$300 CPU/MOBO Upgrade

[mrgoodkat]

I was originally going to buy a PS4 until I learned I cannot even playback movie files via USB as my PS3 is basically my media server/hub, so I'm thinking of doing the dreaded cpu/mobo upgrade. If I do that I really only want to spend $300.

I've been so out of the loop after the i7 920 build that I feel like I'm in over my head. Truthfully, the 920 still destroys everything I throw at it but I've only ever been able to squeeze more than 3.5GHz stable. And this build (my first) is approaching 6 years old. But it never hiccuped once. So I'm dreading an upgrade with a motherboard I will have to skimp on to make it work.

I was thinking this:

i5 4670k

'Cheapy' MSI motherboard to save money

Any ideas? Someone wanna tell me to keep my current build until she doesn't fire up one day?

I still wouldn't mind a PS4 but I only play maybe 1-2 console games a year. Without media server capability I just cannot justify it for $400.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Do you have a Microcenter nearby?

 

[mrgoodkat]

Within 30 miles. Didn't even think about them for CPUs.

I do pay 9.25% tax, though. I almost live off online purchases now.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Within 30 miles from me. Didn't even think about them for CPUs.

I do pay 9.25% tax, though. I almost live off online purchases now.

Grab the 4670K and Z87-UD3H then, you get a discount on the combo. Makes it well worth the tax for only 30 minutes.

 

[mrgoodkat]

I think I'm actually going to go with the ASRock to save $30. Tom's gave it good reviews and it is essentially the same, as far as I can tell. Never thought I would own anything from them...

So I have a triple channel 3x4gb kit on the 1366 board that I can just take two sticks of and toss on the 1150 board, right? I lose 4gb but 8 should be more than enough. The only reason I bought that 12gb kit was it was dirt cheap at the time. Not particularly good or fast ram, but whatever.

And then my Antec 1200 wont be able to take advantage of USB 3.0 so any ideas for that? Get a PCI card and run an extension cable to the front (outside) of the case? Will the old ports at least be backwards compatible on the new board?

I know that Hyper 212 cooler had an 1156/55 bracket so that should work for 1150.


Am I missing anything? Just a motherboard, CPU and some grease?

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Yeah, ASRock is pretty darn solid now. Which model exactly?

You can easily do that, and 2x4GB is plenty unless you're running a lot of VMs or something else that eats up RAM.

I wouldn't bother, the rear USB3.0 ports will still work just fine. If you need some ports closer buy a 4-port hub.

Yep, cooler will work fine.

I don't think you are, seems like you did your research and just needed the final touches

 

[mrgoodkat]

No idea what I was thinking with the USB 3.0 port thing...

Always good to bounce ideas off of people who stay in the know. Thanks!

 

[ATMINSIDE]

No idea what I was thinking with the USB 3.0 port thing...

Always good to bounce ideas off of people who stay in the know. Thanks!

Glad to be in the know to help people!
Let's see some pics when you're done

 

[Theocnoob]

If what you have now is working for you and "destroys everything you throw at it", why do you want to upgrade? Save your money. Upgrade in 2 or 3 more ticks.

 

[mrgoodkat]

Seems like a decent time to recoup some money from the 1366 build (5+ years in) and put it into 1150. I'm hoping that the upgrade will ultimately end up costing me $150, or less. That is what I typically do with other upgrades. Try and spend no more than $150 at a time while having some solid performance increases.

I also like the idea of finally taking full advantage of SATA III. And I like any powers savings I can get. I guess Haswell runs hot but it cant be any worse than this thing in the summer.

 

[Theocnoob]

Seems like a decent time to recoup some money from the 1366 build (5+ years in) and put it into 1150. I'm hoping that the upgrade will ultimately end up costing me $150, or less. That is what I typically do with other upgrades. Try and spend no more than $150 at a time while having some solid performance increases.

I also like the idea of finally taking full advantage of SATA III. And I like any powers savings I can get. I guess Haswell runs hot but it cant be any worse than this thing in the summer.

Wait for the new i7 5770K then is my suggestion, and pick up a nice Z97 board. No sense buying current gen when next gen is like 10 days away.

 

[mrgoodkat]

Can I run a 4670k on a z97 board while future-proofing myself for Broadwell?

The Haswell refresh doesn't really look all that impressive until they release the unlocked versions, which I will be priced out of. The current 4670k for $190 is right in my wheelhouse.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Can I run a 4670k on a z97 board while future-proofing myself for Broadwell?

The Haswell refresh doesn't really look all that impressive until they release the unlocked versions, which I will be priced out of. The current 4670k for $190 is right in my wheelhouse.

Yes, you can.
Z97 will run Haswell, Haswell refresh, and Broadwell.

That said, I don't believe Microcenter has any Z97 boards yet.

 

[mrgoodkat]

They have some listed on the egg but not the extreme4 that I would be looking at, which worries me. It might not be available at release as ASRock tries to move the extreme6 first.

I just really like what ASrock is packing in their boards for the price they are asking. For someone who no longer has an audio card, they seem to be making onboard audio a selling point.

If I could just find a price on that Z97 extreme4...

I could easily run that Z87 combo for five years. The game development sweet spot is still at mid-range dual-core. Unless Broadwell is really something special with respect to power and heat I likely wouldn't violate my 5 year/$150 rule, anyhow. And of course Z87 is a mature chipset and a proven board/BIOS. I don't have a backup PC to rely on if I run into BIOS issues, etc, on a new chipset/board.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Remember, those Z97 boards literally came out this week. More will release soon.

I doubt that Broadwell will be THAT much of an improvement over Haswell/Z87.
People are still running the i7-920 (like you), and remember how much the Sandy Bridge stuff improved on it? Same deal.

 

[mrgoodkat]

Well, it was fate. I went to sleep and it wasn't listed and this morning it was - the morning I was going to make a choice. Thirty-dollar difference with shoprunner 2 day.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157503

and remember how much the Sandy Bridge stuff improved on it? Same deal.

I crammed so much info into this brain before that i7 build that I totally tuned out until just this week. No, I don't remember Sandy Bridge. Get what you're saying, though.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Looks like you're set!

Down the road you can sell the 4670K and toss in a new i7 K if you find the need

 

[mrgoodkat]

Yep.

Now I'm just trying to figure out how I can install this without doing a clean Win8 install. Aside from GPU drivers, etc, the only thing that should be an issue is the old chipset INF file which should be overwritten with the new file.

Also came across this which talks about using Sysprep.

Or maybe even a repair/refresh install.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

I would back everything up, do a sysprep, then install the parts.

I did it going from an AM3 board to an AM3+ board and it worked fine.
This was on Server 2012.

 

[pcgamer4life]

You'll want to do a fresh install after jumping several generations. You could probably get by without it, but honestly I've found it's 9/10 times more trouble than it's worth.