PC Motherboard upgrade?

visagephoto

visagephoto

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I've recently upgraded to Windows10 and I'm now Looking to upgrade my (very) old PC (Mb, cpu & ram) I only use this pc for image editing on PS & also editing small > 2 minute GoPro videos,

I'm currently looking at the following budget motherboards and would appreciate any advice or opinions regarding brand and/or specifications.

http://www.msi.com/product/mb/760GM-P34-FX.html#hero-specification
http://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/FM2A78M Pro4+/
http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4305#ov
 
visagephoto said:
I've recently upgraded to Windows10 and I'm now Looking to upgrade my (very) old PC (Mb, cpu & ram) I only use this pc for image editing on PS & also editing small > 2 minute GoPro videos,

I'm currently looking at the following budget motherboards and would appreciate any advice or opinions regarding brand and/or specifications.

http://www.msi.com/product/mb/760GM-P34-FX.html#hero-specification
http://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/FM2A78M Pro4+/
http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4305#ov
Click to expand...

Worth checking to see that changing these components, especially the motherboard, will invalidate your Windows 10 copy. I have seen discussions and concerns on this in the Windows 10 forum.

Anthony.
 
Just a thought check what you would pay if you just bought a new PC going back years switching such as a mother board could cause all sorts of issues ram compatibility power supply requirements and as mentioned usually invalidates the OS licence unless you own the retail disc
 
Out of curiosity, why AMD and not Intel?

Never been a fan of Asrock, always used Gigabyte up until my latest build so out of the 3 i would go for that.
 
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The MSI is dross - doesn't have SATA II or USB 3.
The Gigabyte doesn't have SATA III.
The ASRock board is the only one with SATA III ports (and USB3) so the only one worth buying although it's not widely available. Personally, I'd look for the equivalent Gigabyte board but I am a Gigabyte fanrinkli. ;)
I also think spending a little more to get a board based on the A88 chipset would be worthwhile.

Which CPU are you going to pair with it?
 
I have just built a system with a GA-H81m-ds2v and a haswell chip, 16gb ram and it goes well
 
Anthony.Ralph said:
Worth checking to see that changing these components, especially the motherboard, will invalidate your Windows 10 copy. I have seen discussions and concerns on this in the Windows 10 forum.

Anthony.
Click to expand...

I've heard that it can be reactivated over the phone (I'll be hoping that's the case)
 
Broken said:
if u need any help let me know :) first off for the whole 3 items ur asking for do u have a budget in mind for total cost ? for editing id say go for 12-16gb ram u can run multi programs not a problem then :)
Click to expand...

Thanks Broken,

I've aproched a local retailer who has quoted £48.00 for the Gigabyte AM3+ MB, £48.00 for the Quad Core FX4300 CPU and £43.00 per 4Gb Ram.

The \msi \mb is also priced at £48.00 and the AsRock is £49.51

I must admit was swaying towards the ASROCK board simply as it has 4 x Dimm sockets and supports up to 64GB ram, However I've always used Gigabyte boards and the one I listed also has 4 x Dimm sockets but only supports up to 32Gb Ram, I have no knowledge of Chipsets and most other technical specs therefore I'm afraid they mean very little to me .
 
border_all said:
Just a thought check what you would pay if you just bought a new PC going back years switching such as a mother board could cause all sorts of issues ram compatibility power supply requirements and as mentioned usually invalidates the OS licence unless you own the retail disc
Click to expand...

I've checked and I could get a new PC (Tower only) for around £400+, I already have a good case, 500W PSU, 2Gb Graphics card, sata HD's & DVD writers etc.and all my files are on external drives.
 
Snapsh0t said:
The MSI is dross - doesn't have SATA II or USB 3.
The Gigabyte doesn't have SATA III.
The ASRock board is the only one with SATA III ports (and USB3) so the only one worth buying although it's not widely available. Personally, I'd look for the equivalent Gigabyte board but I am a Gigabyte fanrinkli. ;)
I also think spending a little more to get a board based on the A88 chipset would be worthwhile.

Which CPU are you going to pair with it?
Click to expand...

The only specs I was given for the (recommended) CPU was that it's a Quad core FX-4300
 
Do note that the AMD CPU will provide performance somewhere in the region of an Intel I5 Dual Core laptop or Celeron class PC Processor.

I doubt much over 8/16GB will be noticed as that CPU will likely be the bottleneck before other items. It may be worth investing perhaps 2.5x the price for a socket 1150 Intel CPU in order to receive similar returns for the number crunching performance. The motherboard price would be quite similar and allow an upgrade path with slightly newer tech.
 
dtsrules2 said:
Out of curiosity, why AMD and not Intel?

Never been a fan of Asrock, always used Gigabyte up until my latest build so out of the 3 i would go for that.
Click to expand...

I've always used AMD and I've never had a problem., not sure that the extra cost of an intel system is worthwhile for my use.

I've also only ever used Gigabyte MB's, but I've never tried an Asrock MB therefore I'm not aware of any issues with them.
 
To add: If you swap out a HDD for an SDD then the performance difference will eclipse any comparative price/performance upgrades!
 
visagephoto said:
I've always used AMD and I've never had a problem., not sure that the extra cost of an intel system is worthwhile for my use.

I've also only ever used Gigabyte MB's, but I've never tried an Asrock MB therefore I'm not aware of any issues with them.
Click to expand...

AMD make some great products at a certain pricepoint. Once you stray past that pricepoint then you will receive diminished returns comparative to Intels offerings.
AMD are playing catch up with their efficiency and performance by a few years. It's a shame as they were awesome back in the days of their K7's and FX51/53 CPUs. Smashed Intel out of the park.

Gigabyte make good products across both ranges!
 
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That's CPU's power hungry.
A Socket 1150 Pentium G3258 works out marginally cheaper according to CPU Passmark.

It's only dual core, nearly as powerful and more energy efficient. Buy a compatible motherboard and you have a clear upgrade path should you decide you'd like more compute power in future.

No problem with AsRock boards in my experience. The one in my firewall has been solid.
 
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visagephoto said:
The only specs I was given for the (recommended) CPU was that it's a Quad core FX-4300
Click to expand...
Which won't fit the ASRock as it's socket FM2+ rather than AM3+.

I'd echo the comments that there's no real reason to buy AMD these days except at the budget end. Something like the ASRock board plus an A10 7800 might do the job but after that I'd be looking at an Intel I3 or I5.
 
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just watch with gigabyte, they can be very picky with ram modules. even those on their supported list.

to the point i returned the one in my sandybridge build and got an ASUS instead.
 
I haven't had any issues with Gigabyte boards and RAM, I guess it depends on the chipset underpinning it.
 
afasoas said:
That's CPU's power hungry.
A Socket 1150 Pentium G3258 works out marginally cheaper according to CPU Passmark.
Buy a compatible motherboard and you have a clear upgrade path should you decide you'd like more compute power in future.
Click to expand...

:agree:

Plus it's a decent overclocker if you wish to go down that route.
 
you could go something like

ASUS Z97-A
Intel I5
Corsasir 16GB ram

would cost you around the £300 ish mark or just over.

And eventually get an all in one Liquid cooler for the CPU and over clock it slightly

But now days an SSD makes a huge difference on the speed or stuff like booting up etc.
As for your PSU i wouldnt go any higher then a 750W a 500W would prob be best for you

If you need more info on items let me know i work for ASUS so i can go grab stuff off the shelf to answer your questions :) lol
 
Broken said:
you could go something like

ASUS Z97-A
Intel I5
Corsasir 16GB ram

would cost you around the £300 ish mark or just over.

And eventually get an all in one Liquid cooler for the CPU and over clock it slightly

But now days an SSD makes a huge difference on the speed or stuff like booting up etc.
As for your PSU i wouldnt go any higher then a 750W a 500W would prob be best for you

If you need more info on items let me know i work for ASUS so i can go grab stuff off the shelf to answer your questions :) lol
Click to expand...

A Z97 Motherboard is somewhat overkill for someone who isn't interested in overclocking and/or gaming. H81 or B85 are fine for the requirements listed above. The 'A' version of that Asus board is nearly double the price of the regular Z97 board also ;-)
A good <500W PSU is also fine if you're not using high wattage gaming graphics cards!
SSD's change lives for sure. :-D
 
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stay clear of gigabyte total junk. Asus is the best. if you go onto Ebay CCL in the UK do some good ones for around 400, i got my Father-in-law a core I5 with 8gb ram 240gb ssd and an NVidia card for 450. which isn't that bad, you can get cheaper in ebay but i wasn't comfortable with make. I know CCL.
 
Gigabyte really isn't total junk and Asus isn't the best! Much like Nikon isn't junk and Canon isn't the best... Both have junk models, but the brands themselves aren't associated with crap or greatness.
CCL on the other hand. Now that's a trusted brand known for A* reliability and service. Say what?! ;-)
 
i didn't say reliability i was going with cheap... its covered under 3 year warranty and it uses Asus and Intel parts so unless a monkey put them together your point is what ? I still gigabyte is Junk end of... not as seamless as Asus..but thats me :) i presume you use gigabyte then eh ? !!!!

Id say Chillblast or PC Specialist if you want a good build. Ive used Gigabyte over the years as well as Asus, i personally <<<<<< note personally have had issues and more niggles with Gigabyte over Asus, Issues like bios corruption, even though they have a good backup bios, it just goes nuts sometimes, there is also a common issue with gigabyte on where one boots the PC and nothing happens no Post screen you have to cycle power and try again...

I could go on but I'm only advising the OP on where i spend my hard cash, and it would not be a gigabyte board...
 
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I already have an ATX case, 570 Watt dual fan PSU, (2x) SATA HDD, (2x) SATA DVD Writers etc. and following the advice and recommendations given so far I've reconsidered my options and i'm now considering the following. . .

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Z97-P-Mothe...=1-2-fkmr1&keywords=asus+z97-p+1150+VGA+DVI-D

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-i3-41...&qid=1444328254&sr=1-1&keywords=intel+i3-4160

http://www.amazon.co.uk/367/dp/B008...328414&sr=1-24&keywords=corsair+vengeance+8gb

I'm assuming these would be a better choice for an addional £80 pounds or so.
 
visagephoto said:
I already have an ATX case, 570 Watt dual fan PSU, (2x) SATA HDD, (2x) SATA DVD Writers etc. and following the advice and recommendations given so far I've reconsidered my options and i'm now considering the following. . .

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Z97-P-Mothe...=1-2-fkmr1&keywords=asus+z97-p+1150+VGA+DVI-D

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-i3-41...&qid=1444328254&sr=1-1&keywords=intel+i3-4160

http://www.amazon.co.uk/367/dp/B008...328414&sr=1-24&keywords=corsair+vengeance+8gb

I'm assuming these would be a better choice for an addional £80 pounds or so.
Click to expand...

I had decided on the items above but with an i5 cpu instead of the i3, I'm now wondering if it would be a better idea to pay a bit more for an asus Z-170P motherboard which has an 1151 socket with compatible intel i5 1151 cpu and 8gb (2×4gb) DDR-4 ram, or stick with above and include an ssd.
 
Computers are like cameras, there is always just a little step further that can be taken with gear. Struggling to find it but the was a youtube video done by one of the more reliable people which showed that the performance increase was not that much of an increase on similar chips. The only clear water for me is that z-170P can take and use NVME naturally. Better to buy, build and enjoy rather than worry about what if. Try PCpartpickeruk to make yourself two virtual builds and see what cost they come out with.

Found it
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOh19-No2Nw

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWsEYGA1JbY


If you wanted to save a bit of money and don't overclock you could go to H170, it seems that 170 motherboards have come down in price since I last looked

PC part picker http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/
 
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Ok, I eventually went with the following, . .Asus Z97-A (usb 3.1), intel i5 4690k, 8gb Hyper x DDR-3 1866MHz. I was also given a Cooler Master M1000 Psu (no user manual), could anyone advise whether the psu should be installed with the fan facing down through the vent in the base of the case, or facing up into the case interior.
 
The PSU fan should draw air from the case and vent to outside IIRC, and any case fans should draw air in from outside. Can you judge which are the intakes and outlets?
 
ancient_mariner said:
The PSU fan should draw air from the case and vent to outside IIRC, and any case fans should draw air in from outside. Can you judge which are the intakes and outlets?
Click to expand...

I've always mounted a PSU to draw fresh air in to cool it.

Case fans are set to suck and blow depending on how you want the air-flow direction to go inside the case.
 
My case has a front intake fan & a rear exhaust fan just above the PSU,

The PSU only has one fan but I haven't run the system long enough for the fan to be activated (testing board connections only) therefore I'm not sure whether it's an intake or exhaust fan.

So the fan should either suck cold air in from the bottom case vent, or blow hot air into the case where it will be dispersed by the case fans .
 
I'd think one would want to blow air out at floor level, rather than suck in all the dust & fluff that will accumulate there. You can often judge airflow direction from the shape of the fan blades.
 
x99 ftw I have one awesome bit of kit ;-)
 
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