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Help with upgrade/build

M

merlin87

Gawd
Joined
Aug 18, 2001
Messages
964
So I currently have the system in my sig, but was looking to see what it would take for either an upgrade or new build...

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
This system will be mainly for photo editing in LR and light photoshop use as well as BF3

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Not too sure on the budget but I wouldnt mind paying ~200-250 for a video card (new). Planning on a i7(new) and mobo I dont mind getting used to save some money there unless theres a good budget board.

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

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, MOBO, GPU

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
520HX psu, cdrom, hdd, etc.

6) Will you be overclocking?
I am not against it but I dont mind if I have to.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
24" 1920x1200

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Within the next 2 months

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI
support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.
Nothing specific. I will not be using SLI or crossfire

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
win7 64bit
 
A few things

  1. BF3 isn't out yet, and we can't guarantee a certain performance level for it because of that.
  2. That said, if you still want to go ahead with the build, do you live by a Microcenter in CA?
  3. Realize that the 2500k performs about as well as the 2600k for gaming. Photo editing and related work may take advantage of the 2600k's HyperThreading but it's up to you on if you'll get enough of a performance boost on that to justify the extra cost.
  4. Do you use any CUDA accelerated plugins? And I actually mean CUDA/nVidia only as that may mean you should get a Geforce (GTX 560 Ti given your stated budget) over a Radeon.
  5. merlin87 said:
    6) Will you be overclocking?
    I am not against it but I dont mind if I have to.
    Click to expand...
    So basically yes? :) Because you should plan on getting an aftermarket HSF like a Cooler Master Hyper 212 if that's the case (it's usually around $30.)
 
Thanks for the reply.

I do work near a microcenter.

Right now I am debating on how much I want to spend for the CPU. I was set on the i7 2600k but I guess justifying it for the price is a bit difficult. Honestly I havent run into any issues using my q9650, but I've always liked the highend of things. With the numbers I've seen others hitting I think I would be perfectly fine with the 2500k.

No cuda plugins I believe. Nothing agains ATi/AMD but I have always used nvidia and have always been happy with them. Not to mention I know a couple people that work there. If I can get the same quality or better with a nicer price Im all for it.

I guess I am mainly looking for a mobo recommendation right now. Is there anything decent at a 80-$100 price point? Or should I start looking at mobos around the 150 area? Also how would my PSU holdup with something like an i5 and a gtx460 or higher? Currently I just have the 8800gt but have 4 or 5 hdd hooked up as well.
 
I just checked on microcenters site that I can get the i5 2500k + Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 $300+tax 0_o
 
Yeah, that's why I asked about Microcenter. The HX520 should cover a 2500k and one video card if it's not too old. Though the 4 or 5 hard drives worries me a bit (mostly if you had everything loaded at once.) Otherwise you could look at a TX650v2 (or HX650) and should be okay.
 
well, Im picking up the cpu + mobo combo today after work. Now Im going to wait out until theres a deal on some 8gb ram.

Still undecided on a gpu.
 
What's your total upgrade budget? You're at $300 + tax for the CPU + motherboard, $40-$45 for 8GB of RAM (about $90 to $100 if you want a matched set of 16GB) and how much is left for the GPU?
 
I dont really have a budget but I have an idea of what I want to spend for each specific item. I already picked up the mobo and cpu and hdd. Right now I am waiting for ram to go on sale, I missed out on those gskill (2x4) for $35 a couple weeks ago so I'll wait around for another deal on the memory.

I am a bit concerned for the PSU now. Will my hx550 hold up with a single gtx560 or gtx580 with all my hdd?
 
Well without knowing what your budget is for each specific part, how do you expect us to recommend you something? 0.o

So what all do you have now? Remainder budget?
 
If at all possible I would like to avoid buying a psu unless absolutely necessary.

for GPU I was looking around at a gtx560 since they are on sale at microcenter for about 160ish, but I am willing to go up to 300ish just to try and future proof for the next year or so.

Would there be any decent PSU for around 60 that I would be better off with than the hx520?
 
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