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Build Advice Need advise for PC upgrade

Discussion in 'Hardware' started by Magizi, 24 Aug 2011.

  1. Magizi

    Magizi What's a Dremel?

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    Hello everyone! :D

    I'm going to upgrade my computer as a Christmas gift for myself. My plan is to buy a new CPU, MoBo, GPU, Memory, HDD and keyboard. My current PC is as follows:

    CPU: Intel Core2 Quad Q6600 2.4 ghz.
    MoBo: Asus P5Q-E.
    GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD 4870 512mb.
    Memory: DDR2 Hyper X kingston 1066 mhz 4 gb.
    HDD: Seagate barracuda 500GB 7200 rpm.
    Display: Samsung SyncMaster T220 22'' Monitor (1680*1050).
    CoolMaster 650w PSU.

    My Budget: Somewhere in between $1000-1200 US dollars. I could maybe strech this a bit, but this is what more or less I want to spend and not feel guilty about it, LOL.
    Main uses of intended build: The usual computer stuff AND gaming (I play Starcraft 2 the most, also shooters, weird thing is that shooters now a days run the smoothest, The Witcher 2 feels heavy).
    Will you be overclocking: Probably not, I don't upgrade my computer very often, usually like every 4 or so years and I don't want to risk my computer integrity.

    Any motherboard requirements: I'm curious about SLI/XF, but there are stuff I don't understand, like what is the difference in performance between a MoBo that can handle 2 GPUs both at 16x/16x and another Mobo that can handle it at 8x/8x? dual GPUs is not something I'll include by December as I want to purchase the best video card I can afford in that moment, but is something to maybe consider in a year or so. Also, is it true that some games have problems with SLI/XF? Any enlightenment in the subject will be much appreciated.

    Important note: My computer knowledge is... well it isn't great, I understand that usually, more expensive the components are more awesome performance wise. I wish to understand this technology better and that is one of the reasons I'm asking for advice, something I didn't do previously. So thanks in advance.

    This is the system I'd buy if I were to acquire my new PC today, as I understand it, Intel has the upper hand in terms of CPUs atm, Asus motherboards are awesome and Nvidia delivers better video cards. I do tend to favor products that I had good experience with, like the Asus MoBo I currently use, or the CPU I'm also using right now, but Also I have the feeling Intel comes up with new sockets every time they upgrade their CPUs a bit, and AMD does not. Also AMD is supposed to ship a new CPU in mid-September code named "bulldozer" or so the rumors say, would that be better?. Anyway without further talk, here it is:

    CPU: Intel i7 2600k 3.4 ghz (would like to know how much better is it than i5 2500k for gaming, if at all).

    MoBo: Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z (as I see it this guy is all about performance, saves cost by cutting stuff I'll probably never use, but, would it be better to consider a socket 1366?)

    Memory: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (read a review somewhere that stated that 16gb or RAM would make games slower? if true I'll go for 8GB)

    GPU: If I buy a SSD I'll get a GTX 570, if I don't buy a SSD I'll go for the 580 1.5gb version. Testimonials from newegg seem to favor EVGA ones, are those the better choice? I would stick with AMD Ati but I have to say PhysX sounds cool and nvidia seems to be doing better currently if benchmarks mean anything.

    HDD: I would buy a Seagate as the current one worked well, but nobody seems to even consider those for gaming, everywhere I read says, -get a caviar black from WD- so Western Digital it is. Although if they are the same, I'll go seagate for loyalty sake. (can anyone put some input?)

    SSD: I got the feeling these things are build for laptops and are not built to be in use for long periods of time, also they are VERY expensive and can store so much less. These are supposed to last 1 million hours but I have read testimonials where they die 3 months later. Also, are sometimes unstable? If anyone can provide some feedback about these things being used all day, for at least a year, I'll consider them.

    If my math is correct my current PSU should be fine. I think.

    Finally I want to get a gaming keyboard, always wanted one of these, I'll probably get the Logitech G110 and I'll be getting a CM inferno mouse later this week.
     
  2. LennyRhys

    LennyRhys Fan Fan

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    Welcome to the forum :thumb:

    I'll take a quick look through your components:

    i7 2600K: like the i5 2500K, this is designed for overclocking because it is unlocked (that's what the"K" designation means). The main difference between the two CPUs is hyperthreading, which effectively means that the 2600K has 8 cores compared to the 2500K's 4. For gaming, you will be perfectly fine with the i5 2500.

    Mobo: you want a socket 1155 board for your CPU. Socket 1366 is for older i7's (like what I have). Most motherboards that boast claims of performance are usually referring to their overclocking ability, so really any motherboard will serve you well since you're not overclocking.

    GPU: Either the 570 or the 580 are amazing cards, and EVGA are popular because of their customer support and warranty services... you could buy from any vendor and be perfectly happy, it doesn't matter.

    HDD: WD are popular because they have a strong reputation for speed and longevity. I have a WD Caviar 320GB but also three other mechanical HDDs, and they are all good (my Samsung 2TB is the fastest, surprisingly).

    SSD: I'd recommend an OCZ Vertex 2E, either 60GB or 120GB, which would be perfect for the OS and some programs. Yes, SSDs have a bad reputation for dying after a relatively short time, so I don't think there's any guarantee that it will last a year (any more than a normal mechanical HDD tbh).

    PSU: 650W is absolutely fine if you are just getting one graphics card.

    Keyboard: Saitek Eclipse 3 for a cheap backlit gaming keyboard, or something Logitech if you can afford it. :thumb:
     
  3. sp4nky

    sp4nky BF3: Aardfrith WoT: McGubbins

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    I'd be very interested to see that review if you can dig it out. AFAIK, using 4 sticks of RAM may limit the amount of overclocking you can do but it will never make games slower.

    Since you're not overclocking and RAM is dirt cheap at the moment, while 16GB is overkill for any current games, it may be helpful if you get a huge monitor and start playing with photoshop. Alternatively, it may be worth having as a future-proofing measure, just in case.
     
  4. Magizi

    Magizi What's a Dremel?

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    Thanks for replies.

    LennyRhys.

    If I grab the i5 2500K I'll have enough money to grab a 120GB SSD, so thats a plus, but I just want to be sure I'm not gimping myself if I go for the i5 in terms of logevity. Also, is there a comparison chart of the i5 and/or i7 against my current CPU? (Intel core 2 Quad Q6600).

    The MoBo I considered, the Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z is supposed to be faster, better or whatever in stock speeds and also, I think, is cheaper by a few dollars.

    Also I cannot seem to find that SSD you recommended me, can you provide a link or something?

    sp4nky.

    I don't remember what i was looking for the day I saw that review, but I remember some details. The computer parts were the same for all test, a GTX 590 included and the only thing swapped from test to test was the DIMMs. THey tested 1333, 1600, etc all the way up to 2133 or so. And also 4, 8, 16 GB.

    Game used for benchmarks was Arma II.
    Basically the most notable difference was between 1333 and 1600 mhz, the jump improved fps by 1 or so, from 72 to 73 or something ridiculous like that and faster clocks beyond 1600 were only improving performance by 0.4 fps or so with each jump. Exept when they tested the 16 GB version of 2133 I think, which caused the game to run slower by a few FPS, although I don't think there is a human on the planet that can tell the difference between 72 and 73 fps. lol

    Anyway the whole point of the review was that one, you don't need more than 8 GB of RAM and two, there is no reason for it to be faster than 1600 mhz, for gaming that is.
     

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