Upgrade Time - ~$1,000

[Carew]

Hi, guys, it's upgrade time for one of my older systems. I currently have 2 systems. I'm looking to retire one of my systems and build a new gaming/video processing rig. The rig I'm retiring is System 1 - the Q6600.

System 1) Q6600 with GTX 260, Corsair 650HX, Coolermaster 690

System 2) i7 920, 6950 CF, Corsair 850HX, Coolermaster 922.

I'm looking to retire System 1 and get something faster than system 2 while trying to salvage what I can - probably just the case and PSU. System 2 is my primary rig right now and I use it for gaming and video editing.

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
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Primarily gaming and some light video editing/processing. Personally, I'm torn between 4670k and 4770k.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
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Looking at $1,000 - $1,200 with tax and shipping.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.

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Northern California. No Microcenter but we do have Fry's.

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.
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Looking at new CPU and MOBO (Haswell)
RAM (16 GB)
Probably a new case for USB3 on the front panel.
SSD - Would really love a Samsung EVO or PRO
Possibly fresh PSU
Heatsink (I'm partial to my Corsair H series)

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
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I can probably reuse the 650HX and Coolermaster 690 but I'm willing to upgrade. The AX series sure look nice....
I have a ton of hard drives ready to go though no SSDs.
I have all peripherals and a copy of Windows 7 I can transfer over.

6) Will you be overclocking?
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Mild overclocking. I'm not much of a tweaker so something automatic (like ASUS's OC feature) would be nice.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
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I'm running a pair of 1920 x 1200s at 27". Would love to find another one for Eyefinity but they're damn non-existent.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
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This month.

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)? UEFI? etc.
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Multi-GPU support, USB3, eSATA, decent sound card, UEFI, and SATA 6.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If so, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
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Yup! Win 7 64.


Thanks for the help!

 

[Dangman]

You'll be fine with the Core i5 4670K since you're not doing anything that would require the Core i7 4770K.

You really don't need a new case since there are plenty of bay devices out there that'll provide USB 3.0 ports.Your HX650 PSU would be fine to reuse.

I'm guessing you'll need a new video card as well?

 

[Carew]

Yeah, looking at some new GPUs. Looking to get something that will perform better than 6950 in CF. They just run too hot and too loud for me. A single card solution would be awesome but I don't know if there's anything out there that will show an appreciable difference.

 

[Dangman]

Yeah, looking at some new GPUs. Looking to get something that will perform better than 6950 in CF. They just run too hot and too loud for me. A single card solution would be awesome but I don't know if there's anything out there that will show an appreciable difference.

Probably the only GPU solution that would be faster than your current HD 6950 2GB in Crossfire would be the rather expensive GTX Titan.

Hmmm.. at a minimum, I'd recommend GTX 760 2GB SLI. However, I would push for GTX 770 SLI if you could.

 

[Carew]

Ok, here's what I'm looking at for parts so far.

4670K = $230
ASUS Z87-PRO = $200 (any thoughts on Maximus VI Hero instead?)
Samsung EVO SSD 250 GB = $180
Corsair Vengeance 16 GB = $134
Corsair Hydro H80i = $87

This puts me at about $850. I suppose I can throw about 300-350 towards a GPU which puts me in the 7970 ballpark. Either that or wait for the 9XXXX series...

 

[Dangman]

ASUS Z87-PRO = $200 (any thoughts on Maximus VI Hero instead?)

I think the Z87-Pro is already overkill for you. With that said, do note that Asus mobo doesn't have eSATA. So if you really need eSATA, then I recommend getting this mobo:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157371

This puts me at about $850. I suppose I can throw about 300-350 towards a GPU which puts me in the 7970 ballpark. Either that or wait for the 9XXXX series...

UNless the heat and noise is that much of an issue, just wait the next 1-2 months for the release of AMD's new GPUs. You do have a fan on the side of the case right?

 

[Carew]

Ah, nice board. Thanks for the suggestion. I suppose I don't really need eSATA.

Looks like I'll wait a bit for the AMD cards to come out and see how they bench. I really wanted to turn to the green side this go around but AMD has treated me fairly well overall.

 

[Dangman]

If you want to stick with Asus, for your needs. the Asus Z87-A motherboard will fit them just fine. Even if you needed a higher-end mobo, I would not get the Asus Z87-Pro at its current pricing since it's just way too close to the price of the Asus Maximus VI Hero. But again, the cheaper Z87-A Motherboard will do the job just right.