# Rebuilding an old build we built on here :)



## kylos (Apr 19, 2006)

Howdy folks, it's been a few years since I came here looking for assistance with my budget build, and it's cool to say my desktop still works pretty nicely.

Well, I say nicely, but every now and then the graphics crashes and it's annoying as hell. So I was thinking about replacing it, but I've got enough money to completely rebuild this system and get way more juice out of it.

These are the final specs we got to, although I've upgraded to Windows 10 since then. I also got myself a SSD to replace the ye olde hard drive.
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CURRENT SPECS*

Motherboard: Gigabyte H81M-DS2V
Processor: Intel i5 4590 3.3Ghz
Memory: DDR3 8GB
Power: 550W XFX 550W Core Edition 80+ Bronze
Graphics: (?) Geforce GTX 750 Ti 2GB
Case: Cooler Master N200 Mid Tower Micro-ATX Chassis (Black)
OS: Windows 7 64 bit Home Premium

So what I did last time was, I replaced the case first so I could house the new things. Then I had to decide the type of processor I wanted, along with the graphics, so we could figure out what strength power supply would be needed. Would anyone be interested in helping me to rebuild this gaming system? 

Clearly I can't afford to buy the very latest hardware on the market, but I'm sure by now I could get some great deals on hardware which would easily beat what I have? Cheers to anyone who can help me with this, I'd only mess it up if I tried doing it myself. :dance:


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## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

I though you looked pretty good till I got to next to the last paragraph and saw gaming. As a result, go to this link.

https://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f255/tsf-recommended-builds-2019-a-1235670.html#post7735316


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## kylos (Apr 19, 2006)

Saying "gaming system" was probably a little misleading. Initially I wanted a system that could play games like Metal Gear Solid V at lowish settings flawlessly. But that's not all I use it for, I also work as an admin on a website, so I would say I spend just as much time working on this system than playing games on it. 

So it's multi-purpose really, and it doesn't need to be excessive on the gaming side of things, as I'm not likely to play the very latest games at the highest settings on a huge screen (i use one of the smallest HD screens due to space issues), and I have a PS4 if I want to play graphic heavy titles.

PS: That link you gave me, only lead me to a very confusing topic about builds that went way, way over my head. All I got from it was to be careful what you buy .. but that's why I came here, so I don't make that type of mistake and get the hardware that would suit me, not kill my pocket, and perhaps help others who find themselves wanting something similar.


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## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

Just look at each build individually and consider it. Each has been checked for compatibility of components.


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## kylos (Apr 19, 2006)

Is there supposed to be some kind of list? Because I don't see it. The first post I see is LordVoldemort's.

Edit: This is so strange! I saw the list for a second, but then it disappeared along with all the comments under it up to LordVoldemort. What the hell?


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## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

Sorry. Posted wrong link. Try https://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f255/tsf-recommended-builds-2019-a-1235670.html


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## kylos (Apr 19, 2006)

Ohh I see it now, thank you Corday. But the issue I sometimes find as well. is that many look to build systems based in the USA. In the past, I had someone from the UK who would specifically help me to find the best deals over here. I can imagine much of this hardware is American based, so getting deals for them would be pretty tough. Granted, I have not read this post yet, so perhaps it has been accounted for?


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## kylos (Apr 19, 2006)

I absolutely hate to bump this, and I believe it is against site rules? But I'm really struggling to use the link you suggested. While some of these pieces of hardware do look good, finding somewhere to buy them from a UK website or workplace is rare. There's not many choices of where to buy them, along with virtually no reviews sharing customers thoughts about them. 

I am capable of shopping around, but the range is extremely limited. For example, the top two cases. The best case only sells on ebay, and I have had issues buying from ebay in the past. The second best only sells on newegg.com, but only has one review and doesn't look like it's any better to what I have. Is it possible to get more support? Or could you recommend somewhere else I could ask these types of questions?


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## bassfisher6522 (Jul 22, 2012)

https://www.techsupportforum.com/forums/f255/tsf-recommended-builds-2019-a-1235670.html


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## bassfisher6522 (Jul 22, 2012)

What's your budget on the new build?


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## kylos (Apr 19, 2006)

Difficult to say atm, because I'm probably going to buy this build in parts over the next 2-3 months. Xmas is coming, so I can't really afford to buy everything in one go. Probably the most I want to spend is about £1000 ($1282)? But it all depends on the deals.

I explained what I did last time, we worked through this bit-by-bit. So the first thing to decide would be the case, which should be of better quality of what I have, but it doesn't need to kill the pocket as it's just a case. After looking around Amazon for a while, I come across this one that I will link, but if there's anything noticeably better for a similar price elsewhere, I'd really appreciate recommendations.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Corsair-SPEC-DELTA-Carbide-Tempered-Mid-Tower/dp/B07KGSJRC3/ref=zg_bs_430498031_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=YC5H0ZNFK5V6BAQ244KJ


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## kylos (Apr 19, 2006)

The question at this point is .. will this new case beat my old one? There has to be a reason why it's the #1 selling case. I'm not very good with all the specifications, but perhaps I can figure it out.

Link to my current (old) case: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cooler-Mas...-ATX+Chassis&qid=1572125978&sr=8-1-fkmr0&th=1

Sorry for another post, but I could not edit my previous.


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## bassfisher6522 (Jul 22, 2012)

Between the two...I'd go with the new case. Do you use external drives like a CD/DVD drive or a card reader? 

I like your plan....a few parts at a time.


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## kylos (Apr 19, 2006)

Cheers man  Best way I think, because you can see if each component fits and be reliable enough before you start adding new things. It also gives us time to think about the choices, and sometimes that works out for the better. I know that January always has good sales on hardware, so we can get the big stuff then.

What is it about the new case which makes it better? I'm guessing it's the extra fans? Also no, I'm not using any kind of external drives. Only external things I have include a set of speakers, wireless mouse, and wired keyboard.


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## kylos (Apr 19, 2006)

Starting to think I should know what the rest is going to look like before getting a case. That way I'll know the rough size required, but sadly, I do not have the space for a beefy ATX. I've only got two fans at present, so upgrading everything is probably gonna need an extra fan or two. 

I also need a case which does not have its front case buttons on the right hand side, as that side will always be facing a wall. I believe the graphics card is going to decide what kind of case I could use, so I'll think about this some more. Also if I did get that case I linked, a new motherboard would need slots for all the fans so they are not forced to run at 100%

I'm not using anything higher than a regular 1080p HD monitor, and definitely cant get anything bigger. A replacement card is necessary, but am not sure if my power supply would handle anything stronger.


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## bassfisher6522 (Jul 22, 2012)

> Also no, I'm not using any kind of external drives. Only external things I have include a set of speakers, wireless mouse, and wired keyboard.


I was referring to external drives that fit in the 5.25"/3.5 bay's on/in the front panel of old case. A CD/DVD drive and a card reader. If you do, there's no slots like that on the new case.


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## kylos (Apr 19, 2006)

Nah I don't have any of those  I do have a SSD which i wrapped around a certain part in my current case and it works fine (i learned you can put those drives almost anywhere and it will be ok). 

I'm looking at NVIDIA cards atm, particularly the 1660 and 1080 ti's. Trying to figure out how much I want to spend, and hoping there will be some nice deals in the coming months. What would you suggest for a card upgrade from 750 ti?


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## bassfisher6522 (Jul 22, 2012)

Getting a new GPU is all based on price.....so any suggestions would be moot at this point. That said....I would look at the RTX 2070/2080. The next thing to consider and most importantly is a PSU that will power the system.


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## kylos (Apr 19, 2006)

I see those are going around 500, which is slightly out of range, although I bet there's some good deals on those after Xmas. Was you thinking something like this? 

MSI GeForce RTX 2070

Having a 550W supply atm, what would be a logical step up to ensure it could power almost anything we could choose?


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## joeten (Dec 4, 2008)

Scroll down the page in your link the recommended power supply spec is there.


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## kylos (Apr 19, 2006)

Good call Joeten, I see it needs 650w at least. Does that mean I should aim for something like 800? Thanks.


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## joeten (Dec 4, 2008)

It won't hurt anything to go to that.


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## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

Besides wattage, go for quality. 80+Gold minimum and even then, the maker makes a difference by using high end parts.


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## kylos (Apr 19, 2006)

This is some great advice and I am so grateful for the guidance. Let me look around to see what I can find ..

.. what about something like this? :angel: >> Corsair 750W PSU


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## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

To me a good choice now that Great Wall is making some Corsair PSUs. Many don't know it, but Corsair isn't exactly a manufacturer. Has a 7 year Warranty.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

I would pass on Corsair they make nothing and the quality makers they use these days have really slipped once they established their reputation based on Seasonic made psus. Since the card calls for 650 watts, that is all you need for whole system and while 800 would not hurt, it is not necessary and a waste of money if you buy a quality psu. Power supplies are a case for buying brand name vs wattage every time. Seasonic are the best but a 650 watt EVGA B3, GS, G2, G3 or P2 will give you Super Flower or Seasonic made, again the best.


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## kylos (Apr 19, 2006)

Wouldn't a 750 give a little leeway? I only ask in case I want to add more hardware to the system. Looking around, I found one which looks nice, but would it be too big for a micro atx case? - EVGA 650 B3


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## Corday (Mar 3, 2010)

Just to clarify a point I made. Great Wall makes some good PSUs. This is not true of what they make for Walmart, as they cheapen the product to meet Walmart's price points.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

Again 750 won't hurt but 650 is more than enough to add hardware as well
and there usually is a big price difference between 650 and 750 but remember please make is way more important than wattage on this component. A current Corsair Psu even an 850 would not be recommended
as those units are not the quality they used to be again depending on the actual maker. Seasonic, EVGA models I gave you in earlier post, and higher priced Enermax (which they make) are great quality psus. Enermax Revolution 85, Revolution XT, Revolution 85+, Max Revo, Platimax, Infiniti, Eco 80, EPro80, Eco 80,Eco 80+2,Pro 82, Pro 82+II, Modu 82+, and Modu 82+II all excellent!



kylos said:


> Wouldn't a 750 give a little leeway? I only ask in case I want to add more hardware to the system. Looking around, I found one which looks nice, but would it be too big for a micro atx case? - EVGA 650 B3


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## kylos (Apr 19, 2006)

Thanks for clarifying, I think I'll go for that EVGA one when I start making purchases.

So currently we've decided on a new graphics card (MSI GeForce RTX 2070) and a PSU for it, but not much else. I'm thinking of something a bit better in terms of motherboard & processor which would compliment them, as well as have the space to add 3-4 fans if I get a case with multiple; currently only using 2. What's the next logical step do you think? Or is there even any need to upgrade? From this:

Motherboard: Gigabyte H81M-DS2V
Processor: Intel i5 4590 3.3Ghz


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

Wow a $700 video card, are you that much into gaming. There is a lot of value in say an EVGA 1660 ti card for 1/3 the price and it was designed to compete with better video cards.
I have an AS Rock Z390M Pro 4 board with an Intel i7 9700K cpu on the system I am on and I can't say enough about AS Rock boards and this cpu and its not a lot of $ either, way less together than the video card you suggested. I do run some memory hog programs though no real gaming for me and so I have an ATi RX 570 video card and this system flies!


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## kylos (Apr 19, 2006)

I don't really know my hardware too well, that's why I'm here  You able to give some links to some of these suggestions? Thanks man.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=intel+i7...PPRI&sprefix=INtel,aps,178&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_5_5

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=AS+Rock+Z390M+Pro+4&ref=nb_sb_noss

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=EVGA+1660+ti&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

https://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-112...sr_1_5?keywords=Ati+570&qid=1572609413&sr=8-5


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## kylos (Apr 19, 2006)

Thanks Rich! I've got some decisions to make. Might have to wait though til later on this month to make some purchases though.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

Sure let us know what you do.


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## kylos (Apr 19, 2006)

I got my 1660 Ti and tested putting it in to my dads computer before my power supply comes (it's out of stock and im waiting). It seems that it's getting really close to the power supply as it's bigger than the 750. It's also not easy to screw it in because it seems wider as well. Is this card not suitable for a micro atx case??


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

It certainly should fit in.


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## kylos (Apr 19, 2006)

Yeah it doesn't seem to go right back, so it can't be set in place using the small screw. It could be because of the case itself, which is this one: 










I'll wait for my power supply and see what I can do after that. If it's awkward then I'll just have to wait til I get a new case as well.


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

That doesn't help me can you give me make and model of case. Be careful when you try to put card in slot it may grab it in the back and you have some sort of lever to release that but if you put the side that goes to the front of the case in first and properly that card should fit in but admittedly tight.


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## kylos (Apr 19, 2006)

*CURRENT SPECS
*
Motherboard: Gigabyte H81M-DS2V
Processor: Intel i5 4590 3.3Ghz
Memory: DDR3 8GB
Power: 550W XFX 550W Core Edition 80+ Bronze
Graphics: (?) Geforce GTX 750 Ti 2GB
Case: Cooler Master N200 Mid Tower Micro-ATX Chassis (Black)
OS: Windows 7 64 bit Home Premium


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## joeten (Dec 4, 2008)

Would this be the correct case https://www.coolermaster.com/catalog/cases/mini-tower/n200/ if so then a 14 inch card is what the specs say.


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## kylos (Apr 19, 2006)

That's the one. Do i need something slightly bigger? The thing is that the specifications on this 1660 Ti said (on NVIDIA's site) it had the same dimensions as the one I already have.


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## joeten (Dec 4, 2008)

Spec on the Nvidia site 
Graphics Card Dimensions:
4.37" Height
5.7" Length
2-slot Width
https://www.nvidia.com/en-me/geforce/graphics-cards/gtx-1660-ti/


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

That case sure looks to me like it can fit that card.


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## kylos (Apr 19, 2006)

Ok I think I just wasn't trying hard enough. When I put it in to my own it slotted in perfectly right away. Now just eagerly awaiting the PSU then I can think about other upgrades after Xmas  thanks for all the help guys. :dance:


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

That's what we are here for!


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## kylos (Apr 19, 2006)

So I finally got my PSU and I love it! You can pick and choose what cables go out of it, unlike my previous supply which had everything bunched together without any choice. The inside of my case is way cleaner now, but the card and the PSU are quite close. 

There's enough space for airflow, but I wonder if a better case might be needed in the summer if I'm playing anything which puts it under heavy load. Temps are good and the system sounds even quieter.

But the #1 main thing about this is my previous card was crashing randomly. When I put my HDMI in, it often felt loose and could come out easily if it were wiggled lightly. Not the case with the new card, as the HDMI cable is firm and needs some pull to separate it. I've yet to have any crashes, so fingers crossed it was the loose connection and nothing else 

I'd still like to upgrade the rest of my system soon, but only if I can find some sweet deals in those January sales. My system is fine for what I use it for, but there's no harm in upgrading it so I can complement what I just got. Will bump this back up after Xmas ends. Cheers guys!


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

Great news thanks for sharing!


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## kylos (Apr 19, 2006)

Hi guys  I'm back long after Christmas has finished with a case query. What I've already got is doing an alright job, but I'd like something with better airflow for the summer months.

I was having a look at the NZXT H510 standard, but there's questions about fan placement. I could move the top fan to the front, but would one of the fans I got in my Coolermaster be alright to use as a second front fan? Two fronts and one back? I'd rather not have to buy a fan with it if possible.

Or if you guys think there's a better case around the price range? Please let me know. Cheers


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

By all means move top fan to front top fans cause nothing but trouble as they work against the flow for cpu fans. You only need one front fan opposite the back fan.


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## kylos (Apr 19, 2006)

Nice one Rich, I was wondering about this. I may just go ahead and get this case as it's nicely rated and should serve me well for a long time. The other one can do as a spare. 

Thanks for getting back to me so soon! I'll likely be back maybe in a few months when I think about changing the motherboard/processor setup  That should finish this build off nicely.


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## joeten (Dec 4, 2008)

I agree with Rich. As to the future upgrade do some due diligence and bounce your thoughts here in this thread since it is all part of your initial idea.


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## zulinz (Jan 29, 2020)

joeten said:


> Scroll down the page in your link the recommended power supply spec is there.


Is that all it boils down to is the video cards recommendations? Dont you have to consider fans, and i mean, all the other components?

My bad I thought that was a recent reply. XD I was pages of responses away lmao


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## kylos (Apr 19, 2006)

It seems that due to money issues I won't be having the spare money to upgrade the motherboard and processor any time soon. It might be about a year, maybe more til I can even consider it. This sucks because my motherboard lacks the capability to have the USB 3.0 in the front, but at least I got two in the back. It also doesn't have the space for a third fan, which I was thinking about as well.

But no biggie! The main thing is my system should suit my needs for a long time. The new case looks awesome too! A little taller than the previous, but the cable management inside is super neat, and the glass case lets me look inside clearly.

I just came here to thank everyone for the suggestions! It's been fun rebuilding my original build with you guys. You might see me again, but not for a really long time. If I need any other kind of tech support though? I know where to come. You guys are the best around, without a doubt. Have a great 2020 and beyond! :dance::flowers:


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