Complete NOOB! I want to upgrade my PC!

[Cappuccino]

3 years on AT and still don't know the basics when it comes to PC

The reason for upgrading -

I want to give my parts to my best friend because she said she wanted to try out PC gaming. Ofc she is paying
Anyway.

My current specs

CPU - Intel Core i5 3570k 3.40GHz
GPU - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 660 Ti
Motherboard - ASRock Z75 Pro 3
Memory - DDR3 8GB
PSU - How do I check? I assume I need a new one since I'm going to get a better Graphics card.
SSD - Cruicial (Can't remember the name, how do I check?)

^
Am I missing anything else?

I also want a new case.

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
Mostly Gaming and Microsoft word

2. What is your budget?
£700? I don't really have one, but whatever. The cheaper the better ofc!

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
UK

Right now I only play LoL and some other low end spec indie games, but I hope to play GTA, Fallout, AC and the other latest games.

Obviously I will need a new CPU, GPU and PSU. Which ones do I get? Can you PC experts list 2 of each so I can pick and google them before I buy etc. That would be a big help. :thumbsup:

Apart from that, feel free to say whatever. Again, I'm a complete noob when it comes to PC stuff. I just play games yaknow? :sneaky:

 

[lakedude]

Your CPU is good enough IMHO. I'd spend the money on a video card and if needed a power supply. BTW there are rumors of much better video cards coming down the pipe sometime in the next year so you might just want to wait on the whole thing.

You check your power supply by cracking the case and looking at it. Did you not build this yourself? Can you check the spec sheet that came with it?

I wouldn't worry about your SSD, the important thing is that you have one.

Please post a link to the retailer you plan to buy from.

 

[Cappuccino]

Your CPU is good enough IMHO. I'd spend the money on a video card and if needed a power supply. BTW there are rumors of much better video cards coming down the pipe sometime in the next year so you might just want to wait on the whole thing.

You check your power supply by cracking the case and looking at it. Did you not build this yourself? Can you check the spec sheet that came with it?

I wouldn't worry about your SSD, the important thing is that you have one.

Please post a link to the retailer you plan to buy from.

Oh I see. However, I actually want to upgrade my CPU (Don't ask why lol). When is 'sometime in the next year?' late January? I don't think I can wait that long lol.

I will check my PSU tomorrow, I'm typing on my iPad atm, but I'm sure I will need a new PSU though so anything that is good I will most likely get that and replace my current PSU

Yes I did but when I built it, something went wrong, so I had a friend do it for me. ^^

Oh oki.

Retailer? I don't really have one? eBay UK and Amazon UK most likely. What are the cheap popular UK PC parts websites?

 

[Ken g6]

However, I actually want to upgrade my CPU (Don't ask why lol).

If you want to upgrade your CPU, you might as well buy a new computer. Which you can actually do in your budget, especially if you don't need new drives.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: *Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£159.98 @ Novatech)
Motherboard: *ASRock Z170M Pro4S Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£78.45 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: *G.Skill Ripjaws 4 Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2800 Memory (£89.99 @ Novatech)
Video Card: *EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card (£249.98 @ Aria PC)
Case: *Fractal Design Core 2300 ATX Mid Tower Case (£37.32 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: *XFX TS 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply (£58.26 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £673.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-17 01:48 GMT+0000

Can you at least tell us how big the Crucial drive is? (In GB, not cm. )

 

[lakedude]

We don't exactly know when the new GPUs will be available but not January, more like July or December.

I think you are on socket 1155. CPUs for socket 1155 are not easily available new anymore so you either need to buy used or get a new main board as well. I'd skip the whole business, your CPU is fine (damn nice really).

Can't speak to UK retailers (other than I've had good luck with Performance Cycle (-.

 

[lakedude]

Nice build Ken

I don't see an OS however...

 

[Cappuccino]

If you want to upgrade your CPU, you might as well buy a new computer. Which you can actually do in your budget, especially if you don't need new drives.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: *Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£159.98 @ Novatech)
Motherboard: *ASRock Z170M Pro4S Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£78.45 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: *G.Skill Ripjaws 4 Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2800 Memory (£89.99 @ Novatech)
Video Card: *EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card (£249.98 @ Aria PC)
Case: *Fractal Design Core 2300 ATX Mid Tower Case (£37.32 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: *XFX TS 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply (£58.26 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £673.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-17 01:48 GMT+0000

Can you at least tell us how big the Crucial drive is? (In GB, not cm. )

Hi that is pretty nice!

May I ask can you get a better CPU, preferably i7 for under £200?

Also about the 970. What does superclocked mean? Does that mean it's already overclocked? wow im such noob >_<

Oh and is the 780TI and 980 worth the extra £100? Or is the 970 better?

I think the Crucial drive is 40 nanometers, just kidding
I dunno how do I check?

I'm going to sleep now, I will reply back first thing in the morning... I mean afternoon

Thank you! and thank you everyone! :thumbsup:

 

[Cappuccino]

Nice build Ken

I don't see an OS however...

I have Windows 10.

 

[Cappuccino]

We don't exactly know when the new GPUs will be available but not January, more like July or December.

I think you are on socket 1155. CPUs for socket 1155 are not easily available new anymore so you either need to buy used or get a new main board as well. I'd skip the whole business, your CPU is fine (damn nice really).

Can't speak to UK retailers (other than I've had good luck with Performance Cycle (-.

hahaha december I think I pass D:

When you mean main board you mean the case right? lol.. don't laugh. :'(

 

[DigDog]

i would just upgrade the graphics card. the 3570k is still a decent CPU. maybe you could overclock it a bit?
just grab a GTX 970 and if you need, a second SSD.

 

[Ken g6]

I'm a little confused by your first post. What parts are for you and what parts for your friend?

 

[lakedude]

Main board = Motherboard, the thing everything else plugs into. You currently have a socket 1155 Motherboard and a socket 1155 CPU. Generally these must match. Also your motherboard runs DDR3 memory. DDR 4 memory will not work in your board. A new socket 1151 CPU will not work in your board. Your DDR 3 memory will not work on current socket 1151 Motherboards.

I'm not sure about W10 but previous versions of Windows have been tied to your Motherboard. Maybe someone else will know more about this.

Thing is your CPU is fine. You can not buy a current generation i7 and put it in your motherboard. You can stick with what you have, find a old used 1155 i7 CPU for your current motherboard or replace all of it. Your budget does not allow for you to replace all of it and buy an OS, i7 and decent GPU.

 

[Cappuccino]

I'm a little confused by your first post. What parts are for you and what parts for your friend?

HDD, GPU, case and the CPU. isnt there any cpu under 200£ better than my current cpu?

 

[Cappuccino]

i would just upgrade the graphics card. the 3570k is still a decent CPU. maybe you could overclock it a bit?
just grab a GTX 970 and if you need, a second SSD.

which is better 970, 980 or 780ti? is it worth the extra £100? any major noticeable difference?
also why should i have 2 ssd? does it make my pc faster or something?

 

[Cappuccino]

Main board = Motherboard, the thing everything else plugs into. You currently have a socket 1155 Motherboard and a socket 1155 CPU. Generally these must match. Also your motherboard runs DDR3 memory. DDR 4 memory will not work in your board. A new socket 1151 CPU will not work in your board. Your DDR 3 memory will not work on current socket 1151 Motherboards.

I'm not sure about W10 but previous versions of Windows have been tied to your Motherboard. Maybe someone else will know more about this.

Thing is your CPU is fine. You can not buy a current generation i7 and put it in your motherboard. You can stick with what you have, find a old used 1155 i7 CPU for your current motherboard or replace all of it. Your budget does not allow for you to replace all of it and buy an OS, i7 and decent GPU.

lets say i do have the cash what cpu should i get and what motherboard? nothing to expensive, somthing better than my current cpu pref i7.

 

[Cappuccino]

If you want to upgrade your CPU, you might as well buy a new computer. Which you can actually do in your budget, especially if you don't need new drives.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: *Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£159.98 @ Novatech)
Motherboard: *ASRock Z170M Pro4S Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£78.45 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: *G.Skill Ripjaws 4 Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2800 Memory (£89.99 @ Novatech)
Video Card: *EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card (£249.98 @ Aria PC)
Case: *Fractal Design Core 2300 ATX Mid Tower Case (£37.32 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: *XFX TS 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply (£58.26 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £673.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-17 01:48 GMT+0000

Can you at least tell us how big the Crucial drive is? (In GB, not cm. )

i haz this one http://techreport.com/review/24666/crucial-m500-ssd-reviewed

 

[lakedude]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B012M8LXQW/?tag=pcp0f-21

This i7 6700K along with the rest of the build Ken specified (minus the i5 of course) would be better than what you have. Notice that the price is not really in your budget, as I've been trying to tell you.

It sounds like you have one copy of Windows 10 that you plan to use on 2 computers. Good luck with that...

 

[Ken g6]

HDD, GPU, case and the CPU.

I take it these are the things you are giving away and need to replace?

isnt there any cpu under 200£ better than my current cpu?

There is no i7 under £200 that is significantly better than your current CPU. There are 3770K's, but they're not significantly better.

You can get an i7-equivalent Xeon for under £200, but again not significantly better, and requires a new mobo.

I'm not sure why you're dead-set on an i7, but if you throw another £50 at it, and keep your RAM, you could get a 4790K.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: *Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (£247.14 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: *ASRock Z97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£60.99 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (Purchased For £0.00)
Storage: *Hitachi Deskstar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£27.59 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: *EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card (£249.98 @ Aria PC)
Case: *Fractal Design Core 2300 ATX Mid Tower Case (£37.32 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: *XFX TS 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply (£58.26 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £681.28
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-17 20:41 GMT+0000

 

[Cappuccino]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B012M8LXQW/?tag=pcp0f-21

This i7 6700K along with the rest of the build Ken specified (minus the i5 of course) would be better than what you have. Notice that the price is not really in your budget, as I've been trying to tell you.

It sounds like you have one copy of Windows 10 that you plan to use on 2 computers. Good luck with that...

£359.98 hahaha I pass

 

[Cappuccino]

I take it these are the things you are giving away and need to replace?


There is no i7 under £200 that is significantly better than your current CPU. There are 3770K's, but they're not significantly better.

You can get an i7-equivalent Xeon for under £200, but again not significantly better, and requires a new mobo.

I'm not sure why you're dead-set on an i7, but if you throw another £50 at it, and keep your RAM, you could get a 4790K.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: *Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor (£247.14 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: *ASRock Z97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£60.99 @ Ebuyer)
Memory: Patriot Signature 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory (Purchased For £0.00)
Storage: *Hitachi Deskstar 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive (£27.59 @ Aria PC)
Video Card: *EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB Superclocked ACX 2.0 Video Card (£249.98 @ Aria PC)
Case: *Fractal Design Core 2300 ATX Mid Tower Case (£37.32 @ CCL Computers)
Power Supply: *XFX TS 650W 80+ Gold Certified ATX Power Supply (£58.26 @ CCL Computers)
Total: £681.28
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-12-17 20:41 GMT+0000

OkI see now. I think I pass. I think I'm just going to get a NEW gpu, PSU and case. Im thinking of getting the 390 instead.

 

[RussianSensation]

OkI see now. I think I pass. I think I'm just going to get a NEW gpu, PSU and case. Im thinking of getting the 390 instead.

If you don't need a modular PSU (so that the cables are separate), then Corsair VS 650W with 50A on 12V rail should be sufficient for any future CPU+GPU upgrade. Only 40 pounds:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/650w...r-single-rail-50a-plus12v-1x120mm-fan-atx-psu

or EVGA 600W for 38 pounds: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/600w...lus-atx-psu-49a-single-plus12v-rail-120mm-fan

If electricity costs a lot in the UK, then you could consider spending more $ for a Silver/Gold rated PSU.

 

[Cappuccino]

If you don't need a modular PSU (so that the cables are separate), then Corsair VS 650W with 50A on 12V rail should be sufficient for any future CPU+GPU upgrade. Only 40 pounds:

http://www.scan.co.uk/products/650w...r-single-rail-50a-plus12v-1x120mm-fan-atx-psu

or EVGA 600W for 38 pounds: http://www.scan.co.uk/products/600w...lus-atx-psu-49a-single-plus12v-rail-120mm-fan

If electricity costs a lot in the UK, then you could consider spending more $ for a Silver/Gold rated PSU.

what do you mean by If electricity costs a lot in the UK the cheaper the psu the more electric it will consume? is that what ur trying to say?

 

[RussianSensation]

what do you mean by If electricity costs a lot in the UK the cheaper the psu the more electric it will consume? is that what ur trying to say?

The 80 Plus, 80 Bronze, 80 Silver, 80 Gold, 80 Platinum ratings signify how efficiently the power supply uses electricity from the wall socket.

Let's say you have a 650W power supply and computer requires 325W total system power to function. That implies a 50% load at the power supply level. your actual power usage at the wall (connected to the power outlet) would be a function of the power supply's effiency. For simple terms, I used 325W system usage on a 650W power supply => 50% load. Then we would look up the average efficiency of a 650W PSU at 50% load per its possible 80 Plus label ratings:

80 Plus White = 80% => 325W / (0.8) = 406W
80 Bronze => 85% => 325W / (0.85) = 382W
80 Silver => 88% => 325W (0.88) = 369W
80 Gold => 90% => 325W / (0.90) = 361W
80 Platinum => 92% => 325W / (0.92) = 353W

That means if your system's total power usage is 325W at the PSU level, with a Gold rated power supply, you would be paying less electricity cost because the PSU would need less power from the electrical socket.

If the electricity cost is high in the UK, the less wattage you use from the socket, the less you pay. That means it could be possible that paying 30-40 pounds more for a Gold rated PSU may be worth it if you load up your rig for many hours in the day for 4-5 years. I cannot calculate this cost for you since we'd need to know your entire system's total power usage and how many hours of full load your system will be subjected to per day, etc.

All you need to know is that the higher the 80 Plus rating, the more efficient the PSU tends to be, which saves on electricity cost over time but there is usually a premium attached to more efficient PSUs. That is why a 750W Bronze PSU costs way less than a 750W Gold/Platinum unit.

 

[DigDog]

(i just said a second SSD because more space ... and i suspect your original SSD might be first generation, thus, slower.)