New motherboard and processor - UK upgrade - Hardware & Software

I'm looking to upgrade my current motherboard and processor as they're quite old now. My current specs are: Motherboard: Gigabyte (P55 GA-EP35-DSL) CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E7300 @ 2.66Ghz Graphics Card: ATI Sapphire 5770 1GB Memory: 4GB Corsair DDR2 Hard Drive: 1tb Power Supply: 1000W OCZ Display: Iiyama ProLite E1900WS @ 1440 x 900/Iiyama E2407HDSD @ 1920 x 1080 Case: NZXT Tempest Sound Card: On Board Audio Speakers: None Headphones: Sennheiser PC350 Mouse: Razer Diamondback 3G/Novint Falcon Mouse pad: Boogie Bug XL Mat/ Falcon Army Grip Mat Keyboard: Zboard Merc Stealth Operating System: Windows 7 64 Bit Ultimate Edition I am planning on just upgrading the motherboard and processor, but would like one which is ready for next time I upgrade e.g it support I7 as well as I5 or something like that. If I have to get new RAM as well, so be it. I play games such as Arma 2, Arma 2: Operation Arrowhead, Crysis, Orange Box, Counter Strike Source, Grand Theft Auto IV, Assassin's Creed 2, Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Conviction, Medal Of Honour Beta, Blur, Dragon Age Origins and Mass Effect 2. Budget probably about £300 - £400 ideally but could go to £600 cheaper would be better and I live in the UK :)

Don't kill me if I'm wrong, but are the sockets on your CPU and motherboard not different? I mean I believe p55 motherboads have a 1156 socket while your cpu should have a 755. A p55 motherboard should already support i5 and I believe some i7 processors, an i5 750 would ok as there's no real big point in buying an i7 unless you do things that require a lot of cpu power like 3d modeling.

[QUOTE=BrQ;23272087]Don't kill me if I'm wrong, but are the sockets on your CPU and motherboard not different? I mean I believe p55 motherboads have a 1156 socket while your cpu should have a 755. A p55 motherboard should already support i5 and I believe some i7 processors, an i5 750 would ok as there's no real big point in buying an i7 unless you do things that require a lot of cpu power like 3d modeling.[/QUOTE] Ye i think you are correct in terms of the p55 contains a lga 1156 socket which will support things like a core i5 750 (what i plan in my next build) so this should support it or are we both thinking wrong?

The motherboard is over two years, I missed out a number it's a [URL="http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=2778#sp"]GA-EP35-DS3L[/URL], there's a link for the specs. So it looks to me as though I do need to get a new processor, RAM and motherboard. I doubt it would support I5 and I7 as they didn't exist at that time!

Why do you have a 1000w PSU

[QUOTE=derlicious;23297955]Why do you have a 1000w PSU[/QUOTE] Erm, all I want is advice on the motherboard, ram and processor, you're not really helping

Could you perhaps give a site where you could buy the components from? I don't really know good sites that sell pc parts in England.

[QUOTE=BrQ;23300292]Could you perhaps give a site where you could buy the components from? I don't really know good sites that sell pc parts in England.[/QUOTE] [URL="http://ebuyer.com/"]http://ebuyer.com[/URL] [URL="http://scan.co.uk/"]http://scan.co.uk[/URL] [URL="http://overclockers.co.uk/"]http://overclockers.co.uk[/URL] (Everyone hates these though) There are some more which I can't remember right now.

[URL]http://www.ebuyer.com/product/218937[/URL] Gigabyte GA-870A-UD3 [B]£83.37[/B] [URL]http://www.ebuyer.com/product/190673[/URL] AMD Phenom II X4 955 [B]£131.08[/B] total = [b][B]£[/B]214.45[/b]

[QUOTE=BrQ;23301052][URL]http://www.ebuyer.com/product/218937[/URL] Gigabyte GA-870A-UD3 [B]£83.37[/B] [URL]http://www.ebuyer.com/product/190673[/URL] AMD Phenom II X4 955 [B]£131.08[/B] total = [B][B]£[/B]214.45[/B][/QUOTE] Can't he just get [URL="http://www.ebuyer.com/product/198349"]this[/URL] instead and unlock the 3rd and 4th cores? Or is there something better about that newer version?

This motherboard: [url]http://www.ebuyer.com/product/173448[/url] CPU: [url]http://www.ebuyer.com/product/172755[/url] RAM: [url]http://www.ebuyer.com/product/180490[/url] Under £400 for the lot. If I were you the next upgrade I would get (after these) would be a new GPU. Either of the two below are far better than your 5770 [url]http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/prods/Components/Graphics-ATI/ATIHD5800Series/XFX/HD-585X-ZNFV.html[/url] [url]http://www.ebuyer.com/product/200580[/url]

O.k after looking I've come up with my own idea of a build from what you guys have said. [URL="http://www.ebuyer.com/product/173533"]Motherboard[/URL], [URL="http://www.ebuyer.com/product/172754"]Processor[/URL], [URL="http://www.ebuyer.com/product/176158"]Processor Cooler[/URL], [URL="http://www.ebuyer.com/product/191184"]Memory[/URL] and of course some [URL="http://www.ebuyer.com/product/126410"]Arctic Silver Thermal Paste[/URL]

Ordered, thanks guys for your help! I can always count on you :D

How much money do you actually have? I remember you were giving away pretty expensive gifts in the gift forum too.

an i7 is pretty unneeded if you don't do things that require a lot of cpu power like rendering and stuff.

[QUOTE=jaybuz;23325886]How much money do you actually have? I remember you were giving away pretty expensive gifts in the gift forum too.[/QUOTE] I've got enough from saving :P Plus I've been working almost every day and made about £435 in less then two weeks. Not bad for McDonalds :P

[QUOTE=Marler;23337699]I've got enough from saving :P Plus I've been working almost every day and made about £435 in less then two weeks. Not bad for McDonalds :P[/QUOTE] oh, I see. Highroller.

[QUOTE=Marler;23337699]I've got enough from saving :P Plus I've been working almost every day and made about £435 in less then two weeks. Not bad for McDonalds :P[/QUOTE] WTF is minimum wage in england?

[QUOTE=HMRC]What are the current rates of the national minimum wage? There are three levels of minimum wage, and the rates from 1 October 2009 are: * £5.80 per hour for workers aged 22 years and older * a development rate of £4.83 per hour for workers aged 18-21 inclusive * £3.57 per hour for all workers under the age of 18, who are no longer of compulsory school age[/QUOTE]

[QUOTE=liquid_phase;23353333][/QUOTE] OK, so converted thats 2.5 USD more than the US, if your 22. Makes McDonalds a viable(but not recommended) Career choice.

I get £4.35 an hour but I work a lot of hours :)

[QUOTE=NecroTitan;23353652]OK, so converted thats 2.5 USD more than the US, if your 22. Makes McDonalds a viable(but not recommended) Career choice.[/QUOTE] This is true if you live at home with your parents because think of it this way roughly £435 in two weeks *2 thats £870 *12 thats £10,440 and realistically this is not a very highly payed job if you have a mortgage and other things to pay such as that. If you live at home however and basically do not spend money on living then this leaves allot of room to get all those nice things you want :)