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• Oliver Karstel_ZA

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  Coolio101
  

  12 years ago

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  Oliver Karstel_ZA

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  Coolio101
  

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  12 years ago

  ---

  Hey guys,
  
  I currently have a 2.4Ghz Core to Quad wondering whether i should upgrade to a 4Gen i7 or just buy myself a sick CPU cooler and just overclock my current Quadcore to 3.0 or 3.2ghz?
  
  for option A. which Motherboard, Ram and CPU would you recommend?
  or for option B. Which cooler would you recommend?
  
  I will be using the pc as my main music production machine, so it needs a pretty hefty processor but nothing to bad my current CPU runs quite well but i'd like to upgrade
  
  
  Oh also...Could someone explain the difference between quadcore, i7 and the different Generations of i7?
  
  
  Regards
   
• Morgue[FLB]

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  :: Mortal Wombat ::
  

  12 years ago

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  Morgue[FLB]

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  :: Mortal Wombat ::
  

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  12 years ago

  ---

  No need to drop a bucket of cash on an upgrade, which won't provide you with significant performance gains unless you seriously spend massive wads of cash. So I'd say overclock rather - get the most out of the CPU you've paid for.
  
  Try overclocking 'on air'. In other words, see how far you can overclock your CPU using the stock cooler. You'll be surprised, depending on the exact model of your CPU - some of them are extremely overclockable on air. I would say, determine the exact model number of your CPU (family number, etc) using CPU-Z. Then google overclocking that exact model number. That will give you a nice guide and also a ballpark GHZ figure to aim for.
  
  Extra GHZ equates to extra grunt when processing all that music! I'd say you should also make sure you have a decent amount of RAM (8gb or more if you have a 64-bit operating system) and some speedy storage devices - faster harddrives make processing data much quicker, since they are often the bottleneck that holds your PC back.
  
  I'm not too sure about the exact differences between the different i7 generations, but I'm sure a 5-minute google will give you the details you need. Intel's website is also a good resource to check.
  
  
  
  
   
• Enigma_2k4

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  12 years ago

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  Enigma_2k4

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  12 years ago

  ---

  I'm with Morgue here. Overclock on the stock cooler and invest in a decent SSD drive with the moolah that is burning a hole in your pocket. You will get much better results there.
  
  Also, why not post a list of your current full hardware, that will help us alot.
   
• Oliver Karstel_ZA

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  Coolio101
  

  12 years ago

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  Oliver Karstel_ZA

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  Coolio101
  

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  12 years ago

  ---

  Thanks for the quick replies guys!
  
  Attached are my full specs from CPU-Z.
  
  Although i do agree with you guys about the overclocking instead of upgrading there is one problem which i am currently faced with - there isn't a replacement motherboard out for any Quad-Core processors available unless purchased second-hand (They have all been discontinued.)
  
  So if i overclock my machine and possibly purchase a better cooler etc the motherboard may pack up and render the new and old parts unless.
  
  Hence i feel that an upgrade is maybe actually not such a bad idea i have R6000 at the moment and once i've sold my PC i would like to get this set up
  
  Motherboard
  MSI Z87 GD65 Gaming SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Motherboard
  Processor
  Intel Core i7 4770K 3.5GHz Quad Core CPU
  Memory
  Corsair 8GB DDR3 1600MHz Gaming RAM
  
  Which will cost me R8400+- incl. a Chassis (From Centurion Technology)
  
  So question i have is...
  How much do you think i will be able to sell my PC for on Gumtree or a similar site?
  
  Regards
  Oliver K.
   
• Enigma_2k4

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  12 years ago

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  Enigma_2k4

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  12 years ago

  ---

  Hey bud,
  
  If it were me I'd not upgrade, rather use the cash on other bits. I have a core 2 duo machine with a GTX 660 TI and I am rocking everygame at really crazy resolutions (my monitor is 2560 x 1600). So you really are not so limited by CPU as you think.
  
  Spend a little on a decent cooler then and then overclock, you are much less at risk of a hardware failure. Even then, I have had no issues getting second hand core 2 duo mobo's around for really cheap (as people upgrade like you are wanting too as well).
  
  If it were me I'd spend R1,500 on a decent SSD for your OS, games etc, spend R500 (or a little more) on a decent cooler. The rest spend on some really good peripherals as you will use them forever! I bought a really nice 30" monitor about 8 years ago and it's still one of the nicest things I have for my machine (Dell 3007 WFP), likewise the same thing for a ick [censored] gaming keyboard, mouse, 5.11 surround earphones etc. Don't skimp on the peripherals just to chase some specs mate ;-)
  
  
  
   
• Oliver Karstel_ZA

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  Coolio101
  

  12 years ago

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  Oliver Karstel_ZA

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  Coolio101
  

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  12 years ago

  ---

  Ok wicked :)
  
  Thanks for the advice mate!
  
  I think i shall do that then :)
  
  Get myself a decent chassis, cooler, some gaming ram, and then a screen probably a better investment!
   
• Enigma_2k4

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  12 years ago

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  Enigma_2k4

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  12 years ago

  ---

  Yeah bud, miles better. You get MUCH better returns from a kick [censored] peripheral that you will use for much longer. Your machine is still rocking big time.
  
  On gaming ram, I seriously doubt you will notice much difference ta all, rather spend that cash on getting an SSD. That is the single best upgrade you can do right now. Screw the cooler even, just get a SSD and a kick [censored] monitor.
   
• Oliver Karstel_ZA

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  Coolio101
  

  12 years ago

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  Oliver Karstel_ZA

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  Coolio101
  

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  12 years ago

  ---

  Alright so this is what i've decided upgrade wise im getting a chassis, CPU Cooler and then some Ram
  
  Chassis
  Bitfenix - Ghost
  
  -Looks nice and slick
  -Silent which is perfect for music production
  -Decent price tag (R1065) from Comx - Computers
  -Comes with 2 Fans
  
  CPU Cooler
  Corsair Hydro H100i
  
  -Great Cooler (Liquid)
  -Looks slick and is silent
  -Decent Price tag (R1380) from Comx
  -Also its multi-socket compatible so when i upgrade my cpu etc in the future i dont need to purchase a new cooler
  
  Now the question is...
  A. Will this Cooler be suitable to overclock my CPU to atleast 3.0ghz? (Whats a safe clock ceiling?)
  B. I current have DDR2 200mhz (Or something pathetic like that) Ram installed i wanna upgrade to atleast 8-16gb 800mhz Ram but I'am struggling to find any ram that will make up 16gb with my 4xDIMMs - So i wanna ask can my system possible use DDR3? (I've posted a CPU-Z text report up above for a list of my full specifications)
  C. Finally any other upgrades that you guys would recommend?
  
  Regards
  Thanks for the Help @Enigma & @Morgue
   
• Enigma_2k4

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  12 years ago

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  Enigma_2k4

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  12 years ago

  ---

  Wow, that case looks boooooooootiful! I am jealous!
  
  For the cooling, that only cools your CPU and not your GPU as well, so if you are going to spend that kind of money on watercooling why not go for the whole hog? It might be worth checking out.
  
  From a RAM perspective, unless you are doing some seriaaas number crunching I don't think it would be worth it. I have 8 Gigs of ram in my media machine and also in my gaming rig and never have an issue. Your Mobo wont be DDR2 and DDR3 compatible, it's one or the other. So DDR2 is your only option I'm afraid. I don't think you will get performance gains worth the money you will spend for it.
  
  Also, what GPU are you running? And have you looked at SSD drives? That is by far the best upgrade you can make....
   
• Enigma_2k4

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  12 years ago

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  Enigma_2k4

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  12 years ago

  ---

  As a last comment, your cooler is quote a bit of money for something you don't actually know will take your CPU much further. I'd rather OC my CPU first and see how far it goes before jumping on the upgrade wagon for cooling.