It is time to upgrade the computer at home. My last computer build was completed in December of 2007. It was a Intel Q6600 based system. The Q6600 has been stable at 3.2ghz for all these years and I have been very happy with it.

Ever since that build I have been watching out for the next CPU that could overclock well. Enter the Intel 2500K.

This CPU is solid and with very little ‘tweaking’ I am running at 4ghz. Once I find more time I hope to reach the 4.2ghz or 4.5ghz range.

Part list:

• ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
• Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I52500K
• COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
• G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL
• Crucial M4 CT128M4SSD2 2.5″ 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive
• CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX650 V2 650W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
• COOLER MASTER HAF 912 RC-912-KKN1 Black SECC/ ABS Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

Recipe for the best diaper-bag companion for a new mom 🙂  After the upgrades, closing the lid yields 2 second suspends and it also awakens just as fast.  Not to mention it has multiple USB ports and SD card reader for offloading and reviewing photos.

Here is dismantled 10v photo in order to install the new SSD and RAM.

The biggest help in the tear down of the machine was one of these: Norton’s universal cleaning stick from CountyComm.

There are many plastic snaps the case uses in place of screws in the keyboard palm rest.  The cleaning stick worked wonders in prying those apart without damage.  There are also ribbon cables that can be easily separated from the motherboard with it.

Resources for doing the upgrades

• Dell Mini 10v 2 GB RAM Upgade – Part 1 of 3
• Netbook Installer
• Norton’s universal cleaning stick