New parts for computer

odunican

New Member
Hi I am looking to upgrade a few pieces of hardware for my computer. It all started with needing a new graphics card but I found out that this then needs a equal Power Supply and then if you wanted a good Power Supply then a CPU that matches would be recommended as well so basically its a whole new pc.

I have a ANTEC 900 Black Gaming Case and been told that this if fine and a
640GB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 16MB CACHE (7,200rpm).

Anyway im just looking for some advice.

This is the CPU im defo going for just listing what it says incase this is important.
CPU: Intel Core i7-950 Quad Core Processor BX80601950
SPEED: 3.06GHz, CORES: 4,
BUS: 4.8GT/s, CACHE: 8MB L3
SKT: 1366, TYPE: Retail with Fan
CCL Code: CPU7196
Mnfr Code: BX80601950
http://www.cclonline.com/product/26...cessor/CPU7196/

Have an issue choosing between these two motherboards. I like the 2nd one better and its hardly and price comparison i'm just wondering if that works with the CPU?
1.Gigabyte GA X58A-UD3R Socket 1366 Motherboard GA-X58A-UD3R
http://www.cclonline.com/product/27...rboard/MBD1119/

2
.Asus P8H67-DELUXE Rev 3.0 Socket 1155 Motherboard 90-MIBE2A-G0EAY0KZ
http://www.cclonline.com/product/54...rboard/MBD0103/

Also I found this which says it supports the i7 and its on offer but im just wondering whats the difference between this and the two above . I mean there is nearly a £100 price difference.
http://www.cclonline.com/product/62...rboard/MBD0180/

Graphics Card: I am having the same issue choosing between the Nvidia 560TI and the Sapphire ATI Radeon HD 6950. Is the Sapphire ATI much better than the 560TI, basically is it worth £20 more.

PSU: Probs go for this
Corsair GS800 80 PLUS Certified 800 Watt Power Supply Unit CMPSU-800GUK
http://www.cclonline.com/product/59...y-Unit/PSU0234/

BUTTTT...found this for £20 cheaper and just wondering if you know powercool is any good it seems popular as its sold out atm for 3 days
http://www.cclonline.com/product/57...ciency/PSU0220/

And as for RAM well cconline are having a special offer of RAM and yes its the DDR3 and Corsair and its 1X2GB for only £11 which is just amazing so I could get 6GB for £33 not bad. I think its ok but im not a RAM expert I can put it in and I know that obvs 2GB is better than 1GB but didn't know about the DDR3 and DDR2. http://www.cclonline.com/product/36...-Stick/RAM5946/



Here is what I have now:
Case: ANTEC 900 BLACK GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU): Intel® Core™2 Duo E8400 (3.00GHz) 1333MHz FSB/6MB L2 Cache
Motherboard: ASUS® P5Q: DDR2, SATAII, PCI-e x16, 3 PCI, 2 x PCI-e x1
Memory (RAM):4GB CORSAIR XMS2 800MHz
Graphics Card:512MB NVIDIA GEFORCE 9800GT PCI EXPRESS (Dead)
Memory - 1st Hard Disk: 640GB SERIAL ATA 3-Gb/s HARD DRIVE WITH 16MB CACHE (7,200rpm)
Power Supply: 450W Quiet Dual Rail PSU + 120mm Case Fan (£24)
Processor Cooling: STANDARD CPU COOLER
 
most like the site overclockers.co.uk, and don't get that cpu, the i5 2500k is a way better option, actually more powerful in general, and a way better gamer, the i7's aren't a gaming cpu, the only time they are faster is on video creation and en/decoding, otherwise the money spent is wasted on it, and the lga1155 is the socket for a 2xxx, and that 1366 would be for that and a few other i7's, and the rest of the i's #'ed XXX are socket lga1156, also you will need at least 4gb's ram for gaming, 8 is prefered but not necessary, and 2 sticks is best (goes into dual channel), and the psu is great, but 800watts is if you plan to use 2 of whatever gpu you plan to get, which either of those 2 are fine depending on the price and brand. also you will need to reliscence windows to the other motherboard.
 
ok well the 1.5 is actually about £40 cheaper so thats good.

http://www.cclonline.com/product/44...-i5-2500K-3-3GHz-Quad-Core-Processor/CPU1109/

"and the lga1155 is the socket for a 2xxx, and that 1366 would be for that and a few other i7's, and the rest of the i's #'ed XXX are socket lga1156"
Can you explain this a simple terms this just seems double dutch to me. I have literally no idea about motherboards :( sorry.

I am only going to be using one graphic card and wasn't sure which one to pick between the NVIDIA 560TI and the ATI Radeon 6950. I know 800w is a lot and generally isn't needed but its only £5 more than the 700w of the same brand so I figured why not. I want the best power supply I can get under £80 so it will last me a good few years and the way that things are being upgraded your going to need 800w for simple things soon no doubt.

"also you will need to reliscence windows to the other motherboard. " sorry what does this mean? do you mean a new install of windows??
 
For the motherboard part, the I series has 3 different sockets, any i3/5/7 followed by 3 #'s, like the i7 860, is a socket lga1156, any but any i7 followed by a 900 number is a socket lga1366, and any i series like the i5 i said that is followed by 4 numbers is a socket lga1155, and then in the case of the one i said, the 2500k, a k on the end means it has an unlocked multiplier, meaning an easier overclock

for the gpu/psu, you don't need more than a 600w max, and a corsair cx600 will suit you perfectly.

it would be a lot easier to tell us what you need/have, and what your budget is, then we can provide links to the best you can get for that much, and again, overclockers.co.uk is most likely cheaper, along with a known and trusted site on these forums
 
Hi ok wow motherboards are confusing haha.

Basically what happened is my computer broke so I took it to a computer place to see what the issue was. Found out was just the graphics card and needed a new one.

So I began the search for a new graphic card that would allow me to run the Sims 3 and World Of Warcraft and similar games on ultra settings smoothly. My old system with the NVIDIA 9800GT ran pretty smoothly but I lagged a bit with the Sims 3 if it was on high settings and didn't have the option for ultra settings on world of warcraft as you needed a higher graphics card.

I had my heart set on the NVIDIA 560TI or something similar and was happy to pay up to £180 on a great graphics card that would allow ultra settings smoothly and had a 3 year warranty.

I then found out that the NVIDIA 560TI needed at least 550w (or similar) and I only had 450W and the fact that I used around 3 UBS plugged in at the same time wouldn't make this a great option.

So I decided I had the money to buy a PSU and found the corsair 800w for £80 and was told that I should aim for above 600w so I could use it in a new build in a couple of years.

But then I found out that a PSU and Graphics only play a part in the running games in ultra settings smoothly and that a CPU was also important. And in order to upgrade the CPU you have to upgrade the motherboard more than likely.

So basically thats how I got at this point.

So I need a new graphics card anything that will allow to me play sims 3 and wow on ultra settings smoothly for the next few years is perfect.

A new cpu that does the same and motherboard.

A new PSU

and thats it really.

My budget is max £700 but id be happier with below £650 I mean for £700 it have to last at least 4 years and be super. I been adding up prices of what I found so far and posted and this is around £610 for everything including 8GB RAM.

oh and btw I am from the UK so need a website from there just incase you wasn't sure.
 
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that cpu will be fine for a while, so all you really need is the new psu and gpu, which for what you want the 560ti is overkilling regular overkill, a corsair cx600, and a 6850 would probably suffice.
 
Well I really wanted to upgrade now that I have the money. I am starting university in september and will probs be editing on my computer as well and was going to buy a MAC but the price they cost hell no lol when can use them for free in Uni. So I have money to spend on upgrading.

Plus my warranty is totally up with my PC and if I get all these new parts they all come with 3 years warranty.

I don't think the 560ti is that overkill not for games nowdays plus I totally wanted it once I saw how amazing the graphics look on world of warcraft.

I will look at the price of the 600w compared to 800w or whatever and see if there is a huge price difference but if its like £10 then shouldn't I just go for the 800w
 
well i'd get the parts i said for now, then at the beggining of next year bulldozer will have been out, amd's next cpu, and the next gen of intel cpu's will be out, so you will get the newest stuff, and the bulldozer has upgrades comming out around then, for the psu, gaming series tend to be overpriced compared to the others, but they will all perform the same, the gaming series will just be able to get like a system needing right at what it has fine, but that's never recommended, like i said, you want a 50+ watt head room at all time.
 
Ok well I need a graphics card so which one should I pick the Nvidia 560TI or the Ati Radeon 6950 there is like £10 difference is it worth it for the ATI or isn't there much performance difference. And I know you said get a cheaper one BUT.. I can't afford to buy one say for £100 and then next you fork out £160 for a new one thats just came out. My old gp is dead anyway.

As for the PSU someone said I should look for the 80 PLUS certified when buying a psu.
The PSU that you recommended doesn't have that but their is a similar one that does called Corsair CX600 Builder Series 600W but this is £60. You can get the 700w vs for £70 or 800w vs for £80 so thats why am saying I think I should go for the 800w cause its only £20 more and will last me longer. Is their any issues why I shouldn't get the 800w like it my blow up my machine or is it just the simple matter of I don't need that much power.
 
it's the no need thing, and it won't be 800 standard for a long time, but if you want it then get it, but you might want an 850, which makes it so you can get a second 560ti later on when you need a little more power, which will be a while, but also need to make sure your mobo has 2 pci-e x16's at a x16/x16 or x16/x8 for the best performance.
 
"mobo has 2 pci-e x16's at a x16/x16 or x16/x8 for the best performance" what is this sorry. Does mobo mean motherboard?
 
Ok thought so sorry I really am rubbish at computers. I generally learn from people like yourself helping me understand.

"2 pci-e x16's at a x16/x16 or x16/x8 " I was confused by this not so much mobo, this to me is just double dutch haha. Very sorry to be a pain but could you explain what this means or even suggest a link that could help me understand.

Here is all I know about my motherboard: ASUS® P5Q: DDR2, SATAII, PCI-e x16, 3 PCI, 2 x PCI-e x1
 
2 pci-e x16 <<< That just means that you have 2 pci express x16 slots. the x16/x16 or x16/x8 I imagine they are talking about the compatibility, I should go back and read what they are talking about but I'm lazy right now. haha.

The best way to learn is ask questions. I learn way more that way than books or anything else.
 
if you aren't ever going 2 gpu's then go for a 600 watt at most, anything over will never be used since you aren't getting 2.
 
What about in the future though say if I wanna upgrade the graphics or whatever it might need more than 600w and I can defo see this happening. I mean the 560ti needs 550w so in 2 years time I reckon you be looking at needing 650w for good gpu. This psu has to last me at least 3 years as well.

And you did say there is no harm in the 800w its just not needed. But for only like £15 difference between 600w and 800w I think its worth it for future reasons.

I just need to know does the motherboard I have work with the psu 800w I linked.
 
Yes, you could use a million watt power supply and it wouldn't matter because they distibute the power to different cords, but 1 thing, the GS800 is a gaming series which that and the enthusiast series are more expensive then the others. and i don't thing gpu's will need that much power, they continuosly get smaller (the gpu as in the cpu of the gfx card) which every time the next smaller one comes out, they are more power efficient, i just looked up the 460 v the 560 and both use the same power, but the 560 is a good bit higher clocked and should be more powerfull by a good bit, but the power req does go up sometimes, i guess a 700 would do fine.
 
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That CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 is £100 in UK I could only find it on overclockers. My max budget for Power Supply is £80 and thats pushing it. I really just wanna know if http://www.cclonline.com/product/59...34/?siteID=je6NUbpObpQ-e2Vc988uO.xPJgI3xtLNow
would be ok with my motherboard:
ASUS® P5Q: DDR2, SATAII, PCI-e x16, 3 PCI, 2 x PCI-e x1

I really need to buy this now i've gone like a month without a pc and feel like am getting no closer to buying anything.
 
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