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New system recommendation

M

Malystryx

Weaksauce
Joined
Apr 7, 2005
Messages
121
Hey guys, I've been out of the PC gaming world and hardware world for a few years now and quite a bit has changed it seems. I've got an old gaming PC that no longer runs (motherboard is dying) and I am looking to upgrade to CPU, Memory, Motherboard, Hard drive and video card. The old setup was as follows:

AMD 6000+
DFI Lanparty 590SLI
2x 8800GTS's
4GB of memory
4x 250GB Hard drives in Raid 0

Now I am looking at:

Intel i5-2500k
Asus Sabertooth P67
Samsung 830 Series 64GB SSD
Corsair Vengeance 8GB(2x4GB) 1866

Now I am still unsure on the video card. I'm looking for something in the $200-$220 range. I may just settle for a 6950, or continue to use my 8800GTS's for a little while longer.

I plan on casually gaming with the PC, a little BF3 now and then probably Diablo 3 if it ever comes out. I currently use a 14" Dell Laptop for everything and it's getting old using the touchpad and such. Is there anything you would change with my setup? Any video card recommendations? Thanks!

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming (not going to be competitive gaming like I used to, just something to do when I am bored), very little photoshop and video editing.
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Really looking to spend under $700 for the Motherboard, CPU, Memory, SSD and Video Card
3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
Southern, Ilinois
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.
Motherboard, CPU, Memory, SSD, Video card
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Will be re-using 2 of my 250GB WD drives for storage
Coolermaster 1000W Real Power Pro
Coolermaster Stacker 830 Case
6) Will you be overclocking?
Most likely not
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
Currenty 1440x768, will plan on upgrading the monitor later this summer to a 21-23" monitor (currently 18.5")
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
This weekend
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.
Nothing specific, SATA 6Gb/s, Crossfire/SLI possibility would be nice if I decide to run 2 cards, RAID for future SSD expansion.
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, 64bit Windows 7 Pro
 
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It would be helpful if you answered the questions in the stickied post first so we can get some more detail on your budget/what you need it for etc.

however, off the bat, ditch the vengeance 1866 and get any 1333 or 1600 RAM for less. With sandy bridge higher clocked RAM has just about zero performance improvement, so save your money.

Also, chances are you'll need to change out your PSU if it's old.

Video card wise, depends on your display and at what resolution you game at, but in your budget range a 6870 or 6950 is probably your best bet.
 
You can save quite a bit of money by switching from the Sabertooth to some other P67 motherboard. I don't think you'll see any difference in overclocking, unless you plan on extreme overclocking possibly, or unless you need the extra connectivity of the Sabertooth. Something like the MSI P67A-G45 (B3) is only $139 ($109 after rebate), and the MSI P67A-G43 (B3) is only $114 before rebate.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130582
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130583
 
Sorry, I just updated the original post, the PSU should be good, it's a Coolermaster Real Power Pro 1000w PSU that I got with my case originally a few years back. I don't plan on running at a very high resolution, atleast for awhile. I have a 18.5" widescreen that max'es out at 1440x768 currently. I do plan on upgrading to a 21-23" monitor in a few months.
 
Okay, so I changed to:

Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) 1600mhz ($44.99)
ASUS P8P67 (REV 3.1) LGA 1155 ($149.99)
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz ($219.99)
SAMSUNG 830 Series 64GB ($109.99)

I liked the Asus board better because it had two additional SATA 6GB/s ports, which I am doubting I will use but I do plan on keeping this Motherboard/CPU for another ~3 years.
 
Just be aware that Asus did have a lot of problems with their P8P67 boards when they first came out. They've gone through several revisions, and BIOS updates, and their Z68 boards are all doing fine, so they are likely to be fine now, but there is that history. That said, I have one and it has been working great and I am very happy with it.
 
Also, if you plan on overclocking the 2500k, do you have an HSF?
 
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