Time to upgrade.

[Deckland1982]

Hi, I was hoping to avoid this for a few months, but it looks like I'm going to have to upgrade my system. I thought my PSU was dead, so brought a replacement, however this has not helped, my system is still dead.

Am looking to get new mobo/cpu/ram at this stage. Will eventually want to game at 1440p but a new gpu will have to wait for now. Should i be looking at z170 or h170 mobos? Have never overclocked before, and am unlikely to go down the sli/xfire route. How do the boards stack up against each other? How easy is overclocking? Is it worth it? Am presuming an i5, but how much memory should i get? Is 16gb overkill? What speed should i get? It's been a while since i built and am somewhat out of touch! My current system is 1st/2nd generation core cpu, gpu is radeon 4750! Budget is around £400/£450, but obviuosly lower is better!

Any help gratefully recieved.

 

[BadActor]

List your current specs and budget and we could give some recommendations. What specifically is your problem on your current one?

 

[Hlsgsz]

Hi, I was hoping to avoid this for a few months, but it looks like I'm going to have to upgrade my system. I thought my PSU was dead, so brought a replacement, however this has not helped, my system is still dead.

Dude, you here for help or compassion? )

 

[Deckland1982]

Sorry guys, half my post went missing! My current system... nothing works! Literally, nothing turns on. Have switched out the psu for a new one, but still nothing. Presume mobo or cpu is dead.

 

[Deckland1982]

List your current specs and budget and we could give some recommendations. What specifically is your problem on your current one?

Can't remember exact model, but cpu is 1st or 2nd generation intel core processor, gpu is radeon 4750, 4gb of ram. Have replaced my psu with a 650w model from evga and purchased an ssd last week.

The issue with my current system is simple. It doesn't turn on! It WAS working (I left it updating something off steam). But when I got back to check on it, it was dead. No screen, no fans, nothing. Assumed psu, so replaced that (its was old and noisy too) hoping to fix the issue. However having swapped it out last night I still have the same issue, so presume the issue is with the mobo or cpu. Does this sound plausable?

My budget for replacing the mobo/cpu/ram is around £400. Since its unlikely that ill get to upgrade again anytime soon, i want to be as future proofed as possible, so at least 1 usb 3, maybe an m.2 socket? As I said, its unlikely that I will overclock, purely because I've never done it and wouldn't know where to begin! Althouh, if its reasonably straight forwards and there's a good guide I can follow, I'm not adverse to trying either. A gpu upgrade will have to wait for a few months, don't expect the wife would be pleased if I went to town right now.

In the future I'm wanting to be able to game at 1440p, ideally with al the bells turned on at least for a while. That being said, most of my games are a bit older, so probably not as taxing. Think Alien:isolation is the most recent title i have, will be getting planet coaster too. I had hoped to hold off until Zen/kabylake were out, but this seems unlikely now. Am also waiting to see how Vega and any new offering from Nvidia perform. I'm not a fan boh either way, but want value for money and performance that will see me through the next 5 years or so.

Thanks.

 

[Deckland1982]

Hi, I was hoping to avoid this for a few months, but it looks like I'm going to have to upgrade my system. I thought my PSU was dead, so brought a replacement, however this has not helped, my system is still dead.

Dude, you here for help or compassion? )

Was it to much to hope for both?

 

[Hlsgsz]

Hi, I was hoping to avoid this for a few months, but it looks like I'm going to have to upgrade my system. I thought my PSU was dead, so brought a replacement, however this has not helped, my system is still dead.

Dude, you here for help or compassion? )

Was it to much to hope for both?

I was referring to your initial complete lack of information rregarding you build.
And btw, regarding that, i would start by benching it: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/faq/id-1753671/bench-troubleshooting.html

Presuming you bought a good quality PSU(btw what model is it?) this is my recommendation for teh upgrade:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£262.00 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: *Gigabyte GA-B150M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£65.93 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: *Avexir Core Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (£62.99 @ Ebuyer)
Total: £390.92
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-09-29 00:04 BST+0100

While you could get away with spending 80 less and getting an i5 6500 and it owuld be very viable, seeing as you said you want to keep this new build for as long as possible, i consider the i7 a good investment. Thay age better.
The board has an M.2 slot and 16 gigs is not overkill but exactly what you should be getting.

 

[Deckland1982]

*sigh*

Bits of my posts keep going missing. I put smileys after that comment, because it was funny that my initial post didn't go up properly. Now i look like an asshat!

 

[Hlsgsz]

*sigh*

Bits of my posts keep going missing. I put smileys after that comment, because it was funny that my initial post didn't go up properly. Now i look like an asshat!

No worries man.
Did you try to bench your system or are you just going for the upgrade?

 

[Deckland1982]

*sigh*

Bits of my posts keep going missing. I put smileys after that comment, because it was funny that my initial post didn't go up properly. Now i look like an asshat!

No worries man.
Did you try to bench your system or are you just going for the upgrade?

Can't bench, it won't turn on! Will almost certainly go for the upgrade. The psu i got is an evga 650w p2? Also got an evo 850 ssd 500gb. Is there much difference performance wise (thinking gaming here) between b150 / h170 / z170 boards?i know features are different, can only oc on z150 etc, but would i be handicapping my i7 putting it on a b150 board? Is it worth stretching the budget a little to get a "better" board / faster RAM?

 

[Hlsgsz]

*sigh*

Bits of my posts keep going missing. I put smileys after that comment, because it was funny that my initial post didn't go up properly. Now i look like an asshat!

No worries man.
Did you try to bench your system or are you just going for the upgrade?

Can't bench, it won't turn on! Will almost certainly go for the upgrade. The psu i got is an evga 650w p2? Also got an evo 850 ssd 500gb. Is there much difference performance wise (thinking gaming here) between b150 / h170 / z170 boards?i know features are different, can only oc on z150 etc, but would i be handicapping my i7 putting it on a b150 board? Is it worth stretching the budget a little to get a "better" board / faster RAM?

Performance-wise, no difference whatsoever. Even a h100 board will game the same. It's all about overclockign and features, so a z170 board is only merited if also getting an i7 6700k and overclocking it(either now or in the future when it shows it's age). Honestly though, by teh ime aan i7 6700 shows it's age, a platform change will probably be merited for new features and whatnot.

As for RAM, only a hadful benefit from faster frequencies(Fallout 4 is a notable example). Most work the same regardless. So i;ts not worth it to get a z170 board and fast ram, really. Just get teh cheapest 2x8 kti of DDR4 2133 or 2400 just like i put in teh build.

 

[Deckland1982]

Thanks. That was my biggest concern, good to know the difference is non existant. Will read some reviews and make choices! Its good to know that if i do decide to stretch a little that its probably better spent on the cpu than the otner kit. Cant guarantee I'll follow your exact choices, but will certainly follow your lead!

 

[Hlsgsz]

Glad to help. You're welcome!
Do post once you decide though so we can veto it before you buy

 

[Deckland1982]

[PCPartPicker part list](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/JkNfd6) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/JkNfd6/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/7V7CmG/intel-cpu-bx80662i76700) | £259.00 @ Amazon UK
**CPU Cooler** | [Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/wjmLrH/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhu12s) | £49.49 @ Ebuyer
**Motherboard** | [Gigabyte GA-H170-HD3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/Vx648d/gigabyte-motherboard-gah170hd3) | £89.99 @ Amazon UK
**Memory** | [Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/PL2rxr/corsair-memory-cmk16gx4m2a2133c13) | £68.99 @ Ebuyer
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| **Total** | **£467.47**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2016-10-05 20:10 BST+0100 |

Was thinking about this. Is the heatsink overkill? Would the pcb support the weight?

 

[Hlsgsz]

[PCPartPicker part list](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/JkNfd6) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/JkNfd6/by_merchant/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/7V7CmG/intel-cpu-bx80662i76700) | £259.00 @ Amazon UK
**CPU Cooler** | [Noctua NH-U12S 55.0 CFM CPU Cooler](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/wjmLrH/noctua-cpu-cooler-nhu12s) | £49.49 @ Ebuyer
**Motherboard** | [Gigabyte GA-H170-HD3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/Vx648d/gigabyte-motherboard-gah170hd3) | £89.99 @ Amazon UK
**Memory** | [Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory](http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/product/PL2rxr/corsair-memory-cmk16gx4m2a2133c13) | £68.99 @ Ebuyer
| *Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts* |
| **Total** | **£467.47**
| Generated by [PCPartPicker](http://pcpartpicker.com) 2016-10-05 20:10 BST+0100 |

Was thinking about this. Is the heatsink overkill? Would the pcb support the weight?

Yes it would support it but it's way overkill. Honestly, you don;t really need an after market cooler for a skylake non-k build, unless you find the stock one too noisy(it's not, really).
That being said, this is the best bang for buck cooler out there these days. Alse, 0 ram interference etc.:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor (£259.00 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler (£39.99 @ Ebuyer)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H170-HD3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£89.99 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory (£68.99 @ Ebuyer)
Total: £457.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-10-05 20:25 BST+0100

 

[Deckland1982]

All done and purchased! Thanks for your help! Now just waiting to see what the new round of gpus bring.

 

[Hlsgsz]

Your welcome! Enjoy your new build.

 

[Deckland1982]

Ok, all components have arrived, put it all together annnnd..... nothing. No fans spinning, no beeps, nada. Am I missing something? Everything appears to be conected correctly, monitor etc running if same extension cord so not that. Banging my head against the wall over here.

 

[Hlsgsz]

You probably just missed something. Go through this carefully: www.tomshardware.co.uk/forum/261145-31-perform-steps-posting-post-boot-video-problems
If taht doesn;t help, again, bench it: www.tomshardware.co.uk/faq/id-1753671/bench-troubleshooting.html

 

[Deckland1982]

All sorted. Front panel conectors, strangely enough. Lessons learned? Before ditching your existing system, check everything. Also, don't run wires under your motherboard. Oh well, I got an upgrade! Just need to convince the boss to allow me to upgeade my gpu next year. Thanks for your help!

 

[Hlsgsz]

You're welcome!