New build or upgrade?

[Sparkynutz]

I Have an old computer I built in 2007 running XP that is finally seeing its day and thinking of upgrading.
(Q660 cpu, abit ip35 pro mobo, 2gb memory, and Nvidia GeForce 8800gts 512mb video card)
I was planning on keeping it as a spare computer for my son, but in the end it will most likely just collect dust.
I'd like to keep it cheap as possible, but not take any shortcuts. I got a good 7 years out of this old computer and hoping to get the same out of a new one.

If you were me, would you sell it as is and put cash towards new build, or part it out and use what I can?


1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Web, Starcraft 2, some light video editing.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$500-800 Cheaper the better
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
US, Waupun, Wisconsin
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.
Everything except monitor, mouse, keyboard, unless I part out and use some of my old computer as a base.
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Power supply- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139001
Cooler Master Centurion Case. I don't recall where I bought it or what model is and googling hasn't easily turned up my case.... its old but I like it and would probably be adequate yet.
I just bought a new video card to put in current computer this week to hold me over and eventually use in the new computer build
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...7024&cm_re=evga_750_ti-_-14-487-024-_-Product
6) Will you be overclocking?
Doubt it. I just slightly OC my current Q6600, but I don't plan on it with this build. Atleast right away or for a couple years.
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
Cheapo Acer 19" widescreen 900x1400 or something. Might upgrade to 21" or something eventually. I doubt I'll go any bigger.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
6 months - Year
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.
Firewire if I can get it yet.
Sata/ eSata not sure. I don't recall much about the hard drives from this build.
I want an SSD for windows and probably use old drives for storage if they work. If not, I'll get a usb case for them and use as portables.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
I like the idea of Windows 7 because its more like XP and I'm dreading the switch, but kinda thinking to say screw it and get newest out 8.1 or whatever. Maybe even wait till 9 comes out and build computer then.

 

[Dangman]

I Have an old computer I built in 2007 running XP that is finally seeing its day and thinking of upgrading.
(Q660 cpu, abit ip35 pro mobo, 2gb memory, and Nvidia GeForce 8800gts 512mb video card)
I was planning on keeping it as a spare computer for my son, but in the end it will most likely just collect dust.
I'd like to keep it cheap as possible, but not take any shortcuts. I got a good 7 years out of this old computer and hoping to get the same out of a new one.

If you were me, would you sell it as is and put cash towards new build, or part it out and use what I can?

Keep it. You're not going to get much for it considering the age of the PC. At best you might be able to reuse the PSU as the 520HX is a solid PSU.

Cooler Master Centurion Case. I don't recall where I bought it or what model is and googling hasn't easily turned up my case.... its old but I like it and would probably be adequate yet.

You're definitely looking at a new case as well as the old Centurion cases weren't all that good in terms of cooling, space, or cable management with the minor exception of the Centurion 590. There are quite a few new cheap cases out there that would be a major upgrade over that Centurion case.

I just bought a new video card to put in current computer this week to hold me over and eventually use in the new computer build
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...7024&cm_re=evga_750_ti-_-14-487-024-_-Product

Two questions:
1) Did you open it?
2) Can you return it for a refund?

I ask because you got severely and utterly ripped off if you paid more than $130 for that video card BEFORE rebate. There are far faster video cards in that $160 price range like the R9 270.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
6 months - Year

You're planning way too early. Any specific hardware recommendations we give you now may end up being outdated/overpriced/out of stock withing as little as a week. So if you want an up-to-date built list, ask for advice when you're 1-2 weeks away from buying the parts.

With that said, you're better off building ASAP as DDR3 RAM is more than likely only going to go up from here.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
I like the idea of Windows 7 because its more like XP and I'm dreading the switch, but kinda thinking to say screw it and get newest out 8.1 or whatever. Maybe even wait till 9 comes out and build computer then.

Go with Windows 8.1 if you're buying now, maybe Windows 9 if you're close to the launch date.

 

[Sparkynutz]

I know im planning way early, but way out of the loop on computer hardware and compatability which is why im trying to get a jump on atleast learning whats works and whats available.
I plan on using the video card a while. Atleast a year or two. Should be an easy upgrade down the road if need be. I leave my computer on almost 24-7/365 and only turn off if I go away for a couple days or to do a good cleaning. I like the idea of a low power usage video card and the 750 ti seemed like a good fit.
DDR3 going up? How come? Seems like video cards don't go down in value lately. Because of all the bitcoin kinda stuff craze?
If I can vagely figure out my build now I could just buy the ram now and rest later if it will save money later.
My case seems to cool well. 120 mm fan exhaust out back. Two 80mm intake front and 80mm exhaust on side by cpu. Any links to case you'd recommend?

Thanks for reply.

Ryan

 

[Dangman]

I know im planning way early, but way out of the loop on computer hardware and compatability which is why im trying to get a jump on atleast learning whats works and whats available.

Unless you're planning on re-igniting your love of computer hardware and plan on being up-to-date all the time, jumping in so early won't help out you in the long run.

I plan on using the video card a while. Atleast a year or two. Should be an easy upgrade down the road if need be. I leave my computer on almost 24-7/365 and only turn off if I go away for a couple days or to do a good cleaning. I like the idea of a low power usage video card and the 750 ti seemed like a good fit.

You didn't quite answer my questions there.

Not to mention that you kinda got suckered in there by marketing. While the 750 TI does use less power, the lower power usage isn't actually as dramatic as many people think. It's only at load where you're going to see a major difference in power usage but many people don't keep their video cards at full load for long periods of time where the power savings would be worthwhile. See this Xbitlabs article here:
http://www.xbitlabs.com/articles/graphics/display/geforce-gtx-750-ti_12.html#sect0

The R9 270 card only used about 14 watts more than the 750Ti at idle, which is where your PC is going to be most of the time. In this Bit-Tech.net article, the R9 270 only uses 7 watts more than the 750 TI at idle:
http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/graphics/2014/02/18/nvidia-geforce-gtx-750-ti-review/10

So really, unless you're planning on 12 to 16 hour gaming sessions, electricity is massively expensive in your area and/or you're running off solar power, the power savings from the 750 TI is not worth the performance drop from the R9 270.

So again, can you return that video card?

DDR3 going up? How come? ?

A few reasons really:
1) A few factory fires has set back the production of DDR3 RAM
2) Intel is already switching to DDR4 RAM this year
3) There's a far greater demand for mobile devices these days than laptops or desktops. Those mobile devices need RAM too so RAM manufacturers are aiming towards the market with the greater demand.

Seems like video cards don't go down in value lately. Because of all the bitcoin kinda stuff craze?

Out of date there, dude. AMD video card pricing has dropped significantly lately since the bitcoin craze is dying down. A few months ago, you couldn't find the R9 270 for less than $220 to $250. Now you can find them for around $170 to as low as $150 to $160 depending on the deal that day.

If I can vagely figure out my build now I could just buy the ram now and rest later if it will save money later.

Risky as the RAM could arrive DOA and you'd have no way of knowing until you're actually able to test it with a new PC. If the RAM is DOA, you'll end up paying the shipping fee back to the manufacturer and then waiting an additional 2-3 weeks for a new set of RAM to be shipped to you. So it may end up costing you more time and money. Well definitely more time anyway.

My case seems to cool well. 120 mm fan exhaust out back. Two 80mm intake front and 80mm exhaust on side by cpu. Any links to case you'd recommend?

Again, any specific hardware recommendation I make now may be outdated/overpriced/out of stock by the time you're actually able to buy. So don't actually buy the part I recommend unless it's still the only option available. WIth that said, if you were buying today, my general recommendations would be these two cases:
$50 - NZXT Source 210 Elite Black ATX Case
$65 - Corsair Graphite Series 230T Black ATX Case

Either of those cases will cool far better than your current case.

 

[Sparkynutz]

Wow. Awesome reply! I might be able to return the 750 ti, but might as well keep it and milk this current computer a little longer. Especially if I just put it in the basement or something.

I didn't/don't really understand the power draw of computer components. Didnt realize the idle difference was that miniscule.
Probably be the same with power supply I'm guessing?
I want to research more on power draw of components idle vs running and build a more efficient machine if I can. I'm sure I sucked enough power with my current one over the years I could have had a new computer by now already with money spent on the electricity running it.

I've only built 1 AMD computer and countless intel over years. Most likely taste and stupidity that made me only look at intel gpu's for my intel computer. I'm kinda anal and like to keep things the same.

Makes a lot of sense on the ram now that you explain it. I'll definitely wait to buy all at once.

Maybe ill try and hold off and build a DDR4 Windows 9 rig.

Seems DDR5 has been around a while now. Wish they'd skip 4 and use 5. It was a pita when I built a rambus using computer for a buddy a while back.

Thanks again.
Ryan

Update- Just for heck of it I emailed place I ordered the 750 ti from and they were able to cancel my order as it hadn't shipped out yet.
I'll just get a little better card later and deal with it for now.

 

[Dangman]

Probably be the same with power supply I'm guessing?

If you're talking the difference between 80PLus, Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum, yes the differences are kinda miniscule after a certain point.

I want to research more on power draw of components idle vs running and build a more efficient machine if I can. I'm sure I sucked enough power with my current one over the years I could have had a new computer by now already with money spent on the electricity running it.

Honestly, not really worth the time and effort. Pretty much a lot of Intel CPUs are energy efficient to begin. The specially marked "S" and "T" series Intel CPUs are not worth getting in general since their significantly lower clock speed means lower performance which means more time spent doing a certain task which means more power gets used. So you're better off with just a regular series Intel CPU.

As for energy efficient video cards, again, you run into the same issues as you saw with the 750Ti: Significantly lower performance yet barely any savings at idle. Nor does it look like you're under conditions where a lower power using video card at load would make sense and worth the tradeoff in performance.

Then there's the PSU. This article explains it better than I can:
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2011/10/04/80_plus_irrelevant_to_you_when_buying_psu/#.VAaY6fldXt8

So basically, kind of a waste of time trying to devise a really efficient PC. As long as you get good parts, you don't have to worry too much about power use.

I've only built 1 AMD computer and countless intel over years. Most likely taste and stupidity that made me only look at intel gpu's for my intel computer. I'm kinda anal and like to keep things the same.

If you were buying this month, more than likely the recommended setup would be an Intel CPU combined with an AMD GPU as that's generally going to be your best bang for the buck option.

W
Maybe ill try and hold off and build a DDR4 Windows 9 rig.

Not a good idea either unless you can wait until 2016. That's when the pricing of DDR4 RAM should drop pretty far down and when the mainstream Intel motherboards that supports DDR4 RAM hits the market. Another reason why I recommend buying the PC now.

Seems DDR5 has been around a while now. Wish they'd skip 4 and use 5. It was a pita when I built a rambus using computer for a buddy a while back.

.......DDR5 has not been out at all. DDR4 was just barely released. More than likely you're looking at GDDR5 which is only available as video card RAM. GDDR5 is actually based off DDR3 and is not and will not completely comparable to a future desktop DDR5 set.

Update- Just for heck of it I emailed place I ordered the 750 ti from and they were able to cancel my order as it hadn't shipped out yet.
I'll just get a little better card later and deal with it for now.

Ahh good.

 

[Sparkynutz]

The earliest ill build will be january. I have lots of other projects that need attending first and will be working 70-80hrs a week oct through end of december.
Probably not worth the difference in performance waiting for ddr4?
I assumed about the gdr5 being same till reading up on it. I didn't see any hard numbers on ddr4 yet. Hard to decide.
Any conflict issues with AMD gpu on intel chip mobo and intel cpu?
I suppose it may depend on selection.
Only other choice is try and build by end of this month. Ill have to look closer at finances and see.

 

[Dangman]

The earliest ill build will be january. I have lots of other projects that need attending first and will be working 70-80hrs a week oct through end of december.
Probably not worth the difference in performance waiting for ddr4?
I assumed about the gdr5 being same till reading up on it. I didn't see any hard numbers on ddr4 yet. Hard to decide.

DDR4 is not worth the wait. Nor are the new Intel CPUs coming out in 2016 worth the wait. Nor are the current Intel CPUs that do support DDR4 RAM worth getting considering your light usage.

Any conflict issues with AMD gpu on intel chip mobo and intel cpu?

Look at the rig in my sig. I have ZERO issues related to such a setup.