Gaming Upgrading Computer; have a couple questions

[Raiser]

How's it goin' guys,

So I just purchased an i7 950 and Asus Sabertooth x58 i&-Compatible motherboard bundle (boxing day!

)

My current setup is actually quite mediocre, although it's nothing 'terrible'.
Just from memory, it consists of:

Motherboard: Asus P5K-VM (---> Sabertooth)
CPU: Intel Core2Duo @ 2.80GHz (---> i7)
Harddrive: Seagate Barracuda 7200 @ 1TB
RAM: 4GB DDR2
Video: ATI Radeon HD4830

I am not sure about the fan and power supply as I've never really looked at them.

-Does an i7 require any more cooling (fan) than duo cores and such? Or should my current fan be fine?

-Will I be able to keep the same power supply as I have now or no?

-Will I need to purchase anything that's required to run my new setup (with the two parts mentioned)?

-After getting a shop to install the parts, will my desktop (Windows) run like it was before? or will there be any.. changes?

Thank you very much!

 

[Originality]

Core i7 doesn't take all that much more energy than core 2 duo, so you shouldn't have to upgrade the psu. That of course depends on how much power the psu provides, which you've not mentioned. The fan provided by the core i7 will also be sufficient unless you plan to overlook. The only problem you may encounter is the fact that core i7 is designed for triple channel RAM, and your 2x2 kit will only be dual channel. Whilst it can still work, it won't be able to take advantage of the full speed of the core i7. You'll want either a 3gb kit, or a 6gb kit.

 

[myuusmeow]

i7s can get really hot if you overclock them. The stock cooler they come with is a wimpy little loud thing, I would recommend getting like a Noctua NH-D14 or something so you can overclock and be quieter.

Your DDR2 RAM won't work on a DDR3 board. Get a triple channel DDR3 kit (this means 3x [amount] like 3x1GB sticks or 3x2GB sticks. i7s use triple channel memory)

Your Windows will probably ungeniune-ize itself. The activations are tied to motherboards. If you have an OEM key, this means you need to either pirate or buy a new key. Best thing to do is backup, and reinstall Windows.

You don't need to get a shop to install these parts. Its not that hard to do it yourself, just remove video card, cables, unscrew motherboard, install CPU, cooler, RAM on new motherboard, screw it in, install video card, redo cables.

 

[Raiser]

Thanks for the informative replies, guys.

Well, I have a fan at the back of my tower ATM- would that plus the stock i7 fan be sufficient?

Yes, I was also planning on buying some DDR3 RAM as well.

For the activation key, I, simply put, pirated Windows 7 and activated it with an activator. Could I do this (run an activator) again without messing up anything else? Or would that not be a good idea?

 

[Originality]

Hmm, I missed the part about DDR2 RAM... must've been because I was reading from my phone.

For the case (and cooling), I don't think a single exhaust will be enough. You won't need to replace the stock Intel fan (that comes with the i7) unless you're overclocking, but since the stock fan only points up (or, if the motherboard is vertical, to the side) it's best to have at least one intake fan and one exhaust fan to maintain airflow (since suffocating the heatsink of the CPU is the worst thing you can do). Add to that the heat that the HD4830 makes... and on the other hand, if you do choose to overclock (even a minor "level-up") you will need an after-market heatsink and fan. Arctic Freezer is the most basic one you can get, although Scythe and CoolerMaster make some very good ones too (and some very big ones). Sometimes it's advisable to get an after-market HSF anyway just because it usually runs quieter and cooler than the stock Intel HSF.

I can't advise on Windows though because I've never pirated Windows 7.

 

[Stevetry]

i got a ddr2 ram from ebay is in the mail i hope it works