# Questions on upgrading



## jrockpunk1 (Dec 11, 2007)

So, in a months time, I'm going to be buying some stuff with whatever money I've got. ATM, I have a HD4890, 4GB GDDR2 RAM, gigabye motherboard and a fairly small silver case with various fans/ventilation.
I'm going to split my post into different sections with the different questions I'm asking.

*Current hardware:*
mobo: GIGABYTE - Motherboard - Socket AM2+ - GA-MA770-UD3 (rev. 2.1)
CPU: AMD Quad Core Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition 3.2GHz Socket AM3 - Retail | HDZ955FBGMBOX
GPU: ATI Radeon
Cooler: Arctic Cooling Freezer 13 PRO CPU Cooler | 8-7276700379-8

*Suggested upgrades:*
GPU: MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti Twin Frozr II/OC 1024MB GDDR5 | N560GTX-TI TWIN FROZR II/OC
Case: ThermalTake V3 Black Edition | VL80001W2Z



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*Case: Will everything fit?*

I'm looking to upgrade my 4890 to this card:
MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti Twin Frozr II/OC 1024MB GDDR5 | N560GTX-TI TWIN FROZR II/OC

however my 4890 struggled to fit into my tower as it is, so I'm looking to upgrade my case for something more roomy and with nice airflow. Note that I also have this:
Arctic Cooling Freezer 13 PRO CPU Cooler | 8-7276700379-8
and that currently is so big that the side of my case cannot fit on and I have to prop up the side next to the case itself.

I was looking at this case:
ThermalTake V3 Black Edition | VL80001W2Z
My question is, will this case fit both the CPU cooler and the 560 Ti in comfortably, preferably with extra room, as well as all my other hardware?


*Ventilation*
Considering the above case, what would be the best way to ventilate it? Will it come with fans or will I have to buy them separately? Also, which fans should I buy if I have to? I was looking at these:
Thermaltake Thunderblade Blue LED Fan - 120mm | AF0032
Thermaltake Thunderblade Blue LED Fan - 80mm | AF0029
Maybe a 120mm one of those on the front for intake, 2 on top for intake, the one already there on the back for taking the air out, plus my PSU fan on the back? Any on the bottom?
Basically, what should I do in terms of buying and installing fans with that case for the best airflow?


*RAM - 4 or 8GB*

currently I'm using 2x2GB "Xtreme Gaming" RAM, however I can't find the specs for this RAM anywhere. I have a feeling the RAM (as I got it years a go when I knew nothing about it) perhaps isn't that great, in terms or clock speeds etc. I'm considering upgrading to 8GB for gaming. However, would it be worth upgrading to 8GB, or might it be better to upgrade 4GB to faster 2x2GB memory, perhaps corsair? I've heard any more than 4GB is overkill for gaming? Also, will my motherboard support upgrades in RAM (e.g. what are the 2 different colours for the RAM slots?):
GIGABYTE - Motherboard - Socket AM2+ - GA-MA770-UD3 (rev. 2.1)


*Will my motherboard + GPU + CPU be compatible?*

Here's the 3 I've got now:
GIGABYTE - Motherboard - Socket AM2+ - GA-MA770-UD3 (rev. 2.1)
ATI Radeon
AMD Quad Core Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition 3.2GHz Socket AM3 - Retail | HDZ955FBGMBOX

I'm looking to change, as you know, the 4890 to this:
MSI GeForce GTX 560 Ti Twin Frozr II/OC 1024MB GDDR5 | N560GTX-TI TWIN FROZR II/OC

So my question is whether my gigabyte board, my AMD X4 955 @ 3.7GHz, and a GTX 560 Ti will work well together? I used to hear all the time that you should never mix AMD and nVidia, or intel and ATI(AMD), is that something of the past?


________________________________________



*My questions in summary:*
*

Will the hardware I listed fit in the case I specified, possibly with extra room?
What's the best way to ventilate my new setup?
Should I upgrade to 8GB RAM, get faster 4GB RAM, or neither?
 Will the 560 Ti, Gigabyte mobo and AMD X4 955 be easily compatible?

Thank you for any help given
*


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

jrockpunk1 said:


> My questions in summary:
> 
> Will the hardware I listed fit in the case I specified, possibly with extra room?
> What's the best way to ventilate my new setup?
> ...


Carefully measure the case to determine if everything will fit.
One 120MM fan in front and rear is usually sufficient.
4GB of RAM is plenty for gaming. No games and few apps can utilize over 3GB.
The GPU and Mobo are compatible.
You will need a good quality 750W minimum PSU for the 560ti.


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## jrockpunk1 (Dec 11, 2007)

Tyree said:


> Carefully measure the case to determine if everything will fit.
> One 120MM fan in front and rear is usually sufficient.
> 4GB of RAM is plenty for gaming. No games and few apps can utilize over 3GB.
> The GPU and Mobo are compatible.
> You will need a good quality 750W minimum PSU for the 560ti.


I have a corsair TX 850W 

Would any fans on the top be beneficial in the slightest? Or is the default one on the back, and an extra 120mm fan for the front good enough?

Will there be no issues at all with an AMD CPU and nVidia GPU?

And I guess I'll have to try my best to figure out the case, I can't get my hands on one in person.
[edit]
unless theres a case thats considerably better, and is recommended by most for £30-40?


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

I am not a fan of top mount and especially not side mount case fans. They can disrupt the desired front to rear airflow.
Compatibility problems with the AMD Mobo chipset and the Nvidia GPU chipset is a possible issue.


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## jrockpunk1 (Dec 11, 2007)

Alright, so I'll just make sure I get some good front -> rear airflow going on, and leave the top and side fans. What about the bottom?

I'll do a bit of research on the CPU/GPU combo but if anyone could tell me of their experiences with it it would be appreciated.


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

You could with an equivalent ATI GPU to eliminate any concerns.


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## jrockpunk1 (Dec 11, 2007)

According to google (the extent of my sources XD) there are very little issues with running AMD/nVidia combos.

Also, the only equivalent I know of is the 6950 right? That's £30 more for the cheapest model. If I want the MSI model I'd have to pay £60 more, and apparently the 6950 runs hotter and plays worse for BF3. Then again, I am partial to ATI cards. Tough decisions 

[edit]
I can get a good, cool, higher-end 560 Ti (MSI OC'd) for £186, whereas the very lowest 6950 is £210. The 560 Ti has higher minimum framerates (so less FPS drops) and the MSI model runs really cool so I can OC it further. Think I'm guna go with the 560


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