Resolved - Need Upgrade Recommendations

[Candy 1st MRB]

Name: James Candy

Rank: 1stSgt.

Type of issue: Hardware

Brief Description of Issue:

I am currently using a build from 2012 but need some suggestions on upgrading. I would like to replace some components instead of a completely new build. I realize the main things to upgrade are MoBo and processor but I need the right replacements on a limited budget. Thanks for any suggestions guys!

1 x ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

1 x Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus - CPU Cooler with 4 Direct Contact Heatpipes �€�

1 x Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge Quad-Core 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W BX80623I52500K Desktop Processor

1 x G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-16GXM

1 x EVGA 02G-P4-2670-KR GeForce GTX 670 2GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card �€“ Currently GTX 970 4GB

1 x Kingston HyperX 3K SH103S3/120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) (Stand-Alone Drive)

1 x Western Digital WD Green WD20EARX 2TB 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive - OEM

1 x LITE-ON Black 12X Blu-ray Burner with Blu Ray 3D Feature SATA IHBS112-04 - OEM

1 x Corsair Carbide Series 500R Black Steel structure with molded ABS plastic accent pieces ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

1 x CORSAIR TX Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC ... �€�

1 x Microsoft Windows 7 Professional SP1 64-bit �€“ OEM �€“ Currently Windows 10

Thanks again!

***Medical Supply Staff ONLY Below this line***

Current Status: Resolved

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Unresolved

Main Technician: Sgt. A. Hansen

Supporting Technician: SSgt. S. Woz

Edited January 7, 2016 by Hansen 1st MRB

[Woz 1st MRB]

Honestly, that build doesn't need anything more than a new CPU (and consequently a new mobo since yours won't be compatible with most of the ones I would pick for you)

Here is what I recommend:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($242.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Motherboard: MSI Z97 PC MATE ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($88.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Total: $331.98

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-01-07 12:47 EST-0500

These are really good options for the price you pay, and sit right in the sweetspot of performance per dollar.

Other than that, in my opinion, further upgrades would be overkill without a specific need for them. If you feel like burning some money and going for a beasly 4k rig you could get a second 970 and SLI it, as well as buy a new monitor to go with it. If you go that route, we will need to pick a different mobo to get SLI capabilities.

Edited January 7, 2016 by Woz 1st MRB

[Candy 1st MRB]

I figured probably I would need the MoBo and processor. Not familiar with Xeon processor though, how does it compare to the new i5/i7's? Also, I normally go ASUS on MoBo's, is the MSI comparable? I also realize I want to get out of this deal with the minimum of cash, I might be dreaming on this one heh.

[Woz 1st MRB]

I just recently put those exact two parts in my brother's computer and it has been running well. I have also used MSI for the motherboard in many other builds with no issues.

As far as CPU performance increase, here is a good ballpark of how much of an increase you can expect to see:

i5-2500k - 6456 passmark score

e3-1231 - 9614 passmark score

and for reference:

i7-4770 - 9840 passmark score

The i7-4770 is about 60 dollars more, if you want an idea of how close in price they are.

[Candy 1st MRB]

Thanks for the clarification Woz, I appreciate your advice as always. I think I am good and you can close this unless you want to see if a few more people have ideas.

Edited January 7, 2016 by Candy 1st MRB

[Hansen 1st MRB]

What are you looking to do with your computer? If you are looking to game, you wanna go with i5/i7's, Xenons are more for rendering and server type applications

Here are two links that can help clarify what you may need in terms of MoBo and CPUs

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2375540,00.asp

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/mother...guide,3900.html

Edited January 7, 2016 by Hansen 1st MRB

[Candy 1st MRB]

Definitely gaming. I'll read up on those links, thanks for the help Hansen.

[Hansen 1st MRB]

No problem, but let me clarify about xenon's. They can be used for gaming, but the higher end ones are the ones that can do a better job than the lower end ones, and they can cost a shiny penny

[Woz 1st MRB]

Just to add to Hansen's links, here is one from LTT on the topic:

All that being said, the Xeon e3-1231v3 is matched very closely with the i7-4770 performance wise (much like the Xeon e3-1276v3 is to the i7-4790) , is cheaper, and only sacrifices integrated graphics (which you don't need anyways) and the ability to overclock (not sure if that was important to you).

[Candy 1st MRB]

I think I have enough information to make a decision. You can close this topic =)