[Dastabah]

I've had a stock-build Dell Inspiron 560 for over a year now and I'm starting to hate the integrated graphics card. I was going to just buy a new one but then realized that I'd need a new psu, once I picked a nice one, I realized the case was too small. So... buying a whole new shibang. It's a budget build.
Current specs:
Mobo: stock one: http://www.ascendtec...18d1yskt75.aspx
Processor: Intel Pentium E6700 3.2 ghz
RAM: Dual Channel 4 sticks of ram equalling 6 gb ddr3
HardDrive: 977GB SAMSUNG SAMSUNG HD103SM (SATA)
Optical: HL-DT-ST DVD+-RW GH70N

What I'm replacing these with

http://i.imgur.com/0GdId.png

Planning on keeping RAM/Hard/optical drive.

Everything so far seems like it'll run smoothly, but I have some questions.

Mobo: I've heard some mixed things about the mobo and the core unlocker feature which I don't like. If anyone has used this before, I'd like their input. IT has a 4/5 on newegg and whatnot so I'm not sure.

Hard Drive: I would like to keep my data on the drive. Is it safe to do so? Meaning will the old drivers that are installed clash with the new ones and cause issues? I will make a backup of my files in case, but I don't have a fresh windows 7 install disc as well as a microsoft office installation disc either. I don't want to spend the extra $200 if I can avoid it. So that's a concern of mine.

Basic installation issues I might come across would be helpful, alternatives priced around the same would be appreciated and just general tips and such would be amazing. Thanks and wish me luck!

Also, my new graphics card doesn't have VGA connection, so I'm purchasing an adapter. I know this will affect quality but it should still work well, correct?

Edited by Dastabah, 20 October 2012 - 07:24 PM.

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http://www.tomshardw...clock,3106.html

Worth a read it lists the best cpu they think is best for each budget range. Another alternative cpu is the Pentium G850 And here is a few builds that are aimed at a budget under $500 not a bad base start. http://www.tomshardw...lding,3273.html

[Zolton33]

http://www.tomshardw...clock,3106.html

Worth a read it lists the best cpu they think is best for each budget range. Another alternative cpu is the Pentium G850 And here is a few builds that are aimed at a budget under $500 not a bad base start. http://www.tomshardw...lding,3273.html

[Dastabah]

the pentium is a dual core still. This one is a tri-core+unlock. So it should be a quad core.

[Zolton33]

I would not judge a cpu based solely on its cores. The fx amd cpus have an 8 core that is made of of basically splitting 4 cores into 8. And an i3 dual core does perform better then most amd cores.

Look at the gaming cpu hierarchy here http://www.tomshardw...ock,3106-5.html and you can see the ivy and sandy dual core offer better single thread apps as well as better power consumption. The athlon x3 is in the fifth tier there where the G850 is. Now keep in mind that is a dual core at stock. To come close to beating its performance you would have to oc the amd cpu putting more heat and power consumption costing you more in the long run. Also keep in mind to oc you need to include an after market cpu cooler to really push it. Adding to the costs.

For your price i would suggest an apu specifically the a10-5800k it is a quad core at 3.8 ghz and has an integrated gpu in its core that is an hd 7660 d.If it has to be an amd core that be my choice for a low budget build then couple it with the best motherboard (fm2 socket) and the highest clock ram you can get. That cpu + igpu is $10 cheaper then the gpu and the cpu you chose. Although i still recommend going with an intel cpu especially an i3 if you can swing it. But i understand if you do not wish to. But keep in mind amd has dropped out of the cpu race and are not competing with intel like they once were. So if you are looking for the best cpu you need to go with intel now sadly. But really your choice. Clock speeds and more cores does not always equal a better cpu. just some thing to think about.

[Dastabah]

I never even saw that package! that looks awesome. the mobo is still Compatible but I wouldn't mind shelling out a few more bucks for something with more reliability.

Sidenote: It's not actually cheaper b/c the graphics card had $20 rebate but [bleep], who cares about that when you're getting 2 great ones for the price of one

Sidenote 2: Saw a few reviews complaining about the stock fan. I don't know if this will be an issue for me since my Case has fans that come with it. But hey, I'll gladly throw in ~30-50 for a new one if it comes down to it.

Sidenote 3: it doesn't have to be an AMD i just picked it b/c they're generally less pricy and still outperform my current setup

Edited by Dastabah, 20 October 2012 - 11:30 PM.

[Zolton33]

Yeah the a10-5800k has been very impressive thus far. I even saw one review of it where they disabled the igpu and used a discrete gpu and put it against an i3 3225. The results? Not being over clocked the 5800k was about 3 fps slower then the i3. If you put a decent cpu fan disabled the igpu and put in a great discrete gpu i could see this being a pretty decent cpu for its money. But even now without doing that the built in 7660 does pretty good on its own. For a cpu to compete with its integrated gpu it would have to be outfitted with a nvidia 440 or better gpu costing about an extra $100 bucks or so just to be on par with the 5800k out of the gate.

This cpu has definitely impressed me. plus if you really needed to you could always go with a newer apu later on as amd has stated there will be one more new fm2 socket set of cpus coming to the fm2 socket. The 5800k is called trinity and is based on the pile driver architecture the next apus will be based on steam roller and have 15-30% increase in performance over these. Now that sounds promising especially if they end up getting an even more powerful igpu then the 7660 later on. So later on you could replace the cpu and its igpu for about the cost of one gpu. Not bad for a budget build to say the least.

[Dastabah]

Awesome, I'm finding some varied prices for mobos as well. From 70-200 and have no idea why, even though they're all FM2 sockets, i can't use the one I had picked but I'd willingly spend more for a better performance. Some recommendations for one would be greatly appreciated.

[Zolton33]

The reason you see the varying prices is its a brand new socket so for a decent one it will be a bit more expensive. I would suggest picking a brand you trust and looking at boards that meat your needs and within your budget.

http://www.newegg.co...MD-Motherboards

That one does not seem bad it supports ram up to 2600 (faster the ram the better the 5800k works) iwould try to go with one that supports higher clocked ram if possible.

Edited by Zolton33, 21 October 2012 - 12:33 AM.

[Zolton33]

http://pcpartpicker.com/ that is a great tool for putting your build together finding great deals as well as telling you about compatibility. You can even set it to shops you normally visit as well. plus you can more easily post your build to be viewed over.

[Dastabah]

the mobo you listed seems like it fits more/enough of my needs. I'm feeling kind of antsy about the psu/case that i'm getting. They're reliable companies it just seems like I'm paying the same for a metallic box with fans as I am for a processor. I don't plan on adding harddrives other than 1 HDD and MAYBE a SSD

[Dastabah]

I ended up going with this power supply instead atm. http://www.newegg.co...N82E16817171031

It's $30, has enough voltage for me, and seems like it'll fit.

[Zolton33]

http://www.newegg.co...ID=3938566&SID=

That one is $36 and is what i recently bought as an upgrade to my old psu. Pretty decent and suits my needs. It does not say it is 80+ certified hence the lower price but has been tested and does in fact perform at 80+. Just a suggestion.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/l0Dw That be what i suggest. The ram you can buy later on i chose it as its not badly priced and faster ram really makes the a10-5800k shine. And i chose the coolermaster haf 922 case as it supports usb 3.0 and have seen a lot of people use it in builds and they are quite happy with it. And you can always use it in later builds especially with the 3.0 usb ports on the front. I included windows 7 oem it is tied to your motherboard meaning you can install it again and again with no problems so long as you do not switch motherboards and it is about $100 and it is the same as the full version minus that the full version is not tied to your mobo so you could with the full version build a whole new pc as many times as you wish so long as it is only ever running on just one machine. I did not include a mouse keyboard or hdd or optical drive as you said you had them covered. And with the 5800k igpu you do not need a discrete gpu right away. If you had a high enough budget i would suggest the i5 3570k build over this.

Although you did not include your max budget to purchase these with. If you did i may be able to try to give the best possible choice build within your budget. If you subtract the ram i chose the price comes to 428.67 with all the parts i chose. For under $500 you'd be hard pressed to find a more decent build. But if you could bump up the budget to $700-$1000 then the build i would suggest would be totally different.

For future reference the best performing gaming cpu right now is the i5 3570k http://www.newegg.co...essors-Desktops About $230 but the intel mobos are more expensive and having an 1155 you want to make sure it is an ivy bridge cpu capable mobo a z77 would work like http://www.newegg.co...el-Motherboards about $135 for a total of $365 without buying windows 7 a discrete gpu or a new psu and case. But at those costs you get the absolute best possible gaming performance. if you included the psu i chose for you ($35) it be about $400 then if you spent $100 on a windows 7 oem it be about 500 then the case i chose another 94 so $594 but then you would also need to buy a discrete gpu (you could go cheap on the gpu now and upgrade to a much better one later when your budget would allow).

The i5 would be the ultimate build but as you can see its also a lot more expensive as well. You could also drop down to an i3 cpu for a $100-$130 or so instead of the $230 i5 and upgrade to an i5 later and put that extra $100-$130 into a better discrete gpu now. But it would all depend on what your budget is now and the max you can spend. So its ultimately up to you.

[Dastabah]

Awesome help, the thing is I have Windows 7 on my current setup and I thought that I could simply plug in the HDD from one computer's bay to the other and delete/install drivers. The case, I was considering a coolermaster as well as an i5, it's just I'm not really a hardcore gamer and don't plan on overclocking. So this setup will be fine for me. The ram atm is average kingston, I plan on trading them in for a pair of crucials when it comes down to it. My price is roughly that, don't need anything fancy, just something to run source games at a playable fps. Anything's an upgrade from a stock mobo and integrated intel chipsets

What about this case?
http://www.newegg.co...N82E16811147153
I don't usually go for the LED lights and all that, but the 3 fans and the price seem worth it.

Edited by Dastabah, 21 October 2012 - 06:08 PM.

[Zolton33]

Thats cool. That case actually has places for 6 fans 2 on the side one on top and 1 in the front and 1 rear fan. So should be fine. And sorry to inform you of bad news but changing your mobo makes your old os unvalidated and trying to install the hdd with the old os would not go well to be honest. You would be much better off just buying the oem and doing a fresh install. The windows on your hdd is oem from the start and tied to your old mobo. Installing it on your new system would be a form of pirating sadly by microsofts term of use for windows. And to even attempt it you need the os disc any way as you would need to perform a repair install and it would be about like a fresh install any way and you would lose most things on your old hdd any way. So i would suggest the windows 7 oem to be safe and legal.

[Dastabah]

oh yeah that's fine. Didn't realize it's illegal. I'll just try to find the disc/buy a new one. Not really an issue.