Upgrade Suggestions for Old PC

[Chunk13]

Hi Everyone,

I'm looking to completely overhaul my old PC. I have no plans on overclocking and mainly want to try and aim for a cool and quiet system. Here's what I'm thinking of going for:

CPU: Intel Core i5 3450 = $199.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819116506

M/B: Asrock H77 Pro4-M = $89.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813157301

RAM: Samsung 8GB DDR3 = $46.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820147096

SSD: Crucial M4 128GB = $109.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820148442

PSU: PC Power & Cooling Silencer MKIII 500W = $79.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...cooling%20500w

ODD: Sony Optiarc 24x DVD Burner = $17.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16827118067

GPU: XFX Radeon 7850 = $269.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814150609

Also, here's the filled out sticky:

1. What YOUR PC will be used for.
Web browsing, MS Office, Gaming (Call of Duty, Battlefield 3, and Warcraft III), Digital Art (Photoshop, Painter, Manga Studio), and some light programming

2. What YOUR budget is.
$900 - $1000

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
Fry's, Newegg, or Microcenter

4. IF YOU have a brand preference.
No preference

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
Case: Cooler Master CAV-T03 Cavalier 3
PSU: Enermax ELT400AWT Liberty ATX (if it's still worth using)
Display: Viewsonic 19" Q19WB 1440x900
Keyboard and Mouse
Spare HDDs
*

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
No overclocking

8. What resolution will you be using?
1440x900

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
Within 1 month

*

I'm hoping this build can last at least a couple more years as my previous build has. If I were to do any upgrades down the line, it would just be the RAM, another HDD/SSD, and maybe a non-k version of the i7 once they drop in price in the future.

Any input would be greatly appreciated

 

[lehtv]

With a budget like that, definitely upgrade to 1080p...

 

[riversend]

Looks like you are sitting at about $815 dollars, and you could shave off a few bucks more by looking at these options:

PC Power and Cooling Silencer MK III 600W $70 AR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...&SID=u00000687

SAPPHIRE 100355L Radeon HD 7850 2GB $240
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...&SID=u00000687

That would leave you about $225 to upgrade your monitor. Another possibility is to spend some of your leftover budget on a larger SSD -

Crucial M4 256GB for $200 at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-2-5-In...crucial+m4+256

Slightly faster for not much more is the 3570k/Asrock Z77 Pro3 still bundled at Newegg for ~$307 as listed on mfenn's midrange guide.

 

[riversend]

Forgot to ask, do you need a copy of Windows?

 

[Chunk13]

Thanks for the comments everyone. I really appreciate it

As for I Windows, I already have an extra copy of Win7 for this build. Thanks again for the suggestion in parts. I'll take those into consideration before I purchase everything.

 

[lehtv]

Didn't have the time to respond in full in my last post, so here goes...

CPU i5-3470 is $185 AP
Mobo I would rather get the equivalent ATX-size board for the same price: H77 Pro4/MVP $90
RAM 2x4GB Mushkin 1333 $30 on sale @ncix
SSD Intel 330 180GB $135 AR
PSU No reason not to reuse that Enermax. Your PC uses less than 200W during normal heavy tasks like gaming. $0
ODD Good $18
GPU Asus 7850 $250 @ncix
Case Reuse $0

= $708 AR AP + $8 shipping from newegg

Monitor
Samsung B350 1080p TN 23.6" $160 AP - mainstream solution, good for gaming
Dell U2412M 1920x1200 IPS 24" $290 - emphasis on photoshopping (image quality and color reproduction), multitasking and ease of use (vertical pixels, height adjustable, viewing angles)

Total = $876 AR AP or $1006 AR AP depending on monitor

A new monitor is a must. And I mean you have to buy a new monitor no matter what. 1440x900 is a ridiculously low resolution for a $900 photo-editing/gaming rig. Get a new monitor. If the Dell seems too expensive to fit in the budget, you can back down on the SSD - Crucial M4 128GB $102

One last thing: if you're looking for a properly quiet PC, you'll need an aftermarket cooler for the CPU. The stock cooler will make noise at load. But I think that's something to consider after testing the stock fan.

 

[mfenn]

I agree with riversend and lehtv. You really need more than 1440x900 to effectively use digital content creation programs like Photoshop. Given that you don't want to overclock, have a decent budget, and are reusing parts, there is no reason not to hop on the 1920x1200 IPS bandwagon.