Advice quick pc upgrade

[megadave]

My old system can't hack modded Skyrim/Total War/Civ 5 etc anymore so i'm upgrading.

GPU is fine for now I think (gtx 560 ti 448) but the CPU is dated (Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Socket 775 3.0GHz) so im going to stick in an i5 3750k since that seems to be what's done these days, however my motherboard is also dated so I'll have to replace that as well and while I'm at it I may as well sort out my RAM for several years as well (currently only 4gb DDR2)

I have 3 internal drives, a monitor and a TV hooked up, not so bothered about over-clocking but since the CPU can do it I feel like I may as well retain the option.

Budget is flexible but hoping for around £150 after I buy the CPU,so just looking for some quick advice re: MOBO/RAM please.

 

[caLLous]

Something like the Asus P8Z77-V LX mobo, with 8gb of Corsair RAM (16gb if you can stretch to it, it's only £20 more). I've only used Corsair RAM recently, I know others have all sorts of other brands though so there might be better options.

You definitely want to stick to a Z77 based motherboard though if you want the option of overclocking the i5-3570k. I didn't think I would want it but then I started doing a lot of video encoding and the extra 20-30% performance boost from overclocking is a godsend.

 

[Kryten]

Ram is easy - 8gb of just about anything. Corsair vengeance/dominator is good VFM as is G-Skill. Max speed you need is 1600mhz - anything else is daft/overkill and adds uncertainty re compatibility and value for money.
http://www.ebuyer.com/262580-corsair-8gb-ddr3-1600mhz-vengeance-memory-cmz8gx3m2a1600c9b

For motherboard at that price range I'd go for the Gigabyte z77-d3h. Looks basic but everything you need. If you don't already have one, find yourself an SSD too. It's well worth the outlay if you can.
http://www.ebuyer.com/351598-gigaby...z77-d3h?utm_source=google&utm_medium=products

 

[Embattle]

Good stuff although it should be mentioned that Z77 boards are a dead end with Haswell due in June.

 

[megadave]

Thanks guys, went for the P8Z77 purely because it was more convenient/cheaper overall when buying the CPU/RAM too. Should arrive on my day off and in good time for a self birthday present

Just hope my current cpu cooler is still up to scratch.

 

[caLLous]

You will need to get some thermal paste if you don't already have some laying around to re-apply the cooler to the new CPU (and the chemicals to clean the gunk off the base of the cooler - a kit like this will suffice). What cooler do you have? It will need to be fittable to LGA775 (old CPU) and LGA1155 (new CPU) - I don't think the holes are in the same place on the motherboard.

 

[Raven]

Probably a bit late but I have 16 gig of http://www.ebuyer.com/264750-g-skill-8gb-ddr3-1600mhz-ripjawsx-memory-f3-12800cl9d-8gbxl

Very good value. Doubt you need 16 gig though but RAM is so cheap atm you may as well.

 

[Litmus]

How about some of these oc'ed bundles?? if you scoll down theres some 3570k's+mobo+ram for about £370

http://www.scan.co.uk/3xs-overclocked-bundles