- May 7, 2013
- 20
- 0
- 10,520
Approximate Purchase Date: Before the Gubbernment charges me internet tax.
Budget Range: Under $800; as little as possible.
System Usage : Gaming and Surfing.
Are you buying a monitor: No
Do you need to buy OS: Yes, Win 7 Home
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Microcenter (Online Store), Any will do.
Location: Alabama
Parts Preferences: Intel unless you can convince me otherwise.
Overclocking: Yes
SLI or Crossfire: Yes
Your Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1080
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: My current Puter is outdated and getting ready to die.
This will be fun.
It has been over 10 years since I built a computer. That computer lasted me 5 solid years due to my building it with an eye towards being able to upgrading it. I recall I spent about $600 back then and ended up with what would have cost me $2,000.00 had I went out and bought a system similar to it. I built my first system specifically for over clocking. I used one of the very first Celeron 266 processors that I bought used for $50 and over clocked it to the same performance of a Pentium III (450) which at the time was top of the line and would have cost $800 just for the processor. I actually upgraded the processor three years later with a used P III 450 I got for $100 and over clocked that. Back in those days Intel was scambling to find ways to stop us from over clocking. It was a funny little war that went on back then with the computer geeks always finding a way to defeat their locks. I remember firing that computer up for the first time over clocked. It had me strutting around like a peacock for months bragging to anyone who would listen.
Since then I have been through a series of cheap pre-builts mostly from HP like the one I am still using right now. I probably spent 60 hours researching the parts I wanted to use by learning all the technical aspects of computers to build that first computer. I have pretty much lost all my edge on the technology since then and lots of things have changed. I have spent the past week relearning some of that lost technical know-how and selecting the parts for the computer I am getting ready to build. Buying the parts before the Gubbernment starts taxing the sales online is what lit the fire under my butt to get er done.
Certainly I want to build a computer that will run online games very well which is pretty much the most task intensive applications I will be running on it. Games like Warcraft, Star Trek Online, Diablo III, EVE are a few that I play and while they are not even close to requiring the zippiest most expensive high performance parts I don't want to waste my time and money building a computer based on just those. I want to make sure what I get won't disappoint me when I decide to play a game that comes out a year, or two down the road that does need a souped up computer to play well.
I want to start with choosing my Motherboard, Ram, Processor, and Graphics.
I have always found the best way for me to make my choice is to ask a series of questions to arrive at an educated decision.
Unless someone convinces me otherwise my current choices are as follows...
MOTHERBOARD
I am pretty well sold on a GIGABYTE Z77 board that is in the $100 range. Problem is I am seeing a bunch of Z77 boards with different designations and with prices going up into the $200+ range. What are you getting by spending all that extra cash for those more expensive Z77 boards. I want to make sure I am not getting something I will regret three years, or more from now. The primo ABIT BX-133 board I bought for my first computer was made to be able to upgrade with parts that were not even on the market yet. I paid a pretty price for it as it was also the best over clocking board on the market at the time and back then over clocking was very new and not widely done except by a very small number of enthusiasts.
PROCESSOR
I am currently debating between the i5 2500k and the I5 3570k. Obviously I plan to over clock.
The 2500k is Sandy bridge and the 3570k is Ivy bridge if I am not mistaken. I have been reading up a bit on the differences in the bridges to try and make an educated choice on my processor; and where I am stuck right now and need advice on is the memory issue with regards to my ultimate decision on a processor. Is my choice on memory that I might want dependent on my decision on choosing the 3570k over the 2500k? Would I be cramping my performence by going with the 2500K? Is there really that big a difference in the Ivy over the Sandy. I don't think there is based on what I have read so far except for maybe the RAM issue and I am not even certain that will make enough of a difference to force me to choose the 3570k. I have actually come across information that the 2500k over clocks better than the 3570k; although I don't really know why.
For all I know getting the more expensive memory might require a more expensive Z77 Mother Board too.
How important in in terms of performance are the highest grade RAM sticks. Certainly the minimum I will be getting is the 1600 RAM sticks, but I am seeing all kinds of new RAM ratings and what sound like performance enhancements for the more expensive ones. Am I making a mistake getting the least expensive 1600 sticks.
MEMORY
Obviously determined by some answers to questions above. I would also like confirmation that having more that 8 megs will not improve gaming performence.
GRAPHICS
My decision to consider the i5 2500k had to do with the fact that it has integrated graphics. Intel 3000 graphics would actually work well enough for the games I now play. By going that route I could hold off spending $200 to $400 on one, or two (SLI) graphics cards while building it now and wait awhile until prices come down, or I can find a used deal on some graphics cards. Also I was figuring I might be able to upgrade the processor in a few years if I get the right Motherboard.
I will stop for now until I get these first issues addressed.
I don't want to merely put a bunch of parts together. I want to have fun doing it and half the fun is knowing why I am choosing each and every part. I want to understand the underlying technical advantages and disadvantages like I used to know.
Budget Range: Under $800; as little as possible.
System Usage : Gaming and Surfing.
Are you buying a monitor: No
Do you need to buy OS: Yes, Win 7 Home
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Microcenter (Online Store), Any will do.
Location: Alabama
Parts Preferences: Intel unless you can convince me otherwise.
Overclocking: Yes
SLI or Crossfire: Yes
Your Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1080
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: My current Puter is outdated and getting ready to die.
This will be fun.
It has been over 10 years since I built a computer. That computer lasted me 5 solid years due to my building it with an eye towards being able to upgrading it. I recall I spent about $600 back then and ended up with what would have cost me $2,000.00 had I went out and bought a system similar to it. I built my first system specifically for over clocking. I used one of the very first Celeron 266 processors that I bought used for $50 and over clocked it to the same performance of a Pentium III (450) which at the time was top of the line and would have cost $800 just for the processor. I actually upgraded the processor three years later with a used P III 450 I got for $100 and over clocked that. Back in those days Intel was scambling to find ways to stop us from over clocking. It was a funny little war that went on back then with the computer geeks always finding a way to defeat their locks. I remember firing that computer up for the first time over clocked. It had me strutting around like a peacock for months bragging to anyone who would listen.
Since then I have been through a series of cheap pre-builts mostly from HP like the one I am still using right now. I probably spent 60 hours researching the parts I wanted to use by learning all the technical aspects of computers to build that first computer. I have pretty much lost all my edge on the technology since then and lots of things have changed. I have spent the past week relearning some of that lost technical know-how and selecting the parts for the computer I am getting ready to build. Buying the parts before the Gubbernment starts taxing the sales online is what lit the fire under my butt to get er done.
Certainly I want to build a computer that will run online games very well which is pretty much the most task intensive applications I will be running on it. Games like Warcraft, Star Trek Online, Diablo III, EVE are a few that I play and while they are not even close to requiring the zippiest most expensive high performance parts I don't want to waste my time and money building a computer based on just those. I want to make sure what I get won't disappoint me when I decide to play a game that comes out a year, or two down the road that does need a souped up computer to play well.
I want to start with choosing my Motherboard, Ram, Processor, and Graphics.
I have always found the best way for me to make my choice is to ask a series of questions to arrive at an educated decision.
Unless someone convinces me otherwise my current choices are as follows...
MOTHERBOARD
I am pretty well sold on a GIGABYTE Z77 board that is in the $100 range. Problem is I am seeing a bunch of Z77 boards with different designations and with prices going up into the $200+ range. What are you getting by spending all that extra cash for those more expensive Z77 boards. I want to make sure I am not getting something I will regret three years, or more from now. The primo ABIT BX-133 board I bought for my first computer was made to be able to upgrade with parts that were not even on the market yet. I paid a pretty price for it as it was also the best over clocking board on the market at the time and back then over clocking was very new and not widely done except by a very small number of enthusiasts.
PROCESSOR
I am currently debating between the i5 2500k and the I5 3570k. Obviously I plan to over clock.
The 2500k is Sandy bridge and the 3570k is Ivy bridge if I am not mistaken. I have been reading up a bit on the differences in the bridges to try and make an educated choice on my processor; and where I am stuck right now and need advice on is the memory issue with regards to my ultimate decision on a processor. Is my choice on memory that I might want dependent on my decision on choosing the 3570k over the 2500k? Would I be cramping my performence by going with the 2500K? Is there really that big a difference in the Ivy over the Sandy. I don't think there is based on what I have read so far except for maybe the RAM issue and I am not even certain that will make enough of a difference to force me to choose the 3570k. I have actually come across information that the 2500k over clocks better than the 3570k; although I don't really know why.
For all I know getting the more expensive memory might require a more expensive Z77 Mother Board too.
How important in in terms of performance are the highest grade RAM sticks. Certainly the minimum I will be getting is the 1600 RAM sticks, but I am seeing all kinds of new RAM ratings and what sound like performance enhancements for the more expensive ones. Am I making a mistake getting the least expensive 1600 sticks.
MEMORY
Obviously determined by some answers to questions above. I would also like confirmation that having more that 8 megs will not improve gaming performence.
GRAPHICS
My decision to consider the i5 2500k had to do with the fact that it has integrated graphics. Intel 3000 graphics would actually work well enough for the games I now play. By going that route I could hold off spending $200 to $400 on one, or two (SLI) graphics cards while building it now and wait awhile until prices come down, or I can find a used deal on some graphics cards. Also I was figuring I might be able to upgrade the processor in a few years if I get the right Motherboard.
I will stop for now until I get these first issues addressed.
I don't want to merely put a bunch of parts together. I want to have fun doing it and half the fun is knowing why I am choosing each and every part. I want to understand the underlying technical advantages and disadvantages like I used to know.
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