Upgrade some Parts or New MircoAtx Build?

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O

ockarpf

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Mar 17, 2010
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So i was debating about Upgrading my Current MOBO and CPU

Or Making a New Build MICRO ATX with My Existing Video Card, Ram, and HD

They will both come out to about $300 but I can't make up my mind

I have Currently Have this in my Corsair 600T

CPU -i5 750 Lynnfield LGA 1156 OC @ 4.00Ghz
H100i CPU COOLER
MOBO - Asus P7P55D
RAm GB GSkill PC3-12800 @ 1600mhz
Video Card - MSI 7850 Twin Frozr 2GB
SD OCZ- Agility 3 - 120GB
WDC WD 640 GB

So Option 1 just Upgrade my current Mobo and CPU with

1) Asus M5A99X Pro R2.0 or EVO
2) AMD FX - 8320 Vishera 3.5gh (4.0Gh Turbo)
I can use my current H100i to Overclock this as well!

or Option 2 Build my little Mirco Atx Rig and use my Current Ram, VC, and HD/SSD.

1) BitFenix Prodigy M Case
2) ASRock 960Gm Board
3) AMD Fx-6300
4) Corsair CX500M Power Supply. (I need to get a Modular Power unit for this kinda smaller case so I don't have Cables running every where!)

If I do Decide to go with option 2 then I will Make my Super Rig a few months later on my 600T Case I Have now. Just deciding to see what would be the best option in terms of upgrading and Pricing. Trying to see which would make more sense. I do want to build a Mini Gaming PC Setup so I would want to do that eventually. Just not sure where technology is going with the Mirco Atx Builds and what new Cpus are coming out etc..

Also should I wait for this Memorial Day Weekend for any sales? Or would it be ok to buy now since New Egg has there Iron Egg Price Guarantee on most of these items?

Thanks guys for taking the time to read this and for any advice.
 
DSF

DSF

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Oct 6, 2007
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I don't understand why you're trying to upgrade now if you know you're going to build an even better rig in a couple months.

Also, why the mini gaming PC and a full-size one? If you want it small enough to carry to LAN parties or something like that, you may want to consider going even smaller than MicroATX depending on what your real budget is.
 
O

ockarpf

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Mar 17, 2010
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I was think about waiting for Black Friday for the next Rig, But I noticed there weren't that many deals this past one but we will see what this year brings. that's 6 months from now. Or I could wait a little longer for my Main Rig.

That Case that I am getting is small enough to carry around. It was for the Mini ITX Boards but they just revised it to make one for the Mirco Atx. I think I will be statisfied with MIRCO atx. and the main reason I switched over from Mini ITX is because there are no AMD AM3 MOBO. I will be stuck with Intel which is a little more expensive.
 
Termie

Termie

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Aug 17, 2005
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I think you need to figure out what you're trying to achieve. You've proposed to strip parts out of your working full ATX gaming system to build a weaker mATX system. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me. If anything, I'd suggest you do that AFTER you build a true modern gaming system, not before.

Also, no way would I put any AMD FX processor in a compact gaming system. Just totally wrong for the format. You want a 4670K in there or maybe a 4130 if you're on a budget, and that's basically it.

And the Prodigy M is full of compromises. Not a good design. Just get the mini-ITX version. It has a MUCH better layout.
 
O

ockarpf

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Mar 17, 2010
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Please Explain how it would be a weaker System.? Same VC same Ram. My main reason for an Upgrade is my MoBo and CPU so regardless if I got with the FX 6300 or a FX 8320 It will be a big improvement on what I have now.
and btw a 4130 Will be way to weak. That would be Downgrading. Passmark has it rated at 4,800. My Current CPU Rated at 5,700 with it being overclocked @ 4.00 GHZ.

The 4670K would make more sense but goes for $235.. Vs the FX 6300 which is $120 and I could overclock it as well. or the FX 8320 Which is $160
 
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Termie

Termie

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Aug 17, 2005
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ockarpf said:
Please Explain how it would be a weaker System.? Same VC same Ram. My main reason for an Upgrade is my MoBo and CPU so regardless if I got with the FX 6300 or a FX 8320 It will be a big improvement on what I have now.
Click to expand...

Your current Intel CPU is faster than a 6300 or 8320.
 
O

ockarpf

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Mar 17, 2010
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Not According to CPU benchmarks. Should I not be comparing them this way? What resources are u basing that on?
 
O

ockarpf

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Mar 17, 2010
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Yea i see the i5-4670k On sale at my Local Mirco Center for $190. Ill wait till they drop to $170-$180 perhaps this memorial day weekend. If that Happens then i might just go with that processor and upgrade my MoBo.
 
O

ockarpf

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Mar 17, 2010
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Ok Im thininking of now going and just upgrading me Current Case and as I slowly Upgrade my Ram and VC i will use those for my Mirco Atx Build later down the road.

So right no im thinking of
CPU i5-4670k
Mobo - Msi z87 GD65

Ill probably pull the trigger this weekend to make sure there are no better sales going on.
 
Torn Mind

Torn Mind

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One complete "core" in a CPU has the ability to perform mathematical(add, subtract, multiply, divide, etc) and logical operations(and, or, not, etc). For mathematical operations, one part of the CPU does integer calculations while a different part floating point calculations. This single "core" does these operations at a certain speed. Have multiple cores, and you can do computations faster. However, not all programs take full advantage of multiple cores, including many games.
 
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ockarpf

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Mar 17, 2010
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Torn Mind said:
One complete "core" in a CPU has the ability to perform mathematical(add, subtract, multiply, divide, etc) and logical operations(and, or, not, etc). For mathematical operations, one part of the CPU does integer calculations while a different part floating point calculations. This single "core" does these operations at a certain speed. Have multiple cores, and you can do computations faster. However, not all programs take full advantage of multiple cores, including many games.
Click to expand...

So this helps with my dilemma how?
 
DSF

DSF

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Oct 6, 2007
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ockarpf said:
So this helps with my dilemma how?
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure he's just explaining why the AMD CPUs appear to be so much faster in a CPU benchmark that is able to fully utilize all 6-8 cores in a way that no game does right now.

Edit: Not that it's any business of mine, but I'm still curious why you want to split your money between a main system and a slightly smaller system that have the same purpose (gaming.)
 
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ockarpf

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Mar 17, 2010
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Because one is portable and one is not. I wanted to build a smaller system so its ez to move around my place. relocate it easy. perhaps let the Girlfriends use it. But also so I can do a little gaming on it like some BF4, CS GO, or League.

Kinda just wanted to make a mini version of my gaming rig now. That is all. I love building PCs and I always have had 1 rig and build every 2-3years. So now I want to have my mini rig and my main Rig. Hope that explains it. lol
 
M

mfenn

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Jan 17, 2010
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ockarpf said:
Well shit lol. Thanks for showing me that. I was just basing it off of PassMark Scores.. So I guess theres is an overall score?

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=Intel+Core+i5+750+@+2.67GHz&id=772

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+FX-6300+Six-Core&id=1781

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/cpu.php?cpu=AMD+FX-8320+Eight-Core&id=1782
Click to expand...

Passmark is what's know as a "synthetic" benchmark. Synthetic meaning that it does a calculation that's easy to measure, but isn't representative of any real-world workload. Just because something does well in Passmark doesn't mean that it is fast for your particular task.
 
M

mfenn

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Jan 17, 2010
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DSF said:
Edit: Not that it's any business of mine, but I'm still curious why you want to split your money between a main system and a slightly smaller system that have the same purpose (gaming.)
Click to expand...

This. Neither of your proposals is some sort of super-powerful monster than requires a full ATX case. Just build a single mini-ITX gaming rig and call it good.
 
O

ockarpf

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Mar 17, 2010
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So Regarding Benchmarks what other sites are good resources in picking the correct CPU / Video Card? I noticed that AnandTech benchmarks are missing a lot of processors as well So I couldn't really use that as much.

Your also saying to just go with a Mini ITX Board?
 
DSF

DSF

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Oct 6, 2007
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ockarpf said:
So Regarding Benchmarks what other sites are good resources in picking the correct CPU / Video Card? I noticed that AnandTech benchmarks are missing a lot of processors as well So I couldn't really use that as much.

Your also saying to just go with a Mini ITX Board?
Click to expand...

What processors are you trying to compare that the Anandtech bench doesn't have?

(There are some missing, but I'm not sure how relevant they are for these purposes.)

In terms of using benchmarks to compare different parts, the most important thing is to try to find benchmarks that actually test the programs or at least types of programs you plan to use. For a gaming rig that probably means things like BF4, Crysis 3, Company of Heroes, Metro, etc.

Also, don't just look at the raw numbers. Consider that minimum FPS is more important than average FPS. A card that averages in the 70s but is able to maintain a minimum of 45 is much more useful than a card that has an average of 95 FPS but occasionally dips to 15.
 
T

Techhog

Platinum Member
Sep 11, 2013
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mfenn said:
Passmark is what's know as a "synthetic" benchmark. Synthetic meaning that it does a calculation that's easy to measure, but isn't representative of any real-world workload. Just because something does well in Passmark doesn't mean that it is fast for your particular task.
Click to expand...

Tell that to Ubisoft :p
 
O

ockarpf

Member
Mar 17, 2010
84
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So Mirco Center has the Bundle for the Following Combo
CPU i5-4670k w/ MSI Z97-Gaming 5
CPU i5-4670k w/ GA-Z97x - Gaming 7
CPU i5-4670k w/ AsRock Z97x Killer
All are $319.98 so with Tax it comes to $340.

I am thinking about getting the ASRock Z97x Killer Board.

What do you guys think?
 
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M

mfenn

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Jan 17, 2010
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Those three boards are very similar, you couldn't really go wrong with either. I'd give a slight nod to the ASRock because it has 2 more USB 3.0 ports. The MSI and Gigabyte have an M.2 connector which the ASRock lacks, but I think that low-profile laptop style SSDs are not terribly useful in a full desktop, and the ASRock still has SATA Express for high-speed SSDs.
 
O

ockarpf

Member
Mar 17, 2010
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I did go with the As Rock, it looks so nice! and man is this shit fast. I don't have an optical drive and in the Bios it has a Driver install option via USB. It is really neat. Love this board.

Oh and BTW it does have and m.2 connector. not sure if you just missed that.

Thanks for the input though.
 
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