Motherboard, upgrade advice..?

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saiello

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Mar 29, 2013
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Hi,

Current spec:

Motherboard: Asus M2N-E SLI
CPU: AMD Athlon x64 6400+ 3.2GHz Dual core, Socket AM2
Memory: Kingston HyperX DDR2 800, 2GB x4 modules
Graphics: Asus Geforce GT730 1GB PCI-E 2.0
Drives: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB, 2 x IDE drives
OS: Windows 8.1 Pro
Power Supply: Akasa 460W
Case: ATX form

OK, my motherboard is old, as is the rest of my kit, fed up with trying to find chipset drivers... Time to upgrade at least the motherboard. I would like to keep my other existing bits with a view to upgrading them at a later date. Any recommendations..? I don't want to spend a bundle, I just need a more up to date motherboard that
will allow me to run Win 8.1 and upgrade to Win 10 at some point. I don't use my PC for gaming but do use it for 3D graphics such as Solidworks.

Thanks! :D
 
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Great..! :)

OK. So I'm going for:
1) Ryzen 1600X 3.6 GHz as it's only a few ££ more.
2) G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory CL14, again for very little £ more.
3) EVGA SuperNOVA 550 G2

As for the motherboard, scanning the reviews on newegg, the MSI Tomahawk seems to get mixed reactions, slow boot times, dead boards, etc.. Can you recommend anything else..? I would like something that will allow a fast boot ( my current PC boots up in around 10-15 seconds and shuts down in around 5-10... ). I'm assuming PCI-E 2.0 cards can be used in PCI-E...
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raisonjohn

raisonjohn

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Your current platform (AM2) is end-of-life/discontinued, so, you can't just upgrade the motherboard to the same platform that supports your current CPU and RAM and make it "up-to-date".

Current-gen / up-to-date platform for AMD is the AM4.

Upgrading to such AM4 platform means you HAVE TO change both your CPU (i.e., Ryzen CPU) and your RAM (i.e., DDR4 RAM) alongside the motherboard for compatibility.

Not sure what your budget is, as you did not mention it, but, you'd be looking at these costs for such upgrade (considering the use of your PC):

IDEAL/RECOMMENDED UPGRADE:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1600 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($197.28 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI - B350 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($135.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $413.26
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-01 13:20 EDT-0400

BUDGET/VALUE UPGRADE:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 1400 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($156.08 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($74.49 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2666 Memory ($73.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $304.56
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-09-01 13:23 EDT-0400
 
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saiello

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Well, they don't have exactly the ones I need, namely: Nvidia nForce 500 SLI MCP for Win 8.1.

I was going to give the Win 7 drivers a go for nForce 570 SLI AMD...

 
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saiello

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Mar 29, 2013
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OK, I get picture, my setup is ancient... pity it has served me very well all these years.... ;) Not much difference in price between your two options, I would tend to spend the extra money. Your Ideal/Recommended upgrade, is that for components that are the latest or just half decent..?

Thanks :)
 
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faalin

faalin

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Feb 22, 2012
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Also throw in a new PSU because that Akasa its probably not going to have a 8 pin ESP plug on it for the new motherboards.
 
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saiello

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Ach, went do download and it says access denied...?? :(
 
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saiello

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Mar 29, 2013
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OK... :)
 
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raisonjohn

raisonjohn

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The $413.26 option is already a decent upgrade for the price (not half-decent and not the best ever there is, considering the things you will do and your budgetary constraints).

The Ryzen 5 1600 features 6-cores with multi-threading (i.e., 12 threads) which is especially useful for rendering. Such CPU is also unlocked (i.e., overclockable on a B350-chipset or X370-chipset AM4 motherboard) with an included decent stock CPU cooler in the box (beefier than Intel's stock coolers). Though there are better CPUs available, such as the Ryzen 7 (8-core/16-thread) and the AMD's Threadripper line of CPUs (for enthusiast builds), the Ryzen 5 1600 is one of the most recommended CPU for its price/performance ratio.

The B350-chipset motherboard features OC'ing capabilities. There are a LOT of other options to choose from, depending on the features you want and the ports/connections you need. You can take a closer look at the list I made here: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-3502839/am4-motherboard-amd-ryzen-cpu-specs-comparison-list.html for comparing different AM4 motherboard options that would suit your requirement. The X370 motherboards does have more features and connectivity (such as SLI support, 6 - 10 SATA ports, and more power phases) but, like the suggested CPU, the B350 motherboards offer a good price/performance ratio as well.

Getting a 16GB high-speed (3200MHz) RAM kit is also the most recommended upgrade for an AMD/AM4 Ryzen build. Though you can choose more capacity (32GB) or more speed (3600++MHz), the 16GB-3200MHz is the sweet-spot for price/performance.

Depending on the GPU upgrade you are planning to go with, I would also recommend to upgrade your 460W PSU. Though your current PSU has enough amps/watts that can power your current rig (as well as the suggested CPU-MB-RAM combo), the quality, performance, and reliability of your mediocre PSU should not be neglected.

With a single GPU setup such as an RX580-8GB/GTX 1070/GTX 1080, I'd look into getting a good-quality 550W PSU such as the Corsair RM550x or EVGA Supernova G2 550. If your looking at a GTX 1060-6GB or lower, the Corsair CX450M or the Seasonic M12II-520 EVO are affordable choices.
 
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saiello

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Mar 29, 2013
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Hi,

That's great, thanks for all of your advice, just trying to digest it all... It's a long while since I built my first PC's and it's a minefield out there.. I've got the picture that my current setup is decrepit and anything will be a vast improvement... ;) I'm going to go for your Ideal/Recommended option. Can I use my current graphics card ( ASUS Geforce GT730 ) with the MSI B350 Tomahawk..?
 
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saiello

Honorable
Mar 29, 2013
22
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10,520



Great..! :)

OK. So I'm going for:
1) Ryzen 1600X 3.6 GHz as it's only a few ££ more.
2) G.Skill - Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory CL14, again for very little £ more.
3) EVGA SuperNOVA 550 G2

As for the motherboard, scanning the reviews on newegg, the MSI Tomahawk seems to get mixed reactions, slow boot times, dead boards, etc.. Can you recommend anything else..? I would like something that will allow a fast boot ( my current PC boots up in around 10-15 seconds and shuts down in around 5-10... ). I'm assuming PCI-E 2.0 cards can be used in PCI-E 3.0 slots..? I know there are a lot of options out there in terms of connectivity.. I need good a handful of USB 2.0/3.0 ports, a few SATA 6GBs ports, a means to connect my existing IDE drives ( x2 ), basic on board sound, fast Ethernet connection, single GPU... nothing special.. As I mentioned, it is not going to be used for gaming, just 3D graphics software: Solidworks, Autocad, etc, Photoshop.. If the board allows a good upgrade path for the faster Ryzen CPUs/Memory then all the better.. :)

Thanks again.. :D
 
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