Incremental Upgrade to a Gaming Machine

[wolfphil08]

Hey guys, I have been a long time viewer of the forums, but just recently registered. With all these new games coming out I realized how outdated my desktop is. I have been using my macbook pro for the last three and half years and that is even getting a bit slow. I was planning on doing an incremental upgrade of my two main computers. The macbook pro (2008) only has 2 gb of ram and can handle 4gb. The ram I can buy at any point during the upgrade. I think it has 2 1 gig sticks in it now so I would have to buy 2 2 gig sticks. I had a couple concerns: would two more gb be that noticeable and where is a good place to buy ram for macs besides apple? As for my desktop I have bigger plans. Eventually I want to replace everything but the hard rives and dvd burner. I was thinking of upgrading incrementally so I wouldn't have to spend so much money at once. For my first round of purchasing I plan on buying a new monitor or tv, power supply, case and graphics card. I really want a tv/monitor that I can watch movies from my bed. I was thinking of buying either a 23" 1080p monitor, or a 32" 1080p tv (that I will also use as a monitor), or possibly buying both. I was planning on spending around 150 for the 23" monitor and/or 300-350 for the 32" tv. I am not sure which would be better so I am open to suggestions on what to do. I really would like something decently bigger than my 19" monitor. My current graphics card (see below) is obviously outdated and couldn't handle the higher resolution so I am going to buy one when I get the monitor. I would like the graphics card to be able to play bf3 and mw3 once I upgrade the rest of the parts. I do not plan on gaming on the 32" tv (response time and that would take a way better graphics card). Hopefully I will be able to get the 23" to play games on, but in the mean time I can use the 19" for games and use the 32" for extra work space and movies. I am using an old asus case right now that has minimal space and poor cooling, so I was planning on spending ~50-60 for a new case. I dont need anything too special just something to hold it all together and cool properly. I would prefer it to have 120mm fans as the noise gets annoying. During the first round of upgrades I would also like to get a new power supply because the current one I have is dying and needs to be replaced anyways.

For my second round of upgrades I plan on buying the processor, ram, and motherboard. I haven't thought too much about this as I do not know all the details on what is out now. I would like to get something decently powerful that will last me a while, but I dont need anything with too crazy of specs. I was thinking of getting an i5 that I can over clock once I get everything set up and I become more comfortable with it. As for ram I was thinking 8-16 gb. Is the difference in price between 8 and 16 really all that much? I would like the system to be able to game, but I dont need anything too rediculous.

Here is what I currently have:

proview - 19" monitor 1440 x 900
psu - aspire atx-AS500w
dvd burner - magicspin
processor - amd athlon x2 dual core processor 5000+ 2.6 Ghz
ram - 4GB (guessing DDR2 800)
mobo - asus m2n-e
gpu - Diamond Radeon x1550 pro 256 mb
harddrive - 80gb sata, 2tb sata


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

Gaming after the upgrade, movies, school work (programing and matlab simulation), web browsing

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

around 500 to 600

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

Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

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, processor, case, motherboard, PSU, GPU

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

look above

6) Will you be overclocking?

I would like to give it a try after everything is set up. What special cooling do I need. I really dont want to water cool.

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

Will eventually be using a 23" 1080p or a 1080p 32" lcd tv, along with my existing 19"

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

asap, most likely around black friday

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.

I would like the computer to last for a few years and be future proof, but dont need anything too extreme like 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?

yes, I have windows 7 64bit


I also wanted your guys's opinion on a couple of other things. When is the best time to buy computer parts? Should I buy on black friday / cyber monday, or wait until around christmas? How easy is it to actually buy parts once they go on sale for black friday? Do they normally run out? For the i5/mobo I hear good things about microcenter. Is buying a monitor/tv from craigslist a good idea? I was also wondering what speakers you would suggest for around 100 bucks. I would mainly use them to play music. I like my bass.

I know this has been a long post, but I really appreciate it. Thanks for your help!

 

[tiraides]

We need to address two issues before someone can recommend some good parts for you.

First, we need to narrow down the time frame. If you're not ready to buy everything by Black Friday, then I suggest that you conduct some more research and revisit this thread about a week or two before you're ready to buy. Any parts or combo deals that we recommend now may be overpriced, out of stock, or obsolete by the time that you actually make your purchase.

Additionally, you need to re-evaluate your budget. I believe that $600 is not enough to build a gaming machine -- especially if you want to include a $100 speaker set -- for playing today's games (like CoD: MW3, BF3 or TESV: Skyrim) at a 1920x1080 resolution. Does this $600 budget also have to include the costs of the monitor and peripherals (like the speakers)?

 

[Dangman]

Yes it's very important for us to know when exactly your upgrading rounds will occur and whether or not you can increase your budget.

While we wait for you to address the issues that Tiraides brought up, I'll address some of the questions/concerns/thoughts you have brought up:

would two more gb be that noticeable and where is a good place to buy ram for macs besides apple?

An extra 2GB of RAM would be noticeable depending on how much multi-tasking and background apps you run. Generally, more RAM rarely hurts. Newegg has RAM for Macs for decent prices.

I would like the graphics card to be able to play bf3 and mw3 once I upgrade the rest of the parts.

For playing BF3 on 1080P resolution, you're looking at close to $300 alone for the video card .

I do not plan on gaming on the 32" tv (response time and that would take a way better graphics card).

Actually, no it wouldn't: It would take the same GPU power for gaming on a 23" 1080P monitor as it would a 32" 1080P TV. Size isn't the performance marker: it's the resolution. 1080P is the same resolution whether you're talking about a TV or LCD monitor.

As for ram I was thinking 8-16 gb. Is the difference in price between 8 and 16 really all that much?

Not that much: usually $40 to $50. However with your low budget, 16GB of RAM is probably not a wise choice.

How easy is it to actually buy parts once they go on sale for black friday?

Depends if you're buying in-store or online.

Do they normally run out?

Yes. Depending on the sale itself, it could be sold within minutes or a few hours.

For the i5/mobo I hear good things about microcenter.

Microcenter is good but all their good deals are in-store only. The closest MC to you is about an hour drive from you. So two hours round trip + time shopping + State sales tax + gas spent on driving may negate whatever sales/discounts you'll get from MC.

Is buying a monitor/tv from craigslist a good idea?

Hell no if it's gonna be your main monitor. No warranty + the fact that you don't know what the previous user did to that monitor = not a smart buy for a primary monitor. Unless the monitor is stupid cheap (like less than 40% of its retail cost), don't bother with a used monitor or TV.

 

[wolfphil08]

I was planning on spending around 5-600 on the psu, motherboard, processor, ram, gpu, and case. The other stuff is in a different budget. I figured that 600 would be stretching it a bit, but I dont need to run the games on ultra or anything at 1080p, although it would be nice to have a graphics card that is future proof. I guess I didn't think that I would need a $300 gpu. That killls half the budget right there. I was thinking about spending 300 for a motherboard/cpu, 100 psu, 60ish ram, 60ish case, and now im not sure for the gpu. How would a new graphics card work in my current system? Wouldn't the cpu hold it back? If I were to increase my budget by 100 or so, what graphics cards would you suggest? Im flexible, but would like to keep it on the cheaper side as I will be buying a lot of other stuff as well.
Thanks for the responses. You guys are great.

 

[wolfphil08]

I would like the first part of the upgrade/build done around black friday. This includes case, gpu, psu, and monitor/tv. If I see a good combo deal on a cpu/mobo I will bite on that too.

 

[Dangman]

I figured that 600 would be stretching it a bit, but I dont need to run the games on ultra or anything at 1080p, although it would be nice to have a graphics card that is future proof. I guess I didn't think that I would need a $300 gpu.

We're not talking about Ultra in BF3 though. That $300 GPU is only for High in BF3.

How would a new graphics card work in my current system? Wouldn't the cpu hold it back?

The CPU would hold back any new GPU immensely. In fact, that CPU was holding back video cards back in 2008. So yeah, definitely major hold back with video cards circa 2011.

I would like the first part of the upgrade/build done around black friday. This includes case, gpu, psu, and monitor/tv. If I see a good combo deal on a cpu/mobo I will bite on that too.

So what, $1000 total? And again, when will that second upgrade round occur? Also note that the CPU + mobo combo may end up costing more than $300 unless you want some low-end mobo.

 

[wolfphil08]

Good information in here. The second round really depends on sales. I would like to have everything around christmas. I will probably buy as many things as I can around black friday though. At least the case, psu, gpu and monitor for sure. How much would an i5 with a decent mobo cost? Around 400?

 

[wolfphil08]

what are your opinions of this for a lcd screen:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...17075X740592X8767ba5a459d94e432398a5fe5be8c8d

and case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129098

 

[Dangman]

Fuck it, here's a build that I'd recommend if you were buying this month:
$318 - Intel Core i5 2500K + MSI P67A-C43 Intel P67 ATX Motherboard
$40 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$275 - XFX HD-695X-CDFC Radeon HD 6950 2GB PCI-E Video Card
$79 - Antec High Current Gamer Series HCG-620 620W PSU
$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite White with Black Front Trim ATX Case
$166 - Asus VH236H Black 23" LCD Monitor (Use Promo code "EMCJJKJ89" to knock off $20)
---
$928 plus tax and shipping

Note that my recommendations may change next month depending on the deals and such.

As for the parts you linked:
- That Antec 100 case is not a good choice at all due to its cramped interior and limited cable management. The case I recommended above is a better choice.
- That LCD monitor is a good monitor but not a good buy right now considering that you can get the better and more responsive monitor that I recommended above for only $17 more.

 

[tiraides]

Seriously, how much money do you have available right now?

What is the brand and model (number) of the 2TB hard drive you currently have?

 

[wolfphil08]

I am hoping to keep it under $1000 I suppose. I was planning on going around 700 for the desktop, but I can see that is going to be a hard price to hit. I didnt include the monitor or speakers in that budget as they will probably be a christmas present. Im in college, so really the cheaper the better. I decided to upgrade instead of going on spring break this year.

 

[tiraides]

OK, now please answer my second question. Depending on what you have, you may not need to buy a newer, faster hard drive -- at least, not for a while....

 

[wolfphil08]

its a samsung 2tb, 5400 rpm drive. A bit on the slow side. I will have to get you the model number when I get home. I was planning on buying some more drives once they fall in price. I currently use my 80gb 7200 rpm sata drive to boot windows and games. the 2tb is strictly for movies/data.

I have been looking into monitors recently. I really like the monitor that danny bui suggested for a gaming monitor and will probably buy it around christmas. However, in a week I would like to buy a 32" 1080p tv for watching tv and using with my computer for more screen space and to use temporarily (around a month) to play games. I found the RCA 32" Class LCD 1080p 60Hz HDTV, 32LA45RQ at walmart. Its on sale for 280. Would this be a good tv to use as a monitor and in general a tv?

 

[MrMike]

Using a TV as a monitor is very hit or miss. If you can't test it out yourself, or if it's not discussed here or on AVSForum it's likely not going to be a good idea. An example of a TV that was/is successful as a monitor is ye olde Westinghouse 37W3. You'll find long threads about this display on enthusiast forums.

 

[Dangman]

its a samsung 2tb, 5400 rpm drive. A bit on the slow side. I will have to get you the model number when I get home. I was planning on buying some more drives once they fall in price. I currently use my 80gb 7200 rpm sata drive to boot windows and games. the 2tb is strictly for movies/data.

Actually you might want to rethink that setup: There's an extremely good chance that 2TB drive is significantly faster than your 80GB drive. That 80GB drive is more than likely a very old model and therefore never had any of the improvements that many 5400RPM and 7200RPM drives recieved.

I have been looking into monitors recently. I really like the monitor that danny bui suggested for a gaming monitor and will probably buy it around christmas. However, in a week I would like to buy a 32" 1080p tv for watching tv and using with my computer for more screen space and to use temporarily (around a month) to play games. I found the RCA 32" Class LCD 1080p 60Hz HDTV, 32LA45RQ at walmart. Its on sale for 280. Would this be a good tv to use as a monitor and in general a tv?

Can't help you there. Hit up the Displays subforum.

 

[wolfphil08]

I figured it was time for an update now that round 1 is complete.
I just received:
1 x ($39.99) CASE NZXT|SOURCE 210 BK S210-001 R $39.99
1 x ($76.00) PSU ANTEC| 620W HCG-620 RTL $76.00
1 x ($49.99) VGA XFX|PV-T96O-YHFC 9600GSO 512M R $49.99
1 x ($12.99) CASE FAN CM|R4-S2S-124K-GP R $12.99
$300 - RCA 32" Class LCD 1080p 60Hz HDTV, 32LA45RQ

I bought the gpu because it was on sale for 20 bucks (with mail in rebate) and came with cod4. I thought I could use it in my old machine, but the pci-e slot wasnt working. Maybe because the card is PCI Express 2.0 x16, and the m2n-e board I have has PCI Express 1.0 x16? Not exactly sure as I had previous problems with pci-e graphics cards. I also just bought bf3 as it was on sale for 30 bucks on cyber monday. I havent used the tv much as a monitor because its doing a great job of being a tv. I was planning on buying a 23" monitor during the sales this weekend, but they were all sold out. Ill just have to wait for a little while.

Now I am ready for round two of the upgrade. CPU, MOBO, RAM and GPU. I was watching the prices of these items over black friday and cyber monday and didn't notice any great deals.
I was thinking of getting these
$250 - XFX HD-695X-CDFC Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16
$25 - G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBRL

for the MOBO/CPU I was thinking about driving to microcenter. You just cant beat the deals they have there. The combo deals are great, and the i5 2500k is cheaper than newegg. What would your suggestions be if I went there for a purchase? If I ordered online, did your recommendations change from the previous post?

Im pretty excited to be half way done with the build. Now come the real components that will actually upgrade my system.

 

[Dangman]

I bought the gpu because it was on sale for 20 bucks (with mail in rebate) and came with cod4. I thought I could use it in my old machine, but the pci-e slot wasnt working. Maybe because the card is PCI Express 2.0 x16, and the m2n-e board I have has PCI Express 1.0 x16? Not exactly sure as I had previous problems with pci-e graphics cards.

Probably not though IIRC there were some issues with PCI-E 2.0 cards and that mobo.

for the MOBO/CPU I was thinking about driving to microcenter. You just cant beat the deals they have there. The combo deals are great, and the i5 2500k is cheaper than newegg. What would your suggestions be if I went there for a purchase? If I ordered online, did your recommendations change from the previous post?

Key problem now is that you're asking this question on November 29th/30th, when MC's November deals will be ending. While MC should still have the 2500K for cheap in December, I'm not entirely sure what mobo deals they'll have for December. Please Wait a day or two for MC's December ads to come out.

 

[wolfphil08]

What is your opinion on the ripjaws ram I selected? I am aware that you selected other ram, but this ram is on sale. Is it a good buy for my setup?

 

[Dangman]

What is your opinion on the ripjaws ram I selected? I am aware that you selected other ram, but this ram is on sale. Is it a good buy for my setup?

Well it's out of stock but it was good RAM if you could actually get it for that $25 price you posted.

 

[wolfphil08]

Im not surprised to see that the RAM is already sold out. It was a great price. I was planning on going to microcenter saturday for the mobo/cpu. I checked out the flier and they still have the combo deals. Any idea why they are able to offer prices so much lower than newegg? They have a bundle for $220. Thats pretty crazy considering newegg is selling the i5 2500k alone for that much. new suggestions or ram, gpu, cpu and ram?

 

[Dangman]

Im not surprised to see that the RAM is already sold out. It was a great price. I was planning on going to microcenter saturday for the mobo/cpu. I checked out the flier and they still have the combo deals. Any idea why they are able to offer prices so much lower than newegg? They have a bundle for $220. Thats pretty crazy considering newegg is selling the i5 2500k alone for that much.

Well MC charges higher prices for their mobos in general so the discount on their mobos isn't hurting them that much. In addition, sales tax is a factor when buying a CPU from MC so the discount sometimes isn't that much greater. In any case, the low prices on the CPU and mobos are mainly to get people in the door and start buying other parts. So basically the CPU and mobos are effectively loss leaders. Often times, many people don't just buy the CPU or CPU and mobo but a lot of other parts as well like PSU, RAM, case, etc since people get to thinking "Gee I'm already saving money with the CPU and mobo, surely the higher prices for the other parts is negated" or "Gee, I'm already here and I really want my PC now". It seems to be an effective strategy for MC since they've doing the cheap main CPU deal/loss leader for close to 3-4 years now beginning with the Intel Q6600.

new suggestions or ram, gpu, cpu and ram?

The RAM and GPU I recommended earlier are still solid choices. And you asked for RAM twice and the CPU recommendation is basically locked in.

 

[wolfphil08]

that makes sense. unfortunately for them, im not getting anything but the mobo/cpu from there. I guess my main concern is what mobo to get with the i5. I dont think they have the exact one you specified. Ill be ordering the gpu tonight, might get the ram as well or wait and see if it drops in price a little.

 

[wolfphil08]

buying this ram and the gpu tonight. mobo/i5 on saturday, then my build will be complete. Also, BF3 arrived today. too excited!

 

[Dangman]

that makes sense. unfortunately for them, im not getting anything but the mobo/cpu from there. I guess my main concern is what mobo to get with the i5. I dont think they have the exact one you specified. Ill be ordering the gpu tonight, might get the ram as well or wait and see if it drops in price a little.

Unfortunately, MC hasn't posted their December flyer so I don't know either what mobo deals they have.

 

[wolfphil08]

the prices are good through the 4th for the november specials. I didnt realize they still have november deals up. sorry about that. The good part is, they will still have the combo deals when I go there saturday. It cant get much better than that can it? Also ram and gpu were just ordered.

 

[Dangman]

In that case, see if they have the MSI P67A-G43 in stock

 

[wolfphil08]

They no longer have that board in stock. What are your other recommendations?

 

[Dangman]

The MSI P67A-G45, MSI P67A-GD55, and Asus P8Z68-M Pro are also good choices.