2013 Box - July / August

[TroyTalksNoMore]

WE NEED MORE POWER CAPTAIN!!!!!!

2008 = Q6600 + GIGABYTE GA-P35-DS3L (current bedroom rig)
2010 = Q9550 + GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P (current sig rig = gaming)

2013 = time to build a new box!!!!!!!!!

-- Budget (includes taxes, shipping)
$1,000 total - tax, shipping, etc.

-- Which parts do you need within that budget?
Case + LOTS of HD expansion
Power Supply (PSU) + LOTS of HD expansion
Case Fan(s)
Motherboard + LOTS of HD expansion
Processor (CPU)
CPU Cooler/Heatsink with Fan (HSF)
Memory (RAM)
Hard Drive (HDD)
= SSD @ OS & 1-3TB x7200rpm secondary
+ LOTS of HD expansion

Optical (Disc) Drive (CD/DVD/HD-DVD/BR)
Video/Graphics Card (GPU)
Sound Card
Speakers - surround sound?

-- What will it be used for?
Primary GAME rig....
Internet/Web Design & Office Programs/SOHO
Video & Photo/Graphics Editing (e.g. Photoshop, Maya)
FTP/BitTorrent (download/upload)
Virtual Machine & Multiple OS (Windows/Linux/Mac)

-- Components you already have & plan to re-use?
monitor(s) = 47" HDMI TV @ 1920x1080 + planning 3 monitors next x-mas...
KB & mouse

-- Which components you are considering getting
none so far... but plan to add several xTB 7200 HD's later

-- The question(s) you have -- or, the reason you made the thread in the first place
-- be as specific/detailed as possible...

I am looking ahead @ a late summer build using my current Win 7-64
~ I don't know w/ tech is coming, but my budget is a bit behind bleeding edge.

I mostly just want to move to an overclocked i-CPU + SSD @ OS
~ beyond SSD OS = I want LOTS of RAM & LOTS of HD expansion

My STEAM games are currently split between my primary & bedroom rig...
~ I want ALL my STEAM games on one rig for the future.

That's it... all help is appreciated!

 

[Dangman]

You're planning too soon. Especially considering that Intel's Haswell CPUs will be coming out around that time frame. Please come back when you're 2-3 weeks away form buying the parts and ask for advice then. It does not help you to plan this early.

 

[tiraides]

With 3TB and 4TB hard drives now becoming the norm, why do you need "LOTS of HD expansion"? Are you trying to buy every game that Steam sells?

 

[TroyTalksNoMore]

You're planning too soon. Especially considering that Intel's Haswell CPUs will be coming out around that time frame. Please come back when you're 2-3 weeks away form buying the parts and ask for advice then. It does not help you to plan this early.

OK, I thought you'd say an i7-something should be the past gen sweet spot by then...
~ can I expect a $1,250 build right now to cost about 25% less ($1,000) in 6 months?

With 3TB and 4TB hard drives now becoming the norm, why do you need "LOTS of HD expansion"? Are you trying to buy every game that Steam sells?

I have 6 external HD's of various sizes across 3 PC's (did not mention my laptop before & all 6 are dup'd - so - it's really only 3 data sets) .

If I move to 3TB HD's for each PC, I would only need a few more bays...
~ however, there's 3 more years to deal with after this build!!!!!!!!
+ I would like my primary PC to be the data dump & sync site.

Thanks for the questions - it helps me clarify my goals for my next build...

 

[Dangman]

OK, I thought you'd say an i7-something should be the past gen sweet spot by then...

Intel generally releases new CPUs at a similar price point as their older CPUs.

~ can I expect a $1,250 build right now to cost about 25% less ($1,000) in 6 months?

No. What may end up happening is that you might spend $1250 in six months from now but get a faster and/or better quality system for that amount. So in other words, while you won't necessarily get parts for cheaper but you'll certainly get a better system for the money.

+ I would like my primary PC to be the data dump & sync site.

Not the best of ideas. These days, it's recommended to have a separate PC to serve as a file server/NAS for your main storage and/or backup needs.

 

[tiraides]

OK, I thought you'd say an i7-something should be the past gen sweet spot by then...
~ can I expect a $1,250 build right now to cost about 25% less ($1,000) in 6 months?

No, that's not the way to think. The money that you could save on, say, the processor may be spent on, for example, the video card... or on more RAM... or a faster SSD... or....

It's better to think that you have more options to work with for your $1250 budget.