Im thinking of doing some upgrades, need to ask a few Qs.

[Vindekarr]

Just a few quick questions relating to an upgrade Im thinking of doing.

 

1: I need to improve the RAM in my machine, it's currently got 6 GB DDR-3 RAM from 3 sticks, I could put in double that, 3 much more powerful sticks form Corsair for well, not a whole lot. Is there anything that restricts what sort of RAM you can use besides sockets? Is it a case of "cram in as much as you can fit in the sockets you have" or more complicated/restricted?

 

2: It's time for a new case, that much is obvious. I've got my eye on a nice Thermaltake that's got similar layout to what I've got right now. Is moving the machine to it's new housing somethign I, a total layperson could do at home, or will I want to send it off to be refitted. If it needs a refit, would that likely be an expensive thing, assuming I provide the case it's going into?

 

3: One thing that is going in is a 1000W PSU, the Thermaltake's got plenty of fans, but will a 1000W simply go into a machine built for a 720W(with a bigger case ofcourse) or does it need rewiring?

 

4: I may have to change motherboard eventualy, I have an EX-58 MB, which was to-of-the-line back in 2008. Is that still workable? or should I think about replacing.

 

And finaly, when it comes time to replace the MB, is it better to replace the motherboard, or the whole machine with a new rig from the ground up?

[prandiningrat]

Your mobo support Triple-Channel, so you need to use six RAMs on your motherboard...and upgrading RAM will depends on motherboard chipset, for example if motherboard chipset is Intel 945 then it will use only 2 slots of RAM.

X58 motherboard still powerful, and there is no best replacement motherboard chipset which support Triple-Channel (6 slots RAM), if you wish to upgrade wait for X79 motherboard chipset, this is the replacement for X58..

also, It would be better to upgrade whole machine than replacing motherboard, because if CPUs are no longer manufactured then it will getting difficult to find motherboard that supporting your CPU..

[Harbringe]

Assuming your running Win 7 ,8 gb of ram is sufficient .Whats the reasoning for needing a new case and if you currently have a PSU of 720 that should be plenty if your using a standard system setup ,1000 PSU is overkill , unless you have dual top of the line video cards and are running a raid setup..When you start talking mobo your really saying I wonder if I need a new system .Perhaps it would be a good idea to list what it is you currently have and then people could offer up advise as to whether to get ram or whatever.

 

Honestly your thinking comes across as haphazard type solutions and you could be throwing money away.

[Paxan_1]

Just a few quick questions relating to an upgrade Im thinking of doing.

 

1: I need to improve the RAM in my machine, it's currently got 6 GB DDR-3 RAM from 3 sticks, I could put in double that, 3 much more powerful sticks form Corsair for well, not a whole lot. Is there anything that restricts what sort of RAM you can use besides sockets? Is it a case of "cram in as much as you can fit in the sockets you have" or more complicated/restricted?

 

 

If you have 6 ram slots you are owning a Intel i7 system with socket lga 1366. If it is the motherboard i think (4) it is a Gigabyte EX58, would be nice if you can give the exact type ;).

The X58 chipset supports up 24 GB of Ram, if you already have installed 3x2GB you can easily add another tripple 2 GB set for 12GB ram. There is no limitation in that, use DDR 3 tripple channel Kits and it will work. If you have Corsair in it i would suggest to stay with that brand and buy another 6GB pack from Corsair. Btw, the advantage of using DDR3 1066 or DDR3 2000+ is very small, but its your choice oc.

 

 

2: It's time for a new case, that much is obvious. I've got my eye on a nice Thermaltake that's got similar layout to what I've got right now. Is moving the machine to it's new housing somethign I, a total layperson could do at home, or will I want to send it off to be refitted. If it needs a refit, would that likely be an expensive thing, assuming I provide the case it's going into?

 

 

Building a PC is like Lego for adults, the plugs will only fit there they belong to be fitted. Have space around and some antistatic bags where you can place the parts during the change process, mind static energy can destroy your Hardware, so please do yourself a favour and dont do it on the carpet.

If you begin, open the old case and take a photo if it so you will know where your cards and cables were installed (sometimes windows is moaning if you change the slot...). After that begin with the Harddrive and other drives. Unplug them and remove them. After that you will have more space and you can unplug the rest, remove the wires and remove the cards. My advice would be to unplug the main power connector as the last action you will do before you remove the mainboard. Why?, because with it plugged in your computer is still grounded.

Btw, you don't !! need to remove your CPU or the cooler from the mainboard for this whole procedure.

 

 

3: One thing that is going in is a 1000W PSU, the Thermaltake's got plenty of fans, but will a 1000W simply go into a machine built for a 720W(with a bigger case ofcourse) or does it need rewiring?

 

 

Well, to be honest i don't think you will need a 1000W PSU until you want to have a sli or crossfire system. For a "normal" i7 a 600W PSU is more than enough. There is a calculator available at the bequiet homepage, maybe you want to check it.

 

4: I may have to change motherboard eventualy, I have an EX-58 MB, which was to-of-the-line back in 2008. Is that still workable? or should I think about replacing.

 

 

If it is the mainboard i'm thinking it is there is no need to change it. The i7 is still a very powerful system.

 

And finaly, when it comes time to replace the MB, is it better to replace the motherboard, or the whole machine with a new rig from the ground up?

 

If you want to replace it motherbord only makes no sense, i would replace motherboard and cpu, because the cpu is that thing what give the power ;).

 

Btw, which graphic card are you using?

 

Sarah

[hoofhearted4]

ya, as sarah said about building the PC. its quite easy. as long as you dont force pieces where they shouldnt be, your all set. plugs and card and everything only fit one way. many times they will have a notch or a filled pin hole or something to make it so it only fits one way....also dont be afraid to take notes while taking apart your PC. the one thing that youll have to write down is the LED, Power Switch, Reset Button, etc wires thats in the bottom right of your mobo because those wires do need to go an exact way and face a certain way. youll know if you got it wrong because the thing the wire goes to wont work. its best to do it on the kitchen counter esp if its granite. handle your mobo by the edges or by the CPU heatsink. always touch the table and the case to keep yourself grounded. some ppl use an electrostatic strap but thats just overkill. and lastly, a minor detail, is make sure you use the right screws in the right places. most of the screws on the inside are fine threaded and the ones holding the case together or the PCI slots and stuff are coarse threaded. simply enough, dont force a coarse threaded one into a fine threaded slot lol.

 

 

your best friend is Google and even more so YouTube. there are a bunch of great videos on YouTube on how to assemble a PC and they are EXTREMELY helpful!

[cancausecancer]

1. Is there anything that restricts what sort of RAM you can use besides sockets?
    
   Ya, sometimes there are compatibility probs, go here to see the compatible memory modules for your board. Just because a module isn't in that list, it doesn't guarantee it isn't compatible, it's just showing which ones they know are compatible.
    
   
2. Is moving the machine to it's new housing somethign I, a total layperson could do at home
    
   Ya, it's totally something you can do at home. I've stepped my sister and some kids thru it before so just be take care (google it) and if you have to force something to connect it, chances are you're doing it wrong.
    
   
3. will a 1000W simply go into a machine built for a 720W(with a bigger case ofcourse) or does it need rewiring?
    
   Yes, it'll swap straight out because dimensions and screw locations are standard unless you have a proprietary case design which you probably don't.
    
   
4. I have an EX-58 MB, .. Is that still workable? or should I think about replacing.

 
Keep your board unless it's somehow holding you back. If you don't need SATA 6Gbs, USB 3 or more pci-e slots or to switch CPU types then you're good.
 
And finaly, when it comes time to replace the MB, is it better to replace the motherboard, or the whole machine with a new rig from the ground up?
 
Just calculate the cost + energy to upgrade your components vs. the cost to purchase a whole new machine. With upgrading you may not have
to buy a new hard drive, sound card, video card, ram, blu-ray, case, power supply, keyboard, mouse and that can save you money.

[Erik005]

This video helped me when I started building PC's

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUY0tP5jYIo&list=FLiH9uLv7xZh03uqY6LaEXKQ&index=4

[Vindekarr]

Thanks for the responses tguys, very encouraging.

 

Current setup is as follows.

 

CPU: i-7 quad, 240 series.

 

MOBO: Gigabyte tech EX-58.

 

GPU: EVGA GTX580 Black Ops(overclocked)

 

RAM: 3X Corsair 2GB stick, 1100 MHZ DDR3.

 

HDD: 2X 500 GB HDDs, RAID.

 

PSU: 720 CoolerMaster(getting old and tired)

 

Case: NZXT Hush Black with it's front door falling off.

 

Conclusion: Still strong but in dire need of upgrades to bring it into the 21st century, PSU nearly dead, shambolic case.

Edited September 11, 2011 by Vindekarr

[hoofhearted4]

i think you gave me the link to that video Erik, and thats the one i had in mind when i said that, and i have since watched it like 3 or 4 times, and have recommended it to many others! it is a really good video and very in depth. no skipping parts, nothing edited to save time. good video indeed

[Paxan_1]

Thanks for the responses tguys, very encouraging.

 

Current setup is as follows.

 

CPU: i-7 quad, 240 series.

 

MOBO: Gigabyte tech EX-58.

 

GPU: EVGA GTX580 Black Ops(overclocked)

 

RAM: 3X Corsair 2GB stick, 1100 MHZ DDR3.

 

HDD: 2X 500 GB HDDs, RAID.

 

PSU: 720 CoolerMaster(getting old and tired)

 

Case: NZXT Hush Black with it's front door falling off.

 

Conclusion: Still strong but in dire need of upgrades to bring it into the 21st century, PSU nearly dead, shambolic case.

 

 

Puhhh...., Well....,

this is a very powerfull gaming computer, if you ask me there is no "real" need to upgrade it.

 

My suggestions would be:

CPU: if you have the small one with 2.6GHz upgrade it to the i7 960 with 3.2 GHz, or take the one with 6 cores (970 or 980 ~ 450 - 500€)

 

Ram: upgrade it with another 6GB Kit to 12 MB, or if you like go for a 12GB Kit

 

GPU: no need to upgrade this

 

Mobo: no "real" need to upgrade this, if you want to have usb 3.0 and sata 3 you can upgrade it

 

HDD: i would add a SSD for the operation system

 

PSU: if it is getting old and tired buy a new one, a damaged psu can destroy your whole rig

 

Case: buy a new one ;)

 

 

Sarah