Carrying over parts from a 7 year old PC to a new PC

[robroth]

About 7 years back I built a Windows 2008 R2 based machine that I also use for occasional gaming. It has a P8Z68-V Pro mainboard, 32GB of ram, i7 (can't recall which), and a GTX580.

Last week the power company came by and cut power to replace a pole and now my PC won't power on. I'm in the process of troubleshooting it but also thinking about just building a new one. I think the mainboard is shot (but still waiting for Corsair to confirm the paperclip test on the power supply that only spins things up for 1 second is good/bad).

I have not followed the industry at all but having built my own PCs for 30 years, I'm sure just about everything is obsolete. I'd like to at least salvage the memory though if possible. I don't know though if memory technology has changed in the past 7 years.

Recommendations?

 

[Ryan_78]

Hmm the CPU.mobo/RAM combo are old but still viable for gaming. 32GB DDR3 will get you pretty far(definitely salvageable), the Mobo and CPU (probally 2600/k you have) is still on most kaby lake i5 performance tier(lacks support for newer instructions). if you have a K version, you can overclock that(if you are wiling) the GPU is definitely pretty old. I would go find a GTX 1060 to pair with that kit you have, Check the PSU and see if you need to change it out as it degrades over the years, especially if you have a low quality psu on the PSU tier list

Update: for example I run a x5660 at 4.0GHz and a HD7970, and can still play most new games at high/ultra 1080p 60fps (my GPU lacks a bit, but oh well) The CPU is never stressed beyond 75% and its a generation older than your i7.
But if you do plan to move to a newer platform you gotta trade in that ram bro sorrry.

 

[Candan]

Ya gotta check if your ram is DDR3 OR DDR4. That would be a show stopper if it's DDR3 and you want to bring it to a new motherboard

 

[TJ Hooker]

Ya gotta check if your ram is DDR3 OR DDR4. That would be a show stopper if it's DDR3 and you want to bring it to a new motherboard

It's pretty clear it's DDR3 given a) the mobo listed; and b) the fact that the build is 7 years old.

 

[Tanoxil]

The i7-2600/k is still a viable CPU by today's standards (about 70% worse comparing it to the current gen i7): http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i7-8700K-vs-Intel-Core-i7-2600K/3937vs621 but I would strongly recommend that you change your GPU because it draws a lot of power from the system and is a lot less powerful that the 1000 series (about 300% less powerful than the gtx 1080): http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-580-vs-Nvidia-GTX-1080/3150vs3603. If you want an almost completely new system especially if your motherboard died you could probably keep the power supply (if it's in good condition), your hard drive/ssd and the case if you like it and just sell everything else. Also it depends what is your budget.

 

[robroth]

Thanks all, I've had no complaints about the performance of this pc, especially for something this old. It pays to buy good stuff. If I find the issue is the corsair tx650 I'll just replace it, but if it's the mobo and I have to tear everything out to replace that, that got me started thinking I'd just start fresh. I don't have a budget per se, I tend to buy best bang for the buck and maybe go a step higher, however much that costs. Sounds like I'm best off starting from scratch if it's the mobo. Appreciate the advice everyone has provided.

 

[Tanoxil]

This would be the "best bang for your buck" build in my opinion if you were to buy everything new:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i5-8400 2.8GHz 6-Core Processor ($199.89 @ B&H)
Motherboard: MSI - Z370-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($117.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($109.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: ADATA - Ultimate SU800 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1060 3GB 3GB SC GAMING Video Card ($204.89 @ B&H)
Case: Cooler Master - MasterBox Lite 5 ATX Mid Tower Case ($49.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G2 550W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($75.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $867.73
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-12-15 16:52 EST-0500

If you want something higher end for future proofing and not worrying about the pc for years I would recommend this one:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor ($404.00 @ B&H)
CPU Cooler: Corsair - H100i v2 70.7 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($108.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus - ROG STRIX Z370-E GAMING ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($197.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial - MX300 275GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($89.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate - Barracuda 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB GAMING Video Card ($249.99 @ B&H)
Case: Phanteks - Enthoo Pro ATX Full Tower Case ($108.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G2 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($104.99 @ B&H)
Total: $1523.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-12-15 17:27 EST-0500

 

[robroth]

FWIW, I bought a power supply tester and the PS is fine. So seems its the motherboard. I'm going to use the same case (Antec Sonata 2), PS (Corsair TX650), and for now video card (R9 280) since I rarely game... I can upgrade later). I debated on just replacing the MB with the same one but couldn't believe a 7 year old MB is still selling for $100-150, even used. I'm going to also cross my fingers and try to boot up the same hard drive and see if I can't get in in safe mode and update some drivers, but I realize I'll likely end up with a BSOD and have to reinstall everything from scratch. I'll just buy a new drive if that happens. Probably an SSD for the OS. I have a huge NAS so don't need a ton of storage on the PC. Tanoxil, thanks for the tip on that website. I'm just about to order:

Intel - Core i7-8700K 3.7GHz 6-Core Processor
CRYORIG - H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler
Gigabyte - Z370 AORUS Gaming 7 (rev. 1.0) ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
Memory : G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory

 

[robroth]

I'm rethinking the Gigabyte... reading some not so flattering reviews......
maybe the maximus X hero........

 

[robroth]

...and despite the power supply tester saying the PS was good, I trusted my instincts, bought only a new PS, and that fixed everything. No new PC for me today. What's the point in a power supply tester that can't tell you if the PS is actually working correctly??

 

[TJ Hooker]

I'm guessing the power tester just makes sure it turns on, and possibly checks that the voltage rails are within spec without any load. The equipment required to properly test a power supply isn't cheap.