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Upgrade Help -- Gaming Computer

I

iroc409

[H]ard|Gawd
Joined
Jun 17, 2006
Messages
1,387
1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
The primary use is gaming. BC2 is the one I play the most, some older games, the new MOH & COD some, Fallout 3, probably the new Battlefield when it comes out.

I also do some encoding DVDs. I fly a lot, so I burn my DVDs to my phone to watch on the plane. Also be using it for light VMWare stuff, mostly testing and learning. I might use it a lot more in the future if it is quieter and uses less power than current machine. I'm an engineering student, so may use it for those purposes in the future (maybe, for the CPU horsepower).
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
Budget is variable (i.e. not sure yet), but most likely will not exceed $1000, including if I get a new monitor. If parts are sold off, I might be willing to add that on top of the limit.
3) Where do you live?
Near Portland, OR
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.
CPU, RAM, Motherboard, Video Card. Power supply only if absolutely required, SSD may be a bonus.
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 is Corsair 650HX (?-non-modular)
-Case is either Lian Li PC-7 or A05 (prefer A05 if heat is no issue)
-HDD is WD 1TB Black Drive (about 1 year old, maybe less)
-Creative X-Fi Platinum PCI
-Intel GigE NIC
6) Will you be overclocking?
It is my intention
7) What size monitor do you have and/or plan to have?
Currently Dell 2405fpw & Dell 2007fpw, will have it or 23"+ 1080p or higher.
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
As soon as tax refund comes in.
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video? etc.
Would like to have 1 video card, 1 PCIe or PCI for Intel NIC, 1 PCI for SB Live card
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Retail license Win 7 Ultimate x64
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Currently I do almost everything on my laptop, a Sony with 4GB RAM, Intel i7-740QM quad core with a Nvidia 310M video card. I am planning on upgrading to 8Gb RAM and possibly putting a SSD in it (has a 640Gb Samsung drive now).

My desktop is a QX6700 @ 3.3Ghz on an Asus P5Q Pro with 8GB G Skill DDR2 800 and an ATI 4870 1GB. The computer for the most part is pretty good, but games like BC2 are a little slowish, and I doubt it will handle some of the upcoming games.

For the most part, I am fairly happy with my desktop. It's really usually only fired up for playing games. I have been wanting to install VMWare on it (had it on the laptop briefly) to try out some stuff before putting it into production at home, and to just learn stuff. Not a ton of use, really.

The catch is, if I don't update it now, the next chance probably won't be until next year's tax return (if that, really). If I upgrade now, I'd like something that will last another 3-4 years.

I was thinking of a 2500k or 2600k system with 2x4Gb RAM (so I can upgrade to 16 later), with probably an ATI 6950.

I am not sure what I want for a monitor yet. Reviews seem to be all over the place. I'd love a 30", or maybe a 27", especially for daily working. Ideally I suppose I would have dual displays--one for working, and one for gaming. I've thought about keeping my 2405 for day-to-day stuff, and adding a U2311 or maybe the Samsung 27" 1080p (can get locally for a good price).
 
I's go that route to. Sandy Bridge build. Might as well go with the 2600K with HT support for what you're doing.

As far as the monitor, you wont be able to squeeze it in that $1,000 budget. Check your local Costco store. They may have the Samsung P2770H 27" monitor for $299.99. Well... at least my Costco store has it. I'd use it mainly for gaming. Use your Dell monitors for day-day-stuff
 
I saw the monitor at Costco, which is why it is on my list. My girlfriend has a 23" Samsung we got there, and I tried it for gaming when she first got it. Better for gaming than my 2405 (faster response), but not as nice colors as my 2405 I don't think. The 2405 is getting old, though.

The budget is a little small for everything, that's why it's hard to decide what I want to do. I could spend more, but savings has taken a beating lately so I need to refill a bit.

Any motherboard recommendations?
 
Your QX6700 cpu is no slouch. What if you do this for now. Sell the 4870 video card and get a 6950 and get the Samsung 27" monitor. At least this way, you upgraded where you will see a performance in gaming. Plus, you have a larger lcd to game on.
 
HardwareGuru said:
Your QX6700 cpu is no slouch.
Click to expand...

I'm going to disagree with you there. I agree with the OP, it's time to upgrade. I parted out my Maingear QX6700 system last Friday. I'm selling most of the parts on eBay. The stripped-down core system (case, MOBO, QX6700 cpu, power supply, single video card, and RAM) was donated to Goodwill. Right now I'm thinking about what to do, when to build. The only PC I have in the house is a dual-core laptop.
 
I think the monitor we got my girl is a Samsung B2330H. It's a 23" vs the 27" Samsung, but a little cheaper and the same resolution. Is it better to save the money with the smaller one, or get the bigger one? I suppose all things equal I would prefer the larger one.

Is there something in that price range that would be better? The U2311 is in that range, I think.

Maybe if I do the upgrade this year, I can squeak out a new "working" monitor on the next tax return. :)
 
Depends man if you really want the color/image quality of the Dell U2311 23" or the sheer size of the Samsung P2770H 27" monitor. I went through various size monitors, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 27 and 28" and I like the size for that immersive gaming experience. The good thing about buying that 27" monitor at Costco is that at least you have 90 days to try it out.
 
I also have an executive membership, which paid for itself last year. I guess I am torn on that issue. I'd like the upgrade in image quality of the Dell as I do photo editing and stuff (and generally just like the quality, as I used to be a freelance graphic designer). However, I do most of that on my laptop, and if I did the Samsung/Dell would be on the VGA port. At 1900x1200 on my 2405, the quality difference is notable. The 2405 will be on the digital output from the laptop.

The Samsung would probably be better for games. If I just plan on getting a new "work" monitor next year, maybe I can drop $1000 on a really nice one.
 
If your going to do $1,000 might as well go for a 30" 2560x1600. That would be nice for graphics
 
Your old Dell 2405wfp was good back then but, its an old PVA panel monitor with a 16ms response time. If you want a better image quality monitor, consider the HP ZR24W 24" which has ips panel and response time would be lower at 5ms. Amazon sells this for like $424
 
HardwareGuru said:
Your old Dell 2405wfp was good back then but, its an old PVA panel monitor with a 16ms response time. If you want a better image quality monitor, consider the HP ZR24W 24" which has ips panel and response time would be lower at 5ms. Amazon sells this for like $424
Click to expand...

That might be a good compromise. 2405's seem to still bring a decent price (oddly enough) on eBay. For some reason I was thinking the HP was not that great of a gaming monitor. IIRC, it has two digital inputs as well.
 
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