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CPU/Motherboard Upgrade

N

nutbar21

n00b
Joined
Jan 2, 2012
Messages
3
Hi folks! Maybe you can help me out here?

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etchttp://hardforum.com/images/editor/menupop.gif
Gaming
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Flexible; prefer to keep it under $600
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Columbus, OH, USA
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, RAM, motherboard, monitor
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Seagate 320GB SATA II HD, PNY Geforce GTX 560ti, Corsair 520HX (520w) PSU, Lian-Li PC-7B case
6) Will you be overclocking?
Moderately (air cooling only)
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
22" 1680x1050
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
This week
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)? etc.
I would like the option of going Crossfire or SLI in the future. SATA III would be nice in case I upgrade to SSD(s). No need for onboard video. I don't particularly care for boards with active (fans) coolers on the NB/SB. Don't need RAID - my home server handles file storage.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, Windows 7 Home Premium

My current desktop system is nearly six years old at this point (except the GPU, which I upgraded last April due to old hardware failure). I have found that the CPU (Intel C2D E6420 @ 2.13GHz) just can't keep up with BF3 multiplayer so it's time to upgrade. I originally wanted to go back to an AMD platform with this upgrade (in fact I almost purchased an FX4100 last night, but decided to perform some further research first). Is AMD a reasonable choice today? It looks like a lot of folks are recommending the Intel i5-2500k, but I'm not up to speed on current chipsets. Should I look for a P67 or Z68? What RAM speed is cheap/performant these days? I would also like some monitor suggestions. I want a 1080 resolution on a 24"-27" screen, unless there's any compelling reason to go higher res?
 
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AMD isn't a reasonable choice these days short of an extremely good sale. In general, you're better off with an Intel setup at whatever your budget. I recommend this CPU, mobo, and RAM:
$345 - Intel Core i5-2500K CPU + MSI P67A-G45 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard
$43 - G.Skill Sniper F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR 2 x 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM
----
Total: $388 plus tax and shipping.
 
Danny Bui said:
AMD isn't a reasonable choice these days short of an extremely good sale. In general, you're better off with an Intel setup at whatever your budget.
$345 - Intel Core i5-2500K CPU + MSI P67A-G45 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard
.
Click to expand...
Thats what I'm getting, the 2500k is currently $15 off at the Egg, now I have more to spend on a cooler.
 
Thanks, Danny. I just ordered:

Intel Core i5-2500K CPU
Cooler Master 212 Evo
MSI P67A-G45 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard
G.Skill Sniper F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR 2 x 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM

I'll start monitor shopping at local stores this week (I like to see 'em in person). Do you think my PNY XLR8 560ti has enough oomph for BF3 high/ultra settings at 1080? I'll find out for sure once the parts arrive, but in any case I'm open to a GPU upgrade as well.
 
The 560Ti probably won't be able to handle BF3 at 1080 with everything at Ultra and MSAA/FXAA etc turned up to max. In fact, the only single cards that can handle that currently are probably the GTX580, 6970, and the soon to be releasead 7970.

However, if you are willing to tweak the settings as needed down to 4x/2x/high or maybe even medium for minor effects details, then the 560 ti should hold you fine for 1080.

Also, I highly recommend you take a look at Samsung LED monitors, they have amazing picture/video quality for gaming.
 
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The 560Ti should be able to run High (which looks about the same as Ultra) with post-processing AA (FXAA) without too much trouble. Might have to turn HBAO down also, but it'll still look pretty darn good.
 
Parts arrived today (Newegg + UPS sure is quck, even with free shipping). I installed the 2500k on the MSI P67A-G45 with the Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo. The HSF was actually a bit of a pain since I only have two hands. I placed everything in my case and then realized my DVD drive is IDE. Crap, this motherboard has no IDE support! So I used my laptop to download the new chipset drivers on a USB drive to get my desktop working.

The upgrade is awesome! BF3 multiplayer now runs on ultra settings at 1680x1050 with min ~45fps.

Now I just have to order a SATA optical drive -.-
 
At least SATA DVD drives are cheap at $20 shipped most of the time.

Anyway, good to see your upgrade went well!
 
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