and quiet. Bit pricey - but well worth the price to my ears. But there are cheaper models as well - just decide first on the case.

BTW the Fractal Define R3 Arctic page says: "Supports CPU coolers with height of ~165mm" so big any cooler that is no higher and that and it should fit. Still remember to go to cooler manufacturers page and check the compatibility for the particular mobo you choose. They usually have huge lists so you can make sure the cooler wont cover your RAM sticks for example -> this is the reason i am using slim cooler myself.

--- check which one mobo supports for both. Id go with the cheapest 1600mhz or faster, depending on mobo. Also remember to update BIOS - it can solve memory problems.

----

About cases - i have this, but black: http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Cases/Mini+ITX/BitFenix+Prodigy+White+Mini-ITX+Gaming+Case+?productId=54105

Very nice one, small - but you can fit pretty much anything inside anyways.

Even smaller, yet cheaper ITX case: http://www.aria.co.uk/Products/Components/Cases/Mini+ITX/Cooler+Master+Elite+120+Advanced+Black+Mini-ITX+Gaming+Case+?productId=50924

Havent seen it except in pics, but supposedly its very good for the money. Ofcourse some dont like the look.

---

List of some cpu coolers, to get rough idea: http://www.anandtech.com/bench/CPUCooling/774

have to go the kids from kindergarden ->

D'oh! I forgot to mention I have already got the case and everything, this upgrade will be cpu, RAM and mobo. Jumping from the AMD camp and into the intel one.

I've read all the info I can find on the mobo, and nowhere does it mention the voltage of the RAM it supports. All that's mentioned on the product listings page is the speed of ram it supports, how much GB's of RAM it supports and the channel mode. No where does it specify it wont work with 1.65v ram. However I'll avoid the possible headache for now and just buy the patriot viper 8gb kit, it seems the safer option right about now (1.5v) and I do like the look of the kit.

Seems that 1.5v ram has much better success rate with mobos then 1.65v.


Do you have any advice regarding RAM timings, or do BIOS nowadays just require you to plug in the ram and off you go?

Tanks for the help so far, much appreciated.

You can nearly go with any ram there. The difference between the 1333 and 1600 should be minimal and not really recognizeable on an Intel system. Only thing i would look at, go for 1,5V as it is standard and will be better supported and usually I would look for a brand I trust when it doesn't cost more.

Else everything looks quite ok.
Regarding the cooler I would first check if the stock cooler is too loud for you. Modern bioses allow a good powermanagement and you can turn down the fan speed significantly to not hear it under normal desktop work and when you play games the videocard probably is louder. Without overclocking the stock fan should be fine ;)

Motherboards I prefer Asrock as for some years now they give very good quality for a very low price but MSI is good, too. MiniATX size is big enough for anything

Not in but +1, and good luck with your new rig . Got a new one myself recently, here's what I ended up getting :


http://www.gog.com/forum/general/buying_a_new_pc_giveaway/post230



I can run The Witcher 2 with all graphics options maxed, if that helps .

I'm trying to do an upgrade right now too, but my budget is quite good - around $1500.00 AUD.

I have a frowning wife as well, but my old computer has been making annoying noises for some time now, annoying noises that my wife hates. As a result she has actually started nagging me to buy a new computer!!

Yup, I've adopted the same line of thinking as well regarding RAM, I'm going to avoid possible headaches and buy this kit,as it looks to be the best fit or my needs, and my sanity ;)

https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/patriot-memory-pv38g160c9k

I have a slight worry with RAM timings though! With intel haswell processors and mobos is it a simple matter of plugging in the RAM in dual channel and off you go, or do I have to keep the expectation that ram timings will be done manually?

Thanks for the advice. Very nice rig. Nvidia prices are always a little rich for my blood. I'm currently rocking a AMD Ice-Q 7850 and it gives great performance on TW2, but the phenom 2 does let it down at times and FPS drops happen a little too much for my liking.

The CPU price increase goes hand in hand with its performance increase in this case, so it´s up to you (some want the best performance if the price increase isn´t higher than the performance increase, and some just don´t want to go higher if the price is matched).

Nothing to say about the mobo, other than it seems to have good components, so it should be stable.

About the RAM, you should go no lower than 1600, about the voltage, most motherboards support those, as they´re the typical range. The difference in voltage is often due to specs support. For example a RAM with 10-x-x-xx timings could run well with 1.5v but if you want tighter timings 9-x-x-xx, that would probably demand a voltage increase to 1.65v. So if one has higher voltage than the other then one has tighter timings than the other, if two RAMs with the same timings have respectively 1.5v and 1.65v, then you should go with the 1.5v variant as it´ll be more efficient. Besides you won´t be OCing it so it doesn´t really matter to you how the RAMs perform out of spec.

should be totally slot-and-go. except it is ofcourse very good to check from BIOS that it has recognized them properly. If your RAM and mobo support XMP memory profiles, make sure BIOS has registered it as such.

(btw i am assuming here youre only using the new kit and not trying to re-use the old memories as well)

Yup, ram should work without a problem, especially if you buy a kit. Plug in and it works.

Only problem that could arise when putting parts in is that the PSU in the end has problems with Haswell because of the new energy efficient C7 sleepmode, but nethertheless I would try the old one ;)
Read more here: http://techreport.com/review/24897/the-big-haswell-psu-compatibility-list

You get a permalink on there you know: http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2opTq

And you should be fine with everything. Mobo handles dual channel well, and just follow whatever instructions you get with whichever RAM you decide. 1600 is optimal imo, since there's no performance increase going to higher clocks for gaming anyway.

How's your PSU, Case, and plans for a CPU Cooler? Those are next on the checklist. Also, not in it to win it. Just helping because. ^^

Right ok, thanks for the info. Oh and yep, I'll be selling my current RAM kit (for however many peanuts) once I get the new kit.

I'll go for the patriot viper kit then, it's 1.5v, and 1600mhz, and 8gb. So it ticks all of the boxes I require!
Damn, never knew the psu might not be compatible with a processor. Thankfully I've got a corsair tx-650 powering the computer which, according to that article, will be able to handle has well just fine.

*Looks away embarrassed*

The things you over look when you are rushing about, thanks for the handy permalink tip.

In regards to the other parts, I have a lovely white fractal R3 define housing the parts I brought at the beginning of last year. The psu is my trusty Corsair TX-650 that I brought way back in 2011. The gpu is a Ice-Q X 7850, which is performing very nicely, and I suspect will do so until I upgrade it next year.

The cpu cooler? I think the heavens smiled at me.I brought a cpu cooler way back in 2012, the Gelid tranquilo Rev.2.
AMD stock coolers are noisy as fuck so after a year and a bit of dealing with the incessant whine, I jumped for the tranquilo. But after reading the box and reading up on LGA 1150 vs 1555 cpu coolers it seems to me I can just use the Rev.2! Which is a ball of awesome as the rev.2 is incredibly quiet, even at load.

This site states as much:

http://www.quietpc.com/lga1156-coolers

My current upgrade as it stands, then:

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/2ECGZ

You guys reckon I pull the trigger and get the parts?

That all sounds like a solid pick. Just make sure you have the brands/price you're happy with on the RAM. :)

http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/p/3h0p3 - if you wanted to switch out the RAM. According to the specs, it's much better than the Blu series and it's cheaper atm. Going by http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00A77202C/?tag=pcp0f-21 in the description.

Edit: Or the Patriot*. That's cool too. I just wasn't sure if you were using my original permalink contents still when I just added that Kingston Blu to it randomly. :p

Depends on applications. Are you going to fold proteins, search for aliens etc? Some games/programs are just not very well optimized for hyperthreading, CPU is a major bottleneck. If you're on GOG you probably play older titles where this isn't really a big deal, even midrange processors can handle most Dosbox titles well. Whereas console emulation are pretty intensive, Dwarf Fortress is just a processing monster etc. Every mobo has a compatibility list for memory, go to the manufacturer site and look for it. No, the mounting brackets are the same, but the size of the case does limit what you can fit inside it, and micro ITX cases tend to be fairly compact. I'm assuming you're getting a micro ITX case if you're using a micro ITX mobo. Personally I never bothered with small form factors for desktops, that's more of a LAN party thing.

If you want more advice, r/buildapc is very helpful and they advised on my rig 3 years ago.