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Upgrading old core2quad rig to i5/SSD/Win7 - sanity check

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petesamprs

Senior member
Here is my current rig originally built for gaming but has gotten very sluggish over years:
case: antec sonata II
psu: 450W SmartPower
cpu: Intel Core2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz
mobo: Abit IP35-e
RAM: G.SKILL 2x2GB DDR2
HD : 1TB seagate 7200RPM + 3TB seagate 7200RPM
GPU: eVGA 7800GT w/ NV5 Rev. 3
OS: Windows XP 32bit

Here's my planned upgrade (current usage is mainly 1080p media streaming, MS office, browsing, photo processing/editing):
case: same
psu: same
cpu: Intel i5 4670K (small chance I ever OC, but want the option to)
mobo: Asus Z87M-PLUS
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600
HD : Samsung 840 EVO 500GB SSD (for OS) + existing platter HDs (for media storage)
GPU: None (onboard video)
OS: Windows 7 Home premium 64 bit (some applications for work aren't supported on 8)

Some questions from my research:
- any reason I shouldn't just reuse by old case and PSU?
- I plan on using dual monitors, but I think my mobo allows for that already, so is there any benefit to keeping my old gpu?
- should I go with faster RAM (>1600)?
- any other recommendations welcome

thanks
 
petesamprs said:
- any reason I shouldn't just reuse by old case and PSU?
Click to expand...
The case is fine. As for the PSU, I doubt it was great when it was new, and I imagine it's several years old now? It would be good to get a new one. Does that PSU even have an 8-pin mobo connector? I don't think it does. Here's a cheap Corsair 430W.

petesamprs said:
- I plan on using dual monitors, but I think my mobo allows for that already, so is there any benefit to keeping my old gpu?
Click to expand...
Should work if you use HDMI (or D-SUB D🙂 for one monitor. I wouldn't keep the old GPU.

petesamprs said:
- should I go with faster RAM (>1600)?
Click to expand...
For onboard graphics, it might help, yes. Keep it at 1.5V (or less), though.
 
Seeing as I have ~1TB of SSD storage in my desktop right now I'm not one to talk. HOWEVER, for your usage will you really need a 500GB SSD? For OS and pretty much every application you'll use will fit on a 240GB drive which can be found for ~$120
 
Thanks guys.

Good to know about 4-pin vs. 8-pin on the PSU - I didn't realize newer mobo's use 8 pins now. If I have to replace the PSU too, now i'm thinking I just replace everything, including the case, and go with a tidy little mini ITX case/mobo set up.

Any good mini ITX case recommendations for someone who won't be gaming (don't need extra space for large GPU, water cooling or huge fans). Do want enough capacity for 2 SSD drives and 2 platter HDs though.

Agree with your point about the 500GB SSD not being necessary. I could live with 250GB for OS and work stuff, and use my existing platter HDs for all my media storage.
 
petesamprs said:
Here is my current rig originally built for gaming but has gotten very sluggish over years:
case: antec sonata II
psu: 450W SmartPower
cpu: Intel Core2 Quad Q6600 2.4GHz
mobo: Abit IP35-e
RAM: G.SKILL 2x2GB DDR2
HD : 1TB seagate 7200RPM + 3TB seagate 7200RPM
GPU: eVGA 7800GT w/ NV5 Rev. 3
OS: Windows XP 32bit

...(current usage is mainly 1080p media streaming, MS office, browsing, photo processing/editing
Click to expand...
Sanity check... $235 Refresh Pack
 
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If you can afford it I recommend 500GB SSD's at the minimum. 120 are way too small, 240 is only a small improvement and 500 is it. And yes, I also run 2 1TB SSD's in this box. You want room to breathe.
 
escrow4 said:
If you can afford it I recommend 500GB SSD's at the minimum. 120 are way too small, 240 is only a small improvement and 500 is it. And yes, I also run 2 1TB SSD's in this box. You want room to breathe.
Click to expand...

$25 says I could build an identical rig with 250GB SSD and the rest on platters and you wouldn't be able to tell me which was which unless you have more than 200GB worth of apps installed at the same time on your 2TB of SSDs. I personally use the most storage on media (pictures, music, tv, movies, etc) and on average only 70-150GB of apps/games.

500GB SSD is nice don't get me wrong but for his usage scenario I just don't see it being worth it when that money can be better spent elsewhere.
 
petesamprs said:
any reason I shouldn't just reuse by old case and PSU?
Click to expand...
Case: lack of USB 3.0. Otherwise, fine. PSU: it's old, and wasn't the best PSU when it was new. Just start with a new PSU.
I plan on using dual monitors, but I think my mobo allows for that already, so is there any benefit to keeping my old gpu?
Click to expand...
No. If you have any problems with IGP, a new video card is the way to go, not that old thing. New low-end ones will outperform it, your IGP might outperform it, and anything new will offload most videos.

should I go with faster RAM (>1600)?
Click to expand...
Nah.
any other recommendations welcome
Click to expand...
Instead of saving by re-using your PSU, save by getting a cheaper SSD, and maybe less costly mobo. The M500 480GB is $50 cheaper than the 840 Evo, right now.
 
Ok got it, very helpful guys. $800 budget sounds about right (before displays), with some flex if necessary.

The mITX build is looking interesting. My only concern about the one you linked above is that it only allows 1 SSD and 1 HDD. I'd like the flexibility to have an extra HDD.

One more question about displays: Currently have a 20.1" Dell 2001FP (1600x1200) that has VGA, DVI, Composite, and S-video inputs. I'm considering pairing that with a new Dell U2412M (24" 1920x1200), which has VGA, USB, DVI-D, and DisplayPort inputs. Will my onboard video support both simultaneously with native resolutions? Will I need any adapters?

thanks.
 
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petesamprs said:
The mITX build is looking interesting. My only concern about the one you linked above is that it only allows 1 SSD and 1 HDD. I'd like the flexibility to have an extra HDD.
Click to expand...

If you want to add extra internal HDDs (or really anything else) down the line, ITX isn't for you. There are ITX cases that can handle a decent number of drives (Bitfenix Prodigy), but those are ITX in name only.

Nothing wrong wanting more drives, it's just a matter of fitting your needs to the parts that are available. Let me know what's more important, small size or expandability, and we'll work from there.
 
I would go for a 500w PSU, preferably a Corsair one. Stick with a K processor if you want to overclock. No point in going above 1600mhz for RAM, no noticeably really. The Dell u2412m monitor is amazing, one of the best purchases I made when building my pc. Going for a ITX form factor will mean you won't be able to fit more than two HDDs max, I would just go for a small tower.
 
I'd like a smaller form factor than what i have now, but would like the ability to have:
- 2 HDD (from existing build)
- 1 SSD (newly purchased)
- 1 optical drive (from existing build)

This may be tough for an ITX case. Can you recommend a small mATX case that works?

By the way, pulled the trigger on the u2412m today - saw it on slickdeals for $230 on amazon. Will pair it with my 2001FP.

thanks
 
That Dell U2412M was one of the hottest deals ever on a monitor. Not sure why it dropped so much for a day, but it was nice while it lasted. You will be happy.

As for compact mATX cases, the Silverstone PS08/PS09 are the very best budget mATX cases on the market, and also happen to be among the smallest. Another good option is the Rosewill Line-M.
 
petesamprs said:
I'd like a smaller form factor than what i have now, but would like the ability to have:
- 2 HDD (from existing build)
- 1 SSD (newly purchased)
- 1 optical drive (from existing build)

This may be tough for an ITX case. Can you recommend a small mATX case that works?

By the way, pulled the trigger on the u2412m today - saw it on slickdeals for $230 on amazon. Will pair it with my 2001FP.

thanks
Click to expand...

Check out these parts:

ASUS H87M-PRO $98 AR
Silverstone PS07B $75
Corsair CX430M $30 AR
Total: $203 AR

That'll handle your drives while being smaller than your existing ATX case. As an added bonus, that motherboard can natively handle both your monitors; DVI for the 2001FP and DisplayPort for the U2412M.
 
Did my Q6600 to 4670k binge last year but I went with 2x4GB and a 128GB SSD with careful configuration and redirection of folders to a 2x1TB in RAID-0.. The insanity is why I didn't do it sooner, thing flies like a missing 777.
 
Got the U2412M already (haven't got new rig yet). Looking good next to my 2001FP. Unfortunately my old 7800GT doesn't seem to be able to support the dual setup at native resolution (3520x1200). NVIDIA control panel shows 3200x1200 as max resolution and I can't customize it.

Also, for some reason it won't let me use a rotated view for just 1 of the two monitors.

It made me wonder if I need to worry about similar resolution/orientation limitations if I'm trying to run dual monitors directly off a mobo like the one mfenn had below (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131994)
 
If you want different rotations per monitor, you've got your work cut out for you. I can change one with my Radeon (6450?), here, but can only use the top or bottom amount equal to my landscape primary monitor's height, wasting space.

With the primary monitor rotated, it would probably work fine, but my brain isn't up to testing that 🙂.

With both rotated, it should be fine, as well.
 
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petesamprs said:
Got the U2412M already (haven't got new rig yet). Looking good next to my 2001FP. Unfortunately my old 7800GT doesn't seem to be able to support the dual setup at native resolution (3520x1200). NVIDIA control panel shows 3200x1200 as max resolution and I can't customize it.

Also, for some reason it won't let me use a rotated view for just 1 of the two monitors.

It made me wonder if I need to worry about similar resolution/orientation limitations if I'm trying to run dual monitors directly off a mobo like the one mfenn had below (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813131994)
Click to expand...

Windows 7 has built-in support for per-monitor rotation.
 
Thanks for everyone's guidance above. Wanted to close the loop on my upgrade and ask some additional questions. Based on the feedback above and lot of additional research, here's the newegg order:

1 x ($229.99) Intel Core i5-4670K Haswell 3.4GHz LGA 1150 84W Qu
1 x ($87.99) ASRock H87M Pro4 LGA 1150 Intel H87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/
1 x ($74.99) G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3
1 x ($229.99) Crucial M500 480GB SATA 2.5" 7mm (with 9.5mm adapt
1 x ($5.99) BYTECC Bracket-35225 2.5 Inch HDD/SSD Mounting Kit
1 x ($49.99) CORSAIR CX series CX500 500W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS B
1 x ($99.99) Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit - OEM
1 x ($8.49) Kaybles HDMIDVI-6BK 6 ft. HDMI to DVI Cable with G - OEM

Decided to keep my existing Antec Sonata case. It doesn't have USB 3.0 on the front panel but I can live without that (or buy a 3.5" panel with 3.0 ports)

The only remaining questions center around my existing HDD. My existing setup currently has:
- 1TB HDD - OS/pics/documents (0.9 TB used)
- 3TB HDD - movies/media (1.0 TB used)
- Note: I had to partition the 3TB HDD into 2TB and 1TB chunks in 32-bit Win XP, so the data currently sits in the 2TB partition

When I get the new build, I'll first install Win7 on the new SSD as the primary drive.
- What is the most efficient way to migrate over my existing HDDs?
- I'd like to migrate the 3TB HDD over directly, but would like to combine the partitions into one big 3TB partition now that now that I'll have a 64-bit OS
- For my 1TB HDD, I'd like to install it in the new build, copy over the files I need to the other drives, and then reformat it to remove any traces of Win XP. Then this will become a backup drive
- Will I need to reformat either drive in order for it to be recognized in Win 7?

thanks.
 
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