Upgrade Gaming PC or Sell

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kof123

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Jul 4, 2013
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hello, new to this forum i built my pc in 2009 i am confused as to what to do a lot of new things have came out i use my computer for everyday things but i like my stuff to be high end always i bought the best i could at that time so i am wondering i should build a new pc from scratch or upgrade this current one or go to an i mac? here are the specs

intel core i7 920 2.66ghz 8mb

WD 150gb 10KRPM 16MB Sata Ncq

e-GeForce GTS250 1024mb DDR3

Arctic Silver 5 (3.5gram)

patriot Viper DDR3 6GB 1333mhz EL Kit

Asus P6T X58 DDR3 Motherboard

LG LS21 2.1 pc Speakers with Sub

D-link DWA-552 Extreme N PCI Adapter (wireless)

Microsoft Wireless Media Desktop 1000 ( i also have a brand new set LG k750 and there pro MX mice coming in will include 169.99 Value)

Antec EarthWatts EA 750 Watt power

LG supermulti 22x DVDRW

ASUS VE248H 24 inch

Antec Nine Hundred Gamer Case

i have this listed at 1300 or best offer is that a decent price for the whole package with monitor speakers etc.
 
Solution
J
Well, my recommendation would vary by what, specifically, you intend to do with your computer. A Mac won't really work for gaming, for example, unless all the games you're interested in are Mac-compatible. For general use (browsing, YouTube, etc.), you don't even need what you've presently got, much less an upgrade or new PC.

As a side note, I would be deeply surprised if anyone would pay $1,300 for that PC. Honestly, given the parts and the age, you'd be hard pressed to get more than $400 out of me.

Edit: The thread title says "gaming PC", but the OP notes that you do "everyday things" with the PC. Which of these is the case?
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Jack Revenant

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Well, my recommendation would vary by what, specifically, you intend to do with your computer. A Mac won't really work for gaming, for example, unless all the games you're interested in are Mac-compatible. For general use (browsing, YouTube, etc.), you don't even need what you've presently got, much less an upgrade or new PC.

As a side note, I would be deeply surprised if anyone would pay $1,300 for that PC. Honestly, given the parts and the age, you'd be hard pressed to get more than $400 out of me.

Edit: The thread title says "gaming PC", but the OP notes that you do "everyday things" with the PC. Which of these is the case?
 
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lxxjordan23xxl

lxxjordan23xxl

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Jul 6, 2012
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Assuming someone buys your current one I would say to start fresh. Although, I hardly believe someone would pay that much for your computer and accessories. I might pay $750 max if I had the money.

Ok, I lied I would pay you $550 if you threw in a box of twinkies.
 
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envy14tpe

envy14tpe

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Mar 3, 2012
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Keep the monitor and sell everything else.

I'd guess it'd sell for $400-500 without monitor. With the monitor I'd say solid $500.
I know that's not much but that's the market. Many of these components are old and not sought after.

If you want a new computer for gaming then you have to stick with Windows instead of a Mac, and keep that Asus monitor. If you enjoy Mac software then get a Mac.
 
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ingtar33

ingtar33

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Dec 17, 2012
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that's exactly what i was going to say. I wouldn't pay a dime more then 500 for the whole package... and frankly i'd feel pretty much ripped off at that price. This thing is worth WAY more in parts then it is as a package.

I'd just replace that junk gpu and call it a day (that gpu was junk when you got it, and 4 years have not improved it since). you can get a few more years out of this computer with a modern gpu.
 
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K

kof123

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Jul 4, 2013
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I guess I overpriced it a lot so I'll keep the monitor and put it up for 500? And build a new pc any recommendations I hate upgrading every year or something can I get like the future products of years to come today? So I don't have to upgrade for a while my budget is 3500 I want the absolute best pc I can buy without monitor and keyboard and speakers witch I already have brand new ones. Basically what is the best setup as of right now that I don't have to upgrade in hopefully 3 years I want to have a really fast computer no lag in anything basically instant apps opening multitasking games not so much but won't hurt to be able to I would be buying locally from Memory express I am I'm Canada is it better to buy from store parts or online cheaper I guess?
 
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Jack Revenant

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Honestly, if you're only going for light gaming, you could put something together for $1,200 which would be fine for years. Heck, you current system could be updated fairly easily, though with that much to spend it's equally valid to get a new system.

I'd be happy to recommend a build, but I'll need more details on your exact plans for the machine. What games would you want to be able to max? Would there be any video editing or other CPU-intensive usage? Also, where are you purchasing? You may be able to save quite a lot if, for example, you happen to be near a Microcenter.
Additional useful information would include whether you wanted a specific size of case, whether it being quiet was important to you, whether you wish to overclock, and whether you're willing to consider SLI/CrossFire.

Edit: Also, sans monitor, I wouldn't pay over $350 for that system. That said, I'm a bit more picky than most, so you might find a buyer at $500.
 
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ingtar33

ingtar33

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Dec 17, 2012
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if all you're doing is light gaming, just buy a HD7850 or 650ti BOOST for $130 and call it a day. that system will "light game" for another 3-5 years with a new gpu. Heck with those you'll be "light gaming" in 1080p on high-ultra graphic eye candy.
 
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Jack Revenant

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I would suggest OP add an SSD as well, if he wants to upgrade the old machine. Velociraptors were an interesting idea, but they certainly can't compete with current SSDs for speed.
 
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kof123

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Jul 4, 2013
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Alright so as for games the only real thing I would play is Gta. And yes of course ssd is a must for sure. I download a lot of stuff so maybe a bigger hard drive or something maybe even 2. So I will be converting videos to different formats so video rendering goes into that I guess. I will be purchasing through a local store here they are called memory express had my last build from there as well came to about 2000. So the case can be big or small I like it to be a white colour I like the blue flashy lights looks cool also if it could be a really quite system right now my system is pretty loud because it has so many fans running . I'm not to fond on computers I only know the basics so not sure about over clocking and the sli/crossfire. So anything that falls into 3500 or less but one thing I hate is waiting so I would want a super fast pc
 
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Jack Revenant

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SSD will take care of speed for you, but GTA is an issue. As a general rule, they always run poorly on PC, regardless of configuration. You will also have trouble with "flashy and quiet", as the most quiet cases (Silverstone Fortress 2, Fractal Design Define R4) are very plain, while the "flashiest" cases (which also tend to have the best cooling), are fairly loud (NZXT Phantom 410/630/820, Cooler Master HAF X, etc.).
Am I correct in my understanding that you intend to have this PC built by someone else? If so, we're pretty much flying blind, as far as cost goes, particularly if it's a vendor which makes you purchase the parts through them. I've seen local stores match Newegg on one part and have a 300% markup on another.
 
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kof123

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Well I know a little bit about building I could probably do it my self watching some videos possibly. Hm so better cooling or a quiter system is the option?. The prices are fairly good at this local store not really marked up so what are the basic stuff I need could you recommend a superior build I don't really care I guess what it looks like just want the absolute best at 3500$ or less if you could just write a list of parts. I appreciate your help by the way
 
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Jack Revenant

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I can most certainly write up a parts list, and will do so after getting a few more clarifications.

You'd be surprised by how much local stores can overcharge, actually. My local shop (which, due to hopefully soon overcome hand issues, assembles all my builds) charges pretty darn steep markups, at least compared to the best prices from around the web. How about I make a list, you check to see what they'd charge to acquire and assemble it, and then you decide whether the different between the two costs is worth assembling it yourself?

In fairness, if you're willing to pay a premium, you can get everything. A Silverstone Fortress 2 with a blue LED strip (NZXT has a rather good option, in that regard) would be fairly flashy, very quiet, and quite well-cooled. A Silverstone Temjin 11 with said strip would look awesome, be marvelously cooled, be very quiet, and leave a $500 deep crater where your wallet used to be. In computers, you can have it all, but it costs a heck of a lot more than getting one of the above.

How often do you game? Because if you're only doing so occasionally, you could save quite a bit on your GPU, as you wouldn't be constantly having low graphics shoved in your face. That said, given your budget, I suppose that you might as well just get a GTX 760, which should max the majority of current games, for around $250.

Final query before I start working on a build suggestion: Where are you purchasing?

Edit: Additional question: What issues have you had with the present system that have prompted you to sell it? It's quite possible that you could upgrade what you have now for $400 or less to be a perfectly good system, rather than spending $2,000 or more for a new high-end system.
 
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kof123

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i don't game often maybe once in a while i use my ps3 mostly so i guess gaming wouldn't be that much important but i would like to still have a decent video card . as for the case i don't mind spending 500 if the case will last a long time . i will be purchasing through a local store but i will check online as well for parts and to see witch is cheaper. the reason i want to get rid of my computer now is that it is outdated to me the load up time is slow i guess if i switch for ssd that would fix that problem but it just seems a bit slow to me compared to other new computers out there i could keep it and upgrade but i wouldnt be able to upgrade everything my box is not that big the antec nine hundred case
 
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Jack Revenant

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Perception of slowness would be fixed by 1, getting an SSD, and 2, clearing out any kind of bloat, spy, or malware which may have built up, at least for general use. For things like rendering, you could definitely gain a speed boost from newer components, however.
I should note, nonetheless, that you could definitely fit all the new components in your current case.

If you're willing to pay the price, the Temjin 11 is a case to last for years upon years. It's got enough room for an extended family, more cooling options than you could ever need, and a very durable construction. Hell, I'd have got one if I could afford it.

Ultimately, if you want to spend the money, you can get a significantly stronger system, but you might well be able to make the one you have now meet your requirements by throwing $200 at it, so at this point it's a question of whether it's worthwhile to you, based on how you use your system and what you expect from it.



He appears to be from Canada:
 
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K

kof123

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Jul 4, 2013
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appreciate the help and support of this forum . just checked out that case seems pretty massive could upgrade for years but thats the thing i hate doing is upgrading every now and then i just usually end up getting a newer build done and sell this for parts or something . but i am going to look into my options but i guess for what my needs are i can build a pretty fast rig for way less than my budget could somebody please list me of the parts i need to have essentially what fits my needs i dont mind spending upto 3500 so basically i want lots of storage room for my movies music etc and a decent video card that will get me around for a few years and an extremely fast motherboard gpu i heard the intel 3790x is the fastest but i guess something less then that would do for me a nice quiet cooling case i guess doesn't really matter what it looks like but i do love the color white and i use both wireless and gigabit Ethernet for my connection and also i hate transferring stuff from my usb to the computer its so slow any solution i guess usb 3.0 would be better than the 2.0
 
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Jack Revenant

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I wouldn't recommend a 3970X for... well... anything, honestly. It's more power than you need for pretty much any application it's sensible to use a desktop for.

Now, I'm not entirely sure what constitutes "lots" of storage for you, but this build is about as much as I would recommend, given the usage you're describing:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($332.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($78.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme6 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($164.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($119.99 @ Microcenter)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 512GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($429.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($114.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($259.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Silverstone FT02S-USB3.0 ATX Mid Tower Case ($229.00 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 750W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($69.20 @ NCIX US)
Optical Drive: Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit) ($89.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $2135.08
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-05 08:12 EDT-0400)

Please note, you can get nearly as much performance for less. In fact, I'd hazard that you could cut the price 35-50% without noticing the difference, but this is pretty much the highest-end rig I would suggest, given that you'd replace it completely within the next few years. Honestly, if that's your pattern, I would suggest aiming for something closer to $1,200, though if you wish to burn money that's your call.

Edit: If you would like, I would be happy to design a more efficient build. I would have done so when I originally posted this, but I was short on time as it was.
 
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K

kof123

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Jul 4, 2013
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Think for the write up I will check how much this will be at my local store and I would probably cut down the hard drives to just one 3tb that should be enough. So your saying I could get something cheaper and not notice the difference at All?
 
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kof123

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Jul 4, 2013
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Silverstone FT02B USB3 Gaming Case
Stock: Special Order
x1
$229.99
[Remove]
Intel Core™ i7-4770K Processor, 3.50GHz w/ 8MB Cache
Stock: 10+
x1
$379.99
[Remove]
Noctua NH-D14 CPU Cooler
Stock: 10+
x1
$84.99
[Remove]
Asus Z87-EXPERT w/ Dual DDR3 1600, 7.1 Audio, Thunderbolt, Gigabit LAN, 802.11n WiFi, SLI / CrossFireX, HDMI, DVI, D-Sub
Stock: 5
x1
$239.99
[Remove]
Corsair Dominator Platinum 16GB DDR3 1600MHz CL9 Dual Channel Kit (2 x 8GB)
Stock: 5
x1
$174.99
[Remove]
Samsung 840 Pro Series Solid State Drive, SATA III, 512GB
Stock: 10+
x1
$499.99
[Remove]
Samsung 840 Pro Series Solid State Drive, SATA III, 512GB
Stock: 10+
x1
$499.99
[Remove]
LG 14x Internal Blu-Ray Writer
Stock: Out of Stock
x1
$109.99
[Remove]
Lexar Professional USB3.0 Dual-Slot Reader
Stock: 10+
x1
$39.99
[Remove]
Asus GTX760 Direct CU II OC GeForce GTX 760 2GB PCI-E w/ Dual DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort
Stock: Out of Stock
x1
$289.99
[Remove]
Asus Xonar DSX PCI-E 7.1 Audio Card
Stock: 2
x1
$69.99
[Remove]
Asus NX1101 V2 PCI Gigabit Network Adapter Card
Stock: 2
x1
$24.99
[Remove]
Silverstone Strider Gold Evolution ST75F-G 750W Modular Power Supply
Stock: Out of Stock
x1
$159.99
[Remove]
Microsoft Memory Express Windows 7 Home Premium x64 (64-bit) SP1 (For Memory Express System Builds only)
Stock: 10+

couldn't find everything the same but this is the closest to that and it costs about 2400$ just replaces the 2 extra drives with another ssd
 
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Jack Revenant

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I can't discern how much rendering you're doing based on your comments, but you could likely put together a $1,200 build (say, an i7, 16GB of RAM, cheaper motherboard, potentially non-overlocking, 120GB SSD, and put it in a Fractal Design Define R4) which would have all the capabilities you're looking for. For a rig not designed for professional-level editing or high-end gaming/recording, you pretty much get what you need for $1,000 or less. You only need to spend $2,000+ for 1, simplicity (for example, slob that I am, I got a big SSD to avoid having to manage where I stored my files), 2, reliability (more investment can buy longevity and long warranties), and 3, bling. For a machine designed to do multiple intensive things (for example, record and edit high-settings gameplay), the price would rise, but for a mostly single-purpose machine, $1,000-1,200 gets you all you need and more.


The quote your store gave you isn't terrible, though you could save by purchasing online. Matter of preference at that point, I would say.

Edit: I note that you mention not wanting to overclock in a prior post (sorry to have missed that before, by the way). That being the case, you could take the CPU down to an i7-4770, the motherboard down to an ASRock H87 Performance, and remove the CPU cooler entirely.
 
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