Feedback on upgrade

I'm planning a moderate upgrade. I built my computer 3 years ago and have since upgraded the drives but have otherwise left it unchanged. The system:

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 B55 @ 3.3 GHz
Motherboard: Biostar A880GZ
RAM: 8GB (2x4GB) Patriot DDR3 @ 1600MHz
GPU: AMD Radeon HD 4250 iGPU
Cooling: Stock
PSU: Ultra LPS 550 Watt
Case: Thermaltake V4
Boot Drive: 250GB Samsung 840 EVO SSD
Storage: 1TB Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM001
OS: Debian GNU/Linux 'testing' 64Bit

Monitors: two older 1280x1024 17Inch LCDs. (2560x1024 total)

As it has aged and my usage of it has changed I have three main problems to fix:

1. My CPU is overheating. Since it was a triple core where I unlocked the forth core, it's always been toasty, but now I want to fold on it 24/7 and need much better cooling then stock. However, my case is pretty small and can't fit some tower coolers, including (according to google and random people on the internet) the Hyper 212 EVO.

2. I've started to do some light gaming on Steam for Linux. By light I mean light, maybe an hour a week and mostly simple free to play games. However, my iGPU is chocking on even those games, so I need an upgrade. two major limits though: in order to not block a PCI slot I need It will have to be single slot and since one of my monitors is older and has only D-SUB the card must have at least one D-SUB port. Also, due to my choice of OS and driver support, Nvidia is preferred.

3. My motherboards USB has bit the dust. Neither front or back ports work, on Linux or FreeBSD or Windows with all the drivers installed. They started getting worse over the last few months and now they're finally unusable.

Budget is $200 BUT I'm in Canada, so prices are typically higher, especially with recent oil prices and all that. Also, saved money is money for the future, so any less is wonderful.

My current ideas: for the cooler I was thinking of a cheaper all in one water cooler such as the Cooler Master Seidon 120V. I know it will only perform about the same as a cheaper air cooler, but it will almost certainly fit in my case. For my USB problem I was thinking about getting a PCI card since that way I can still upgrade my GPU by leaving my PCI-E slot open even if it's only USB 2.0 (right now I get nothing). Such as this :http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815166014. I was also thinking of getting some Enzotech mosfet cooling.

For GPU I'm less sure. It needs to be single slot, have D-SUB and Nvidia, so... looking at the GT 730, wondering if that's enough for some light TF2 etc.

Why not build a completely new rig? This one won't get pretty far.
1) Aio coolers,especially the 120.1s, wont beat a good air cooler.
2) I suggest a new build and u can buy a d-sub converter to vga/dvi/hdmi.

Here's a quick build in which u have 66$ room for a new case or another module of Ram, even though with the usage you're doing the iGPU on the CPU and 4gbs of memory should be plenty: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/f7QQgs

Wouldn't a piledriver based duel core A4 be a downgrade in folding performance given the single floating point unit as opposed to my Phenoms 4? That's really the only thing I do that ever stresses the CPU. Also, from some benchingI've seen AMD GPUs really get kicked by nvidia using Linux drivers... I was kind of hoping to keep this one board and proc going while picking up parts that could carry over to getting better stuff 1-2 years from now

I guess I was reading it quite quickly and missed some points lol! Now since you don't do any gaming, I wouldn't really bother with the ATI/nVidia controversy. The system you got is more or less dead and given the budget you got, there is not much you can do.
You can change the CPU with a A10-5800k. 4 core 3.8Ghz. Should do just fine and even better than your phenom.

I would personally get an intel g2358, a cheap motherboard, a 212 evo, and perhaps a 750ti gpu. Would be slightly over budget, but would be a dramatic increase in power.

bob4933 said:

I would personally get an intel g2358, a cheap motherboard, a 212 evo, and perhaps a 750ti gpu. Would be slightly over budget, but would be a dramatic increase in power.

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Or that! you can always cut the 750 and get a 650. Should be more than plenty again for your use.

How high would I have to over clock that g2358 to match my phenom folding? I get about 9-10K currently.

I'm really a little hesitant about changing the CPU. Without folding I never really stress it at all.. It gets hot but I'd kind of like to pick up a better cooler and then save for an i5k of whatever comes after 1150. In any case I wouldn't go with a cheap mobo, made that mistake with this build.

How much better is the 650 or 750 over a 730?

Alternate idea: if a g2358 is $80 and the cheapest mobo that actually works is $40, then for $120 why wouldn't I just pick up am FX-6300 and fit that in?

Second note: from what I can tell an Hyper 212 WONT fit into my case. Is there anything of similar price and performance that's just a tad smaller?

jlnx said:

Alternate idea: if a g2358 is $80 and the cheapest mobo that actually works is $40, then for $120 why wouldn't I just pick up am FX-6300 and fit that in?

Second note: from what I can tell an Hyper 212 WONT fit into my case. Is there anything of similar price and performance that's just a tad smaller?

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Arctic Freezer 7 pro can handle the G3258 at about 1.44V which is enough to get great clocks on most 3258s. Its actually over the recommended voltage limit.

It's much smaller than the Hyper 212. Cheaper too.

For a REAL upgrade over your 955BE though, I would go with an i5, personally.

Theocnoob said:

Arctic Freezer 7 pro can handle the G3258 at about 1.44V which is enough to get great clocks on most 3258s. Its actually over the recommended voltage limit.

It's much smaller than the Hyper 212. Cheaper too.

For a REAL upgrade over your 955BE though, I would go with an i5, personally.

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Ok thanks. I wasn't really planning a CPU upgrade so I think that since I haven't had any problems with my phenom other then heat I'll stick it out until the next Intel socket (AM3+ is looking pretty dead at this point)

with a heatsink I can fix the phenoms one problem for now and then move it over to a new build later. The Arctic Freezer 7 pro is just $17 on newegg.ca so I think I might go with that instead of spending so much on an AiO water thing.

Question I have now: I was going to buy some mosfet cooling since the AiO water cooler wouldn't move much are over them.. but if I have a CPU cooler that has a fan right there and I'm not overclocking on this board do I really need that?

If you're not overclocking the chip, then the lack of mosfet heatsinks is not a major concern.

I don't necessarily recommend the AF7 pro, because it is not a high performance heatsink. I was just saying that on a 3258 you can get away with it, even in a case with terrible airflow, all the way up to the "safe voltage wall" of the 3258.

I have my 3258 in an Antec P100 with just the stock fans (1 in front, 1 in back) and I (stupidly, due to my own ignorance) had the chip at 1.439V for awhile, and it didn't go over 75C under full load when stress testing on the AF7 pro. Obviously, a Hyper 212, due to the larger surface area, would do a much better job of cooling. But if it won't fit in your case, it won't fit.

Hyper 212 also has a much more secure Intel mount than AF7 pro. The Hyper 212 bolts through like a proper cooler should. The AF7 pro uses the inferior push pin method.

As far as "waiting for the next intel socket", the 1150 socket will be used, yet again, for Broadwell. I'm not sure if Skylake will use a new socket. All signs point to yes, though.

Yeah, that's what I mean, skylake. I've honestly had no problems with the Phenom other then heat and the Pentium seems like a side grade unless you overclock it... Which means a non crap board etc etc. I'm content to stick with the Phenom II for now.

It's current temps are around 68 degrees when left on full load (and, as a result, I don't leave it on full load) ideally below 60 and I'd be happy. Power usage isn't a huge concern for me at the moment.

What I'm currently thinking:

AF7
GT 730
Small USB PCI card to fix that problem

A smaller cheaper upgrade. Allows me to save more money since if I'm going to save and go for skylake in 18 months(ish) I'll probably get a better board, more RAM, probably a better PSU, different case, etc. And that'll be quite a bit. If I can fix the heat and USB problems and get that little bit more gfx power I should be good for another 12-24 months.

jlnx said:

Yeah, that's what I mean, skylake. I've honestly had no problems with the Phenom other then heat and the Pentium seems like a side grade unless you overclock it... Which means a non crap board etc etc. I'm content to stick with the Phenom II for now.

It's current temps are around 68 degrees when left on full load (and, as a result, I don't leave it on full load) ideally below 60 and I'd be happy. Power usage isn't a huge concern for me at the moment.

What I'm currently thinking:

AF7
GT 730
Small USB PCI card to fix that problem

A smaller cheaper upgrade. Allows me to save more money since if I'm going to save and go for skylake in 18 months(ish) I'll probably get a better board, more RAM, probably a better PSU, different case, etc. And that'll be quite a bit. If I can fix the heat and USB problems and get that little bit more gfx power I should be good for another 12-24 months.

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You don't want a Deneb getting anywhere NEAR that hot. 68? You're going to damage your chip like that if you keep at it.
You don't need a "non crap board" to oc a G3258. Any Z97 board will do. You could literally take a Z97 chipset and solder it to a sweet potato and it would overclock a G3258.

I'm not. Its currently going on back to three cores (52 degrees full load). That's why I need the cooler.

Hmm, interesting. Still, a new board is more money on a dead socket.. I already have a dead socket. I'm still inclined to get a cooler and wait my platform out until skylake

OK, just one more question before I pull the trigger: Do you guys think a nvidia 730 is enough for everyday use and the occasional non-intensive game? (such as TF2 or Half-Life 2 etc, basic steam for Linux stuff, an hour or two a week at most)

jlnx said:

OK, just one more question before I pull the trigger: Do you guys think a nvidia 730 is enough for everyday use and the occasional non-intensive game? (such as TF2 or Half-Life 2 etc, basic steam for Linux stuff, an hour or two a week at most)

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730? I wouldn't try anything more intense than Candy Crush on that. Isn't the 730 strictly a mobile chip though? Regardless, no, I wouldn't do any kind of 3D gaming on it. You'll get by, but you won't have impressive results. The bare minimum videocards that I would say are acceptable for a gamer in todays day and age are the Nvidia 750Ti and the AMD R9 270. $100-150/ea depending on who's on sale when where and why, boxing day, etc.

https://pcpartpicker.com/part/powercolor-video-card-axr92702gbd5tdheoc

https://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-02gp43751kr

Both cards are fine for 1080P gaming in most games, with some exceptions. You'll be able to play 98% of the stuff out there, but highly intensive games like Crysis 3, Far Cry 3/4, Metro Last Light, and etc, will not run satisfactorily. The kind of stuff you play will run gloriously though. So will some other games you owe yourself to check out, like Plants Vs Zombies Garden Warfare. It's TF2, but you can blow a zombie's head off with a fire breathing sunflower. Great stuff. Get it on one of the "unofficial" sites that sell Origin and Steam keys like Green Man Gaming. Totally legal, and you always save at least 20%.

ok then, thanks! I'll probably save for the 750ti then

jlnx said:

ok then, thanks! I'll probably save for the 750ti then

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Sounds like a plan. The 270 is more powerful though. Though it does also cost more right now. You'll find that the two flip flop back and forth between who's cheapest and who's most expensive. If you catch the 270 at a low price, grab it.

Alternatively, if you don't mind used parts, you can get a used R9 280X for like $130 these days. That is massively more powerful than the 270 or 750Ti. You'll be able to play any game out there @ 1080P with a 280X.

Theocnoob said:

Sounds like a plan. The 270 is more powerful though. Though it does also cost more right now. You'll find that the two flip flop back and forth between who's cheapest and who's most expensive. If you catch the 270 at a low price, grab it.

Alternatively, if you don't mind used parts, you can get a used R9 280X for like $130 these days. That is massively more powerful than the 270 or 750Ti. You'll be able to play any game out there @ 1080P with a 280X.

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You can play "any game out there" on a 270 as well. FC4 ran just fine with mine. I was even able to turn up most settings and not get any hitches in performance.

bob4933 said:

You can play "any game out there" on a 270 as well. FC4 ran just fine with mine. I was even able to turn up most settings and not get any hitches in performance.

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Yes, but undeniably, a 280X is higher performing than a 270, and if the OP can pick one up for the same price, why wouldn't he? JM2C.

I didn't say you couldn't run FC4 at all. I said the performance wouldn't be satisfactory. What that means to me is that you can't turn up all settings to max and crank up AA/AF to a high level and still get great performance. I'm sure that with the proper tweaks, FC4 could run satisfactorily on a 270. But not maxed the frig out. To me, that's not what PC gaming is about though. If I can't make the game look WAY better than on consoles, I might as well have a PS4 IMO.