Upgrade or new computer help

[Krushed]

Looking to upgrade my system. its a C2D runnin at 3.4g w/ a 8800gts512
Want the most bang for the buck...if the weakest link is the vid card and ram....or replace the core of the system..dunno..been out of the mix for a while now. I could do vid card now and get by until I can afford the rest if swapping the card will work.Thought getting 4mb ram(8 total) and fastest card avail would be my best bet but who knows.


1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Gaming mostly
2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included? $600 total
3) Which country do you live in? US Ohio
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? Video card and ram if keeping rest of system or vid card, ram, mb, cpu if replacing major parts
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Corsair hx620, HD's, dvd, case, sb xfi (the cpu is a c2d 6850 at 3.4g, Abit ip35pro, 4gig ram(ddr2) and a 8800 gts 512...I have Win7 as well but dont know what part of the pc it is linked to...the mac or what)Keeping kb mouse and case as well..
6) Will you be overclocking? lil bit
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it? 1920x1080 23"
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC? <2wks unless new stuff is right around the corner???
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. Stable and fast...fast hard drive support would be nice if I upgrade my HD's
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?I own retail win 7 64bit if it transfers with a new pc...??


Thanks a ton in advance

 

[K1tty]

I'd recommend:

i5 2500k + Asus P8Z68-V Gen3 - $333 at Microcenter
$48 - G.Skill Sniper F3-12800CL9D-8GBSR 2 x 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM
$30 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus HSF for LGA 1366 and LGA 1156
$254.99 - XFX Radeon 6950 2GB

Total: $665.99

Just a tad above your budget, but for the videocard you should be able to find a cheaper 2GB 6950. Microcenter had a Diamond brand 6950 2GB for $200 after rebate if it's in stock at your store. Or you could find a really good deal on a 6950/6970 video card in the For Sale section

 

[Krushed]

so, at microcenter...its like 10mins away...

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0378096 (shows 185 but in cart its 134)

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354589

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0373900 cooler.same as the one you listed but newer model? dunno..its in stock locally

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0360144 that or the 8gig version...

I read about the diff in the I5 and I7 and its not a Huge diff...not for the $$ that could go towards a vid card anyhow.

Just need to find vid card....hmm
My power supply is still good right? my stuff was all good years ago when I built it lol

I might spend a lil more but I dont want to dip into my tax refund to much.

Right now the above is 482.47 including tax picked up locally.

 

[Krushed]

would slapping a 7950 in my current setup work or is the core2duo a bottleneck too? Read the review on the front page..sounds yummy

 

[K1tty]

Your PSU is fine. You could get a 7950, but you'd likely be bottle necked, and I think you would see more of a boost in performance at your resolution with a CPU upgrade and a modest video card. Video card prices are usually pretty bad at MC. Although they did have a deal on a 560 ti I believe. I'll try to find it.

 

[E4g1e]

so, at microcenter...its like 10mins away...

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0378096 (shows 185 but in cart its 134)

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0354589

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0373900 cooler.same as the one you listed but newer model? dunno..its in stock locally

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0360144 that or the 8gig version...

I read about the diff in the I5 and I7 and its not a Huge diff...not for the $$ that could go towards a vid card anyhow.

Just need to find vid card....hmm
My power supply is still good right? my stuff was all good years ago when I built it lol

I might spend a lil more but I dont want to dip into my tax refund to much.

Right now the above is 482.47 including tax picked up locally.

Did you know that the heat spreaders on the Vengeance RAM is so tall that they actually interfere with the proper installation of the HSF's fan? That fan must be mounted way off-center or set up as pulling air away from the HSF, either of which may adversely affect CPU cooling performance.

 

[K1tty]

Also, that ram is a bit high. These SandyBridge setups don't really benefit much from ram speed nor are they dependent upon ram for overclocking. So you're best off getting whatever the cheapest ddr3 ram rated at 1.5v is. Be sure not to get 1.65v rated ram. You also won't see any benefit in games with 16GB opposed to 8GB, but if you're doing work with large files in PS etc go for it. You should be able to get a 8GB kit for $40 or less.

Here's some Corsair ram that wouldn't block the HSF and is rated at 1.5v. It's $30 after rebate.

 

[Krushed]

ok, good to know about the ram...so the kingston hyper x fine?they have it cheap in stock. or just get the ram from newegg(gskill stuff) with vid card..I hate shipping...cause stuff shows up missing in this area when ups drops it off...People drive around and jack packages from houses.

 

[Krushed]

Changed the ram and im sitting at $441 inc tax...

 

[K1tty]

The Kingstons are 1.65 rated, however I run mine at 1333 and 1.5v fine. If you get those you will have to set those settings manually. I've built systems with both the Kingston and that Corsair. It's kind of nice to be able to use the xtreme memory profile and not have to mess with ram settings.

As for a video card at MC... nothing screams deal right now. There is a 6970 for $299 and a 6870 for $160 after rebate. I think you could find a much better deal somewhere else unfortunately.

 

[E4g1e]

ok, good to know about the ram...so the kingston hyper x fine?they have it cheap in stock. or just get the ram from newegg(gskill stuff) with vid card..I hate shipping...cause stuff shows up missing in this area when ups drops it off...People drive around and jack packages from houses.

Unfortunately, all of Kingston's HyperX DDR3-1600 RAM that's actually stocked at Micro Center requires a high 1.65V just to even run at stock (advertised) speed. Not recommended for the LGA 1155 platform.

EDIT: I saw that K1tty described the Kingston RAM. Fortunately, the default speed and voltage for that RAM when the BIOS/EFI's memory timings autodetect feature is set to AUTO is DDR3-1333 and 1.5V.

 

[Krushed]

removed for stuff listed below

 

[Dangman]

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0347304

that memory fine or should I just get the gskill from newegg?
just noticed its not 1600

Doesn't really matter if it's 1600 or not. That particular RAM is bloody pricey. Better off getting the G.Skill over that RAM.

Edit: This ram looks the same but 1600 and cheaper
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0358348

Still overpriced as hell. It's a 4GB set. You can get a G.Skill 8GB RAM set for not much more:
$37 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM

Edit new total 415 incl tax... leaves more room for vid card. yeah, newegg looks cheaper for vid cards..still not cheap enough lol

Go buy the G.Skill RAM I linked to above. In addition, go with the HSF that K1tty linked to since you're gonna be buying from Newegg anyway for the RAM and video card. That'll shave off a few extra dollars. Now the biggie: Drop the motherboard down from the Asus P8Z68-V GEN3 to the Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 motherboard:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0364085

That'll shave off roughly $20. In addtion to the earlier RAM and HSF change, that should be enough to cover the costs of this video card:
$213 - Gigabyte GTX 560 TI 1GB PCI-E Video Card

 

[Krushed]

Danny, that motherboard is more $$ for some reason in the cart the http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0378096

Is only 134

 

[E4g1e]

Doesn't really matter if it's 1600 or not. That particular RAM is bloody pricey. Better off getting the G.Skill over that RAM.


Still overpriced as hell. It's a 4GB set. You can get a G.Skill 8GB RAM set for not much more:
$37 - G.Skill Value Series F3-10600CL9D-8GBNT 2 x 4GB DDR3 1333 RAM


Go buy the G.Skill RAM I linked to above. In addition, go with the HSF that K1tty linked to since you're gonna be buying from Newegg anyway for the RAM and video card. That'll shave off a few extra dollars. Now the biggie: Drop the motherboard down from the Asus P8Z68-V GEN3 to the Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 motherboard:
http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0364085

That'll shave off roughly $20. In addtion to the earlier RAM and HSF change, that should be enough to cover the costs of this video card:
$213 - Gigabyte GTX 560 TI 1GB PCI-E Video Card

That exactly highlights the problem: The price of RAM at brick-and-mortar stores has not been reduced as quickly or as deeply as those at online resellers. After all, the stores must pay lease costs to the actual owners of the strip mall properties - and those lease costs tend to be on the high side to begin with. This pushes in-store RAM costs higher than they otherwise might have been. Plus, sales tax pushes the cost even higher.

And Danny, you do not include rebates as part of the upfront cost (as so many other people mistakenly believe).

 

[Dangman]

And Danny, you do not include rebates as part of the upfront cost (as so many other people mistakenly believe).

Yes, I do not factor in rebates until they're actually in my hands. I was going off the prices of that mobo in my cart and the MC listed combo price.

Danny, that motherboard is more $$ for some reason in the cart the http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0378096

Is only 134

Did you add the Core i5 2500K or 2600K in your cart at the same time? That Gigabyte mobo has the same $50 off deal as the Asus mobo:
http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/57e09b6d#/57e09b6d/27

 

[Krushed]

tried and it doesnt have the same 50 deal for me...no biggie sounds like the asus board is a good board.