Soliciting advice again! PC stuff.

[Shano]

Well since I am nowadays rich, (I already had an advice thread on a new cell) I am also thinking of upgrading my desktop (in lieu of ME3 coming later this year etc).

The upgraded parts will be processor and MB. I am a fan of Intel and would first like recommendations on an Intel CPU+MB suggestions.

Another big issue is about the OS. My desktop runs Win 7 x64 Ultimate, however it is a combination of Vista x64 Ultimate + Upgrade. Is there a way to not lose my settings (including all installed software). I don't really mind getting a new HDD for a fresh install if need be.
I'd love of course if Win 7 is not a dick about new CPU and MB but my most recent memory about upgrading without changing the OS was at the times of WinXP and there you had to do a fresh clean install if you changed the CPU and MB.

[Napoleon the Clown]

If money isn't much of an issue, I've heard very good things about the i7. Expensive as fuck, though.

What's the most you want to spend?

[Shano]

Probably ~$500 for both. Still more concerning is the transition of settings etc.

Has anyone upgraded CPU and MB with Win 7?

[Napoleon the Clown]

I haven't done it personally, but I expect doing it will get an alert saying that Windows has detected a bunch of hardware changes and you'll have to get some sort of "reactivation" code to tell it "It's cool, just an upgrade the the PC."

A quick run on NewEgg yielded a 3.06 ghz Core i7 and motherboard that can use it for a total of $529.98. I advise against using a cheap-ass motherboard. A motherboard dying is one of the most obnoxious parts to have die on you since it means having to pull everything but the HDD and power supply out. So yeah, be picky.

The motherboard
The CPU

Another set-up I threw together was a Core i5 2.8 ghz. $339.98 without shipping.

Mother board
CPU

I will note that the second motherboard only has a total of four PCI-Express slots. If you've got dual graphics cards it won't work for you. I'm guessing you don't. With the extra money saved, though, you can upgrade your RAM. Example: This. Brings the total to 3¢ under $500 before shipping. You can save ~$50 by stepping down to "only" 8 gig.

Going AMD could save you a good $100 and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between it and an Intel on anything I can image you doing. It's pretty easy to find stuff on NewEgg, really. Just go to the section you want (Processors, Motherboards, etc.) and use the advance search feature to decide basically what you want from the hardware. Sort by rating. Note socket types and all that. Then toss it in your cart.

Tom's Hardware can give you benchmarks and comparisons, too. That way you can see what your money gets you.

[Shano]

Thanks for the effort.
I do have to say, though, that I am quite savvy in finding stuff on newegg. The purpose of the thread was to get advice from people who have had personal experience.

[Napoleon the Clown]

I'm an AMD man, so I'm biased as all fuck.

Just check benchmarks and stuff off Tom's Hardware.

[MaybeNever]

I've been running an i5-760 for the last six months, not overclocked or anything like that. I'm a pretty hardcore gamer, and I haven't had any problems at all with even very new/intensive games (GTA4 runs really nicely at almost max settings with that, four gigs of RAM, and a Radeon 5870).

AMD is indeed both cheaper than Intel parts and at least as good if not better in performance (depending on the chip), but they also run somewhat hotter. This isn't necessarily a problem, but it is something to keep in mind. Heat's the reason I never overclock my processors.

And yeah, definitely go for a good motherboard.

[Bluefinger]

I have a Core 2 Quad PC going at the moment, and I did not cheap out on the motherboard. Part of it was making sure I had decent overclocking capabilities, power management, good I/O handling and the like. If I wanted to, i could stick an extra graphics card in. The point of the mobo purchase was to ensure I had a solid and flexible system.

In short, don't go for the highest of the high end mobos unless you are doing something crazy like liquid cooled overclock and multiple graphics cards. Pick something that offers good set of features at a good price, but avoid the cheap-ass stuff. Will you be needing a second graphics card any time soon? Are you going to stress your computer over long periods of time (not just gaming, but serious computing stuff too)? Will you ever be going into the BIOS to implement some form of overclocking? Motherboard choices do get influenced by these questions, and so do other components.

I'm a bit out of the loop for specific Intel motherboard parts, so not sure what I can offer you as a direct recommendation. I'm not exactly in the need to upgrade at the moment.