[Ryanyeadon93]

Hello, I am wanting to upgrade my computer and I was wondering if the following would be compatable and good enough to play recent games even on meduim/high graphics:

Asus M5A97 R2.0 Socket AM3+ 8 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard
AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz Socket AM3+ 16MB Cache Retail Boxed Processor
4 GB Memory - DIMM 240-pin - 1333 MHz ( PC3-10600 ) - 1.5 V
Cooler Master HAF 922 Mid tower
440 watt power supply
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 550TI Graphics card

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Ryanyeadon93

MB and CPU are both compatible but to avoid a potential bottleneck you should go for 1600MHz Ram, preferably 8GB if you will be using a 64-bit OS**

Case is ok.

We cannot comment on the PSU unless we know the brand and model name or number, let us know the details with your next reply.

Video card while it is an older card it is ok.

** You have not included an optical drive or an OS such as Windows 7 64-bit, do you already have these.

[phillpower2]

Ryanyeadon93

MB and CPU are both compatible but to avoid a potential bottleneck you should go for 1600MHz Ram, preferably 8GB if you will be using a 64-bit OS**

Case is ok.

We cannot comment on the PSU unless we know the brand and model name or number, let us know the details with your next reply.

Video card while it is an older card it is ok.

** You have not included an optical drive or an OS such as Windows 7 64-bit, do you already have these.

[Ryanyeadon93]

I'm not sure what optical drive I have but I am running windows 8.1 64-bit and the power supply is a Win Power Extremely silence power supply (I don't think its from the UK)
also how can I check the wattage of the power supply, it doesn't say on the box and I want to double check its 440 watt, if it's not it will be 650 watt

Edited by Ryanyeadon93, 16 January 2014 - 12:49 PM.

[phillpower2]

If your OS is on a disk and the optical drive that you have is the DVD type then that is fine.

OS information;

Just a cautionary note, unless your OS disk is the full retail edition you cannot use it with a new MB as an OEM disk is tied to the original MB it was paired with, to use an OEM disk with a new MB is software piracy and therefore illegal.
Exceptions to the above are 1: If your MB is replaced under warranty and 2: If your MB is replaced out of warranty with an alternative type but same brand due to the original model no longer being available, an upgraded MB however will require the purchase of a new OS licence.
If you have a full retail disk and a product key that is not in use on another computer the OEM restriction/s is/are not the same.

PSU information;

Please note that there is one thing that is possibly worse than using a known poor quality brand of PSU and that is using one that is unheard of, for brands of PSU to trust and brands to avoid please refer to the attached links http://www.10stripe....d/psu/brand.php and http://www.pcmech.co...ad.php?t=208143

PSU database http://www.realhardt...vos/Page541.htm

Before purchasing a new PSU it is advisable that you measure the dimensions of the present PSU and ensure that the new PSU has the correct power connections for the MB, HDDs, optical drives, FDDs or add on cards such as a video card if one is fitted.
Quality brands include Antec, Corsair, OCZ and Seasonic.

Specialist equipment is required to test a PSU in order to determine what the output is;



Consider purchasing a quality brand bronze rated 500W PSU to protect your investment.

[Ryanyeadon93]

My optical drive is DVD and my operating system is downloaded but I can put it on disk. Do I need to burn to disk and insert the disk when my new parts are fitted?

[phillpower2]

I must reiterate the following;

Just a cautionary note, unless your OS disk is the full retail edition you cannot use it with a new MB as an OEM disk is tied to the original MB it was paired with, to use an OEM disk with a new MB is software piracy and therefore illegal.
Exceptions to the above are 1: If your MB is replaced under warranty and 2: If your MB is replaced out of warranty with an alternative type but same brand due to the original model no longer being available, an upgraded MB however will require the purchase of a new OS licence.
If you have a full retail disk and a product key that is not in use on another computer the OEM restriction/s is/are not the same.

From your reply #5

my operating system is downloaded

This suggests that your OS may be the single use OEM version and if so the 25 digit product key is tied to the present MB and cannot be used with a new MB, we are not here to pontificate only to offer guidance to the best of our ability, when an OS (or MS Office etc) product key is detected it is logged on the MS database and then tied to the original MB, the subsequent persons name, address and the post code (zip code in the US) and if you try to reuse the product key if you are not locked out immediately you will at some point find that the MS product cannot be updated and this leaves you extremely vulnerable to the risk of malware attack, as a further pointer here and only if you are not already aware Windows 8 and 8.1 have the latest version of Windows Defender and this is effectively Microsoft Security Essentials which offers very good AV protection, this also will not be able to update if you are locked out by MS.

You have not acknowledged the PSU information that I provided for some reason and so I will provide another example of how using a low powered or sub standard quality PSU can bring Bonfire Night early;

[Ryanyeadon93]

My psu is a Win Power 450w. link below:
http://microdream.co...ml#.UtsSIhDFKCU

and so if i have installed windows 8 via dreamspark will i be able to burn it to a disk and install it on my new mb?

[phillpower2]

MB specifications
PSU specifications
GTX 550Ti system requirements

The PSU is not only of poor quality (which is reflected by the price) it also does not have the cables that you need for the MB which are 1 X 24 EATX connection and 1 X 8 pin ATX connection for the CPU + it does not have a 6 pin PCIE connection which your intended add on video card requires, as do most add on video cards today.

Sorry I can`t comment on the DreamSpark usage agreement as it is an area that I have never entered into, if you are a student that qualifies for the DreamSpark scheme you will be able to get online support for your question from the same place that you download your software, if you are allowed to it may be more straightforward to do a fresh download and burn to disk.

Let us know the answer to the DreamSpark question if you get an answer from them please.

[Ryanyeadon93]

Installation and Use Rights:
You may install and use two (2) copies of the DreamSpark Direct Subscription software on your devices (a) to support your education; (b) in non-commercial research; or © to design, develop, test, and demonstrate software programs for the above purposes. The DreamSpark Direct Subscription and software are personal to you and may not be shared, transferred, resold, assigned or used to develop or maintain your own administrative or IT systems.

Using Windows Desktop Operating Systems:
Your DreamSpark Direct Subscription includes certain Windows operating system products. You may install these products only on a computer that is already licensed to run a full version of a Windows operating system on it, as evidenced by a valid Certificate of Authenticity (COA) for a Windows operating system affixed to the computer.

I would take from this that I am able to use the dreamspark operating system on my new mb... am I correct?

also which PSU/PSUs would you recomend for my upgrade?

Edited by Ryanyeadon93, 19 January 2014 - 07:08 AM.

[phillpower2]

Yes you are permitted to have two OSs for your own use.

A much improved brand of PSU at a good price here it has all of the connections that you require, more than adequate output for your proposed video card + an 85% output efficiency rating.

[Ryanyeadon93]

Alright thank you for all your advise, i would have had a hard time trying to do it by myself

so my new build will be alright with:
Asus M5A97 R2.0 Socket AM3+ 8 Channel Audio ATX Motherboard
AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz Socket AM3+ 16MB Cache Retail Boxed Processor
Kingston 8GB DDR3 1600MHz HyperX Blu Memory Module
COOLER MASTER HAF 922 Tower Case
EVGA 500B Bronze Power Supply 80+ Bronze
NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 550TI Graphics card
2TB Hard Drive SATA

[phillpower2]

All good hardware wise but what I would do is change the 2TB HDD for two 1TB HDDs or one SSD and one X 1TB HDD, the three reasons why I configure computers like this are;
1: 2TB is an awful lot of data to lose should the HDD fail.
2: 2TB is an awful lot of data to continually back up.
3: Having your OS on a partition on a separate HDD makes your computer more secure from data corruption.

If you only fit a single 1TB HDD now it will also free up some cash which will allow you to purchase a better video card.

Can I ask from where you will be purchasing the new hardware, we may be able to shop around for you and get some better prices for you.

[Ryanyeadon93]

I already have a 2TB hard drive but I will remember your advise for the next time I wish to upgrade.

The places that I am thinking about buying from are:
http://www.ebuyer.co...y0mz-m5a97-r2-0 --- motherboard
http://www.ebuyer.co...r-fd8320frhkbox --- processor
http://www.ebuyer.co...hx1600c9d3b1-4g --- RAM
http://www.ebay.co.u...=item589d7d540b --- tower case
http://www.scan.co.u...iet-fan-atx-psu - PSU

[phillpower2]

Leave it with me while I have a shop around, if I can find anywhere less expensive for the same item I will edit this post to add a link.
MB

Just a thought here but as this build is only for gaming you do not need an 8 core processor, you will not even utilize 4 cores when gaming, consider a faster 4 core processor and save yourself some cash, the FX - 4350 would do you nicely, see here sorry if this puts a spanner in the works but let us know what you think.

Just so that you are aware AMD 8 core and Intel i7 HyperThreading CPUs are required by professional video rendering people, 3D modelling experts, CAD specialists and games programmers.

[Ryanyeadon93]

I am currently at university doing a games design course, and I am using 3D modelling software and Development kits so I will need the AMD 8 core. And thank you on finding a cheaper mb and all of your help