Would this be a smart upgrade to my computer?

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Shirayuki wrote on 2011-05-26 20:18

[Image: http://gyazo.com/6821a7dd44502d11708ae8a68d307b7e.png]

Was thinking of just getting these, since my PSU and GPU are both good enough to do what I need to do(gaming/media). Just wondering if these parts are good enough or if you have personal experience with them or have ideas for better alternatives.

Currently I have some old stock motherboard and just 2 gb of DDR2. And I use a ~4 year old processor(AMD Athlon LE-1640).

edit I know you want dat thermal compound 8D
Yoorah wrote on 2011-05-26 20:47

I don't really know if G.Skill is a reliable manufacturer. Corsair and Kingston are probably better? It probably doesn't really matter, though..
As for the CPU, I'd probably spend a bit more and get the i5-2500 (or 2500K if I wanted to overclock). Unlike the i3, the i5 has 4 cores and turbo capability. That translates into some significant performance gains, as you can see here.
As for the motherboard, I can't find any good information on the H61 chipset. Keep in mind that it will not allow you to overclock. I'm not sure if it supports QuickSync (which is the best way to transcode video).. there is conflicting info about that. Other than that, it's probably ok.
If you're going to use the stock Intel cooler that comes with the CPU, you're not gonna need that thermal compound. If you already have a fancy cooler, did you make sure it's compatible with LGA1155?
Shirayuki wrote on 2011-05-26 21:14

Quote from Yoorah;456171:
I don't really know if G.Skill is a reliable manufacturer. Corsair and Kingston are probably better? It probably doesn't really matter, though..
As for the CPU, I'd probably spend a bit more and get the i5-2500 (or 2500K if I wanted to overclock). Unlike the i3, the i5 has 4 cores and turbo capability. That translates into some significant performance gains, as you can see here.
As for the motherboard, I can't find any good information on the H61 chipset. Keep in mind that it will not allow you to overclock. I'm not sure if it supports QuickSync (which is the best way to transcode video).. there is conflicting info about that. Other than that, it's probably ok.
If you're going to use the stock Intel cooler that comes with the CPU, you're not gonna need that thermal compound. If you already have a fancy cooler, did you make sure it's compatible with LGA1155?

I plan on using the stock intel fan, heard they were better than AMD fans anyway. Plus, I heard Intel processors tend to stay way cooler than AMD by default, so I didn't feel the need to invest in a better cooler.

Also, thanks about the advice about the thermal compound :D

Revised setup:

[Image: http://gyazo.com/7ff0263200bd7ddcfdfa1caee656fb9b.png]

A little bit over how much I can spend, but there's no harm in waiting :D

edit reason I didn't go for the 2500K is because as you said I can't overclock on the motherboard I chose, and because I don't think my PSU can handle an overclocked quad-core.

double edit alright, so I looked at peoples thoughts and overclocking stuff, and I'm considering getting an overclock-compatible mobo and the 2500k D: Is the difference noticeable while overclocked, or is it not worth it unless I get a fancy shmancy cooler?
wolfram wrote on 2011-05-27 19:26

G. SKILL is a perfectly good RAM kit producer. I currently use 24 GB worth of G. SKILL memory in my current setup and have never ran into a problem.

About overclocking, it depends how much you want to push performance, to notice the difference. But if you overclock you may want to get a new PSU also, (at least 1000 watts). If you decide to OC, i would also get at least 1600 speed memory and not 1333, Also you probably will have to get a 3rd party cooler, if you want to overclock decently.

In short, if you really want to push performance, lets say like 3.3 Ghz to 4.0+ Ghz, then you should get a better cooler. Will you see it in games? The only kinda-recent game that was CPU intensive was GTA 4 and Metro 2033. Otherwise, if your GPU is decent just a regular i5-2500 should see FPS improvements as your 4 year old CPU could have been bottlenecking your GPU. Overclocking it is just icing on the cake. Its not really needed.

What you have in your revised setup will work just fine.
Shirayuki wrote on 2011-05-27 19:28

Alright, thanks for all the help. Gonna save up a bit more and buy those 3 things then :)
Exullien wrote on 2011-05-28 16:02

Also to mention G.Skill offers a lifetime warranty on its products (specifically RAM). It's also a Canadian company!
Ampersand wrote on 2011-05-28 19:12

Concur with G.SKill, although they are Taiwanese...not Canadian.
Shirayuki wrote on 2011-05-28 19:58

Alright, guess I'll go with G.Skill then. Also, I decided to go with the 2500K just in case I ever to decide to get a P67 mobo.