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2500K CPU/Mobo/RAM Upgrade

C

causticspill

Limp Gawd
Joined
Mar 28, 2010
Messages
376
It appears as though my trusty GA-965P-DS3 has gone out on me. Everything was working fine as of late last night when I shut it down, but this morning it wouldn't boot. No post, no fans, nothing. Dead. The PSU checks out okay with the paper-clip trick and multimeter. No luck with a breadboard set up. No obvious signs of damage. :confused:

So, instead of spending money on another 775 mobo (which I may still do in the future for a backup/kids PC) it seems to make more sense to put that money toward new guts: a 2500K, mobo and RAM. I was planning on waiting for Ivy so I'm not as up to date on current motherboards as I would like to be; guidance is appreciated. The new CPU, RAM, and motherboard will form the core of the PC I plan on using for at least the next three years, where with time I plan to also upgrade the video card, PSU, OS drive (the raptor could be the next thing to go...) and case.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming, though typically not the latest and greatest (that could change with the new CPU and a vid card upgrade next year). Also browsing, office (Word, etc), the occasional video encoding.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Would like to keep the budget around 400-450 with tax and shipping.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Denver Metro. Microcenter is 30 min away, the 2500K ($180 right now) will come from there; the other parts too, if economical. I'm happy to order the mobo/RAM though to save a few bucks.

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
2500K, RAM (at least 4 GB, preferably 8 GB), motherboard.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Case, Enermax Liberty 500W PSU, mouse, keyboard, speakers, monitor, hard drives, optical drive, Hyper 212+, HD4850

6) Will you be overclocking?
Of course!

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
25.5" Samsung @ 1920x1200

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Could order parts ASAP, will make the trip to Microcenter this weekend. I see RAM shell-shocker deals nearly every other day- worth it to hold out a few days for one? Probably not.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.
I'd like USB 3.0 support, SLI/Crossfire would be a nice option for the future (this can be dropped if it kicks pricing out of the budget), durability/a good warranty (at least 3 years), SATA 6GB/s, OC friendly, a mid-range ATX with good ratings would be perfect.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, Win7 Professional x64

I appreciate the help, happy shopping!
 
All right, grab the Core i7 2600K and the Asus P8Z68-V for $380 from Microcenter. Yes all you really need is the Core i5 2500K but the price difference between the 2500K + mobo and 2600K + mobo is roughly $40 due to the fact that you get $80 off certain Z68 motherboards if you buy it with a Core i7 2600K CPU. IMO, that's $40 well spent. Here's the ad for reference:
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/15a039e6#/15a039e6/27

RAM wise, really no point in waiting unless you want to save like $6 or so. I recommend this RAM:
$42 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM

Though the next part in your setup that you should replace is that PSU: It's a fairly old PSU that wasn't all that great to begin with.
 
Thanks Danny, I saw that combo deal after I had cranked out my post.... but it was late and I was tired/frustrated.

Point taken on the PSU; part of me feels like I should just pick up a new one anyway in the event that my conclusion that the Liberty is still functioning properly is incorrect. Will have to double-check the budget and go from there. Thanks again for the advice.
 
All of your drives are SATA, right? just checking. ;)

Oh, and make sure you have the LGA1155 bracket for your Hyper212.
 
Yes, all SATA, thanks enginurd.

I have the all-in-one bracket that states compatibility with 1156; sounds like 1155 is identical.
 
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