Upgrade? New build? Keep?

[mda]

Hey all,

The upgrade bug has bit, and I need your suggestions.

I have the following specs:

Intel 2400
Gigabyte H67 D2-B3
(EDIT): 2x4GB GSkill Ripjaws 1333
Seagate 7200.10 250GB Main drive
WD Black 640GB File/Game drive
ATI 6870 1GB
HEC Raptorpower 500W
Monitor - Samsung 2232GW 1680x1050 2ms TN



1. I plan to upgrade my monitor to a 1920x1080 LG IPS monitor (234V) sooner or later.

2. I play games mostly with this machine but do a lot of everything else as well. So far, I play SC2 (CPU bound and prefers NV cards), Total War (waiting on Rome II) and a few other games casually (BF3 etc - basically a wide gamut). I am happy playing my games on medium to high on 0AA/AF but will crank up the settings if my hardware allows me.

3. My bind is that I'm pretty much hamstrung by my hardware in many aspects:
- My case is noisy and cramped. My 6870 cannot be lined up with a hard drive due to space constraints within the case. I used to have a 3rd mechanical drive sitting in the 5.25" bay to help airflow. The cheap case cost me <$20
- My 6870 will suffer in 1920x1080
- My 7200.10 is slow
- My PSU will need upgrading if I need a more powerful graphics card. (The PSU cost me ~$50 as I was in a budget a few years ago)
- My H67 prevents me from upgrading to a "K" processor
...which is why I'm considering-

4. A new build? To give you guys a general idea, I have around $1500-2000 (converted to USD) to spend on a new PC, but will not upgrade just for the sake of getting new gear. (I will answer the questions on the sticky should I be convinced to move in this direction). IN THE EVENT I BUILD, I'd like to keep this next PC for a minimum of 5 years while only replacing the graphics card down the line.

5. The other alternative is to upgrade/add parts. I'd like an SSD, and a beefier graphics card down the line (GK110/Sea Islands). Can't afford the 120Hz monitors at the moment since they're grossly overpriced in my country.

Looking forward to your suggestions on helping me spend my money

Thanks [H]!

 

[tiraides]

Truthfully, the i5-2400 should be more than enough for gaming. You could keep the processor, motherboard, RAM, and the WD 640GB hard drive and replace everything else (save for the monitor).

Since monitors are "grossly overpriced" and you're not in the U.S., where are you buying your parts from?

 

[mda]

^ Thanks for the reply.

Actually, when I mentioned overpriced monitors, I meant only the 120hz ones. New tech here comes at an awful premium.

I'll be getting my parts mostly at these prices. The conversion rate from local to USD is around 41 : 1 USD. So that means I'll have roughly about 80,000 in local currency to spend.

Regarding the i5 - I always have 2 PCs at home for other / secondary uses which also include gaming. One option should I choose to build a new machine is to send the i3 off to the office for some regular office work. This will allow me to "upgrade" the current machine at the same time, since I can put the 6870s in crossfire (requiring the necessary PSU and probably a case upgrade). The existing monitor will then be also be moved for use in the secondary machine.

I also realize my 8GB RAM is 1333 (saw it in my own profile lol). I'll update the original post with that.

I guess I'm willing to wait for Sea Islands/GK110/Haswell before I make any big moves, but I'd like to get a clearer picture on my next moves, and probably the monitor before Heart of the Swarm comes in March.

 

[Dangman]

You definitely need a new PSU for sure considering the quality of that PSU.

 

[mda]

Understood.

That's definitely in the pipeline for any future hardware upgrade I'm going to do.

Edit: I can upgrade the case into an NZXT Source 210 Elite for around 50$, or to a Source 220/Tempest 210 for near 65$.

I am also looking at a Seasonic M12II 750w for 120$, M12II 620w for 100$ or a S12II 620w for 80$ to keep for this i5 system, where 6870 crossfire is a possibility. Sound good? The reviews on this site say that qualitywise, both are good PSUs.

Also, I am currently considering to build new and keep the 2400 for the secondary rig.

 

[K1tty]

Unless you have the overclocking "itch" I wouldn't bother upgrading your CPU/Motherboard.
The 2400 is a great CPU. You would be much better off upgrading your PSU, getting a ssd (or two ) and upgrading your video card (or running those two you have in Xfire).

 

[mda]

Xfire is actually only a consideration if I'm building new, as I will need a dedicated graphics card for the times my bro wants to fire up BF3 for the occasional game.

I agree with the 2400 though, but a few things to consider:

If I'll be upgrading the GPU on my PC, I'll have a spare 6870 lying around as the B75 in the other rig doesn't have another PCIE slot for dual cards. This is unless I also swap motherboards.

I'd say that I no longer have the OCing itch I had a few years back (with the Q6600 G0), but every time SC2 starts chugging in large matches (CPU limitation I guess?), the itch slowly starts returning.

The PSU upgrade will definitely happen, and am considering a new case as well to house dual cards/single large card in the future. But I'm just not sure about how much more an OC'ed Haswell will fare in SC2 and other games compared to the 2400.

 

[Dangman]

I'd say that I no longer have the OCing itch I had a few years back (with the Q6600 G0), but every time SC2 starts chugging in large matches (CPU limitation I guess?), the itch slowly starts returning.

You sure it's not network limitations?

But I'm just not sure about how much more an OC'ed Haswell will fare in SC2 and other games compared to the 2400.

The problem is that you're basically buying another platform at this point with the new CPU and mobo. As such, you might as well get the latest Haswell CPU and mobo when those come out supposedly in June. So unless you absolutely positively need a CPU + mobo upgrade right away, hold off on the CPU and mobo upgrade.

Edit: I can upgrade the case into an NZXT Source 210 Elite for around 50$, or to a Source 220/Tempest 210 for near 65$.

The former is ok. The latter aren't good choices for the money considering the Corsair 200R and Corsair 300R are around that price point.

I am also looking at a Seasonic M12II 750w for 120$, M12II 620w for 100$ or a S12II 620w for 80$ to keep for this i5 system, where 6870 crossfire is a possibility. Sound good? The reviews on this site say that qualitywise, both are good PSUs.

Those PSUs are good. But I recommend the Corsair TX650 V2 in that $80 price point:
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Enthu.../B004LB5AZY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360346074

 

[mda]

You sure it's not network limitations?

I'm actually semi-sure about this. Can't say I'm perfectly sure but I have reason to believe so:

Back when I was gaming with the Q6600 (I swapped out the CPU MB RAM when the X38 board died), the slowdowns would were more frequent and sluggish. In 1v1 this barely happens, but with 8 players and about 150 population worth of units firing at each other, it starts being more frequent and this starts irritating me (since this is a game I play most of the time). I guess with other games I wouldn't notice this problem so much though due to being CPU bound. Although I have myself wondering if I'm blowing this way out of proportion. Also, with the CPU swap, I notice that my maximum FPS from moving from the Q6600@3.4 to the 2400 went from near 70-->120.

The problem is that you're basically buying another platform at this point with the new CPU and mobo. As such, you might as well get the latest Haswell CPU and mobo when those come out supposedly in June. So unless you absolutely positively need a CPU + mobo upgrade right away, hold off on the CPU and mobo upgrade.

Thanks. Yes, for a 'build new', I am willing to wait for Haswell. Might see me with another thread for parts soon

The former is ok. The latter aren't good choices for the money considering the Corsair 200R and Corsair 300R are around that price point.

Thanks. Might pick this up this coming weekend.

Those PSUs are good. But I recommend the Corsair TX650 V2 in that $80 price point:
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Enthu.../B004LB5AZY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360346074

Would you still recommend the TX650 V2 if the price was 110$ locally?

Thanks again!

 

[Dangman]

Would you still recommend the TX650 V2 if the price was 110$ locally?

If the TX750 V2 costs the same, then no. If not, then yes.

 

[mda]

Thanks. Will keep you guys posted.

Seriously considering a Case/PSU/SSD upgrade over the weekend.

 

[mda]

Update:

Local store does not carry TX650s in stock, only TX650-M

Now I have a choice:

TX650M - $114
TX750M - $130
TX750 V2 - $130
Seasonic M12II 620 - $98
Seasonic M12II 750 - $122
Seasonic S12II 620 - $81
XFX Pro Core 650W - $110
XFX Pro Core 750W - $124

There are a couple of FSPs (Aurum AU Modular/NonModular), Corsair GS, CX, HX, AX, but I *THINK* (I may be wrong) that the above PSUs I listed could give me the best power supply qualities per wattage and for the capacity. I do not necessarily need modular as from what I read, the Source 210 Elite is decent in terms of cable management (at least, for a cheap case).

Any suggestions? Are the FSPs any good? (The review of the Gold on this site says its a decent unit, but that was the highest end 1KW variant)

 

[Dangman]

I would drop the TX-M line considering that they're of lower quality than the TX V2 line. Please tell us the pricing for the AX and HX PSUs as those are actually of higher quality than some of the Seasonics listed.

 

[mda]

Thanks.

Here are the prices locally for the AX and HX line. I've also included prices for the seasonic P/X series as well as the Toughpower line in my budget. I don't want to go above ~850 watts since I probably don't need it unless there is a recommendation to do so.

Corsair
AX760 - $200
AX860 - $226
AX1200 - $305
HX650 - $134
HX750 - $168
HX850 - $194

Seasonic
P660 - $159
P760 - $186
P860 - $217
X650 - $137
X750 - $159
X850 - $196

TT Toughpower
XT-675 - $139
XT-875 - $171

These are just about all the noteable PSUs carried locally.

My usage: the PSU should ideally be able to power a stock core i5 no OC, with around 2-3 HDDs, an optical drive and at max, 2 6870s in crossfire. I'm gunning for longer term reliability on this one, not some unit that can take my parts out when I no longer want to upgrade any of the PC's parts.

Case used will be exchanged with an NZXT 210 to help with airflow and to allow for a final graphics card update in the future. I no longer have plans to updating any other component of this i5 machine aside from this. Will be building new and will save my SSD money for the new build when Haswell arrives.

Thanks for the help Danny, really appreciate it.

 

[Dangman]

Then go for the HX650.

 

[mda]

Thanks, a big help. Really.

I'll update the thread again when I get my parts this weekend.

Edit:

Are the X650 and the HX650 the same units? I've read that they were, for the 'Bronze' units. There is a 3$ difference. Both are 'Gold' certified units (just to be clear)

For some odd reason, the local distributors for Corsair only gives 2 years warranty on their units, while the Seasonic ones have 5 year warranties. I hear in the US, they give 5/7 year warranties. Kinda odd.

(I know my recent posts make me sound like a Seasonic fan but I'm not haha. Just trying to get the best deal/quality stuff)

Should I still get the HX650?

 

[mda]

Doh. Called the shop.

Available:
HX750 / 850
AX series - All

X650 / X750 / X850
P660 / P670

Seems the units I want are all OOS and they're not sure on delivery dates.

 

[Dangman]

The HX650 and X650 are not the same units. They may be made by the same manufacturer but they use different designs. The Seasonix X650 Gold is definitely of higher quality than the Corsair HX650. If there is only a $3 price difference, then go for the Seasonic X650 Gold.

 

[mda]

Alright. I do hope they'll have stock when I come around this time.

Good higher end units are so scarce that the shop only carries one of each :O

Thanks again!

 

[Jason_CL]

Just my 2cents, I have a Seasonic X850 and it's a beast of a PSU and damn near silent. I can't hear it unless my ear is actually next to it.

It's a fantastic PSU. I owned an HX850 and it was alright, but this Seasonic is just amazing. If you aren't sleeving your PSU, it's a great option (sleeving this thing was a real pain due to the extra wiring).

 

[mda]

Thanks for the input guys.

Came home with a Seasonic P660 and an NZXT 210 elite case. For the same price, it's either the P660 or the X750. Went for the P660 given my needs.

Had to spend a little extra. Dumb store only keeps 1 unit of each.

I might just try giving my rig a taste of Crossfire.

 

[conghelach]

Understood.

That's definitely in the pipeline for any future hardware upgrade I'm going to do.

Edit: I can upgrade the case into an NZXT Source 210 Elite for around 50$, or to a Source 220/Tempest 210 for near 65$.

I am also looking at a Seasonic M12II 750w for 120$, M12II 620w for 100$ or a S12II 620w for 80$ to keep for this i5 system, where 6870 crossfire is a possibility. Sound good? The reviews on this site say that qualitywise, both are good PSUs.

Also, I am currently considering to build new and keep the 2400 for the secondary rig.

SEASONIC power supply is a great choice the best hardware in a PSU imho I would go with the seasonic you wont be sorry.

 

[Jason_CL]

Thanks for the input guys.

Came home with a Seasonic P660 and an NZXT 210 elite case. For the same price, it's either the P660 or the X750. Went for the P660 given my needs.

Had to spend a little extra. Dumb store only keeps 1 unit of each.

I might just try giving my rig a taste of Crossfire.

Very nice! When on a budget, deals are sometimes the best thing in the world!

 

[mda]

Thanks. As an update, I've dusted off my old ATI 5670 and popped it in the other machine which hasn't seen much action for a while. I've since Crossfired the 6870s for some performance gain.

New question -

I might get an SSD now and maybe move the same SSD to a new machine if I end up building new. I'd like a 240/250/256GB drive since I'll be keeping this SSD for a long time, and also so that I can get commonly used games in the SSD as well. I'm primarily looking for longevity, then speed. Cost for me is a factor of longevity due to the length of time I will be keeping the SSD before failure/replacement.

Here are the prices of SSDs locally (not including OCZ drives due to their good rep here).

Adata SX900 256GB - $201
Corsair Force GS 256GB - $236
Corsair Force GT 240GB - $243
Corsair Neutron GTX 240GB - $257
Crucial M4 256GB mSATA - $242
Crucial M4 256GB SATA - $219
Intel 335 240GB - $237
Intel 330 240GB - $218
Plextor M5 Pro Extreme 256GB - $283
Plextor M5 Pro 256GB - $268
Plextor M5S 256GB - $209
Samsung 840 250GB - $243
Samsung 840 Pro 256GB - $324
Sandisk Extreme 240GB - $221

Gut feel and little reading tells me to go with either the Intel, Samsung 840/Pro or Crucial. However, one important thing to note is the difference of warranties compared to the USA, which definitely complicates things.

Corsair - 2 Year Warranty
Crucial - 2 Year Warranty
Samsung - 1 Year Warranty
Intel - 3 Year Warranty (same as in the USA AFAIK)
Plextor - 1 Year Warranty

Any suggestions for my needs? I just primarily game. No frequent heavy workloads or anything aside from the occasional reformat, and reinstallation of software.

Thanks!

 

[Dangman]

Go with the Intel, Crucial or the 840 Pro. Don't go for the regular 840.

 

[mda]

Might go for the Crucial. I can find it at about 10$ above USA prices ($205 locally). I can't help but feel ripped off how Amazon/Egg can charge $220 for the 840 Pro while the local stores charge the old price of $320. Thanks again Danny!

 

[mda]

Picked up the Crucial. Mighty fast. Doesn't seem to come with any monitoring utility though. Checked out their website and it's a real pain to navigate on. Still, for $100 below the 840 Pro (which was OOS), a great deal nevertheless.

 

[mda]

Hi all,

Might be picking up the monitor tomorrow (LG IPS-234V) assuming I can get a hold of one..

I'm coming from a 1680x1050 monitor, which will be used for work so as not to be wasteful.

Will a 6870 Xfire setup work well with the resolution? I'm seeing a lot of older reviews when the 6870 was still a new card but I'm not sure how it still fares with more modern games.

Thanks!

 

[Dangman]

Probably medium settings at best with newer games like BF3, FC2, or Crysis 3. That 1GB of VRAM is pretty damn limiting.

 

[mda]

^ Thanks. I hope I won't have to build new this June c/o the monitor.

But it sure is very tempting.

 

[mda]

Okay, updating the thread.

Am planning to get some of the other parts soon to avoid shortage later on when Haswell arrives (only about 3 stores in the city carry enthusiast parts, and usually only carry one of each item for higher end items).

I'm looking at getting the PSU and the Case now (got an 840 Pro coming in the mail) and will decide on the CPU/GPU/RAM/MB when it's time to buy. I'm also very excited and I doubt any new PSU/Case will come soon anyway.

My eventual setup will be an i7/i5 K model OC, a GTX660Ti/7950 or equivalent/faster GPU with the option for a second, an optical drive, an SSD and 1-2 HDDs along with case fans, hooked up to the existing monitor an LG 1920x1080.

In a case, I'm looking for some good cooling properties but decently quiet.

Since there probably won't be anything new in the Case/PSU sector, I'm gravitating towards a Corsair 500R and another P660. How does this sound?

For the Case - are there better alternatives?
For the PSU - is this enough? I can go for the P760.

Thanks again!

 

[Dangman]

Yes that PSU is enough
Yes that case is a good choice. However took at look at the Antec 1100 and Corsair C70 cases