Major upgrade, advice needed...

[sexibanez]

Hi all,

I haven't been on this forum in a few years, so nice to be back! I built my first rig a few years ago after a lot of saving and people on this forum were really helpful.
Anyway, the specs currently:
680i sli mobo
8gb corsair dominator ram
Nvidia 295gtx
Creative fatal1ty soundblaster card
X6800 CPU
1kw power supply
Seagate 320gb ssd
Blu-ray rom
Dell 3008wfp
Creative 5.1 surround speakers.

I've been very happy for many years, think I put it together in 2008.

Issues: Getting slow with games, dead display, run out of space on hard drive, load times are slow in general.

I would like to upgrade so that I can get back to playing high end games on max quality using 2560x1600 settings. I used this primarily for games and movies, basically wanted the best of both worlds in terms of games and hd movies. It's become a bit obsolete as a web browser as I have iPad/smartphone so it's only good as a htpc/game rig.

I'm going to replace 3008wfp with the new u3014 - primarily because its a great display, has 2 hdmi ports for Ps3 and Apple TV, and supports my creative speakers as its one of the few monitors I've seen with the black, orange and green audio jack slots.

I need advice on whether to stick with the x6800 and overclock, or get one of the i5/i7 CPUs, which would mean a motherboard upgrade? Is it worth the switch? Will gaming performance increase dramatically?

Finally, deffo interested in a 690gtx as I assume this will be able to run most games at max settings, even at 2560x1600? Or would something cheaper do the same job? I don't know, as I say I've been out of the loop for a while! I want something that will keep me going for the next 4/5 years.

Finally, I need a solution for data storage, for hd movies should I buy internal or external storage? I would like quick transfer and response speeds if possible.

I apologise for any noobish qs! If you could let me know upgrade limitations with my current mobo, and advantages/performance difference in an upgrade, that would be great! I'd prefer to stick if enhancements will be similar as its less work! I have saved cash for this but after the monitor I'll have burned through half of it!

 

[tiraides]

Please answer the sticky questions so we can better tailor our recommendations to your needs.

At first glance, you may be able to reuse your Corsair Dominator RAM, BD-ROM drive, and kilowatt PSU. However, we need more specifics on each part (model name/number and age, at a bare minimum) before we can confirm what you could reuse.

 

[sexibanez]

If you're gonna ask us to build/list a PC for you or seek advice about a build, please answer all of the following questions:

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
High end gaming (bf3) @ 2560x1600, hd movies, Apple TV, music
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
About £2k, but to include a 30" monitor
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
UK
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, gpu, best coolers
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Enermax galaxy 1kw psu, creative sound card
6) Will you be overclocking?
Yes
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
2560x1600 30"
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
End of this month
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.
Sli support, USB 3.0, sata 6gbs, e sata - if you suggest I need to upgrade motherboard.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Have vista 64bit, transferable.

Current x6800 core 2 duo is about 5 years old.
295gtx about 3 years old,
Mobo nforce 680i sli about 5 years old
Dominator ddr2 1066 ram 5 years old
Enter max galaxy 1kw 5 yrs too.
Creative card fatal1ty and g500 5.1 speakers same age.


Hope that helps!

 

[tiraides]

Which retailers are you going to buy parts from?

Can you make the new monitor a separate purchase? It can easily take up most of your budget.

 

[sexibanez]

I usually go with:

Scan.co.uk

Overclockers.co.uk

Aria.co.uk

I can make the monitor a seperate purchase.

 

[Dangman]

What case are you using?

Oh and to answer your earlier questions:
1) Definitely go with the new Core i5 CPUs. Yes that will mean a new CPU, mobo, and RAM. Yes it will be worth the switch and there will be a dramatic increase in gaming performance.

2) I'd go with two GTX 680 2GB cards at most.

3) Internal storage for sure.

 

[sexibanez]

Thanks for the suggestions.

Using a Silverstone temjin tj01 case air cooled.

Isn't a 690 the same as 2 680 gtxs in sli?

As for storage, is there a reason internal is better? I like the idea of storing hard drives out side of the case for mobile reasons though it's not a major factor in my decisions.

 

[bigted]

if you're going to be spending serious money, you should look into upgrading the Vista you have to win7

 

[Dangman]

Isn't a 690 the same as 2 680 gtxs in sli?

Not really. My main reason for recommending two GTX 680 2GB cards over a GTX 690 is that you won't be as screwed if one of the GPUs ends up dying or becoming defective. Then there's the fact that you can grab two GTX 680 cards for $60 to $80 less than the GTX 690.

As for storage, is there a reason internal is better? I like the idea of storing hard drives out side of the case for mobile reasons though it's not a major factor in my decisions.

Simplicity for one. With that said, USB 3.0 and eSATA basically allows you to get most of the performance of an internal drive with an external interface. So if you really want that mobile option, just a get an extra hard drive that uses USB 3.0 and/or eSATA and you'll be set on that front.

Here's a quick and dirty build:
Intel Core i5 3570K CPU
Asus P8Z77-V Intel Z77 ATX Motherboard
Cheapest 8GB DDR3 1333 or DDR3 1600 RAM rated at 1.5V you can find.

 

[DooKey]

If you're going to spend close to $1000 on video cards I would forget about SLI and go with a Titan. You'll appreciate the lack of SLI profile issues. You'll also be good to go on vram as games continue to push the edge with AA and textures.