Current Specs:
Intel C2D E8400
Cooler Master Hyper 212+
ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2-1066
MSI HD4890
Seagate Barracuda 320GB HDD
Seagate Barracuda 3TB HDD
SilverStone Fortress Series FT02B
Corsair TX Series 750w PSU
ASUS DVD Burner
Dell U2311H 23" 1920x1080
Logitech G9x Mouse
Cheap Logitech Wireless keyboard
Cheap Logitech 2.1 speakers
I did quite a bit of research before posting and I did look at the mid-range builder sticky. Pretty much all of the parts I chose were from that, but given I've been out of the loop for a while I just wanted to make sure everything would be compatible with my existing parts. Especially the videos card in my current case, the PSU supporting the hardware, the Hyper 212+ still working, etc. I'm also curious on everyone's thoughts on the best use of my money for future upgrades as well since I'm thinking of possibly upgrading the monitor, keyboard, and speakers as well.
Here's my proposed upgrade:
$240 - Intel Core i5-4690K
$100 - ASRock Z97 Pro3
$60 - G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600
$330 - XFX Double Dissipation R9-290X
$110 - Crucial MX100 256GB
Total - $840 before rebates, $800 after rebates
1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
A little bit of everything but mainly productivity, video editing, spreadsheets, web browsing, and gaming. I tend to have at minimum 10+ tabs open at one time with other things going on in the background, large spreadsheets open, etc. Between the multi-tasking and the newer games coming out is why I'm in desperate need of an upgrade.
2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
I'm trying to stay around $800 total cost.
3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
USA. I prefer buying from Newegg specifically.
4. IF you're buying parts OUTSIDE the US, please post a link to the vendor you'll be buying from.
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.
I'm not against any particular brands although I have had good luck with ASRock, ASUS, Gigabyte, G.Skill, Corsair, Crucial, MSI, XFX, and Seagate.
6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
I'll most likely be reusing both HDD's (just adding an SSD), the case, the Corsair TX750, Cooler Master Hyper 212+, ASUS DVD burner, Dell U2311H monitor, Logitech G9x mouse, and cheap Logitech keyboard and speakers for the time being. I'd definitely like to upgrade the keyboard and speakers at some point, but I I'm going to hold off for now given a decent mechanical keyboard will run $80-$100 and a decent speaker upgrade probably $150-$200. I've been contemplating upgrading the monitor as well to one of the 27" Korean monitors as I'd definitely like the extra screen size for gaming, but unsure how well the hardware would handle 2560x1440. I've even thought about running my U2311H alongside a 27" for multi-tasking.
7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
Yes, I plan on overclocking but nothing extreme.
8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?
1920x1080, with the possibility of maybe upgrading to a 27" 2560x1440
9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
I'm ready to buy right now.
X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?
No
Intel C2D E8400
Cooler Master Hyper 212+
ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR2-1066
MSI HD4890
Seagate Barracuda 320GB HDD
Seagate Barracuda 3TB HDD
SilverStone Fortress Series FT02B
Corsair TX Series 750w PSU
ASUS DVD Burner
Dell U2311H 23" 1920x1080
Logitech G9x Mouse
Cheap Logitech Wireless keyboard
Cheap Logitech 2.1 speakers
I did quite a bit of research before posting and I did look at the mid-range builder sticky. Pretty much all of the parts I chose were from that, but given I've been out of the loop for a while I just wanted to make sure everything would be compatible with my existing parts. Especially the videos card in my current case, the PSU supporting the hardware, the Hyper 212+ still working, etc. I'm also curious on everyone's thoughts on the best use of my money for future upgrades as well since I'm thinking of possibly upgrading the monitor, keyboard, and speakers as well.
Here's my proposed upgrade:
$240 - Intel Core i5-4690K
$100 - ASRock Z97 Pro3
$60 - G.SKILL Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600
$330 - XFX Double Dissipation R9-290X
$110 - Crucial MX100 256GB
Total - $840 before rebates, $800 after rebates
1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
A little bit of everything but mainly productivity, video editing, spreadsheets, web browsing, and gaming. I tend to have at minimum 10+ tabs open at one time with other things going on in the background, large spreadsheets open, etc. Between the multi-tasking and the newer games coming out is why I'm in desperate need of an upgrade.
2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
I'm trying to stay around $800 total cost.
3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
USA. I prefer buying from Newegg specifically.
4. IF you're buying parts OUTSIDE the US, please post a link to the vendor you'll be buying from.
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.
I'm not against any particular brands although I have had good luck with ASRock, ASUS, Gigabyte, G.Skill, Corsair, Crucial, MSI, XFX, and Seagate.
6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
I'll most likely be reusing both HDD's (just adding an SSD), the case, the Corsair TX750, Cooler Master Hyper 212+, ASUS DVD burner, Dell U2311H monitor, Logitech G9x mouse, and cheap Logitech keyboard and speakers for the time being. I'd definitely like to upgrade the keyboard and speakers at some point, but I I'm going to hold off for now given a decent mechanical keyboard will run $80-$100 and a decent speaker upgrade probably $150-$200. I've been contemplating upgrading the monitor as well to one of the 27" Korean monitors as I'd definitely like the extra screen size for gaming, but unsure how well the hardware would handle 2560x1440. I've even thought about running my U2311H alongside a 27" for multi-tasking.
7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
Yes, I plan on overclocking but nothing extreme.
8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using?
1920x1080, with the possibility of maybe upgrading to a 27" 2560x1440
9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
I'm ready to buy right now.
X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software?
No