New here. Hello everyone!

W

Wickedout2011

Weaksauce
Joined
Sep 1, 2011
Messages
114
Might as well just dip in and let you know I need advice on new future build. I'm looking at going Sandy Bridge 2500k. My investment would be new CPU, mobo and ram. Other parts can be used from my current rig. What's a good combo for me? I like to game and do everyday stuff with my PC. I'm looking for like a good all around budget mobo that's user friendly. That's about it for now. My budget is set around $550-$600! Thanks in advance!

Here's my current rig as is:

CPU: Core i5 750
Mobo:MSI P55-GD80
GPU: XFX HD 6870
RAM: OCZ Platinum 8GB DDR3 1333
PSU: Antec EarthWatts EA750
Cooling: Prolimatech Meaghalems Rev. B
Case: Antec Nine Hundred Two
SDD: Intel X-25M G2 80GB
HDD:WD Caviar Black 1TB (Storage)
OS: Windows 7 Professional
 
You have a pretty nice system. Is this more of itch to upgrade? If anything I would wait for new graphics cards to come out and get one of those instead of a new CPU/Mobo/Ram.
 
yeah, your setup is fine. Very similar to mine... I had the itch a while ago, and asked about the same question. Just wait for now. You won't see huge difference moving up to the 2500k... tick tock...
 
I just have the itch to upgrade I guess. Maybe like everyone else, I'll just wait til the Ivy bridge gets here. Right now my i5 750 is a pretty good little CPU. I throw everything at my rig and it works amazing.
 
Hypothetically if I do pull the trigger what would you suggest I get as in CPU, mobo and ram?
 
Mods need to move this thread into General Hardware.

There's a price-checking monster named DannyBui who roams around in General Hardware who will probably help you, this guy knows where the best deals are all the time.

Also worth noting is that AMD has a new architecture to be released in September, supposedly September 19th, if you wait for those, at the very least they might result in an Intel price-cut.
 
MrWizard6600 said:
Mods need to move this thread into General Hardware.

There's a price-checking monster named DannyBui who roams around in General Hardware who will probably help you, this guy knows where the best deals are all the time.

Also worth noting is that AMD has a new architecture to be released in September, supposedly September 19th, if you wait for those, at the very least they might result in an Intel price-cut.
Click to expand...

I'll wait it out. Thanks for the tip!
 
So maybe I should look forward to the new generations CPU's and GPU's before I upgrade my rig?

Does anyone know when the new AMD 7000 GPU's will be released?
 
You'll likely be looking at a timeframe of very late this year to middle of next year.
 
Ivy bridge and 7000 series card in my rig would be nice. I guess I'll save up some money I already have. Been saving up for a new rig since last year. Guess I'll go on vacation with the GF. She'll love that I'm not going to upgrade this week. Lol!
 
Actually your rig is retty good as you figured out.

The only thing I could suggest to you is a potential for a memory upgrade.

1333mhz is pretty poor right now and for 60-70 dollars you could get some really high end DDR3-2133 or 1833 with excellent timings. Those would also transfer to your next machine.

DDR3 is dirt cheap right now...

Also if you don't have one already;
A high end cooler and overclock the crap out of that i5-750.
What ever you buy make sure its a 1556 and 1555 socket cooler.

After that I'd say wait for a new graphics card to come out.
After the above you could probably not look again for another 6 months at CPU's.
 
^ that's not going to make that much of a real world difference.
 
so i also had a very similar set up

i5-750 and a 6870

i just upgraded to i5-2500K stock the new rig didn't seem much faster than my old i5-750 which i had @ 3.3Ghz (which i had zero luck getting past 3.3 also) however.... w/ my new system i just bumped the multipler to 43 (4.3Ghz and now it seems much quicker indeed)

however that said unless you have a good use for you old gear (in my case i wanted faster proc / more memory for my home server ..which went from a e3300 with 4GB to the i5-750 and 16GB of ram now.) i'm not sure it would honestly be worth it.
 
Computers are never an investment. They get slower with time. They get worn out. They get dusty. They cost money every month to run.

They are an expense.

Dont think of how much to invest rather think of how little you can get away expending.
 
this ^
The only parts worth investing in are a case, power supply, and cooler, which all last a while.
Back on topic, I'd recommend upgrading the video card; for gaming purposes that's your weakest link right now.
 
I might just go all out here. New CPU, mobo, ram and GPU! I'm closing in on pulling the trigger.
 
Your memory is fine for a Sandy Bridge. The mem controller is so efficient that there's no discernable difference between 1333, 1600, etc.
 
A new video card might be a good route to go in order to save me some money. And wait for the Ivy Bridge CPU's to come out in 2012. What GPU would you likely get?
 
forget ivy as well. wait untill haswell in 2013 to upgrade.

how often do you upgrade your video cards? what resolution do you play?


i was suggesting a 560ti or hd6950 till i seen your card. there is nothing wrong with what you have now. most of the time you may see 6-10 fps more with the upgrade, not worth the added expense. you have everything you could ask for in a great gaming rig.

maybe buy another card and a few more monitors and mess with eyefinity or something along those lines. honestly you have no reason to upgrade. maybe if you cant run the games with eye candy at the preferred resolution.
 
Last edited:
6870's are the best scaling AMD cards. In a well suited game the pair can sometimes scale over 100%. You should be able to find them used for $140 and new for about $170. That would net you a huge FPS boost over a processor upgrade.

That would be my route unless money isn't an issue.

I had a i7 860 and upgraded to a i7 2600k because I'm a geek like that and I had to have the fastest CPU at the local LAN I go to. Not a huge difference, but because the Sandy clocks so high you can get a nice FPS boost and more GPU usage out of your cards.
 
I try to upgrade every two years or so and I'm at 2 years now with my i5 750! My 6870 was a replacement for my 5850 that died on me about 8 months ago. I'm at 1680x1050 now.

I'm a single GPU user though. Game every once in a while. The 6950 or 560 Ti might be my the route for me to go. Crossfire on my mobo, how much difference of game play would I see with two 6870's over a 6950 or gtx 560 Ti?
 
a 560 or 6950 is at best 20% faster than what you have now. most cases is closer to 10%.another 6870 would wife the floor with a single mid range card. crossfire 6870 is faster than any single card out there. it beats up a gtx580 and 6990 pretty bad
 
Last edited:
pretty sure your rig can handle just about anything at 1680x1050.

should probably just wait until you upgrade your monitors, and then if your fps isn't good enough, grab crossfire then. Upgrading to a higher model current generation card right now seems like it would be silly.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top