Need New Computer Build Help - Upgrading after 9 years

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cadd

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I have a super old computer that I think needs to finally get upgraded.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc

Web Browing, Netflix, light Photoshop and gaming (Blizzard products)

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?

$1000 before tax & shipping

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

Chicago, IL

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer.
Please list out all the parts you'll need.

CPU, Mobo, Video Card, RAM, PSU, Case, Blu-Ray Player (Pretty much everything)

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.

1-2 HD's I forget which models though, 24" Samsung Monitor, 27" Acer Monitor

6) Will you be overclocking?

No

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?

27"

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?

ASAP

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.

Not really sure, audio?

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?

Windows 7, 64 bit
 
1920 x 1080 resolution for the monitors. Same resolution for gaming.
 
Spartacus said:
Pretty solid system.
I think I'd go a hair over budget and get a GTX 1070 instead of the RX470 though.
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Click to expand...

Ought to be plenty for 1080 gaming and can always been upgraded later when finances allow it and more demanding games or higher resolutions become applicable.

I've noticed a lot of discounts on RX470s and 4GB RX480s lately. That 470 is currently $12 off (yeah big whoop?) but also has a $30 rebate (MIR I am assuming). So you could be getting an RX470 for effectively $135.
 
Thanks so much for the system recommendation.

Question, for the memory, Corsair Vengeance, https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820236164, I noticed it doesn't have any reviews on Newegg, is it because it's a pretty item?

I was reading that the CPU doesn't come with a stock cooler, is it hard to install a 3rd party cooler (It's been awhile since I've done it, so I don't recall how, haha)? I noticed this build has a Reeven Justice CPU cooler.
 
cadd said:
Question, for the memory, Corsair Vengeance, https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820236164, I noticed it doesn't have any reviews on Newegg, is it because it's a pretty item?
Click to expand...
Most likely it's because the specific model RAM may be a just-released SKU. (My guess comes from all of the additional language on the NewEgg page about how the RAM is compatible with AMD Ryzen.) Regardless, the Corsair Vengeance family is known to be a good series of memory.

cadd said:
I was reading that the CPU doesn't come with a stock cooler, is it hard to install a 3rd party cooler (It's been awhile since I've done it, so I don't recall how, haha)? I noticed this build has a Reeven Justice CPU cooler.
Click to expand...
Save your money; the oft-reliable Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO is cheaper.

All of the aftermarket CPU coolers come with a set of instructions in their packaging, but there are also online guides for some of the more popular models.

I almost forgot: Why do you need a Blu-ray player? I ask because, as an owner of a Blu-ray drive myself, it's useless for movies without some good playback software that oftentimes is a separate purchase. How often did you access any optical disc, CD, DVD, or Blu-ray, within the past six months?
 
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I almost forgot: Why do you need a Blu-ray player? I ask because, as an owner of a Blu-ray drive myself, it's useless for movies without some good playback software that oftentimes is a separate purchase. How often did you access any optical disc, CD, DVD, or Blu-ray, within the past six months?
Click to expand...

Good question, I rarely if ever use a Blu-ray player, I figure my current one has one, so I figure I should get another one. I have a PS4, so I could easily just run it from my PS4. I do use optical discs from time to time, like Turbo Tax installations and old games (I installed Age of Empires a few weeks ago, haha).

Are most towers without these drives now? like, the front of my tower is just nothing? Maybe just a DVD-RW or something.
 
cadd said:
​

Good question, I rarely if ever use a Blu-ray player, I figure my current one has one, so I figure I should get another one. I have a PS4, so I could easily just run it from my PS4. I do use optical discs from time to time, like Turbo Tax installations and old games (I installed Age of Empires a few weeks ago, haha).

Are most towers without these drives now? like, the front of my tower is just nothing? Maybe just a DVD-RW or something.
Click to expand...
Like tiraides stated, that Blu-ray rewriter cannot play back Blu-ray discs at all without additional software that makes the total cost of just the Blu-ray drive and the software far more expensive than a standalone Blu-ray player. And since I do not have such software, the only thing that I use my systems' Blu-ray rewriters for is to author home Blu-ray discs that I can play back on a standalone Blu-ray player.

And yes, there are now a few new tower cases that have absolutely no 5.25" front-accessable drive bays at all whatsoever.

One last thing:

Skip the Arctic Silver 5 as that thermal compound requires an extremely long curing time (no overclocking, only very sparse and intermittent use for more than eight days straight) - otherwise, the CPU may run hotter than normal or even overheat during those first eight-plus days of operation. Most other modern thermal compounds require little to no curing time.
 
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tiraides said:
I almost forgot: Why do you need a Blu-ray player? I ask because, as an owner of a Blu-ray drive myself, it's useless for movies without some good playback software that oftentimes is a separate purchase. How often did you access any optical disc, CD, DVD, or Blu-ray, within the past six months?
Click to expand...
cadd said:
Good question, I rarely if ever use a Blu-ray player, I figure my current one has one, so I figure I should get another one. I have a PS4, so I could easily just run it from my PS4. I do use optical discs from time to time, like Turbo Tax installations and old games (I installed Age of Empires a few weeks ago, haha).
Click to expand...
Here's a crazy idea: Reuse your current drive in your new system.

Better yet, consider buying an external DVD burner. You can find one for under $30 and it's plug-and-play with all Windows systems.
 
tiraides said:
...

Better yet, consider buying an external DVD burner. You can find one for under $30 and it's plug-and-play with all Windows systems.
Click to expand...

This is what I would do. I bought a Dell Outlet laptop a couple of years ago that didn't have DVD/Burner and I bought a USB external. I've only used it once! :D
 
If you're not going to over clock you can drop the k series and then the others come with stock coolers. Ryzen might not be a bad option either if all that is played is wow or the like. More cores. Just a whole nother can of worms to think about.
 
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This is what I came up with. https://pcpartpicker.com/list/46yW7h

The other lists don't include an OS, and with Kaby Lake and up you can't use your Windows 7 license anymore. Yes it will install, but MS is ending all security updates for Ryzen and Kaby Lake processors making them effectively useless with Windows 7. So, the list I created includes a license for Windows 10. Also, before anyone says anything, I chose the 850 EVO as the SSD because it is still a great performer even though the 960 EVO exists, but it is much much cheaper.

I also left enough room in the price for you to make a decision with whether you want to add another stick of memory to get to 16 GB, or if you'd rather go for an RX 480. Also, since you said you wont be overclocking, I went for a non-K series CPU.

The reasoning for choosing uATX is to facilitate a smaller build while still giving you the room for your carryover drives while not taking up a lot of desk space. Also, you could go multi-GPU in the future if so inclined.
 
Thank you, Lunar, for reminding me to revisit this thread.

cadd, the OP, lives in Chicago. Ergo, he should go to Micro Center to pick up the i5-7600K for $200 and a Z270/H270 board with an instant $30 discount. Even if he buys a cheap Z270 board that isn't overclocker-friendly, he'd save more money compared to a NewEgg bundle deal.

Micro Center offers additional discounts if you buy the entire system from one of its stores. (Chicago has two stores.) That said, you may want to talk to a manager beforehand to figure out all of the savings you could receive.
 
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Except you get whacked with sales tax buying at Microcenter.
That kind of negates the discounts.

.
 
Spartacus said:
Except you get whacked with sales tax buying at Microcenter.
That kind of negates the discounts.

.
Click to expand...
Not only that, but Illinois is one of a handful of states that also whack consumers with a use tax when purchasing items online from an out-of-state reseller (this tax must be paid when filing an income tax return for the state that the purchaser resides in). Failure to pay this use tax after purchasing an item online from an out-of-state reseller is technically illegal, and may result in jail time for the purchaser.

The use tax described above was originally targeted to businesses, but in recent years has been extended to residential consumers. The use tax is generally equal to the sales tax one pays when he/she purchases locally.

Thus, if the OP ordered the parts from Newegg (or any other out-of-state reseller that doesn't directly charge sales tax to Illinois customers) this year, Illinois tax law requires him to pay the use tax when he files an Illinois income tax return for the tax year 2017 (which is payable next year, in 2018). This tax is either tacked onto the tax due or deducted from the tax refund - or if the use tax is greater than the tax refund, the purchaser must pay the difference out of his own pocket.
 
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How's the Nvidia cards compared to the Radeon cards?

With regard to the cases, are there any cases too small for standard mobo's or make it difficult to install other cards?

I have 3 hard drives that I may carry over. How do you install Windows if you don't have a DVD/Blu-Ray drive? Do they have USB's?

I suppose I can buy Windows 10 since it's the future. Is 8 GB of 16 GB RAM recommended?

I'm considering just buying from Microcenter since I can then do everything, do they have all the parts that are listed in the above 2 builds?

Would you guys suggest the ASRock or the Gigabyte MB?

I heard the Ryzen CPU's are pretty comparable to Intel's CPU's, I'm a little more favorable to Intel's but I could be persuaded I suppose.

Thanks so much for all the help so far!!
 
cadd said:
How's the Nvidia cards compared to the Radeon cards?

With regard to the cases, are there any cases too small for standard mobo's or make it difficult to install other cards?

I have 3 hard drives that I may carry over. How do you install Windows if you don't have a DVD/Blu-Ray drive? Do they have USB's?

I suppose I can buy Windows 10 since it's the future. Is 8 GB of 16 GB RAM recommended?

I'm considering just buying from Microcenter since I can then do everything, do they have all the parts that are listed in the above 2 builds?

Would you guys suggest the ASRock or the Gigabyte MB?

I heard the Ryzen CPU's are pretty comparable to Intel's CPU's, I'm a little more favorable to Intel's but I could be persuaded I suppose.

Thanks so much for all the help so far!!
Click to expand...

nVidia vs AMD - people draw blood over this question. In my opinion: both are depending on the AIB's build quality. The GPUs in both are both good, since Win10, drivers for AMD seem to feel a bit better than nVidia's (just need to hold off a week or so before you install latest updates to make sure they aren't breaking more than they fix), but neither are horrible. Really it comes down to your budget, get the best card you can inside your budget, and whatever color that GPU happens to be, you'll be ok. I have a RX470 in my wife's computer and it's an awesome card for casual 1080p gaming. A GTX1070 is a considerably more capable card though.

Make sure your case is ATX sized. Most mid-towers and all full towers will fit this description. Stay away from MicroATX or MiniATX (uATX or mATX), those are some nice builds, but add a level of difficulty to your build and you need to make sure you get a matching motherboard in that case. A decent mid-tower is usually suitable and easy to build, and will fit most all ATX-sized motherboards..

Windows will install from a USB. In fact, you can buy WIndows 10 install on a USB from Microsoft.

8GB is the minimum I would build a system with today, and is fine for day to day use. If your a heavy multitasker, 16G isn't that much more expensive. In my opinion, having an SSD means more than having the extra RAM though.

Microcenter will have most everything you need to put together a computer

I've never been a big fan of ASRock build quality (the boards feel flimsy), that being said, they seem to run decently enough. Gigabyte and Asus are my go-to brands for motherboards.

In your price range, and use case, an Intel i5 7600 seems to make the most sense. That's what I would be basing the build around anyway.

I'll also put in a plug for the CM 212 - those are very nice coolers for the $25 they cost. It's my standard go-to cooler for installs where there aren't going to be heavy overclocks or I'm not space constrained. They won't set any records, but they also won't put a big dent in your budget, are easy to install, and work well.
 
So I went to Microcenter simply for convenience given all the parts and bought the following:

1. Case: CORSAIR CARBIDE 200R WDW ATX CASE
2. HD: CRUCIAL 525GB MX300 2.5 SATA SSD
3. RAM: CORSAIR 16GB 8X2 D4 3000 VGN C15
4. MOBO: ASUS COMP PRIME Z270-K 1151 ATX
5. PSU: EVGA EVGA 500W 80 PLUS PWRSUP
6. FAN: COOLMAST HYPER 212 LED UNIV HSF
7. CPU: INTEL BOX INTEL CORE I5-7600K
8. OS: MS OEM WINDOWS10 PRO 64BIT COEM

Total came out to be about $893 after tax

They didn't have the mobo listed nor did they have the exact PSU's, so I went with the two above. What do you all think?

Also, I was about to buy the GPU but he noted that he preferred Nvidia's but the Nvidia equivalent of a RX 470 was like 2x the price. Is that true? He said the cheapest 1070 was around $300-400 or something like that. I'd prefer Nvidia but would I be taking a bit step down for a card around $150-200?

I didn't factor in OS costs I guess, since I thought I could go with Win 7 but per Lunar's note above, I thought upgrading to Windows 10 might be best.
 
If I understand things correctly, the last time you built a computer is 2009. As you have probably seen, the CPUs are a lot faster and the memory cannot be carried forward. Also, USB 3.1 is now used now. As a bit of a highlight, I lean towards nVidia video cards and Intel processors. Also, prices specified are as of this posting from NewEgg, and does not include tax or shipping. Your mileage may vary:

Going by the specifics, "Web Browing, Netflix, light Photoshop and gaming (Blizzard products)", you aren't going to be needing a powerful CPU. I would look at either a Intel i3 or i5. Here are my suggestions:

* CPU and Motherboard - The CPU and motherboard are essentially the heart of the computer. Most everything can be upgraded later, but this are you essential components. Here are my suggestions:

- Intel Core i3-7300 Kaby Lake Dual-Core 4.0 GHz LGA 1151 51W BX80677I37300 Desktop Processor $150 or
- Intel Core i5-7600K Kaby Lake Quad-Core 3.8 GHz LGA 1151 91W BX80677I57600K $240

Both of these processors are LGA 1151 socket. My go-to brands are Gigabyte, ASUS, and MSI in that order. Since you aren't likely to be SLI or Crossfire your video cards, we can go with a slightly cheaper board. The board already includes sound, storage controllers, and network connection, so the only likely add-in is the video card.

- GIGABYTE GA-B250M-DS3H (rev. 1.0) LGA 1151 Intel B250 HDMI MicroATX - $70 (2 USB2 ports, 4 USB3 ports, 1 USB3 header, 2 USB2 headers, 6 SATA, Sound)

* Memory - The memory for the motherboard is DDR4 2133. I recommend at least 8 GB, and 16GB is preferred. Looking at NewEgg....

- 8GB (2x4GB) - GSkill - $60
- 16GB (2x8GB) - Gskill - $107

* CPU Cooler - I don't like Intel's stock coolers. A good low-priced yet very effective cooler is the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO cooler. $30.

* Power Supply - This is a critical yet unglamorous component of your system. A bad power supply can fry your entire system. I suggest the CORSAIR CX series CX500 500W 80 PLUS BRONZE Active PFC ATX12V & EPS12V Power Supply - $55.

* Optical drive - I suggest salvaging the old otical drive from the old computer. Practically most of the software installs will be digital downloads.

* Case - DON'T GET A CASE WITH A BUILT-IN POWER SUPPLY. You will want a case with USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 headers. Unfortunatley, I can't suggest one, but a good price is around $60.

At this point, the price is around $617. Not bad. The motherboard includes on-board video for "acceptable" video, but if push comes to shove, you can still play Overwatch on it. Here are some additional suugestions.

SSD Drive - Although you can get away without installing one, a SanDisk SSD PLUS 2.5" 240GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) will cost you $80, and you can put your programs, OS, and games on it, and see improved load times. The hard drive can then be used for storing data.

That puts us at $697. That gives us some play room for a video card.

VIDEO CARD - I am a Team Green (nVidia) fan, and am familiar with their line. That doesn't mean that AMD doesn't have good cards.... they do, but I can't make any knowledable recommendations because of said lack of familiarity. You won't go wrong with either line in your price range. Having said that, here is some suggestions from the Team Green side of the fence.

- GeForce GTX 1050 Ti (various manufacturers) - $140-$150 - These cards have been very good performers at 1080p, run cool, and don't use too much power.
- GeForce GTX 1060 - $190-$210 - Just better performing cards than the 1050 Tis.

That puts us around.... $907 (not including OS license). This looks to be a good starting point.
 
Brian_B said:
nVidia vs AMD - people draw blood over this question. In my opinion: both are depending on the AIB's build quality. The GPUs in both are both good, since Win10, drivers for AMD seem to feel a bit better than nVidia's (just need to hold off a week or so before you install latest updates to make sure they aren't breaking more than they fix), but neither are horrible. Really it comes down to your budget, get the best card you can inside your budget, and whatever color that GPU happens to be, you'll be ok. I have a RX470 in my wife's computer and it's an awesome card for casual 1080p gaming. A GTX1070 is a considerably more capable card though.
Click to expand...

Hmmmm.... It depend on what you are looking for. At the higher end of the graphics cards, Team Green certainly has a nice advantage. At the lower end where cadd is looking, it really doesn't matter.... both are good.
 
Curious, I noticed the mobo has an intel graphics 630 chip, how does that compare with an nvidia 9600 gt (8-9 year old graphics card).

Also, do I need to put in the mobo backplate or is that optional? There's a big hole if I don't add it in where all the USB and other peripheral thingy's.
 
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The built-in Intel GPU is a minimally functional video system. Not even close to the GTX 9600.

If you are talking about the backplate that comes with the CPU cooler, that needs to be installed, not optional.
I don't even want to know how you attached the cooler without it.

.
 
Oh I meant the 9600 GT, not the GTX. I also misused backplate, I meant the IO shield where the IO connectors are.

In regard to that, I noticed that in order for me to put in the IO shield, I need to take out the motherboard. So I just put it on with the plugged in USBs and DVI cables keeping it in place though not tight like it probably could be. Is that okay?
 
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Some mobos come with a backplate these days, most coolers come with a backplate.
What backplate are we talking about, where did it come from?

Don't do anything half-ass when installing parts.

Was it designed to be loosely held in place with cables?
If not, take it apart and fix it.

.
 
Ahhh.... well then that's different. :)

I always install the IO shield, it's meant to be there.
It's not critical if it's missing.

Be careful about installing it loose or improperly.
It could potentially short against something if it's just in there loosely.

.
 
Yeah I totally didn't realize you had to install it before the Mobo.

It could short against something? Really? The IO parts look like standard plug and play stuff, that stuff is shortable?!

Is it better to just not have it on then rather than being held in loosely by the IO plugs?
 
If you look at the IO shield it has metal "fingers" near the USB ports and some of the other ports.
They are meant to rest against the metal housings of the port clusters to ground them.

If the IO shield is loose, those metal fingers may find their way inside of the USB ports.
Then you get that electronic BBQ smell and things stop working.

Fix it.

.
 
As to the GPU, I don't think nVidia vs AMD really matter too much: they are pretty well segregated price vs performance wise. If you're going to hang onto your card for any length of time I would stay away from cards with less than 4GB of memory (though some argument could be made for the GTX1060 3GB variant, if considering this then look up reviews). GPU RAM definitely matters if you think you might ever be increasing your resolution.

Lowest performance I would recommend is an RX470 (unless one is PSU/Space constrained then I would have no issue recommending a half height 1050 over a 460). A GTX1060 will be more powerful but also more expensive, should also be a touch above an RX480. If you get a GTX1070 you'll be solidly above an RX480 but you get what you pay for here.
 
Sulphademus said:
As to the GPU, I don't think nVidia vs AMD really matter too much: they are pretty well segregated price vs performance wise. If you're going to hang onto your card for any length of time I would stay away from cards with less than 4GB of memory (though some argument could be made for the GTX1060 3GB variant, if considering this then look up reviews). GPU RAM definitely matters if you think you might ever be increasing your resolution.

Lowest performance I would recommend is an RX470 (unless one is PSU/Space constrained then I would have no issue recommending a half height 1050 over a 460). A GTX1060 will be more powerful but also more expensive, should also be a touch above an RX480. If you get a GTX1070 you'll be solidly above an RX480 but you get what you pay for here.
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I second what was said here, although the 1060 and 480 are pretty evenly matched at this point depending on the game and API (DX12, DX11, OGL, Vulkan) in use. AMD cards are tending to benefit more from DX12 and Vulkan (not in all cases, but most so far) over the Pascal based NVIDIA cards. I personally have always been a Team Green fan, well after 3dfx died anyway, but I've been considering going with AMD on my next purchase, because you just can't beat the performance per dollar they are providing at the mid-range (1080p) level. I personally am stuck in 1080p land because I hate Windows scaling, and I can't use monitors larger than 24" due to the sensitivity of my eyes.
 
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