looking to upgrade computer

[Gigantism]

It is time for me to upgrade my computer (see sig) as it is starting to cause problems.

I am a casual gamer, and I don't need to turn everything on Ultra when I play. High or even mid is fine by me.

I am looking to get a new case (full size, need room for proper cable management, and it is also easier to clean that god awful dust).
Mobo, anything that will accomodate my current GPU and RAM, and that has USB 3.0
PSU, I'm thinking 650-700 W. Please let me know if I need more.
CPU, I have no idea. I'm looking at an i5, but I'm not sure which one is best for performance/price ratio.
RAM, I have 8 gigs DDR3, which I think I will keep (save money). Let me know if you think I should get more.
SSD, something small and cheap. A 128g, or perhaps 256g if I find a good deal.

Now, the difficult part is to get these parts (Case, PSU, CPU, Mobo, SSD) for approx $400.

What do you think?

Thank you for your help!

 

[Krenum]

For the CPU, if you're only going to be gaming, get an i5. You only need the Hyperthreading of a i7 if you're going to be doing any kind of video encoding or graphic design work.

But for 400 dollars, I don't think you will be able to make an i5 system, unless you find a really good deal on a used one. On the other hand Microcenter is always running really good deal on AMD cpu/motherboard combos.

 

[Armenius]

What kind of graphics card is it?

 

[Gigantism]

What kind of graphics card is it?

GTX 550 ti

 

[lilbabycat]

If you're a casual gamer then you should either
1. Stick with what you have until it truly becomes outdated (you're essentially using a PS4 equivalent right now, perhaps a bit weaker)
2. Upgrade just your vid card (but have low fps in CPU intense games like BF4)
3. Upgrade your mobo+cpu (but have low fps due to aging vid card)

Personally, I think constantly buying lower-end video cards is a bad idea. Biting the bullet on a ~$250 one every 2-3 years works out to a much more enjoyable gaming experience than buying a slight upgrade every 1-2 years at ~$100. (to include SLI'ing)

 

[D4rkn3ss]

It is time for me to upgrade my computer (see sig) as it is starting to cause problems.

I am a casual gamer, and I don't need to turn everything on Ultra when I play. High or even mid is fine by me.

I am looking to get a new case (full size, need room for proper cable management, and it is also easier to clean that god awful dust).
Mobo, anything that will accomodate my current GPU and RAM, and that has USB 3.0
PSU, I'm thinking 650-700 W. Please let me know if I need more.
CPU, I have no idea. I'm looking at an i5, but I'm not sure which one is best for performance/price ratio.
RAM, I have 8 gigs DDR3, which I think I will keep (save money). Let me know if you think I should get more.
SSD, something small and cheap. A 128g, or perhaps 256g if I find a good deal.

Now, the difficult part is to get these parts (Case, PSU, CPU, Mobo, SSD) for approx $400.

What do you think?

Thank you for your help!

case w/ psu: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811163208
mobo:http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128680
cpu: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116945
ssd: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA2W00ZD1548

this case/psu/mobo combo would run an 22nm quad with a gtx770 without issues if you decide to upgrade later. and YEAH, ITX bro

 

[doox00]

Over a year ago I purchased an i5 2550k cpu evga motherboard and 8gb of ram for ~200 shipped used off the forums here. I purchased a gtx 670 along with it and 3 27" screens.. it runs games like a champ oc'd to 4.4ghz. In the next year I will probably upgrade my video card, perhaps cpu/mobo as well but it runs great and plays games very well.

 

[Gigantism]

So I looked up some items that seemed appropriate, and this is what I came up with. These are from Newegg.ca as I live in Canada and can't get US prices

Thermaltake Chaser Series Chaser MK-I (VN300M1W2N) Black SECC ATX Full Tower Computer Case $149.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133191

Thermaltake TR2 TR-700 700W ATX 12V V2.3 & EPS 12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply $64.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153167

ASUS M5A99X EVO R2.0 AM3+ AMD 990X + SB950 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS $144.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131874

AMD FX-8320 Vishera 3.5GHz (4.0GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 125W Desktop Processor FD8320FRHKBOX $159.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113285

SanDisk Ultra Plus SDSSDHP-256G-G25 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) for Notebook $129.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820171741

All that with taxes and shipping comes to $774.50, plus some thermal paste, extra case fans and stuff (approx. $50).

So it's way more than I wanted to spend

What do you guys think?

 

[Climber]

That PSU is the embodiment of living trash and the case is too expensive for what you get. You don't need a 700w psu for your system. A quality 500w will be more than adequate. Give me a few and let me see what I can find for you. Is your budget more than $400 now? If so what is it? Do you also have a legitimate OS license?

 

[D4rkn3ss]

So I looked up some items that seemed appropriate, and this is what I came up with. These are from Newegg.ca as I live in Canada and can't get US prices

Thermaltake Chaser Series Chaser MK-I (VN300M1W2N) Black SECC ATX Full Tower Computer Case $149.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133191

Thermaltake TR2 TR-700 700W ATX 12V V2.3 & EPS 12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready Active PFC Power Supply $64.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153167

ASUS M5A99X EVO R2.0 AM3+ AMD 990X + SB950 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS $144.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131874

AMD FX-8320 Vishera 3.5GHz (4.0GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 125W Desktop Processor FD8320FRHKBOX $159.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113285

SanDisk Ultra Plus SDSSDHP-256G-G25 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) for Notebook $129.99
http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820171741

All that with taxes and shipping comes to $774.50, plus some thermal paste, extra case fans and stuff (approx. $50).

So it's way more than I wanted to spend

What do you guys think?

means you have the taste and knowledge of a 10 year old boy, bye.

 

[jbonez21]

It is time for me to upgrade my computer (see sig) as it is starting to cause problems.

I am a casual gamer, and I don't need to turn everything on Ultra when I play. High or even mid is fine by me.

I am looking to get a new case (full size, need room for proper cable management, and it is also easier to clean that god awful dust).
Mobo, anything that will accomodate my current GPU and RAM, and that has USB 3.0
PSU, I'm thinking 650-700 W. Please let me know if I need more.
CPU, I have no idea. I'm looking at an i5, but I'm not sure which one is best for performance/price ratio.
RAM, I have 8 gigs DDR3, which I think I will keep (save money). Let me know if you think I should get more.
SSD, something small and cheap. A 128g, or perhaps 256g if I find a good deal.

Now, the difficult part is to get these parts (Case, PSU, CPU, Mobo, SSD) for approx $400.

What do you think?

Thank you for your help!

You should definitely just keep the 8GB RAM. You can also find a good 240GB SSD for ~$90. I have seen power supplies go on sale with rebates for around $20-$30 after rebate.

I would suggest looking for a good deal on an i5/mobo combo deal. You could probably get one for around $200

I have a Radeon 7950 which plays everything on ultra, looks like you could pick one up for around $200

If you wait and shop for the best deals you could build for ~$530
not including a new case

 

[Climber]

Source 210 Elite $60

XFX TS 550 $80 (comes with $10 rebate)

Your mobo, cpu, and SSD combo are good so you're at $433 there. Add in the case and PSU and you are now at $573.

A little over your budget but with a better case and PSU than you picked out.

Also similar to what darkness picked out you could get:

i3-4330 $145

MSI H87-G43 $109 (comes with a $15 rebate)

If you go the Intel route you'll be spending $524. Personally this is the route I would take. Better price performance, lower heat and power draw, and better single thread performance with an insignificant loss in multi threaded performance.

 

[Armenius]

If you're a casual gamer then you should either
1. Stick with what you have until it truly becomes outdated (you're essentially using a PS4 equivalent right now, perhaps a bit weaker)
2. Upgrade just your vid card (but have low fps in CPU intense games like BF4)
3. Upgrade your mobo+cpu (but have low fps due to aging vid card)

Personally, I think constantly buying lower-end video cards is a bad idea. Biting the bullet on a ~$250 one every 2-3 years works out to a much more enjoyable gaming experience than buying a slight upgrade every 1-2 years at ~$100. (to include SLI'ing)

I agree with this line of thinking about GPU upgrades. However, I think that if the OP's system in his signature is the one he wants to upgrade, it would be better spending the money to upgrade the platform at this point using Climber's suggestions. Then you can see if you can pull the money together to buy a decent GPU, like a GTX 760.

 

[Gigantism]

That PSU is the embodiment of living trash and the case is too expensive for what you get. You don't need a 700w psu for your system. A quality 500w will be more than adequate. Give me a few and let me see what I can find for you. Is your budget more than $400 now? If so what is it? Do you also have a legitimate OS license?

I was under the impression that running 3 HDDs would be better on a 700W. However, if you think a 500 will suffice, then I'm ok with it.

Yeah my budget is more than $400 now, I really didn't want top of the line stuff, but I want it to last me a while. So I'm looking more at $700-800 now.

I do have a legit win 8 licence,

Cheers!

 

[Gigantism]

Source 210 Elite $60

XFX TS 550 $80 (comes with $10 rebate)

Your mobo, cpu, and SSD combo are good so you're at $433 there. Add in the case and PSU and you are now at $573.

A little over your budget but with a better case and PSU than you picked out.

Also similar to what darkness picked out you could get:

i3-4330 $145

MSI H87-G43 $109 (comes with a $15 rebate)

If you go the Intel route you'll be spending $524. Personally this is the route I would take. Better price performance, lower heat and power draw, and better single thread performance with an insignificant loss in multi threaded performance.

I am really looking for a full size tower, as I really want a roomy, clean tower with good cable management. I've also been struggling with dust a lot, so I've been looking at cases with replaceable filters and stuff,

From what I could see online, benchmarks show only a slight increase in performance on the intel compared to a AMD equivalent most of the time. And since the price difference is quite significant, I thought I would do the smart thing and go with AMD

 

[Gigantism]

I agree with this line of thinking about GPU upgrades. However, I think that if the OP's system in his signature is the one he wants to upgrade, it would be better spending the money to upgrade the platform at this point using Climber's suggestions. Then you can see if you can pull the money together to buy a decent GPU, like a GTX 760.

Exactly, I was looking at upgrading my GPU later, maybe in a year or something.

 

[Climber]

I am really looking for a full size tower, as I really want a roomy, clean tower with good cable management. I've also been struggling with dust a lot, so I've been looking at cases with replaceable filters and stuff,

From what I could see online, benchmarks show only a slight increase in performance on the intel compared to a AMD equivalent most of the time. And since the price difference is quite significant, I thought I would do the smart thing and go with AMD

Your money, but you have nothing that justifies a full size tower. The intel runs considerably cooler as well as uses less power both of which add up overtime in costs. However, the AMD isn't a bad cpu so just another side of the coin.

If you do want to spend the money on a full size case consider one of these instead...

NZXT Switch 810 $160.00

Fractal Design R2 $150.00

NZXT Source 530 $95.00

 

[Dangman]

I was under the impression that running 3 HDDs would be better on a 700W. However, if you think a 500 will suffice, then I'm ok with it.

A good quality 550W PSU is more than enough power for most single GPU systems. With that said, why would you need to buy a new PSU in the first place? Assuming that your sig is correct and that you do indeed have the Corsair TX 750W PSU, there's no point in getting a new PSU since that Corsair is still good enough, even after years of use, for most modern systems out there.

I am really looking for a full size tower, as I really want a roomy, clean tower with good cable management. I've also been struggling with dust a lot, so I've been looking at cases with replaceable filters and stuff,

Not sure which of these cases have filters (I just use a DataVac to blow the air out of my systems every once in awhile) but every single one of these cases are cases I would personally use and recommend:
$70 - Corsair Graphite Series 230T Black ATX Case
$72 - Corsair Graphite Series 230T Black ATX Case
$79 - Corsair Graphite Series 230T Black w/ Window ATX Case
$100 - Corsair Carbide Series 400R ATX Case
$100 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Full Tower ATX Case
$113 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R ATX Case
$120 - Antec 1100 ATX Case
$120 - Corsair Obsidian Series 450D ATX Case
$120 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Arctic White ATX Case
$120 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Gunmetal Black ATX Case
$120 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-002OR Black Finish w/Orange Trim Full Tower ATX Case
$130 - NZXT Phantom 530 Black Full Tower ATX Case
$130 - Corsair Graphite Series 600TM ATX Case
$140 - Corsair Graphite Series 730T ATX Case
$150 - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D ATX Case
$160 - Corsair Obsidian Series 750D ATX Case
$160 - Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$170 - NZXT Phantom 630 Gunmetal Full Tower ATX Case
$170 - NZXT Phantom 630 White Full Tower ATX Case
$190 - Corsair Graphite Series 760T ATX Case
$230 - Silverstone FT02B-USB3.0 ATX Case
$250 - Silverstone FT02S-W-USB3.0 ATX Case

As for the full-tower vs mid-tower debate, you're probably wanting to go with full-tower on account of your experience with the mid-tower Antec 900. Unfortunately, back in the day, no one cared about cable management as much as they do now. Hence why so many unfortunately uninformed people bought that shitty case. Even back then there were far far better alternatives with better cable management (i.e the Coolermaster RC 690). Nowadays, virtually every single good quality mid-tower ATX case these days have significantly better cable management capability than that craptacular Antec 900. I mean, check out my work with a $45 NZXT Source 210 Elite case:


That's with a $45 case and non-modular PSU (the same PSU that Climber recommended earlier I might add). Imagine what you can do with a more expensive mid-tower case. With that said, a full-tower does allow for a slight easier time doing cable management.

From what I could see online, benchmarks show only a slight increase in performance on the intel compared to a AMD equivalent most of the time. And since the price difference is quite significant, I thought I would do the smart thing and go with AMD

If you're playing newer games, then no you want to go with Intel. In the case of BF4 multiplayer, despite BF4's multi-threaded capability, the Intel Core i3 still outperforms the fastest AMD FX CPUs out now:
http://www.hardwarepal.com/battlefield-4-benchmark-mp-cpu-gpu-w7-vs-w8-1/9/

Not to mention that AMD's AM3+ platform has been effectively neglected by AMD for quite some time now. Even AMD's own FM2+ (the supposed mainstream/low-end) platforms have far newer hardware and faster subsystems than AMD's FX/AM3+ (suppose to be high-end) platforms. Here in the U.S, that older Asus M5A99X EVO mobo actually costs more than these more up-to-date Intel based mobos:
$126 - AsRock Fatal1ty Z87 Killer Intel Z87 Motherboard
$140 - Asus Z87-A Intel Z87 Motherboard

Both of those mobos have fared well under HardOCP's testing:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2013/06/03/asus_z87a_lga_1150_motherboard_review/
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2014/01/29/asrock_z87_killer_fatal1ty_motherboard_review/

In other words, for a gaming PC, you're really better off with Intel.

 

[relapse808]

I would never personally go with amd. Sure it's cheaper but I guess you get what you pay for. I would get the has well 4670 I with the ms I board which is decently priced and call it a day.

 

[Armenius]

I have the original NZXT Phantom full tower in black/green and I absolutely love it. Intelligent mix of metal and plastic and great airflow options with multiple ways to manage cables. It can be found for $120 US or less.

 

[Gigantism]

This is great, thanks guys.
I will do some more research tonight and I will look all this up!

 

[cortexodus]

This is great, thanks guys.
I will do some more research tonight and I will look all this up!

Listen to Dangman, he knows what's up!

 

[Gigantism]

So I came up with a new set up, Intel instead of AMD, and a mid tower instead of a full tower.
I will post the links when I have some time after work.

Cheers!

 

[Gigantism]

So I think this is what I'm gonna go with:
- i5 4430 $199
- Asus z87A $150
- Still looking for a decent mid-tower for around $60 or so.

That is somewhat within my budget and should hold for a few years...
Anyone think any of these items is a bad buy?

 

[Climber]

The source 210 elite is probably the best case for your buck at that price range. Might be something else but I can vouch for the 210 elite as a good case. Also check the list dangman posted. Some good cases in there as well.

 

[Gigantism]

The source 210 elite is probably the best case for your buck at that price range. Might be something else but I can vouch for the 210 elite as a good case. Also check the list dangman posted. Some good cases in there as well.

I have looked into most cases, but it still very hard to decide. They all have pros and cons, and the ones that only have pros are outside my price range.

Source 210 elite is on my radar though...

 

[Climber]

Ya that is the bad thing about budgets. Getting all the goodies to fit in your price range.

 

[Dangman]

You don't necessarily need that Asus Z87-A since
A) You're not overclocking
B) Your CPU choice is incapable of being overclocked in the first place.

You should be fine with something like the MSI B85-G41 PC Mate, MSI H87-G43, Asus B85M-G, or Asus B85M-E/CSM motherboards.

 

[cubsfan-budman]

^^^ solid advice

 

[Gigantism]

You don't necessarily need that Asus Z87-A since
A) You're not overclocking
B) Your CPU choice is incapable of being overclocked in the first place.

You should be fine with something like the MSI B85-G41 PC Mate, MSI H87-G43, Asus B85M-G, or Asus B85M-E/CSM motherboards.

Nice, let me look into that.

Also, I found a Bitfenix Ghost for $69. Seems like a good case, and the emphasis on quietness will please my wife since the comp will be in our bedroom....

 

[Dangman]

Nice, let me look into that.

Also, I found a Bitfenix Ghost for $69. Seems like a good case, and the emphasis on quietness will please my wife since the comp will be in our bedroom....

Hmm...doesn't seem like that great of a case judging from the reviews I'm seeing:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/BitFenix_Ghost

If you want a quiet case, then here are the cases I recommend:
$112 - Fractal Design Define R4 Arctic White ATX Case
$112 - Fractal Design Define R4 Black Pearl ATX Case
$114 - Fractal Design Define R4 Titanium Grey ATX Case
$110 - Antec P280 ATX Case
$130 - Corsair Obsidian Series 550D ATX Case