Please help me upgrade my system

ROFL_A_PIGGY

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California, USA
Hi, I'm wanting to do a few changes to my current system. I am wanting to make it more portable (for when I move back and forth from college and whatnot) and just make it run smooth and make sure it will keep running for a while. I also want to add another monitor as I will mainly be using this computer for coding and for schoolwork with light gaming (dota 2 and csgo mainly).

I built my PC with the help of you guys in 2009 and it's still running pretty strongly, so I have been very happy with how long it's been going for.

I think the main things I want to do is get a micro motherboard so I can fit my parts into a smaller case, and add an SSD to use as my main drive. Possibly also get a different power supply due to mine having wires going everywhere and cluttering up the desktop.

Here is the list of parts I currently have:

Code:
[URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133021"]Thermaltake Armor Series VA8003BWS Black Full Tower Case[/URL]

[URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131359"]
ASUS P6T LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard[/URL]

[URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130433"]
 EVGA 896-P3-1257-AR GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 Superclocked Edition 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready ...[/URL]

[URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115202"]Intel Core i7-920 Bloomfield Quad-Core 2.66GHz LGA 1366 130W BX80601920 Processor[/URL]

[URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136284"]Western Digital Black WD1001FALS 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive[/URL]

[URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139006"]CORSAIR TX Series CMPSU-750TX 750W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Compatible [/URL]

[URL="http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227365"]OCZ Gold 6GB (3 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model OCZ3G1600LV6GK[/URL]

I am wanting to get a smaller case, and so I think I have to get a micro motherboard? Any suggestions?

I also want to add an SSD and use it as my main drive. This is the one I was looking at:
SSD

And the mounting brackets to fit it in a 3.5" drive bay:
bracket

There are a ton of wires currently just hanging around in there, I zip tied everything as much as I could but it's still a mess. I'm guessing it's that way because my power supply is not modular? I was wondering if there is a way I can have a lot less wires cluttering up the space. If you want I could take a picture of the inside of the computer so you can see what it looks like now.

Also I am thinking of getting another monitor so I can have a dual monitor setup to make coding and multitasking easier. I'd like one with good resolution because my current one is not great (its 1440x900), but I'd like to not spend so much money on it if possible. I'm not sure what size I want, maybe between 21-23 inch?

Another concern is my CPU seems run really hot (it used to run at like 50C on idle, now it runs 65-75 on idle, and I am using CoreTemp to check the temp). I loaded up a low res game that doesn't take much resources and within a minute my CPU went up to 90s and even reached 100. Meanwhile, my GPU stayed around the same temperature when playing the game. I just reapplied thermal paste to both the CPU and GPU yesterday (it was using thermal paste I got in 2009, should I buy new thermal paste and apply that instead? or is my CPU dieing? Maybe I didn't put enough on..I put a pretty thin layer on). I checked and all fans are running, including the heat sink, and there is plenty of air flow where the computer is. My GPU runs at around 53C idle and went to 76C after a couple minutes of playing NBA 2K15 if that helps.

Sorry for the long post and I appreciate any help you can give me :)
 
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I will be honest with you. Even though your CPU is still decent you would be better to sell your current system and start from scratch. LGA1366 is long dead and hard to find (as well as hella expensive now). You GTX260 is past being long in the tooth (I used to have one... two graphics cards ago and it was old then).

What kind of budget do you have? Once we know that we can move forward.
 
Oh that's a bummer. I was hoping to only spend like $300, I thought I could keep using the CPU and GPU. Do you think my CPU and GPU are dieing due to the temps I posted? I really didn't want to spend much money because I just want to use it for school and coding, and just light gaming such as dota 2 and csgo a couple times a week (doesn't even need to be on high graphics, I barely play games).

I don't know if I'd be able to sell the computer, or if it's even worth the hassle trying to sell it for what little it's probably worth now.

If there is a way to get the CPU and GPU temperatures under control then I think if I add an SSD then the computer would be fine for what I want to do with it. Not sure if I can control the temp though..they seem to get hot pretty fast, especially the CPU. The thermal paste I used was the same one I bought when I got the computer in 2009. Maybe I need to buy a new tube and reapply it? Maybe I didn't put enough on there, I put a pretty thin layer on.

What do you think I should do?
 
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More than likely your only problem is your heatsink. I'd put something better on there like a 212 EVO. I would also clear your bios to make sure something might not be over volting your CPU. Honestly the rig is fine, but I wouldn't spend any money on your current platform.
 
Thanks for the responses guys. So would it not be a good idea to get a new motherboard (a micro one) so that I could put my computer into a smaller case? I would really like to do that if possible, because I will be moving a few times within the next year or two, and I would just like it to be easier to move and take up less space. If a micro mobo cost around $65 and a case around $50-60 then I think it'd be worth it to make my setup smaller, what do you think?

It would be great if I could solve my CPU temperature problems with that heatsink. The CPU idles at 60-70 and then almost immediately goes into the 80s and 90s when I load up even a regular program like Netbeans. Then once it's loaded it goes down to 60-70 again. If I'm playing a game (putting the CPU under constant load, even a low res game like CSGO) it stays in the high 80s and 90s. It doesn't seem like the temp should go up that much so quickly. I set my BIOS settings back to default if that's what you meant PP. Do you think a new heatsink would solve my drastic temperature increase?

My GPU stays at around 82C when playing csgo, is that too hot? I feel like it'd get a bit hotter than that if I played Dota 2.

Also I'd still like to get the SSD, I think it'd make a nice difference in application load times and such, and I could always move this into a new rig when I decide to build one. I'd like not to build another one for at minimum a year, hopefully 2 or maybe 3 tops.

If I got a couple parts (mobo, ssd, smaller case) would it be worth it do you think, or would I be wasting money for not much gain?

Thanks again guys!
 
The X58 boards only had sata 2, which means you'll be limited if you upgrade to an SSD drive. I also have an X58 board and I use a sata 3 pcie add on board, it's still not as good as having sata 3 on board but I can say it's much better than using sata 2
Computer Hardware, Hard Drives, Controllers / RAID Cards, Newegg, SATA III (6.0Gb/s), sata 6 pcie - Newegg.com
The initial benefit of an SSD is in the IOPS. Only sequential read/write speeds are limited. Newer X58 boards do have SATA3 and USB3 though.

Thanks for the responses guys. So would it not be a good idea to get a new motherboard (a micro one) so that I could put my computer into a smaller case? I would really like to do that if possible, because I will be moving a few times within the next year or two, and I would just like it to be easier to move and take up less space. If a micro mobo cost around $65 and a case around $50-60 then I think it'd be worth it to make my setup smaller, what do you think?

It would be great if I could solve my CPU temperature problems with that heatsink. The CPU idles at 60-70 and then almost immediately goes into the 80s and 90s when I load up even a regular program like Netbeans. Then once it's loaded it goes down to 60-70 again. If I'm playing a game (putting the CPU under constant load, even a low res game like CSGO) it stays in the high 80s and 90s. It doesn't seem like the temp should go up that much so quickly. I set my BIOS settings back to default if that's what you meant PP. Do you think a new heatsink would solve my drastic temperature increase?

My GPU stays at around 82C when playing csgo, is that too hot? I feel like it'd get a bit hotter than that if I played Dota 2.

Also I'd still like to get the SSD, I think it'd make a nice difference in application load times and such, and I could always move this into a new rig when I decide to build one. I'd like not to build another one for at minimum a year, hopefully 2 or maybe 3 tops.

If I got a couple parts (mobo, ssd, smaller case) would it be worth it do you think, or would I be wasting money for not much gain?

Thanks again guys!
To the new board and case, honestly doesn't make much sense. I now have a full tower and have moved it 4 times in the past 3 months. It's heavy and is a pain, but if you think about it 1: where are you going to find an X58 board that cheap (they're really over priced what's available) and 2: with the cost you're looking at spending you could have a new motherboard and CPU anyways if you sold your current setup.

I doubt your CPU is dying, or else my 3960x would have been long dead from being abused like yours. More than likely if you're using the stock heatsink the plastic mounts could have gotten weak and the core isn't making proper contact. If anything the cheap EVO should drastically drop temps and even allow some OC headroom to further extend the life of your platform.
 
One thing too is your NOT going to find a Micro MB for that CPU, I actually have the same CPU and P6T MB sitting in a box next to me I got to upgrade my other system. Decent hardware but a bit older and discontinued now. As for the PS I would just stick with that one, Really a good PS. My Corsair 650 TX is STILL running strong. which reminds me I gotta update my sig. It's in my second system ATM.
 
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The initial benefit of an SSD is in the IOPS. Only sequential read/write speeds are limited. Newer X58 boards do have SATA3 and USB3 though.
There is a noticeable difference. The OP has a ASUS P6T, which from his link that he posted, is a sata 2 board. He does not have a newer board and I was only recommending for the cost of a sata 3 pcie board ($20.), it would be a good idea to use one. I'm not sure where you could get a new x58 board today from any reputable retailers
Sata 2 and Sata 3 benchmarks:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-upgrade-sata-3gbps,3469.html
 
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One thing too is your NOT going to find a Micro MB for that CPU, I actually have the same CPU and P6T MB sitting in a box next to me I got to upgrade my other system. Decent hardware but a bit older and discontinued now. As for the PS I would just stick with that one, Really a good PS. My Corsair 650 TX is STILL running strong. which reminds me I gotta update my sig. It's in my second system ATM.
They're out there, just have to be lucky to find one.

There is a noticeable difference. The OP has a ASUS P6T, which from his link that he posted, is a sata 2 board. He does not have a newer board and I was only recommending for the cost of a sata 3 pcie board ($20.), it would be a good idea to use one. I'm not sure where you could get a new x58 board today from any reputable retailers
Sata 2 and Sata 3 benchmarks:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/ssd-upgrade-sata-3gbps,3469.html
Only pages that matter are page 6, and 13-15. Like I said, not much of a difference. That whole article basically proves what I said in a nutshell. To further prove that point, look at all the HDD vs SSD 3Gb results. SSD on 3Gb completely demolishes a HDD, even a Raptor. I have a Corsair Neutron GTX in my laptop and there is no real perceivable difference in regular use compared to being in my main machine.
 
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