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Preparing for an upgrade What should I focus on?

XxTheRisenxX
Level 7
My Current Build

CPU : Intel Core i7-3820 Sandy Bridge-E 3.6GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 2011 130W Quad-Core
Mobo : ASUS Sabertooth X79 LGA 2011 Intel X79 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX
RAM : Crucial Ballistix Sport XT 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
Video : ZOTAC ZT-70301-10P GeForce GTX 770 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0
PSU : COOLMAX ZU Series ZU-900B 900W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC
System Drive : OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-256G.RF 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive
Storage Drive : Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive
Opti. Drive : LITE-ON DVD Burner - Bulk 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 12X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model
CPU Heatsink : Thermaltake NiC F4 (CLP0606) 120mm
OS : Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
Case : Rosewill R5 Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Case, comes with 2 x front fans, Fan Controller, USB2.0 & USB3.0 front ports, Removable top and lower front filter panels

What I am looking to upgrade:
CPU
RAM (add more sticks to finish filling all 8 slots)
PSU
Additional Video card
OS (prior to adding more ram)
Case
Liquid Cooling

So what do you all think? looking for suggestions on what order I should upgrade these items and any opinions on what I should replace the old parts with. When it comes to price I can do about $800 right now. I dont have to do all right now I will be able to do another $1000 at the end of the year. If you need more info on my limitation or desires just ask.

Edit: I wanted to add a little more to this. First of all The initial question I should have ask was where are my bottlenecks in my system. I know quite a bit about hardware but not to the extend of being able to Grab components and know where the system will bottleneck. So What I want to know is what is the most powerful components in my system currently? With that established, which components should I focus on upgrading to balance the system to make everything work perfectly together.

Now for why I gave the list of components I provided.

CPU : I want an unlocked CPU what would be a good CPU to get that is unlocked and will improve my system or be equivalent to what I have.

RAM : I want to fill all 8 RAM slots. This is a personal thing, My mother board just feels naked with 6/8 RAM slots empty. But what timing and frequency is good for my system to make it well balanced?

PSU: Not sure if at full load my PSU will support a second Video in SLI if needed.

Video Card : I believe the most power I have is in the Video Card or the CPU. if needed a second 770 in SLI could help make use of a more powerful CPU

OS : as stated more RAM would require Win 7 Pro or ultimate

Case : Non-essential but my case is beat up as it is pretty old and been through two rebuilds. Would like a case that can support at least 6 fans and have a side window ( I love seening those blue lights).

Liquid Cooling : Another non - essential But higher overclocks can be achieved with liquid cooling. (don't need suggestions on types as I plan to design a custom system that cools everything (CPU, Video Card, Chipset, RAM chips, HDDs, etc) consisting of multiple loops and radiators for optimal cooling.

I hope the extra info helps.
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6 REPLIES 6

Chino
Level 15
Welcome to the ROG forums, XxTheRisenxX.

The question here is what kind of stuff do you usually do on your system?

Chino wrote:
Welcome to the ROG forums, XxTheRisenxX.

The question here is what kind of stuff do you usually do on your system?


I knew this question would come up just wanted a break from typing. What I do with it currently is gaming, web browsing, Picture editing, Video Editing (home stuff not high end professional stuff), and word processing. Basically it needs to be able to handle Media editing and Gaming. I also want an unlocked Multiplier on my Processor. I run dual monitors as well (sometimes connect my T.V. as a third monitor if I need another screen for gaming. All monitors run 1080p including the T.V.

Other stuff I plan on doing will be Basically Adobe programs like Dream weaver, photo shop etc. Just want to build up my PC prior to purchasing adobe.

01_Wolverine
Level 12
First of all Welcome to the ROG Forums

As for upgrading your system,i don't think that you will gain anything noticeable in this generation.

Now if this were mine

Cpu 4820k the following link is from the reviews of the Hardware Canucks 4820k vs 4930k

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/63119-intel-i7-4930k-i7-4820k-ivy-brid...

Ram,G Skill according to Chino Ripjaws X was Engineered for the 2011 platform,i would go for 2400 at cas 10

Psu Seasonic Platinum 1000w psus' have the cleanest power and some say that they are perfect psus'

Gpu get another 770 in sli and wait for Maxwell due out, according to rumors, later next year

Liquid cooling, the Corsair h100i/h100 are the ones' most recommended

Case Personal preference, But I like either the Corsair 750d or Coolermaster Storm Trooper.

The Trooper has great cooling and OC3D has a great review

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0KTWM8Ftcw

OS some say Win8 is great and some say Win7 is the one and Win8 sucks.

I am stuck with Win7 and have no intentions on going to Win8 at the momment

Don't despair the Veterans,sooner or later will chime in

Good Luck

01 Wolverine wrote:
First of all Welcome to the ROG Forums

As for upgrading your system,i don't think that you will gain anything noticeable in this generation.

Now if this were mine

Cpu 4820k the following link is from the reviews of the Hardware Canucks 4820k vs 4930k

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/hardware-canucks-reviews/63119-intel-i7-4930k-i7-4820k-ivy-brid...

Ram,G Skill according to Chino Ripjaws X was Engineered for the 2011 platform,i would go for 2400 at cas 10

Psu Seasonic Platinum 1000w psus' have the cleanest power and some say that they are perfect psus'

Gpu get another 770 in sli and wait for Maxwell due out, according to rumors, later next year

Liquid cooling, the Corsair h100i/h100 are the ones' most recommended

Case Personal preference, But I like either the Corsair 750d or Coolermaster Storm Trooper.

The Trooper has great cooling and OC3D has a great review

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0KTWM8Ftcw

OS some say Win8 is great and some say Win7 is the one and Win8 sucks.

I am stuck with Win7 and have no intentions on going to Win8 at the momment

Don't despair the Veterans,sooner or later will chime in

Good Luck



As for the OS I am going nowhere near windows 8. Played around with it and just can't stand it. For my OS upgrade I am working on deciding between Win 7 Pro and Win 7 Ultimate. Currently I am topped out in RAM so for an upgrade in RAM quantity I would need an OS upgrade as well to accommodate over 16GB

Antronman
Level 10
If you won't go near 8.1 (Which is a shame; it actually has improvements which are hard to notice at first.) then 7 pro is your best bet, as it is hyperthread certified. Aside from that, this machine does not need anything at all. Unless you plan on using dual monitors, in which case I would recommend slapping on a GTX 760. Superclocked, of course. You don't need a cooler as powerful as Corsair H100i, but an H80i would be pretty nice. Your PSU is also powerful enough, but if you really want the excess then I recommend a Corsair Professional Series HX1050. RAM kits do not usually mix well, but you can try it if they are the same brand. But quite honestly, your current RAM is good enough for rendering. I'm an amateur, but after my usual computer broke, I'm using a laptop with only 4gb RAM, and my modeling and lighting programs work fine. Upgrading the CPU into a processor of the intel core or intel extreme line will make no difference. And Xeon processors are...pricy, to say the least. Not to mention totally impractical for anything but very powerful servers. Or supercomputers with 16,000 modules.
Say hi to the next generation.

Peace is a lie, there is only Passion

Through passion, I gain strength

Through strength, I gain victory

Through victory, my chains are broken

The Republic of Gamers shall free me

XxTheRisenxX
Level 7
Edit made to original Post ^