Looking to build in stages and want best performance/price... having a hard time figuring out what to do

legend1011

Honorable
Sep 2, 2013
15
0
10,510
Hello all,

I built my last system in September 2006:
Monitor: SAMSUNG 204B-BK Black 20.1" 5ms LCD Monitor ($349.99)
Case: P180B Antec Case ($129.99)
PSU: SeaSonic S12 Energy Plus SS-550HT 550W ATX12V ($110.99)
Motherboard: Asus P5W DH Deluxe/WIFI-AP ($269.99)
Processor: E6600 Core 2 Duo Conroe 2.4Ghz ($360.00)
Ram: 2GB G.Skill Memory DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) ($259.99)
Video: MSI ATI Radeon X1900XTX PCI-E card 512MB ($426.99)
Hard Drive: Seagate Baracuda 7200.10 320GB SATAII 3.0GB ($99.99)
DVD Drive: Lite-On 16x DVD+R SHM-165P6S ($34.50)
Extras: Zalman VF900 Video Card Cooler ($37.99)

TOTAL SPENT: $2080.42

As you can see, I'm long overdue for an upgrade. I have decided to completely replace the older components due to the price of upgrading that motherboard. I'm not even sure where to begin now; the prices vary so much! I'm not much of a gamer, but I plan on virtualizing, multi-tasking, etc...

My questions involving the old hardware:
1) Can I still use the Seasonic PSU or do you recommend me buying a new one?
2) Can I still use the MSI ATI Radeon X1900XTX video card for a while to get me by?
3) Hard Drives, DVD drive, Anything else I can make use of or that I might be overlooking?

I would like to buy an old/used case for this old system, so I can use this P180B Antec for the new parts. I am currently looking at the following:
AMD 8350 4.0Ghz Processor ($199.99)
Asus Sabertooth 990FX AM3+ Motherboard ($189.99)
2 x8 DDR3 RAM for a total of 16GB; not sure of brand or speed?

I would eventually like to upgrade the video card, hard drives (1 SATAIII HD, and 1 SSD drive), and some type of backup solution (RAID)? Any thoughts? My budget is $500-$600, but it can go up to over a $1000 if I can get the best price/performance parts. My budget is really dependent on the available deals as well as how long my system can be "future-proof"

MAIN GOAL: My goal is to find the best price/performance for the moment. If there is some new technology coming out right around the corner then i am willing to wait a little bit. I would also like to "future-proof" this system the best I can. I feel like I should have kept up with my 7 year system and ugpraded parts overtime. I don't plan on doing that with this system and would like to upgrade/replace parts regularly to keep up with the times.

I appreciate any help, Thank You!

 
Solution
It would help if you separate your post into paragraphs, since I have a hard time reading it.


I can point you into a direction but it remains to you what you specifically want (unless you dont care in which you can tell me to do the whole thing for you)

I dont know where to begin but, how much are you willing to spend (a decent motherboard+cpu isnt that expensive)

coolitic

Distinguished
May 10, 2012
713
33
19,040
It would help if you separate your post into paragraphs, since I have a hard time reading it.


I can point you into a direction but it remains to you what you specifically want (unless you dont care in which you can tell me to do the whole thing for you)

I dont know where to begin but, how much are you willing to spend (a decent motherboard+cpu isnt that expensive)
 
Solution

legend1011

Honorable
Sep 2, 2013
15
0
10,510


Thanks, I rewrote my entire post. I hope this makes it a little easier to follow. I appreciate any help or advice. Thank You