Need help upgrading from an old build (US)

[dagz85]

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
Gaming, MMO's, FPS and RPGs.. highest possible settings.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

about $800-900 tops.. less would be better.


3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
USA


4. IF you're buying parts OUTSIDE the US, please post a link to the vendor you'll be buying from.
We can't be expected to scour the internet on your behalf, chasing down deals in your specific country... Again, help us, help YOU.

n/a


5. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.

Intel I5 or I7 and nvidia graphics, unless if there's an radeon with the same performance that can save me a lot.


6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

I upgraded my power supply, I have a slower rpm ssd 170gb that I put windows on, as well as other storage regular drives. I'd possibly like a new SSD. I have a Gefore GTX 660 TI that i'd like to hold onto for a bit longer. I also have a case and a 1000W power supply. I'm in need of a new mother board, cpu and memory (16gb) and possibly a ssd. I don't think I'm missing anything else.



7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

I have OC'd my Q600 from 2.4 to 3ghz, overclocking can be fun.. but it's not needed.



8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?

I have two 1920X1080 22" monitors that I am happy with.


9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
Note that it is usually not cost or time effective to choose your build more than a month before you actually plan to be using it.

I'd like it before christmas.


X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?
Nope, I can handle that myself.

 

[Ken g6]

I also have a case and a 1000W power supply.

OK, this helps. That's generally close to $100. I see you also have regular drives; that saves about $50 more. So I'd say take [thread=2192841]whatever Mfenn posts today[/thread], remove the case, HDD, and PSU, and see if that doesn't fit your budget.

I have a Gefore GTX 660 TI that i'd like to hold onto for a bit longer.

For what? PhysX? 660ti isn't in Bench, but a 970 pretty much beats everything from two generations back.

I have a slower rpm ssd

Uh, what? SSDs don't have RPMs, unless you're doing something very weird with your computer.

 

[vailr]

The PSU & case should be replaced. The PSU is likely not 100% Haswell compatible, as far as sleep states. A modern 550 or 600W unit should be perfectly adequate. If the case lacks a front USB 3.0 port, then that should also be considered for replacement. There are lower priced components occasionally available at slickdeals.net, so although mfenn's guide is a good starting point, there are ways of getting the cost of a new build yet lower than that.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

The PSU & case should be replaced. The PSU is likely not 100% Haswell compatible, as far as sleep states. A modern 550 or 600W unit should be perfectly adequate. If the case lacks a front USB 3.0 port, then that should also be considered for replacement. There are lower priced components occasionally available at slickdeals.net, so although mfenn's guide is a good starting point, there are ways of getting the cost of a new build yet lower than that.

Just eavesdroppin' and poppin' open the screen-door here!

All PC parts have different life-cycles. A mobo, processor and RAM could last 10+ years. A fine, upstanding PSU can go south just for leaving it in a sleep state for days at a time over a year or more.

You'd think the confusion would be greater in my own current situation: buying three-year-old parts for 775 upgrades. Nobody buys a PSU used . . . Do they?! Never heard of it.

If the PSU is older than three years, buy a new one. Or get a PSU testing device. And the three years -- that's just a ball-park guess. The good ones have 5-year warranty. But then -- you never know.

 

[mfenn]

It would help if you list out exactly what the models are of the parts that you plan to reuse. Approximate purchase date would be nice too, but that can often be inferred from the model.

 

[dagz85]

Below is a link to my stuff, along with a Q6600 @ 3ghz and 8gb of memory. Should make things easier for you guys. The oldest thing there is the ssd, everything else was purchased around the same time in early/mid 2013. Thanks for the help.

The 970 is nice, but if I can hold onto the 660ti for a bit longer where I can get a nice cpu, memory and mobo first, then the 970 later on in a few months since it's pricey and I only play games like WoW and hearthstone atm.


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-PM810-.../dp/B006S4K2TG
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817703009

 

[Cerb]

Keep the case. Maybe keep the PSU.

i7-4790K (4.0Ghz base, 4.4GHz Turbo)
Cooler Master Hyper212 Evo or Arctic Cooling Freezer I30 (both optional)
2x4GB RAM (there's a nice 2400MHz 1.5V Patriot kit for ~$60, ATM)
Gigabyte GA-Z97X-UD3H-BK (at Newegg only, due to the combo price making it almost as cheap as H97 boards)
Sandisk Ultra II 960 (TLC) or Crucial M550 512GB (MLC), IMO, for current good values.

Should be around $850 w/ the 960GB SSD, around $700 w/ the 512GB.

I don't think you'll get much from Hyperthreading, so if going cheaper, don't worry with the other i7 CPUs. The i7-4790K, despite being overclockable, has the most value for gaming run at stock speed (gotta love Intel's marketing...). The i5-4590 is a good value for stock speed use for $120+ less (I think the ASRock H97 Pro4 is a good board to pair it with), and the i5-4690K has the same combo deal with the mentioned motherboard as the i7 does, for a cheaper overclocking option.

 

[dagz85]

I don't think I need that big of a ssd. I have a lot of regular storage drives, about 3TB total.

Also, how about this memory instead of the 8gb?

http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Vengea...dr3+2400+2x8gb

With the memory above and without the ssd, it comes to $645. How about this for a 500gb ssd http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX100-...ords=500gb+ssd

Thanks for the help.

 

[Cerb]

That RAM's expensive.

http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f31866c10d16gsr

 

[dagz85]

Thank you for a cheaper link.
I took a look at your link and noticed that the g.skill is ddr3-1866 vs ddr3 2400mhz. The $70 price hike isn't worth the extra mhz? Eventually in a year or two I might want to pop another one in there for 24GB of memory, unless if it will be overkill at the time.

Thanks.

 

[Cerb]

Not nearly. Without excessive voltage, faster RAM might help by a small amount here or there, and that particular 8GB kit has the right specs and price; but, you typically only get past a couple % of improvement with a substantial CPU overclock, once around 1600-1866MHz, with decent timings.

 

[dagz85]

Thank you, I'll go with the cheaper memory. Going to order the parts tomorrow, hope it all works out good. Thanks a bunch for the help. Really appreciated.