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Getting the upgrade itch again...

M

m_cochran

Limp Gawd
Joined
May 11, 2007
Messages
167
Not sure where to start, I built a system a few years back but getting the itch to upgrade again now not sure what if anything I have is salvagable and transferable, or if I should keep what I have and hang out for another year or so.


Current System:
Case: Cooler Master Elite 430 - Motherboard: BioStar A880G+ - CPU: Phenom II X4 B50, Unlocked and OC'ed to 3.56GHz Cooler - CoolerMaster Hyper212+ - RAM: 8GB DDR3 1333 - HD: Samsung 500GB F3 - Video: XFX Radeon HD 6850 - OS: Windows 7 HP 64-Bit OEM Edition - Generic 21" and 19" Monitors


1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming (Skyrim, ES Online, no FPS)

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$900 yes all included

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Lake Dallas, TX (driving distance to Dallas)

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.


Monitor - 2 x 22+"

RAM - thinking 16GB

CPU/Motherboard - Always used AMD can go either way

Video Card - No preference

Was also thinking of going closed-loop water cooling



5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Not sure what I have would be recommended to be reused other than case, hard drive, DVD, and maybe power supply I know pretty much everything I have is no longer carried at NewEgg

Power Supply: Antec NeoECO 520C 520w

Hard Drive: Samsung Spinpoint F3 500GB


Case: Coolermaster Elite 430

6) Will you be overclocking?
Possible can live without it

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
Would like at least dual 1080 monitors at least 22"

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.
Nothing I can think of that is not of the norm. Usually just go for a cheap $80ish dollar board

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Planned on putting existing hard drive in new PC, but not sure if the OS would allow the transfer due to new motherbaord/processor


Basically I want to know is it worth it to upgrade having to stay in the sub-1000 budget, or just add more RAM and a SSD and call it good.
 
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Some ideas I have been looking at...

New Computer Build
ViewSonic VA2246M-LED Black 22" $129.99
ViewSonic VA2246M-LED Black 22" $129.99
EVGA 02G-P4-3658-KR GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost $179.99
MSI ZH77A-G43 LGA 1155 Motherboard $84.99
Intel Corei5-3350P Ivy Bridge 3.1GHz LGA 1155 $179.99
Mushkin Enhanced Silverline 16GB (2x8GB) $129.99
Total $834.94


Or keep most existing but a few upgrades...

ViewSonic VA2246M-LED Black 22" $129.99
ViewSonic VA2246M-LED Black 22" $129.99
G Skill 16GB 2x8 Ripjaw $134.99
Mushkin 240GB SSD $159.99
Total $554.96
 
Just go for the CPU and mobo upgrade as they will provide more than enough performance increase to justify the costs of uprading. With that said, I have some additional questions:

1) How many fans does that Elite 430 have? Where are those fans located?
2) What's the exact model of the RAM?
3) What OS do you have?

I would not go with that video card since it's a bit overpriced and that there's a Nvidia price drop and new AMD GPU releases coming soon that'll allow you to get faster cards for the same amount of money. Also, IMO, I would not go with a 22" 1080P monitors since it kind of gimps the point of going 1080P in the first place. I'd aim for a 23" if possible.
 
1) How many fans does that Elite 430 have? Where are those fans located?
Three Front bottom, inside bottom behind power supply, and backwall. Also, have a spot for two on the top, however one spot is blocked by the CPU cooler.
2) What's the exact model of the RAM?
G.SKILL Value 4GB x 2

3) What OS do you have?
Windows 7 Home Premium OEM from NewEgg
 
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The i5 will be a great upgrade. I'd definitely go for your first choice, you'll be happier. I also agree with the video card choice. If you can wait, nVidia may (probably not) have more price cuts coming, though AMD will likely lower the prices of the current line up once the 290X is actually available.
 
m_cochran said:
1) How many fans does that Elite 430 have? Where are those fans located?
Three Front bottom, inside bottom behind power supply, and backwall. Also, have a spot for two on the top, however one spot is blocked by the CPU cooler.
Click to expand...
Ok, see if you can move the fan that's in front of the PSU to the side of the case as an intake. That'll dramatically improve your GPU cooling and overall system. Also, see if you can get another fan for the top as an exhaust. So you should have a rear exhaust, top exhaust, side intake, and that front intake. That'll be an optimal cooling setup.

m_cochran said:
3) What OS do you have?
Windows 7 Home Premium OEM from NewEgg
Click to expand...
Do note that Windows 7 Home Premium maxes out at 16GB of RAM. So if you were planning reusing your old RAM as well as the new RAM with the new PC, you will only be able to use 16GB of it.

Also, Windows 7 can be moved from system to system with little to no issue. I myself moved my current Windows 7 install from an older Intel setup to this AMD setup.
 
Dangman said:
Ok, see if you can move the fan that's in front of the PSU to the side of the case as an intake. That'll dramatically improve your GPU cooling and overall system. Also, see if you can get another fan for the top as an exhaust. So you should have a rear exhaust, top exhaust, side intake, and that front intake. That'll be an optimal cooling setup.
Click to expand...

Will do.

Dangman said:
Do note that Windows 7 Home Premium maxes out at 16GB of RAM. So if you were planning reusing your old RAM as well as the new RAM with the new PC, you will only be able to use 16GB of it.
Click to expand...

I was not planning on reusing the old RAM, was going to transfer motherboard,cpu, and ram to wifes pc.
 
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