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New build - need help

I

infin|ty

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jun 20, 2003
Messages
1,139
Hi everyone,

I'm starting to think I need to build a new PC. My current rig I built in May of 2009. The specs are:

Intel i5 750 processor
MSI P55-CD53 LGA 1156 Intel P55 ATX Intel Motherboard
4GB DDR3 1066
Radeon HD7850 (I added this late last year)
500GB Samsung Spinpoint
Windows 8

So my question is, for $1,000, would a new rig be a pretty massive upgrade in terms of speed and performance? Right now my machine is suffering the usual problems, slow start up, not super responsive, hanging sometimes, some slowdowns in newer games etc. So assuming I can get a great upgrade for $1,000...here are the requisite questions answered:



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

It will be mostly for gaming.

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

$1000, not including tax and shipping.

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

Rochester, NY, 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.

I will need CPU, RAM, motherboard, case, GPU, hard drive, optical drive, PSU.


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

None.

6) Will you be overclocking?

I would prefer not to unless there is an extremely compelling reason.

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

1650x1050, 21.5"

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

As soon as possible.


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 super specific, good audio quality 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?

I will be purchasing a copy of Windows 8.
 
Hi Dangman,

1.) Disregard the Windows 8 disc, I'll cover that outside the $1,000 budget.

2.) I'm too far from those, I'm in upstate NY, atleast 5 hours out.
 
OK, here's what I recommend:
$200 - Intel Core i5-4570 CPU
$107 - MSI Z87-G41 PC MATE Intel Z87 ATX Motherboard
$70 - Corsair CMX8GX3M1A1333C9 8GB DDR3 1333 RAM
$178 - Samsung 840 Evo Series 250GB SSD
$65 - Western Digital Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 7200RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
$20 - LG GH24NS95B DVD Burner
$85 - Seasonic G Series SSR-550RM 550W Modular PSU
----
Total: $725 shipped.

Assuming that you have the HD 7850 2GB, reuse that with the above system. As for the case, choose your own case. I recommend the following:
$43 - NZXT Source 210 Elite Black ATX Case
$43 - NZXT Source 210 Elite White with Black Front Trim ATX Case
$50 - Corsair Carbide Series 200R ATX Case
$75 - Corsair Carbide Series 300R ATX Case
$90 - Corsair Carbide Series 400R ATX Case
$100 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001BK White Full Tower ATX Case
$100 - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Full Tower ATX Case
$110 - Antec 1100 ATX Case
$110 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Arctic White ATX Case
$120 - Corsair Vengeance Series C70 Gunmetal Black ATX Case
$125 - Corsair Carbide Series 500R ATX Case
$130 - NZXT Phantom 530 Black Full Tower ATX Case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-W ATX case
$144 - Silverstone RV03B-WA ATX case
$160 - Corsair Graphite Series 600TM ATX Case
$150 - Corsair Obsidian Series 750D ATX Case
$170 - Corsair Special Edition White Graphite Series 600T ATX Case
$170 - Corsair Obsidian Series 650D ATX Case
$170 - NZXT Phantom 630 Gunmetal Full Tower ATX Case
$170 - NZXT Phantom 630 White Full Tower ATX Case
$230 - Silverstone FT02B-USB3.0 ATX Case
$250 - Silverstone FT02S-W-USB3.0 ATX Case
$245 - Corsair Obsidian Series 800D CC800DW ATX Case
 
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Thank you sir.

So in your opinion, that build combined with the 7850, I'll be in good shape? I'm certainly not complaining about the price, just want to make sure it's something that will last me a few years, as the current rig did.
 
infin|ty said:
Thank you sir.

So in your opinion, that build combined with the 7850, I'll be in good shape? I'm certainly not complaining about the price, just want to make sure it's something that will last me a few years, as the current rig did.
Click to expand...

Yes you'll be in good shape until you upgrade your monitor to one with a higher resolution and/or you suddenly become a performance maniac.
 
Ok, so just out of curiosity, if I did upgrade the monitor, would that only change what GPU I would be looking at, or other components as well?
 
infin|ty said:
Ok, so just out of curiosity, if I did upgrade the monitor, would that only change what GPU I would be looking at, or other components as well?
Click to expand...
Just the video card.

Also note that you can get double the HDD space for only $30 more:
$95 - Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s Hard Drive
 
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Thanks for all the help.

If I did indeed decide to upgrade the card in anticipation of a new monitor - what card would you recommend? I like nVidia if possible as well.
 
Last edited:
infin|ty said:
Thanks for all the help.

If I did indeed decide to upgrade the card in anticipation of a new monitor - what card would you recommend? I like nVidia if possible as well.
Click to expand...

There might be better GPU deals during the time you're buying that monitor. So I really can't recommend anything now unless you're planning on getting that new monitor this month.
 
Gotcha, makes sense. Just a thought, my HD7850 is only a 1GB...that make a diff?

I see your links are all from Amazon. Is there any particular reason for that? In the past I had always used Newegg. I'm not opposed to it, just curious.
 
Last edited:
It would make a difference in some games depending on the settings you use. If you like nVidia, why not look at a GTX 770 of some kind? That should be a good enough upgrade over your 7850. You may even be able to sell your 7850 on Amazon to help offset the cost as well.
 
Kai said:
It would make a difference in some games depending on the settings you use. If you like nVidia, why not look at a GTX 770 of some kind? That should be a good enough upgrade over your 7850. You may even be able to sell your 7850 on Amazon to help offset the cost as well.
Click to expand...

The OP is playing games at a 1680x1050 resolution. The GTX 770 is overkill.

infin|ty said:
Gotcha, makes sense. Just a thought, my HD7850 is only a 1GB...that make a diff?
Click to expand...

It depends on the game, but if you're not having any problems now, it's not worth replacing at this time.

infin|ty said:
I see your links are all from Amazon. Is there any particular reason for that? In the past I had always used Newegg. I'm not opposed to it, just curious.
Click to expand...

[H] receives some money whenever someone buys parts from Amazon (using a few tags to identify that we referred them). NewEgg used to do the same, but it stopped recently (IIRC, without warning).

IOW, buying from Amazon supports the [H]. Ultimately, you can choose the retailer(s) that work best for you.
 
What tiraides said in regards to the GPU +1. WIth that said, if youy're planning on getting BF4, then I would recommend upgrading the GPU. 1GB of VRAM for that games is a bit low.
 
I was thinking about BF4...if that is the case, what GPU would you consider best bang for the buck that will handle it well?
 
Probably the HD 7950 3GB for ~$200 or the HD 7970 3GB for around ~$300 if you were buying right now.
 
Is there an nvidia option that would be comparable? Or does AMD have the best value at the moment?
 
infin|ty said:
Is there an nvidia option that would be comparable? Or does AMD have the best value at the moment?
Click to expand...
As of this post, AMD does have the best value. Maybe Nvidia might do another price drop on their cards (they did so on their more mid-range GPUs) but I haven't seen word of that happening for the more higher-end GPUs.
 
Ok, thanks Dangman.

As I'm browsing some of those cases - do you have any personal favorites? I like the look of the Corsair 750D - but I really like the features on the NZXT Phantom as well.

Sorry about the endless questions!
 
infin|ty said:
Ok, thanks Dangman.

As I'm browsing some of those cases - do you have any personal favorites? I like the look of the Corsair 750D - but I really like the features on the NZXT Phantom as well.

Sorry about the endless questions!
Click to expand...
They're pretty much all my personal favrorites. Otherwise, I would not be recommending them. ;)

No worries about the questions.
 
infin|ty said:
Here's another question:

I just popped open my case to see what power supply I have, it's this:

http://www.newpowersupply.com/hipro...pfc_power_supply_model_hp_d6301au-pr-883.html

Could I reuse that or do you recommend I go with the one you suggested? It is from May of 2009 when I built the rig, so I don't know if by age alone you would recommend replacement.
Click to expand...

I would have recommended replacing it even if you weren't doing any sort of upgrades. Doesn't seem like a good PSU at all.
 
Ok, final question. How important is the SSD? I'm thinking of getting a 1920x1080 24" monitor, but if I do that I would like to get an HD7950.

To offset cost, would swapping out the SSD and sticking with just the standard drive be a mistake? I've never had a SSD so I don't know what it's going to do for me.

Thanks!
 
infin|ty said:
Ok, final question. How important is the SSD? I'm thinking of getting a 1920x1080 24" monitor, but if I do that I would like to get an HD7950.

To offset cost, would swapping out the SSD and sticking with just the standard drive be a mistake? I've never had a SSD so I don't know what it's going to do for me.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

It won't be a mistake but it will be a less than optimal option. If you're seriious about getting that larger monitor, then you are better off with the better GPU rather than a SSD.

However a SSD will massively improve overall system responsive and should definitely be next on your list of upgrades. Though is that monitor still part of your $1000 budget?
 
You only live once right? I decided to go all in, getting SSD, HD7950 and new monitor. Why not right? :)
 
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