PC Building- Motherboard Help?

[DudeistBelieve]

So I'm looking to build a good gaming PC that'll last the next decade or so. I'm also looking to cut corners everywhere I can.

So I was thinking, why not use my current PC as a the base? This way I can save money on the Power Unit and motherboard. It has enough Ram expansion slots to my liking. Is there any reason I could do this? the PC itself is from 2007.

If I can do this, how do I find out what type of motherboard I have so i know what type of processor chip to buy?

 

[Lunar Shadow]

So I'm looking to build a good gaming PC that'll last the next decade or so. I'm also looking to cut corners everywhere I can.

So I was thinking, why not use my current PC as a the base? This way I can save money on the Power Unit and motherboard. It has enough Ram expansion slots to my liking. Is there any reason I could do this? the PC itself is from 2007.

If I can do this, how do I find out what type of motherboard I have so i know what type of processor chip to buy?

Would you kindly dissassemble it and take pictures of the RAM slots, theExpansion slots (where your GFX card goes) and your CPU slot? It is one of those things that I need to see to most easily help you.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

So I'm looking to build a good gaming PC that'll last the next decade or so. I'm also looking to cut corners everywhere I can.

So I was thinking, why not use my current PC as a the base? This way I can save money on the Power Unit and motherboard. It has enough Ram expansion slots to my liking. Is there any reason I could do this? the PC itself is from 2007.

If I can do this, how do I find out what type of motherboard I have so i know what type of processor chip to buy?

Would you kindly dissassemble it and take pictures of the RAM slots, theExpansion slots (where your GFX card goes) and your CPU slot? It is one of those things that I need to see to most easily help you.

If you could allow me to wait till thursday, I'd most appreciate it. ^.^

ought to learn how to dismantle the heat sink anyway...

 

[SJXarg]

What? You don't need to take it apart... download CPUID's PCWizard software, that'll give you on-screen information about what your CPU, Motherboard and graphics card are, how much RAM you have (how much RAM per stick and how many sticks) and other such information. The only reason to open your case up is to see how many Watts your power supply is (PC Wiz won't tell you), and how many total RAM slots you have (if PC Wiz doesn't tell you).

That said, the PC is from 2007 as you say, so it will be 2-3 generations old on CPU and GPU (unless you've upgraded any components since you got it), and may even be using DDR2 RAM instead of DDR3, so you may find an upgrade is required.

 

[DudeistBelieve]

So I'm looking to build a good gaming PC that'll last the next decade or so. I'm also looking to cut corners everywhere I can.

So I was thinking, why not use my current PC as a the base? This way I can save money on the Power Unit and motherboard. It has enough Ram expansion slots to my liking. Is there any reason I could do this? the PC itself is from 2007.

If I can do this, how do I find out what type of motherboard I have so i know what type of processor chip to buy?

Sadly, I'd say that if you don't know what it is, it's definitely not good enough to keep for 10 years, especially if it's already 5+ years old.

2007 means you have, at best, a Conroe/Penryn (or AMD equivalent) and DDR2 RAM, none of which have an upgrade path suitable for a modern, future-proof gaming PC.

I'm not gonna say that you absolutely need to spend a ton of money, but the juxtaposition of the following two things
-Good gaming PC that'll last the next decade or so
-Cut corners everywhere I can with a PC from 2007
remind me of this image:

Spoiler: Originally pertained to graphic/web design work, but I'm sure you can get the gist of it and how it applies here

The cool thing about a PC, as opposed to a console, is that you don't have to cram a box full of hardware and then not touch it for 10 years; You can build gradually. Unfortunately for your salvaging plans however, that means starting with a solid base to build on and that does not include a 5 year old motherboard.

The hard drive(s), monitor, mouse, keyboard and speakers are the only things you should be keeping and maybe the case, but only if it's not from Dell, HP or similar large-scale system builder.

Then the only things I'm really looking at that are salvagable are.... what?

The hardrive, Graphics cards and ram? All the stuff that has to get replaced anyway.

I'm also stuck trying to think how much I should spend on this. Is 8 gigs of Ram really enough? I def want the 1 TB hard drive... Should I go with a top of the line graphics card or go for mid-tier and graduate to a top of the line one later?

 

[SJXarg]

The last line of the post you quoted answers the question you asked right underneath it..

The hard drive(s), monitor, mouse, keyboard and speakers are the only things you should be keeping and maybe the case, but only if it's not from Dell, HP or similar large-scale system builder.

The graphics card, if you're lucky enough to be using PCI-E would be very out of date unless you've replaced it at some point, the RAM is very likely either DDR2 and therefore unusable, or a small amount of DDR3, the hard drive wouldn't hurt to keep as you can have multiple hard drives in your system and no doubt the existing one contains a lot of data you will want to keep.

He recommends not keeping the case if it's from HP/Dell or similar, because they often use custom sizes with custom sized power supplies that often will not accept replacement parts that are not pre-approved, but the good news is that a decent sized case that will take new parts is usually quite cheap.

8GB of RAM is currently plenty for normal operation, you shouldn't *NEED* more unless you plan to run a RAMDISK, disable your pagefile, or do things like Photoshop or movie editing that would benefit from a larger amount.

For your question about graphics cards, unless you plan to use a single massive monitor (think 2560x1440 30") a mid-range graphics card should be more than sufficient, like a GTX660 or HD7850. For large setups like the above 30" example, or NVidia Surround/AMD Eyefinity, you may see some benefit in a better card (GTX 670/680 or HD7950/7970) but that would depend on what you're intending to run/play on this machine.

 

[Pinkamena]

So to recap this thread for OP:
1. You will have to replace your motherboard, CPU, GPU and RAM. PC tech has moved forward a lot since 2007, and you will likely have a hard time finding any parts that will fit.
2. That said, it doesn't mean you need to spend too much money. You can keep your monitor and everything else outside of the case, as well as the case itself (unless it's some weird custom form factor). The PSU (power supply) should be replaced if it's 400 Watt or less, as it can give stability issues. It's not crucial, but I recommend it.
3. You can keep your harddrive, no problem, but you'll likely want to buy a new one depending on its size. Also remember that when you install windows on a harddrive, everything on the harddrive will be deleted, so make backups of everything you want to keep.

So what will you need?

Spoiler

Motherboard: This is the hardest part, as there is a LOT of motherboards out there. Look around for one that fits your price range. You will need one that supports DDR3 RAM (virtually every MB produced the last 4 years does that), and has a CPU socket that fits the CPU you want to get. Other than that, it's up to you. The more expansions slots and I/O ports in the back, the more expensive it will be. You can read reviews also, to find a MB that suits you. Check out Toms Hardware.

CPU: There's a lot to chose from here, and generally speaking the more you pay the more you get. You will not need a 1000-dollar 6-core beast if you are just going to be gaming. Intels new Haswell processors will probably give you a lot for your money, but keep in mind that they use a new socket and thus MBs that support them will be sparse (and perhaps expensive). You could also go for Intels previous generation, as there is a lot to chose from. You do not need to spend more than 300 dollars on the CPU.

RAM: This is the simplest part. You'll want 4 or 8 GB of it. RAM is easily expandable, so you can get 4GB now and upgrade to 8GB later if you feel that you need it. You do not need super-expensive RAM sticks here, just get some regular ones. They need to be DDR3 RAM, but nearly all RAM produced nowadays for PCs are DDR3.

GPU: This is the most crucial part. Literally speaking, the more money you spend on the GPU, the better graphics and higher framerates you will get. You can buy a relatively cheap one now (for example one of the GTX500 class GPUs), but you will have to upgrade it in a few years. I recommend getting a GTX670 or GTX680. They are a bit pricey (about 300-400 dollars), but they will last many years. But remember that if you go for, let's say the GTX670, there are many version of this card from different companies. They can vary wildy in price, but these price differences are usually only for cosmetic reasons, or measly performance boosts. Just get the cheapest version.

I hope this helps!

 

[SJXarg]

Not to nitpick, but with your point 3, the drive isn't necessarily emptied when you install a new copy of Windows on it, but if you're installing 7, and probably 8, your old Windows install will be put in a folder called Windows.old and will generally contain some profile stuff, it can be cleared out by using, I believe, the disk cleanup tool under accessories\system tools on the start menu.

However you can choose to format the existing partition, or delete it and create a new one, when installing 7 and 8 while in the setup stage of the install process.

 

[vallorn]

We have a PC builders group to help with this if you still need help.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/groups/view/PC-Builders-and-Hardware-Group

 

[Requia]

If you want something that will survive the next 10 years, you pretty much need a board with a Z77 or Z87 chipset (sadly, nothing on AMD side yet). Those are the only things supporting PCIe 3.0. Right now this is meaningless, but in 5 years when you go to upgrade your graphics card you'll have a mess on your hands from the throughput being much lower than the cards were designed to use.

 

[Soopy]

MSI Z87-G45 Gaming Motherboard is a great value next gen motherboard. It's only $200, which IMO is a good price.

 

[Rob Robson]

Do you plan to overclock? A simple motherboard without overclocking ability does not cost much for the newer sockets. Look for the H87 chipset from either Asus, MSi or Gigabyte. Get the cheapest deal (making sure that it has either Wi-Fi or LAN and enough USB ports and RAM slots, and pay attention to crossfire/ SLi monikers so you don't get the 'wrong' GPU) whether it be ATX, mATX or mini-ITX form factor. Possibly the cheapest case you can get that is still very respectable is the Fractal Design Core 1000 which is mATX form factor. mATX tends to be the cheapest form of the three.

Then buy a single stick of 8GB RAM at 1600mhz or more. Don't worry about dual channel and matching more than one stick, its performance benefit is mostly a myth.

Look for an 'open box' deal on GPU. NCIX usually has most models. AMD Radeon HD7950 or GeForce GTX 770 are the lowest I'd recommend unless you can find an amazing deal on a 680, 670, 660Ti or Radeon 7870.

CPU: AMD is cheaper and will last just as long as current Intels, but cheap motherboards that fit their AM3+ sockets tend to break/burn out just outside warranty. AM3+ is not something you want to do unless you put a fair amount into the motherboard, the Asus Sabertooth Gen 3 being the very cheapest I would recommend. If you go Intel and Z87/ H87, get a 4670K. You can probably find a really good deal on a Z77 board with a 3770K though right now, which isn't much different from it's 4th generation Haswell brothers.

Good luck.

 

[Tom Waits' hat]

Tell us how much you are willing to spend first. Most likely you'll only get to keep your harddrive and case.
But yeah, let us know your budget, we'll put together a spec list for you.

Normally the sweet-spot is around $700-1400. But if you wish to spend more, it's okay too.