# Some questions re possible new build



## Glaswegian (Sep 16, 2005)

Hi folks

Mrs Glas has given the green light to a PC upgrade, so I've been looking at your various recommendations in the Build stickys.

I'm only renewing the mobo, cpu, gpu and RAM but I do have some questions.

At the moment I have a Zalman 90mm cooler on the cpu (C2D E8400) in a Gigabyte P35C-DS3R. I've had the Zalman for years and I think it's a great cooler. However, I'm wondering if I'll still be able to use it in my new set up. I'm looking at the following:

Asus Z97-Pro Intel Z97 (Socket 1150) DDR3 ATX Motherboard
4th Generation Intel® Core™ i7 4770K 3.50GHz Socket LGA1150 
EVGA Nvidia GeForce GTX 770 Superclocked 2GB GDDR5 Graphics Card
G.Skill 16GB PC3-14900, F3-14900CL10D-16GBXL

A new Blu-ray drive might be an option as well.

I currently have an Antec TruePower Trio 650w PSU - would it be better to go for a 750w?

I have 3 HDDs - 2 1Tb SATA Samsung drives which are essentially backup and storage, while Windows runs of a 320Gb Maxtor IDE drive. Will I still be able to use the IDE drive or will I need to get another SATA drive for Windows?

My case is an Antec 900 - it's not changing.

Some dumb questions I'm sure, but this is not my area of expertise!


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

The spacing of the mounting holes of the 1150/1155/1156 socket (all 75mm) is slightly wider (by 3mm) than the 775. However, in my experience, the mounting rings of the Zalman coolers are designed to allow for this difference. Seems to me you only have to turn a tab(s) on the ring one way for 775 and the other for 1155.


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## Glaswegian (Sep 16, 2005)

That's interesting - thanks. Every day is a school day here!


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## gcavan (Aug 13, 2009)

I just did a search through the Zalman site. Seems they use several different mounting setups. What I described is from a CNPS80/90 (only ones I've used). Many of the others units come with a new backplate and two or three different locking mechs for the specific socket. 

Which specific cooler do you have?


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Are you going to be overclocking the PC? I ask due to the 90mm fan may not handle the heat from the CPU.

Also don't forget that you will need to reinstall Windows for your new PC.


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## Glaswegian (Sep 16, 2005)

No overclocking. Blast - I forgot I would need to re-install -that's a nuisance.


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

You may be able to transfer a Windows 7 install to a new motherboard without reinstalling the entire operating system. You will need to reactivate for the new motherboard though.

Windows 7 Installation - Transfer to a New Computer - Windows 7 Help Forums


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## Glaswegian (Sep 16, 2005)

Thanks MPR - that would be exactly what I will do.

What about my queries regarding the IDE HDD and PSU?


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

Not long ago I purchased a Gigabyte motherboard that still had IEEE 1394a, PATA and even LPT ports. However, I don't think many, if any, such motherboards are made today.

You would have two options if you wanted to use your IDE device with a modern motherboard: an expansion card or an adapter. However, you may find that it's not much more expensive and much less of a hassle to purchase a new SATA device. With a new SATA device, not only will you get more capacity and faster transfer times, you won't have to mess with a ribbon cable that is harder to route and tends to block airflow in the case. 

Your Antec PSU was probably made by Seasonic but it's not one of their top-end platforms. It is getting a bit old too, which would make me lean towards using a new PSU. 

Some review comments:



> ...this PSU gives off some sort of RF interference at higher loads...
> There was a pop and a flash and the PSU was dead [during a 12V load test]...
> ...there was a loud pop, a flash of white light and the second [RMA'd] PSU was dead...


The above would tend to make me leery of using the old PSU where it may have to work at near its maximum capacity, as it might in a new build with more potentially power-hungry components. Note that the _minimum_ PSU recommended for the GTX 770 is 600 W unit with one 6-pin and one 8-pin PCIe power connector. That is for the stock non-overclocked card too so I'd probably use a 750 W unit with an overclocked one.

Antec True Power Trio 650W Review


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

The OEM heatsink/fan will be fine.
Go with 1600MHz RAM for the Z97-Pro Intel Z97 Mobo and a 2x4GB matched pair will be more than enough.
How old is the PSU?
If you do replace it, 650W will be plenty and go with SeaSonic-XFX-Antec HCG.


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## Glaswegian (Sep 16, 2005)

Thanks again folks.

I figured I might end up buying a new drive, so no problem there. Since this may be my last update for many years I was just going to go with the 16Gb RAM. Mrs Glas has a design programme (for crafting) that she uses all the time so I reckon the additional RAM will be worth it.

I don't run heavy games or anything.

I'm aware that I need to get a decent PSU - I've seen this one

XFX XTR Series (750W) Power Supply Unit Full Modular (80 Plus Gold) | P1-750B-BEFX

Would that be OK?


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## MPR (Aug 28, 2010)

The XFX XTR750 is nearly identical to the Seasonic G-750,



> essentially the same product as the Seasonic G-750


whish is a less expensive alternative to the top-of-the line X series.




> The Seasonic G-750... falls in line just below Seasonic's X-Series units as a more economical, yet still high performance, option for users.


If anything, the XFX XTR is a bit better built than it's Seasonic G-series sibling.



> The XFX XTR 750W’s build quality is perhaps a touch better than what we saw from the related Seasonic G-750.


It does as well or better in tests and is comparable to other top-quality PSUs.



> excellent voltage regulation, build quality, and DC output quality that rivaled the Seasonic G-750 while being perhaps a bit quieter


Therefore, it's a fine PSU choice.

HARDOCP - XFX XTR 750W Power Supply - XFX XTR 750W Power Supply Review


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## Glaswegian (Sep 16, 2005)

Thanks MPR - appreciate you taking the time to help.


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## satrow (Feb 4, 2012)

Hi, Iain.

I'd suggest a mid-sized (240GB+), quality SSD to replace the IDE drive; as you won't be overclocking, a XEON E3-1230 or 1240 *v3* would be a fine alt. to the i7 - you won't need the 'K' version anyway, they only add overclock capability over the non-K versions.

All the stock Intel fans can get quite intrusive when they ramp up the speed/noise, you might want to consider a quieter aftermarket solution.


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## joeten (Dec 4, 2008)

Samsung is doing a cashback on some models of SSD SSD Cashback
Samsung SSD Overview | Samsung SSD UK
and Amazon are doing this one with a discount out with the offer http://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-250...r=1-1&keywords=samsung+evo+840#productDetails


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## Glaswegian (Sep 16, 2005)

Thanks guys - never really considered an SSD, so I'll have a closer look. This may well be my last major upgrade for many years so I'm trying to swing as much top-of-the-range stuff as possible. While I've been saving for this over the past few years, I suspect Mrs Glas may well put any spare cash well out my reach in future!


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## joeten (Dec 4, 2008)

The SSD could be a good investment and if you can swing a larger sized one you should be good for some time to come.


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## Glaswegian (Sep 16, 2005)

Thought folks might like an update - Mrs Glas has signed off the budget so I've been able to go for some decent stuff - although I've been warned that humans will probably have left our Solar System by the time I'm allowed another update...

This is what I have ordered:

Intel Core i7 4790k LGA1150
Asus Z97 Pro (Socket 1150)
G.Skill Ripjaws PC3 14900 1866MHz - 16Gb
EVGA Nvidia GeForce GTX760 ACX 2Gb
Samsung 840 Evo 250Gb SSD
XFX ProSeries 750W 80+ Gold

I also added a Pioneer Blu-ray and a new Logitech Keyboard+Mouse combo - my old Logitech mouse died and the keyboard keys are mostly blank. No change to my case or existing hard disks.

Hopefully will all arrive within the next week or so.


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## joeten (Dec 4, 2008)

Have fun building it.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

That's quite the system you have there!

If you add a little overclock to the i7 with a third party CPU cooler, then it will be unlimited in what it can handle.


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## Glaswegian (Sep 16, 2005)

Masterchiefxx17 said:


> That's quite the system you have there!
> 
> If you add a little overclock to the i7 with a third party CPU cooler, then it will be unlimited in what it can handle.


I might play around a little bit later - current system is nearly 7 years old so it will be nice to have something new(er).


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Make sure that you set the memory to XMP mode and that you select Profile 1 to run the memory at 1866.

Also, don't forget about all of the newest drivers as well.


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## Glaswegian (Sep 16, 2005)

Will do - I have a long list of things to do...

I should also say thank you to all who offered suggestions and comments - most appreciated.


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