Approximate Purchase Date: This year (Sorry for the rather vague date but anytime this year is fine for me)
Budget Range: ~$1000
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, HD movies, compiling
Are you buying a monitor: No
Parts to Upgrade: Currently in mind: CPU, GPU, MOBO (but I am open to suggestions to more as I will be posting my current rig specs as well)
Do you need to buy OS: No
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: If I had to choose, Newegg, but wherever is cheaper.
Location: City, State/Region, Country - CA, USA
Parts Preferences: Only have experience with Intel and Nvidia, but I am open minded
Overclocking: Yes
SLI or Crossfire: No
Your Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050, 1920x1080 dual monitor.
Additional Comments: I am open to suggestions for upgrading other parts that I am not considering, so please suggest away~
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: It's been 3 years since my last mediocre upgrade and getting tired of playing on low/medium low on newer games Would like to spend some big bucks this time for an overhaul of the core components.
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CURRENT SYSTEM:
CPU: Intel Core i3-540 Clarkdale 3.06GHz LGA 1156 73W Dual-Core Desktop Processor
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)
GPU: EVGA 01G-P3-1450-TR GeForce GTS 450 (Fermi) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5
PSU: OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W Modular High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandybridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom
MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-H55M-S2V LGA 1156 Intel H55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
FANS: COOLER MASTER R4-S2S-124K-GP 120mm Case Fan 4 in 1 pack
HDD: SAMSUNG EcoGreen F4 ST2000DL004 2TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
(a very dusty) CASE: Cooler Master Elite 430 Black
CPU heatsink: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible with Intel 1366/1155/775 and AMD FM1/FM2/AM3+
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IN MY MIND:
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core
GPU: SAPPHIRE 100352-2L Radeon HD 7950 3GB 384-bit GDDR5
OR NVIDIA 660 ti
(for the 7950, there is a same card with an extra DVI port. I am thinking of picking up a $5 hdmi <-> dvi port on amazon. is this a valid choice?)
MOBO: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
TOTAL : ~$700 including s&h&tax
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Alright, so for the 'official' description on what I am looking for!
Avid gamer needing a desperate upgrade. I looked around for a bit looking for some new parts for CPU, GPU and MOBO, which are listed above.
I went back to my 2010 order history on Newegg and took a while to create the list for my current system in hopes that more knowledgeable folks out there can recommend me new parts if I should get any.
Other than the 3 I listed above, I am considering getting a SSD, more RAM, speaker system, and a sound card. These would only be possible if they fit my budget.
Since I have about $300 of leeway, suggest away, and thanks for reading!
Budget Range: ~$1000
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, HD movies, compiling
Are you buying a monitor: No
Parts to Upgrade: Currently in mind: CPU, GPU, MOBO (but I am open to suggestions to more as I will be posting my current rig specs as well)
Do you need to buy OS: No
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: If I had to choose, Newegg, but wherever is cheaper.
Location: City, State/Region, Country - CA, USA
Parts Preferences: Only have experience with Intel and Nvidia, but I am open minded
Overclocking: Yes
SLI or Crossfire: No
Your Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050, 1920x1080 dual monitor.
Additional Comments: I am open to suggestions for upgrading other parts that I am not considering, so please suggest away~
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: It's been 3 years since my last mediocre upgrade and getting tired of playing on low/medium low on newer games Would like to spend some big bucks this time for an overhaul of the core components.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
CURRENT SYSTEM:
CPU: Intel Core i3-540 Clarkdale 3.06GHz LGA 1156 73W Dual-Core Desktop Processor
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666)
GPU: EVGA 01G-P3-1450-TR GeForce GTS 450 (Fermi) 1GB 128-bit GDDR5
PSU: OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W Modular High Performance Power Supply compatible with Intel Sandybridge Core i3 i5 i7 and AMD Phenom
MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-H55M-S2V LGA 1156 Intel H55 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
FANS: COOLER MASTER R4-S2S-124K-GP 120mm Case Fan 4 in 1 pack
HDD: SAMSUNG EcoGreen F4 ST2000DL004 2TB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
(a very dusty) CASE: Cooler Master Elite 430 Black
CPU heatsink: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 "Heatpipe Direct Contact" Long Life Sleeve 120mm CPU Cooler Compatible with Intel 1366/1155/775 and AMD FM1/FM2/AM3+
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
IN MY MIND:
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core
GPU: SAPPHIRE 100352-2L Radeon HD 7950 3GB 384-bit GDDR5
OR NVIDIA 660 ti
(for the 7950, there is a same card with an extra DVI port. I am thinking of picking up a $5 hdmi <-> dvi port on amazon. is this a valid choice?)
MOBO: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
TOTAL : ~$700 including s&h&tax
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alright, so for the 'official' description on what I am looking for!
Avid gamer needing a desperate upgrade. I looked around for a bit looking for some new parts for CPU, GPU and MOBO, which are listed above.
I went back to my 2010 order history on Newegg and took a while to create the list for my current system in hopes that more knowledgeable folks out there can recommend me new parts if I should get any.
Other than the 3 I listed above, I am considering getting a SSD, more RAM, speaker system, and a sound card. These would only be possible if they fit my budget.
Since I have about $300 of leeway, suggest away, and thanks for reading!