Hardware Advice?

[Sotha]

Hi!

 

I was thinking of upgrading my computer a bit this summer. I know there are some hardware savvy people here, who probably have some good advice.

 

My old specs are:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550

Geforce GTX 760

Asus P5Q-PRO motherboard.

4 Gb RAM

Antec Earthwatts 500W

 

My current plan is to replace the motherboard, processor and memory. The video card I already upgraded last year.

 

After upgrade:

Intel Core i5 4570

Geforce GTX 760

Asus H97 Pro

8 Gb RAM

Antec Earthwatts 500W

 

Does someone have comments or advice about the hardware, that would be great. My usual problem with components is the wide array of hardware to choose from, and the technology develops so quickly if is difficult to stay current of what really are good ones and what are not.

 

What I'm after is as much performance for the buck as possible. I'm not going to overclock. Silence is a nice bonus and stability is of course most important.

 

Thanks!

[AluminumHaste]

Nothing wrong with any of that, that CPU especially will be a HUGE upgrade! Not only faster Mhz, but much higher IPC.

[MoroseTroll]

I think that Asus H97 Pro is a bit expensive, don't you think? Why have you chose exactly that MB model? I mean, you could choose a less expensive MB and a more fast CPU (say, i5-4690 - it works at 3.9GHz and has the same TDP = 84W).

[Bikerdude]

All looks good, the only thing I would say is how much warranty is left on the Antec PSU.

[Sotha]

Thanks for the input!

 

I think that Asus H97 Pro is a bit expensive, don't you think? Why have you chose exactly that MB model? I mean, you could choose a less expensive MB and a more fast CPU (say, i5-4690 - it works at 3.9GHz and has the same TDP = 84W).

 

Do you have some concrete suggestions? Because I'm not very familiar with the current tech, I simply scoured the internet for reference builds to use as a base for my own upgrade plans.

 

All looks good, the only thing I would say is how much warranty is left on the Antec PSU.

 

Probably nothing. It is the same PSU I've been using for a long time. I think it is something like 4 or 5 years old.

 

If it ain't broken, don't fix it?

[rich_is_bored]

Look into incorporating an SSD if you don't already have one. There are some 120GB drives on newegg right now selling for dirt cheap. It makes a huge difference.

[Bikerdude]

Probably nothing. It is the same PSU I've been using for a long time. I think it is something like 4 or 5 years old.If it ain't broken, don't fix it?

Look into incorporating an SSD if you don't already have one. There are some 120GB drives on newegg right now selling for dirt cheap. It makes a huge difference.

If the PSU is this old its time to replace it and use the existing one as a spare, and +1 on what RiB said - I suggest a 120GB or 250GB Samsung 840/850 EVO.

[MoroseTroll]

Sotha, I'd just recommend to buy something like H97M-Plus, H97-Plus, H97-E, B85M-Gamer, B85-Plus, B85M-E, or Z87-Plus. These Asus MB models all have 4 DDR3 slots so you'll always be able to add more RAM if you want, 6 SATA-III ports (excluding H97M-E, with 4 SATA-III ports) so you'll be able to add as much HDDs and/or SSDs as you want. Also, at least a half of these MB models have 6 USB 3.0 ports, while the other half have 4 USB 3.0 ports. But what's best of them is that that they're a less expensive than H97 Pro, so you can choose any of them, save some money and buy more powerful CPU (i5-4690, for example) .

 

BTW, SSD is a very good idea .

Edited July 14, 2015 by MoroseTroll

[Sotha]

Thanks for the advice everyone! Placed the order. Can't wait to get my new toy... ehm... tools.