# Looking to upgrade motherboard and graphics card



## Blaircroft (Mar 19, 2010)

Ok ive got some extra cash and looking to upgrade my 4 year old Mobo and 2 year old GPU. Not that this setup hasnt served me well it has but im running into driver compatibility issues with the mobo as of late. I lean pretty heavily on the AMD/Nvidia side but if i can find a better deal on the other side im open. Ok here is what i have and what im looking at off the top.

What i have:

Mobo: MSI K9N Sli Platinum
CPU:  Dual Core AMD2 5800+ 3.0 ghz
GPU:  NVIDIA GeForce 9600 GT Alpha Dog Edition (512mb)
Memory: 4x 1GB OCZ XTC Sli DDR2
Cooling: Antec Fan Card, 2x 120mm factory mounted
HDD: WD: 1.5TB/250GB
CDROM: Lite-On Light Scribe Multi DVD All Write
Monitor: Acer 22" Widescreen
Case: Ultra Grid ATX V-Series
PSU: Apevia Warlock Power 900W
OS: Windows 7 Pro Media Center Edition 64-bit

Heres what im looking at:

Mobo: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5687458&Sku=B69-4108

GPU: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=15429&Sku=B52-0262 PROMO

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=15447&CatId=3775

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=15396&CatId=3775

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814143190


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## DonInKansas (Mar 19, 2010)

Budget?  Also, TD runs kind of high on most all their prices.  Try Newegg.


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## jellyrole (Mar 19, 2010)

What's your budget? Also, you probably don't want to put yourself through the 750i chipset bullshit. I personally had a ton of bad experiences with that mother and frankly its a dead socket. Let us know what your budget is and we can help you out a bit better!


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## afw (Mar 19, 2010)

+1 on buying from newegg ...  check these 
CPU+MOBO combo (same price but better Processor and mobo) --->http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.352757

RAM --> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820211364&cm_re=ddr3-_-20-211-364-_-Product

VGA ($150 after rebate .. performs the same as GTX 260)--> http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127484&cm_re=5770-_-14-127-484-_-Product


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## Blaircroft (Mar 19, 2010)

The main things im looking at are the Mobo/CPU and GPU and i probly dont want to spend more then $300 on the mobo/CPU and $380 on the GPU. How reliable is Biostar im going to check out some benchmarks and stuff? Would i need to invest some into a better cooling system if so i probly wouldnt want to spend more then $150.


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## theonedub (Mar 19, 2010)

Willing to buy used? I've got a couple things for sale


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## Blaircroft (Mar 19, 2010)

theonedub said:


> Willing to buy used? I've got a couple things for sale



Yea im a little weird about buying used electronics nothing against you man but i like to have the peace of mind.


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## Trigger911 (Mar 19, 2010)

I've been buying stuff here like crazy all my friends are all very satisfied I was skerd (scared) at first too but make sure the person has been around and has a decent rep.

The dub's stuff looks pretty clean and looks like he takes care of his stuff imho ...


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## Blaircroft (Mar 20, 2010)

here is a review of the GPU im looking at from Newegg $200 less then the 295 and with the step up program i could upgrade by the time that price comes down a hair. 

http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2009/01/30/bfg-tech-geforce-gtx-285-ocx-1gb/1


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## afw (Mar 20, 2010)

You're better off buying a 5850 than getting a 285 ... it performs better  ... consumes less power ... produces less heat ... DX11 ... eyfinity ... massive overclocking potential .... and costs $80 less than the BFG OCX  .... (the list goes on) ... 

Are you an NV guy ??


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## Blaircroft (Mar 20, 2010)

Ive just herd from friends that ATI cards get returned alot and they typically have driver issues. Havnt really expirenced any myself b/c i usually go Nvidia. Yea thanks for the suggestion im not bias ill look into it


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## Blaircroft (Mar 21, 2010)

wow everywhere ive looked the 5850 seems to be getting better reviews then the GTX 285 im pretty much sold on the GPU now i just need to get a processor,mobo,memory to go with it so the I5/7 processors are a hassle anyone else haveing bad expirences with it?


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## JrRacinFan (Mar 21, 2010)

To actually make it feel like an upgrade:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.353163


Remember though if all you are going to be doing is gaming I suggest keeping what you have and upgrading your video card.


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## Blaircroft (Mar 21, 2010)

ok heres what ive put together

CPU: Intel Core i7 920 2.66ghz  $279.99
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...CODE=GOOGLEBASE&cm_mmc_o=VRqCjC7BBTkwCjCECjCE

Mobo: Asus Rampage II Extreme  $354.99
http://www.ewiz.com/detail.php?name...5da513bd90b65f5177633731666d26f058ead0fc27db1

GPU: XFX - RADEON HD5850 PCIE 1GB DDR5   317.97
http://www.pcnation.com/web/details.asp?affid=808&item=BX4105

Memory: OCZ Gold 6GB DDR3 $160.99 before $30 Mail-in rebate
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365

This is somewhat over my budget lol but its top of the line products from what ive read. I could shave it down if anyone can think of anything but ive got the money to blow on this.   
grand total: $1113.94


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## T-Bob (Mar 21, 2010)

Excellent parts, you will be very happy with that upgrade. Though you may want to consider a good HSF cooler, if you plan to overclock the CPU.


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## afw (Mar 21, 2010)

go with this MOBO ... check the user reviews ... the MOBO is just awesome .. 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131614&cm_re=x58-_-13-131-614-_-Product

and i dont think OCZ is the best in the memory business .. go  with either CORSAIR or G-Skill
check these ... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231247&cm_re=ddr3-_-20-231-247-_-Product
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820145222&cm_re=ddr3-_-20-145-222-_-Product

you save around $50 with the above MOBO  and the RAM costs pretty much the same... 

or you could go with i7 860 (socket 1156) which performs pretty much the same as 920 ... even better in some instances  ... http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115214&cm_re=i7_860-_-19-115-214-_-Product

socket 1156 motherboards cost less .. so you can save some money there and dual channel DDR3 cost less and u can save some there as well ...  

good luck with the build ...


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## Blaircroft (Mar 21, 2010)

Sweet action! I overlooked that mobo for some reason i remm seeing it. The reason i decided to go with the 920 is ive read that its designed for  multi gpus. Also ive herd that you can overclock it past 3.0 wit hthe stock turbo.


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## afw (Mar 22, 2010)

well the i7 860 too is similar to the i7 920 in specs ... 4 cores ... 8 threads .. turbo modes ... 8mb cache ...etc .. 

the differences are ... 860 is clocked @ 2.8GHz compared to 2.66GHz in 920 and in turbo mode the 860 overclocks itself to 3.46Ghz ... and FYI the 860 too can handle muliple GPUs ... and the 920 has more memory lanes ....

and hey im suggesting 860 (socket 1156) only if you are short of money ... 920 is a great processor and could overclock well with good cooling ... if you have enough money go with the 920 ...  ... and post some pics and overclocks of your rig once its done ... 

860 specs ---> http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=41316
920 specs ---> http://ark.intel.com/Product.aspx?id=37147

and heres a review on 860 ---> http://www.anandtech.com/cpuchipsets/showdoc.aspx?i=3641&p=1


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## JrRacinFan (Mar 22, 2010)

Blaircroft said:


> ok heres what ive put together
> 
> CPU: Intel Core i7 920 2.66ghz  $279.99
> http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...CODE=GOOGLEBASE&cm_mmc_o=VRqCjC7BBTkwCjCECjCE
> ...



What is going to be the main sole purpose of your upgrade? I know I kind of asked you in a "beat around the bush" way.


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## brandonwh64 (Mar 22, 2010)

Blaircroft said:


> ok heres what ive put together
> 
> CPU: Intel Core i7 920 2.66ghz  $279.99
> http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...CODE=GOOGLEBASE&cm_mmc_o=VRqCjC7BBTkwCjCECjCE
> ...



Similar specs of my PC ATM. I have the littler rampage II GENE board and my memory is crucial D9s


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## ShiBDiB (Mar 22, 2010)

920 is a beast of a chip, next thing im looking to upgrade too

and 1000 posts


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## Blaircroft (Mar 22, 2010)

Thanks afw for all the valuable resources they really helped me alot. I think the sole purpose of the upgrade started out to be the unstable video drivers then ended up being a total makeover to at least some of the latest  parts in my price range, you see ive never overclocked or had a a rig that was this powerful i might like to try it i cant wait to see how my games look.


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## afw (Mar 23, 2010)

Blaircroft said:


> Thanks afw for all the valuable resources they really helped me alot. I think the sole purpose of the upgrade started out to be the unstable video drivers then ended up being a total makeover to at least some of the latest  parts in my price range, you see ive never overclocked or had a a rig that was this powerful i might like to try it i cant wait to see how my games look.



Ur Welcome  .... and one more thing .... don't buy the VGA card for now ... wait another couple of weeks ... as you may know ... nVidia are releasing their DX11 cards on the 26th ... and if their prices and performances are competitive ... ATi will surely drop the prices on the new 5800 series cards  ... who knows .. you might be able to get a 5870 with what you have ...  ...

But there is another rumor that the nVidia cards wont hit stores until 2nd week of April  ... so its upto you to decide ... 

And where exactly do you live ... you can buy i7 920/930/860 processors from Microcenter stores and save another $100 or so ... 

processors ---> http://www.microcenter.com/search/search_results.phtml?coordinate_group=HB3C
store locations ---> http://www.microcenter.com/at_the_stores/index.html

good luck ...


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## JrRacinFan (Mar 23, 2010)

Blaircroft said:


> Thanks afw for all the valuable resources they really helped me alot. I think the sole purpose of the upgrade started out to be the unstable video drivers then ended up being a total makeover to at least some of the latest  parts in my price range, you see ive never overclocked or had a a rig that was this powerful i might like to try it i cant wait to see how my games look.



Oh ok so your building the rig just for gaming then? As said above wait another week or so. Oh and I suggest an Athlon II x4 6x0 if you are on a budget or i7 930 if you have basically no limit. Also, if you game at 1080p and below, I suggest looking into an ATi HD5770.


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## assaulter_99 (Mar 23, 2010)

If you're only gonna game, why don't you build yourself a nice amd rig? It would be a tad cheaper tbh. The number of fps difference between amd and intel in gaming is pretty much insignificant. It has been stated by jr just above ^^^. All in all, it just depends on your pockets really


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## Blaircroft (Mar 23, 2010)

I cant keep my mobo because some of the drivers on it arnt compatible with Win7. Also JrRacinFan your saying that if my display is less or equal to 1080p that i wont benefit from these higher end cards anyway? Im just trying to understand. Nope afw unfortunately they dont have microcenters in TN and it wont take me to that product page. Im pretty sure ill wait on the video cards as many many people have advised me. But what about the 930 replacing the 920? Should i be thinking about that as well?


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## JrRacinFan (Mar 23, 2010)

Blaircroft said:


> I cant keep my mobo because some of the drivers on it arnt compatible with Win7. Also JrRacinFan your saying that if my display is less or equal to 1080p that i wont benefit from these higher end cards anyway? Im just trying to understand. Nope afw unfortunately they dont have microcenters in TN and it wont take me to that product page. Im pretty sure ill wait on the video cards as many many people have advised me. But what about the 930 replacing the 920? Should i be thinking about that as well?



@ 1920x1200 or below there really is no sense of a higher end card. It's pretty much the most middle of the road you can get budget to performance wise with still being easy on the power supply.














EDIT:

And I stand corrected and revoke my statement, @ *1920x1200*


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## afw (Mar 23, 2010)

I have to differ with JrRacinFan here .... if you are on a budget .. yeah go with the 5770 ... but if you can buy a 5850 go for it ... i know that its an overkill for resolutions like 1280x1024 ... but since you are on a 22" which will be 1680x1050 or more... you are better off with a 5850 or even a better one ... and the 5800 series are very power efficient  ... your 900W PSU would be more than enough  ... 

Your current config suggests that you do not tend to upgrade your hardware often .. a 5850 or a 5870 (with an i7 system) will last a long time and perform better on upcoming games (which are demanding ... eg:metro2033) ... 

And about the i7 930 ... the 930 is clocked higher since it has an additional multiplier ... and it (multiplier) will help you with overclocking as well ... but nothing more than that ... if you are planning on overclocking the CPU the 920 will do ... you can easily hit 3.6Ghz with a decent cooler (most here on TPU have got it up to 3.8Ghz or more)...  ...

PS: If you can say what sort of budget ur on ... we will be able to suggest the best parts that would suit you ...


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## Blaircroft (Mar 23, 2010)

Well from what i gather im decided on everything except the GPU i think ill wait on the new cards to come out before i think about it further. Yea this is the first time ever ive had this much cash to blow on a system about ($1000) ive always tried to stay with the cheaper stuff and still be able to run the latest games, lol after all ive had this same set-up for 4 years and the gpu i have has lasted 2. I agree im going to be looking for something that will last me since i dont often trade out new cutting edge parts. 

CPU: I7 930 2.8 ghz (everywhere ive looked this is the same price and is going to replace the 920 as its supposed to be discontinued)
MOBO: ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s
RAM: CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 
GPU: to be continued?


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## afw (Mar 24, 2010)

ok .. the MOBO+CPU+RAM all looks good ...  .. and hope the 5800 series prices drop ...  
check this combo deal ... (exact MOBO+CPU) can save $25 ...  .. http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboDealDetails.aspx?ItemList=Combo.350315


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## JrRacinFan (Mar 24, 2010)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157163

Look at that option for your motherboard.


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## Blaircroft (Mar 24, 2010)

thanks JrRacinFan that board has gotten some impressive reviews for being so inexpensive the main user problems were outdated Bios drivers, the OCZ memory tended to not be recognized, or it was damaged on arrival, and the Manufacturer has no warranty at all on these boards after the initial 30 days your on your own. Motherboard.org gave it a pretty good rating for a budget board. I am still undecided on the matter although it is very tempting.


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## Blaircroft (Mar 24, 2010)

Afw it looks like tigerdirect beats that bundle out by about 33 bucks and it even includes a free assassins creed 2 game . They get you in the Tax since Newegg charges retail.


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## mdsx1950 (Mar 24, 2010)

My advice is go for a intel i7 (LGA 1366 not 1156 because more future proof) Get a ATi 5XXX( Probably 5850/5870 because performance is awesome for the price you pay. Plus you get DX11 and Eyefinity  No use going for a nVidia because you will be going back to the past because directx10 unless your willing to pay and get a GTX 4xx which is kinda expensive and consumes ALOT of power. )


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## Blaircroft (Mar 24, 2010)

Thanks everyone for all the wondferful advice and help ive placed my order with tigerdirect everything except the cpu is scheduled to arrive friday the cpu will arrive monday. I ended up picking up the coolermaster V8 for an additional 59 bucks all in all i spent $877 tax and shipping free and got a free copy of assassins creed 2 with the cpu (sucks its going to arrive next week )

This includes:
CPU: I7 930 2.8ghz With Free copy of Assassins Creed 2 
Mobo: ASUS P6X58D Premium LGA 1366 Intel X58 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX 
Memory: CORSAIR XMS3 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 
Cooling: Coolermaster V8
GPU: to be continued?


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## afw (Mar 24, 2010)

great ... good luck with the build ...  .. post some pics if you can ...


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## Blaircroft (Mar 27, 2010)

Got my parts today and i was so excited the only thing that i had trouble with was a silly knob.


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## afw (Mar 27, 2010)

Nice ...  ... And about the VGA card ...hmm .. bad news i guess ... It seems that ATi wont drop prices any time soon ... nVidias new GTX 400 series performance is only about 5%-15% more than the ATi 5800 series ... they are not considering any price drops anytime soon i guess... 
http://www.techpowerup.com/118387/AMD_Comfortable_with_Current_GPU_Pricing_No_Cuts_in_Sight.html ...

so either you can go ahead with purchasing a 5850 ... or wait another week or so just to see what happens ...


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## Blaircroft (Mar 27, 2010)

Thats really bad news but on the bright side its turning out that my current GPU is working alright so im not in a hurry to upgrade yet. This system is really awesome i havnt even begun to OC it but its amazing how fast and smooth it runs im going to give these products some really good reviews after ive put alot more load on them. I havnt gotten to play many games yet due to working alot this weekend but last night i was able to run Age of Conan in DX10 at 40 FPS and 80 FPS in DX9 maxed settings, with my old setup not only could i not run DX10 at all but at DX9 it would be around 35 FPS and this game is a huge resource hog. This is over 100% performance increase granted i did a major overhaul on my system and spent quite a bit its going to pay off for some time i think. All in All im very pleased with everything. Also to everyone who provided me with input thanks again i think i got the most out of my money here and its probly going to last


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## JrRacinFan (Mar 27, 2010)

Just think, look at the graphs I posted. How much of a gaming increase you would be looking at! Congrats on the new build, sounds like you are truly enjoying it ALOT!


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