Build Advice Very long overdue upgrade, advice please!

Aug 24, 2022
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Hello,
I have a pretty old desktop which I upgraded the power supply, graphics card and RAM but the motherboard has already died on me once and it's so old finding a replacement is not practical.

I'm trying to find the most cost-effective upgrade by keeping the parts mentioned above.
They are:
PSU - Corsair CP9020048-UK Builder Series CX600M ATX/EPS 80 Plus Bronze PSU, 600w
RAM - 2x Crucial 8GB DDR3L-1600 UDIMM CT102464BA160B
GPU - Gigabyte GeForce 1080 8GB Windforce OC 8G

I'm not a heavy gamer, and I've found that this coupled with the current Intel Core i7-4790 3.60ghz has been all I need for gaming, most games run at high settings on my 32" ultrawide at 3440x1440.
I don't need to go to anything super high-end, something that closely matches what I've got will be fine. Just better supported and more reliable!

Thanks in advance.
Chris
 
I'm trying to find the most cost-effective upgrade by keeping the parts mentioned above.
They are:
PSU - Corsair CP9020048-UK Builder Series CX600M ATX/EPS 80 Plus Bronze PSU, 600w
RAM - 2x Crucial 8GB DDR3L-1600 UDIMM CT102464BA160B
GPU - Gigabyte GeForce 1080 8GB Windforce OC 8G


Maybe I am confused.

You want to KEEP those parts?

DDR3 would restrict you to a quite old motherboard.

How old is that power supply?

What is your hard drive situation? No SSD?
 
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Aug 24, 2022
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Maybe I am confused.

You want to KEEP those parts?

DDR3 would restrict you to a quite old motherboard.

How old is that power supply?

What is your hard drive situation? No SSD?

Well, these are the parts I had upgraded, so if they'll last to a new system it could save me some money.
PSU and RAM I'm open to replacing if it's going to be easier, especially with DDR3 but my main aim is to keep costs down.
The GPU I don't need to upgrade as it does all I need to for now.
The hard drive is currently spinning rust so I can transplant that for the moment and upgrade to SSD later if it doesn't have much change in the overall cost.
 
What is your total overall max budget?

What is your location?

What will be your parts source? Amazon? Local store?

I'd guess a bare minimum idea would be:

New CPU: Intel i-3 or i-5; cost 130 on up.

New motherboard. Probably with a B or H series chipset. Cost 130 on up

New RAM; 16 GB of DDR4. A kit of 2 sticks, 8 GB each. Maybe 50 bucks.

Total cost 400 on up, depending on where you draw the line.

Keep everything else if you must.

Is 400 dollars beyond your limit?
 

warriorlax1234

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I say it's time to go DDR4. Upgrade the platform. Heck, I'd wait for the next gen of CPU's to come out, continue to save some money, then upgrade to an AMD 7000 series or Intel 13 series. PCI express 5.0 , 4.0, DDR4 or DDR5. That's the next evolution. Build what you can within budget, but even i3 CPU's from a newer gen would equal or be better than your current CPU. I assume anyhow.
 
Hello,
I have a pretty old desktop which I upgraded the power supply, graphics card and RAM but the motherboard has already died on me once and it's so old finding a replacement is not practical.

I'm trying to find the most cost-effective upgrade by keeping the parts mentioned above.
They are:
PSU - Corsair CP9020048-UK Builder Series CX600M ATX/EPS 80 Plus Bronze PSU, 600w
RAM - 2x Crucial 8GB DDR3L-1600 UDIMM CT102464BA160B
GPU - Gigabyte GeForce 1080 8GB Windforce OC 8G

I'm not a heavy gamer, and I've found that this coupled with the current Intel Core i7-4790 3.60ghz has been all I need for gaming, most games run at high settings on my 32" ultrawide at 3440x1440.
I don't need to go to anything super high-end, something that closely matches what I've got will be fine. Just better supported and more reliable!

Thanks in advance.
Chris
I suspect the only thing your going to be able to save is the gpu.
So it's paper and pencil and shopping time.
It's your budget so you will have to do the shopping.
 
Aug 24, 2022
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Thanks all.

I think I agree that the only part worth the hassle of saving is going to be the GPU, possibly the power supply as it's 600w and should still be good?

So, starting from that point, I have no clue where to go from there! I've tried building some systems but there's just so much to choose from I have no idea where to start or what's a good choice.
If I start with an ideal cost of <£400 and a processor that is at least equivalent to my current i7, is someone able to give me an idea of what motherboard I need to look for?

Thanks again!
 
Try this as a starting point:

Motherboard; Asus, Gigabyte, or MSI; with "H610M" or "B660M" in the model number

CPU; Intel i3-12100; it comes with a cooler.

RAM; a "kit" of DDR 4 sold as 1 unit; 2 sticks in the kit; 4 GB per stick, total of 8 GB; possibly 2 sticks of 8 GB totaling 16 GB if budget allows. Speed rating not critical.

Go to your chosen vendor and shop within your budget max.

Post a link to that vendor.

Post your preliminary list for those 3 parts, with prices.

The Corsair CX I assume is 10 plus years old. I'd prefer you replace it, but not at the expense of the above 3 parts.

Take your time.
 
Aug 24, 2022
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Try this as a starting point:

Motherboard; Asus, Gigabyte, or MSI; with "H610M" or "B660M" in the model number

CPU; Intel i3-12100; it comes with a cooler.

RAM; a "kit" of DDR 4 sold as 1 unit; 2 sticks in the kit; 4 GB per stick, total of 8 GB; possibly 2 sticks of 8 GB totaling 16 GB if budget allows. Speed rating not critical.

Go to your chosen vendor and shop within your budget max.

Post a link to that vendor.

Post your preliminary list for those 3 parts, with prices.

The Corsair CX I assume is 10 plus years old. I'd prefer you replace it, but not at the expense of the above 3 parts.

Take your time.
Thanks, that helps a lot!
I've flung a build together here:
https://www.box.co.uk/create-your-o...26433,2970920,3572824,2873115,3849706,1632390
 
The "F" model does NOT include integrated graphics........which can be very handy if your graphics card is acting up or drops dead. How much more would you pay for the regular non-F i3-12100?

You chose a single stick of 8 GB RAM. No. Look for a "kit" of 2 sticks. 4 GB per stick. 8 total. You want 2 sticks sold as a unit in a kit.

I don't see any prices at your link so hard to tell exactly what you chose.
 
Aug 24, 2022
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The "F" model does NOT include integrated graphics
That's a very useful thing to know, thanks!
You chose a single stick of 8 GB RAM. No. Look for a "kit" of 2 sticks. 4 GB per stick. 8 total. You want 2 sticks sold as a unit in a kit.
Quite right, misread that. This supplier doesn't offer a 4GB kit, but I can always grab that separately.

Re prices:
Case - £92.65
CPU - £137.58
Motherboard - £57.49
Memory - £55.49
Storage - £36.99
PSU - £34.99 (recommendations for a brand with 5yr warranty?

OS - £93.99
 
That's a very useful thing to know, thanks!

Quite right, misread that. This supplier doesn't offer a 4GB kit, but I can always grab that separately.

Re prices:
Case - £92.65
CPU - £137.58
Motherboard - £57.49
Memory - £55.49
Storage - £36.99
PSU - £34.99 (recommendations for a brand with 5yr warranty?

OS - £93.99
Staying with that merchant.

https://www.box.co.uk/B12-BC-550-Seasonic-B12-BC-550-550W-Non-Modular-Gol_3746845.html

https://www.box.co.uk/CP-9020102-UK-Corsair-CX550M-550W-80-PLUS-Bronze-Semi-_1907247.html

Read the reviews on each psu.
 
Aug 24, 2022
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Thanks again!
so with regard to CPU and motherboard, what are the important specs I need to look for to ensure compatibility with my 1080?
Thats the point I get stuck in when researching it all really.
 
Aug 24, 2022
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Right, as a follow-up, I’ve created a build with what seems to be good:
https://www.box.co.uk/create-your-o...32390,1828564,2942723,3574384,2713794,2896018
but the Corsair CX550M (with 5yr warranty) doesn’t show as compatible.
If I create a build with that PSU as a starting point it limits the motherboard choices significantly, even thought its the same wattage. Is this a bug in the configurator or does the PSU have that big an impact on compatible boards?
https://www.box.co.uk/create-your-own-custom-pc?s=1907247,2713794,3574384,3611551,2330668,3572824
 
Is box.co the only possible placed you can configure a machine?

Try to go with an i3-12100.........NOT an i3 that begins with 10.

Or are you doing that for budget reasons?

I would NOT choose a Z series motherboard in your case.
 
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Aug 24, 2022
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Is box.co the only possible placed you can configure a machine?

Try to go with an i3-12100.........NOT an i3 that begins with 10.

Or are you doing that for budget reasons?

I would NOT choose a Z series motherboard in your case.
Nope, Box was just one of the first I came across that was easier to understand.
Budget is the primary reason, is there any reason not to go with the 10105? I don’t mind it being an older chip, it’s coming about 11% better than my current i7 and that already does everything I need. (https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i3-10105F-vs-Intel-Core-i7-4790/m1482345vs2293)
Re motherboard, what’s wrong with a Z series and what would you suggest instead? Again, I have no experience so just picked on pretty much at random based on the cost.
 
Box.co is nearly useless; I can't even see prices on what you chose.

At your budget level, you need to take care to spend where you get significant benefit and NOT spend where you won't realize any noticeable performance advantage.

An i3-12100 has a 31 percent advantage over the i3-10105 on a common benchmark.

The board and CPU you chose are 10th generation parts and cost 270 today at Newegg.com.

At your budget, you don't need a Z series board. You don't need an ATX motherboard.

I mentioned in post 4 above to look for an H series or B series motherboard. Not Z.

At Newegg right now:

12th generation parts.

Intel i3-12100; 130 dollars

There are 17 motherboards at Newegg priced at 140 or lower that could be suitable for you. All are 12th generation.

Total price of CPU and motherboard combination: 230 to 270, depending on which you choose.

Your choices (Z490 board and i3-10105 CPU) total 270.

https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?N=10000...15 601361694 601394666&LeftPriceRange=100+140


Some are B660 chipset.

Some are H610 chipset.

All are mATX.
 
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Aug 24, 2022
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Odd how you can’t see the prices, maybe because its a UK store.

Aside from the generation, are there any real reasons to choose 12th gen over 10th?
I don’t care about having the latest and greatest, my current i7 from 2014 does everything I need so I just need something to at least match the performance, with a motherboard that is more reliable than my current one which seems to be on its way out.
 
Odd how you can’t see the prices, maybe because its a UK store.

Aside from the generation, are there any real reasons to choose 12th gen over 10th?
I don’t care about having the latest and greatest, my current i7 from 2014 does everything I need so I just need something to at least match the performance, with a motherboard that is more reliable than my current one which seems to be on its way out.

There both powerful cpu that can run games but then you have to upgrade motherboard and also with your current stuff higher expensive cpu is not really needed. I would go with 10th cpu or even something higher with better cores and threads then your current cpu has now.
 
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Odd how you can’t see the prices, maybe because its a UK store.

Aside from the generation, are there any real reasons to choose 12th gen over 10th?
I don’t care about having the latest and greatest, my current i7 from 2014 does everything I need so I just need something to at least match the performance, with a motherboard that is more reliable than my current one which seems to be on its way out.

There are dozens of combinations that would give you performance equal to or better than an i7-4790.

Dozens.

Discussion goes nowhere unless we know several things:

1; where will you actually buy parts WITH PRICES VISIBLE. Link to that UK web site. Ideally 2 or 3 sources.

2; absolute maximum you will spend in UK pounds. You name the number.

3; A specifically named parts list for that maximum budget: Like "I need motherboard, CPU, RAM; I do not need case, power supply, drives, video card, or cooler". Specifically naming each part. You decide the parts.

Obviously....you need motherboard, CPU, and new DDR4 RAM at a minimum.

Without that, we continue to go nowhere and spin wheels.
 
Odd how you can’t see the prices, maybe because its a UK store.

Aside from the generation, are there any real reasons to choose 12th gen over 10th?
I don’t care about having the latest and greatest, my current i7 from 2014 does everything I need so I just need something to at least match the performance, with a motherboard that is more reliable than my current one which seems to be on its way out.
Build around the 12100 and see what the price comes out to.

It's just a better cpu than the 10 series and who knows what you might run tomorrow.......headroom.
 

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Something as a build to show you what can be done with about what you want to spend,

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i3-12100F 3.3 GHz Quad-Core Processor (£83.47 @ Ebuyer)
CPU Cooler: Deepcool AK400 66.47 CFM CPU Cooler (£30.00 @ Computer Orbit)
Motherboard: MSI PRO B660M-A DDR4 Micro ATX LGA1700 Motherboard (£127.49 @ Amazon UK)
Memory: Patriot Viper Steel 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory (£55.49 @ Box Limited)
Case: KOLINK Citadel Glass SE ARGB MicroATX Mid Tower Case (£55.48 @ Ebuyer)
Power Supply: Corsair RM750 (2019) 750 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply (£69.98 @ Scan.co.uk)
Total: £421.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-08-28 19:09 BST+0100


Myself would pick the cpu cooler, but isn't absolutley necessary,
Guess you reuse your current storage.
Need to add the windows, although if you already have windows 10 reuse the key if you linked it to a Microsoft account. Probably might still work if not, but it might take a phonecall to have it activated.
 
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