Need recommendations for upgrade

[ZeroH]

Hey All,

I'm looking to upgrade my main system and would like some help finding options.


1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
I mainly will be using it as a file server but I also will need it for video cap/editing, photo editing. Gaming would be nice but not necessary.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$1000 all inclusive
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Maryland, 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.
Mobo, CPU, Cooler, RAM, Video Card. I have a Cooler Master HAF 900 case that I will be using.
MUST HAVES: PCI-e 16x (video card), PCI-e 8x (raid controller), PCI-e 1x (cap card), PCI (sound card - if necessary), SSD for OS
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Areca 1220 raid controller, 8-1.5TB HDDs, Liteon iHAS 124-04 Burner, Creative Audigy2 ZS (if necessary), keyboard, mouse, monitor. I have a SeaSonic 600W PSU if that can be reused.
6) Will you be overclocking?
Maybe. Not Necessary
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
ASUS VE278Q.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
Soon.
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.
USB 3.0 and SATA 6GB/s would be nice.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Windows 7 64bit

 

[af22]

If you are simply wanting a low power fileserver, an i3 2105 on a Z68 board will work great.

For a more multi-use machine, step up to an i5 2500.

The real question is, if you want a video card. The built in HD3000 is fine for a file server, but if you want to play games, you can get a radeon 6870 or such.

You can easily accomplish a nice build with your budget and reused parts.

 

[K1tty]

Are you near the MD MicroCenter?

i5 2500k CPU + GA-Z68XP-UD3 Motherboard - $300
Corsair XMS 8GB DDR3-1333 - $35 AR

Tiger Direct:
Corsair H100 - $99.99

Depending on your monitor's resolution and gaming power desire etc:

Extreme - AMD Radeon 7970 - $580 (Tiger Direct)
Practical - Nvidia GTX 560 ti 448 Cores - $250 AR (Newegg).


Total around $1015 or $685
You could also bump up to the 2600k for $100 more.

 

[E4g1e]

Are you near the MD MicroCenter?

i5 2500k CPU + GA-Z68XP-UD3 Motherboard - $300
Corsair XMS 8GB DDR3-1333 - $35 AR

Tiger Direct:
Corsair H100 - $99.99

Depending on your monitor's resolution and gaming power desire etc:

Extreme - AMD Radeon 7970 - $580 (Tiger Direct)
Practical - Nvidia GTX 560 ti 448 Cores - $250 AR (Newegg).


Total around $1015 or $685
You could also bump up to the 2600k for $100 more.

Although the Z68XP-UD3 is a solid choice at Micro Center's discounted price, be advised that the OP will not be able to use the onboard video as a backup to the primary discrete GPU if the monitor that he will be using has only a D-Sub input (analog input only). That's because that mobo has an HDMI out as its only video out from the CPU's integrated graphics. (There are converter-switches that accept an HDMI input and output in analog via D-Sub outs, but such switches are extremely expensive - far too expensive for anyone short of broadcast professionals.) There are absolutely no D-Sub or DVI outputs whatsoever on that mobo - and the use of a monitor with DVI-D but no HDMI requires the use of a DVI-to-HDMI cable or adaptor to even use onboard at all.

And yes, discrete graphics cards can fail unexpectedly.

 

[K1tty]

That monitor has HDMI , D-Sub, DisplayPort, DVI-D ports. I currently use a HDMI to DVI-D cable since I'm using Virtu (not plugged the gpu in directly).

 

[ZeroH]

I didn't know there was a MicroCenter in MD.. it's about an hour away. Is the cost savings worth a trip vs ordering from NewEgg?

Fortunately, the Asus monitor I have does have an HDMI input but thanks for the info.

Would 16GB RAM be better since I will be using it for photo/video editing?

What's this MSATA I saw on the Gigabyte mobo? Is it worth using?

What's HD3000 from the 2nd post?

Also, will my PSU suffice?

Thanks for the help guys!

 

[K1tty]

Over Newegg you would save about $100 (CPU is $229 and you get $50 off any motherboard at MC when you buy the 2500k or 2600k).
Since ram is so cheap now you may want to get 16gb of ram. Also, I don't know what programs you use but it may worth looking over at the Anandtech bench to see how the 2600k vs 2500k performs in those programs. The MSATA isn't super useful right now since MSATA solid state drives are limited. However, it could be handy in the future. You don't have to use (I don't) and still use ssd as either stand alone or with the intel caching.

HD3000 is the build in graphics on the i5 and i7 chips. You can use it and not need a discreet graphics card. However, you'll be limited in gaming.

What model is the Seasonic? Depending it may be fine.

 

[ZeroH]

thanks for the info.

The seasonic is an old S12 600W model.

 

[E4g1e]

That monitor has HDMI , D-Sub, DisplayPort, DVI-D ports. I currently use a HDMI to DVI-D cable since I'm using Virtu (not plugged the gpu in directly).

I did not look at the specs for the OP's monitor.

 

[ZeroH]

Thanks for the help. I decided to go with the following from Newegg (because they had the 16GB RAM I wanted) and I don't have to drive to pick it up. Microcenter was $40 less but with 8GB RAM... I decided to wait on the Video card and PSU because I'm not sure if I'll even have time to play on the PC.

1 x ($204.99) MB ASUS|P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 LGA1155 R
1 x ($229.99) CPU INTEL|CORE I5 2500K 3.3G 6M R
1 x ($139.99) MEM 4Gx4|GSKIL F3-17000CL11Q-16GBXL
1 x ($97.99) CPU COOLING ANTEC| KUHLER H2O 920 R
1 x ($12.98) CPU THERMPASTE|AS5-3.5G % - OEM

Total Amount: $685.94