- May 7, 2010
- 2,830
- 0
- 21,960
Current System:
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500k
Cooler: Thermaltake CLP-0556
MB: Foxconn H61S (mini-itx)
RAM: 8GB (2x4GB) G.Skill Ripjaws Series DDR3 1333MHz (Model F3-10666CL7D-8GBRH)
GPU: MSI GTX 670 2GB (Model N670GTX-PM2D2GD5/OC)
PSU: Silverstone ST45SF
Case: Silverstone SG06
SSD: Crucial M4 256GB (Model CT256M4SSD2)
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB
ODD: Plextor USB-powered external BD-ROM drive
Wi-Fi: Rosewill RNX-H150G
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate x64 retail
Monitor: Seiki SE39UY04
Speakers: Altec Lansing AVS200
Headset: Plantronics Calisto B70 (bluetooth, usb charging cable)
Keyboard: Qtronix Scorpius 98N Plus
Mouse: Logitech M-BT96a (usb optical, 2 buttons + wheel button)
Approximate Purchase Date: As soon as I've settled on the parts to order. If I get zero replies within 48 hours of posting this message, I'll just go with my tentative list.
Budget Range: US$2000-$2500 before shipping and rebates (I don't use rebates), flexible.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: working from home (applications I currently use for this: MS Outlook, TortoiseSVN, Chat Mapper, Adobe Flash, Skype, jEdit, Java, NetBeans, and TeamViewer), gaming (Skyrim, Dragon Age 2, Mass Effect 2, Spore, Torchlight 2, Fallout New Vegas, etc.; I'm not into pure first-person shooter games), other common tasks like web surfing, personal email, and finances.
Are you buying a monitor: No (the few monitors on the market that could be considered upgrades from my Seiki 39 inch 4k TV were way too expensive last I checked)
Parts to Upgrade: everything but the display. (technically, there are parts I could reasonably re-use from my current computer or my spare parts, but I'd rather go whole hog this time)
Do you need to buy OS: No
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Amazon, Newegg, Provantage, TigerDirect (since I already have accounts at those sites). I'm willing to consider signing up at other websites if they offer significantly better prices and shipping prices are reasonable (also, please make sure shipping can be calculated while signed out; I'm not sure I would trust a site that requires signing in before showing shipping costs)
Location: Fremont, California, USA
Parts Preferences:
CPU - Last I checked, Skyrim works best with Intel's Core i series, even at high resolutions.
CPU Cooler - even if I don't end up overclocking, I want an air cooler that has bolts (not plastic snap-in push pins) through the motherboard, and that fits my case.
Case - My Silverstone Raven RV03 felt too big without an ATX motherboard and an SLI/CF setup (plus several other drawbacks), and I initially liked the small size of my Silverstone Sugo SG06 case, but after struggling to install a mechanical hard drive, I'm starting to think it's too small.
I like the idea of mounting the motherboard horizontally, though, so I'm strongly leaning towards the Cooler Master HAF XB EVO. I think it might not feel as big as a tower-style case.
Keyboard: I need a wide backspace key (I've tried keyboards that had the backspace key the same size as a letter key, and couldn't stand them), and a slanted palmrest is nice as long as it's fairly low friction.
Speakers - I live in an apartment, so I figure I should avoid a subwoofer, and I don't really have good places to mount the extra speakers of a 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound setup.
Headset - this won't completely replace the speakers, because I occasionally watch videos with my father in my room instead of out in the living room, and I'll probably use the speakers for console games, but for work I attend meetings via Skype, so I need some kind of headset. I'm not entirely happy with the headset I've got, because it's not very intuitive to determine whether it's already on, plus it uses up two usb ports - one for the charger and one for the bluetooth adapter. I like the idea of a 5.1 or 7.1 channel headset, since it wouldn't require the extra setup that a 5.1 or 7.1 speaker set would.
Overclocking: Yes. I understand the general idea, and I'll be careful to go a step at a time, but it would help if somebody could direct me to the best overclocking guide for my hardware configuration. Also, in case it isn't covered in the guide, how long should I wait to let the thermal grease cure before starting to overclock?
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe.
Your Monitor Resolution: 3840x2160
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I'm hoping to speed up scene transitions in Skyrim (currently 30-40 seconds when playing at 3840x2160; currently significantly modded, but the slow scene transitions happened even with vanilla Skyrim, and it is installed on the SSD; I asked about this problem here: http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1864975/long-scene-transitions-skyrim-normal-playing-3840x2160.html but got no replies), and get better framerates in DA2 (currently around 26-27 fps with the Dragon Age 2 Texture Mod by trufflesduval installed, but screen space ambient occlusion, diffusion depth of field and high-quality blur turned off and at 2xAA; 0xAA gets me lower frame rates, which is confusing), plus some future-proofing (in case upcoming games start benefiting more from hyperthreading and/or extra system RAM, or my usage changes to include programs that can benefit from those). Also, I had a Gateway keyboard that started having trouble acknowledging the left windows and left alt keys, and I'm not entirely happy with my older Qtronix keyboard either.
Here's what I've tentatively chosen:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-C12P SE14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($64.99 @ Mwave)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($149.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($228.99 @ Mac Mall)
Storage: Western Digital Green 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($177.69 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB Video Card ($705.91 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($39.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Cooler Master HAF XB EVO ATX Desktop Case ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Case Fan: StarTech FANBOX 37.3 CFM 80mm Fan ($8.81 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: StarTech FANBOX 37.3 CFM 80mm Fan ($8.81 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: BitFenix BFF-SPRO-20025KK-RP 148.7 CFM 200mm Fan ($17.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Cooler Master COOLER MASTER JetFlo 120 95.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($96.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($78.54 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Corsair Vengeance K70 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Logitech M570 Wireless Trackball ($39.88 @ Amazon)
Speakers: Creative Labs Inspire T10 10W 2ch Speakers ($32.99 @ Amazon)
Headphones: Rosewill RHTS-8206 5.1 Channel Headset ($44.38 @ Amazon)
Total: $2382.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-15 20:44 EST-0500)
I think I'm okay on compatibility and parts fitting into the case, but please let me know if I've chosen any bad quality parts, or if you think I should add or change any parts for other reasons.
Thanks in advance for any feedback.
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500k
Cooler: Thermaltake CLP-0556
MB: Foxconn H61S (mini-itx)
RAM: 8GB (2x4GB) G.Skill Ripjaws Series DDR3 1333MHz (Model F3-10666CL7D-8GBRH)
GPU: MSI GTX 670 2GB (Model N670GTX-PM2D2GD5/OC)
PSU: Silverstone ST45SF
Case: Silverstone SG06
SSD: Crucial M4 256GB (Model CT256M4SSD2)
HDD: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB
ODD: Plextor USB-powered external BD-ROM drive
Wi-Fi: Rosewill RNX-H150G
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate x64 retail
Monitor: Seiki SE39UY04
Speakers: Altec Lansing AVS200
Headset: Plantronics Calisto B70 (bluetooth, usb charging cable)
Keyboard: Qtronix Scorpius 98N Plus
Mouse: Logitech M-BT96a (usb optical, 2 buttons + wheel button)
Approximate Purchase Date: As soon as I've settled on the parts to order. If I get zero replies within 48 hours of posting this message, I'll just go with my tentative list.
Budget Range: US$2000-$2500 before shipping and rebates (I don't use rebates), flexible.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: working from home (applications I currently use for this: MS Outlook, TortoiseSVN, Chat Mapper, Adobe Flash, Skype, jEdit, Java, NetBeans, and TeamViewer), gaming (Skyrim, Dragon Age 2, Mass Effect 2, Spore, Torchlight 2, Fallout New Vegas, etc.; I'm not into pure first-person shooter games), other common tasks like web surfing, personal email, and finances.
Are you buying a monitor: No (the few monitors on the market that could be considered upgrades from my Seiki 39 inch 4k TV were way too expensive last I checked)
Parts to Upgrade: everything but the display. (technically, there are parts I could reasonably re-use from my current computer or my spare parts, but I'd rather go whole hog this time)
Do you need to buy OS: No
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Amazon, Newegg, Provantage, TigerDirect (since I already have accounts at those sites). I'm willing to consider signing up at other websites if they offer significantly better prices and shipping prices are reasonable (also, please make sure shipping can be calculated while signed out; I'm not sure I would trust a site that requires signing in before showing shipping costs)
Location: Fremont, California, USA
Parts Preferences:
CPU - Last I checked, Skyrim works best with Intel's Core i series, even at high resolutions.
CPU Cooler - even if I don't end up overclocking, I want an air cooler that has bolts (not plastic snap-in push pins) through the motherboard, and that fits my case.
Case - My Silverstone Raven RV03 felt too big without an ATX motherboard and an SLI/CF setup (plus several other drawbacks), and I initially liked the small size of my Silverstone Sugo SG06 case, but after struggling to install a mechanical hard drive, I'm starting to think it's too small.
I like the idea of mounting the motherboard horizontally, though, so I'm strongly leaning towards the Cooler Master HAF XB EVO. I think it might not feel as big as a tower-style case.
Keyboard: I need a wide backspace key (I've tried keyboards that had the backspace key the same size as a letter key, and couldn't stand them), and a slanted palmrest is nice as long as it's fairly low friction.
Speakers - I live in an apartment, so I figure I should avoid a subwoofer, and I don't really have good places to mount the extra speakers of a 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound setup.
Headset - this won't completely replace the speakers, because I occasionally watch videos with my father in my room instead of out in the living room, and I'll probably use the speakers for console games, but for work I attend meetings via Skype, so I need some kind of headset. I'm not entirely happy with the headset I've got, because it's not very intuitive to determine whether it's already on, plus it uses up two usb ports - one for the charger and one for the bluetooth adapter. I like the idea of a 5.1 or 7.1 channel headset, since it wouldn't require the extra setup that a 5.1 or 7.1 speaker set would.
Overclocking: Yes. I understand the general idea, and I'll be careful to go a step at a time, but it would help if somebody could direct me to the best overclocking guide for my hardware configuration. Also, in case it isn't covered in the guide, how long should I wait to let the thermal grease cure before starting to overclock?
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe.
Your Monitor Resolution: 3840x2160
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I'm hoping to speed up scene transitions in Skyrim (currently 30-40 seconds when playing at 3840x2160; currently significantly modded, but the slow scene transitions happened even with vanilla Skyrim, and it is installed on the SSD; I asked about this problem here: http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-1864975/long-scene-transitions-skyrim-normal-playing-3840x2160.html but got no replies), and get better framerates in DA2 (currently around 26-27 fps with the Dragon Age 2 Texture Mod by trufflesduval installed, but screen space ambient occlusion, diffusion depth of field and high-quality blur turned off and at 2xAA; 0xAA gets me lower frame rates, which is confusing), plus some future-proofing (in case upcoming games start benefiting more from hyperthreading and/or extra system RAM, or my usage changes to include programs that can benefit from those). Also, I had a Gateway keyboard that started having trouble acknowledging the left windows and left alt keys, and I'm not entirely happy with my older Qtronix keyboard either.
Here's what I've tentatively chosen:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks
CPU: Intel Core i7-4770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-C12P SE14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($64.99 @ Mwave)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($119.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($149.99 @ B&H)
Storage: Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($228.99 @ Mac Mall)
Storage: Western Digital Green 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($177.69 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 780 Ti 3GB Video Card ($705.91 @ Newegg)
Wireless Network Adapter: TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter ($39.99 @ Microcenter)
Case: Cooler Master HAF XB EVO ATX Desktop Case ($89.99 @ Microcenter)
Case Fan: StarTech FANBOX 37.3 CFM 80mm Fan ($8.81 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: StarTech FANBOX 37.3 CFM 80mm Fan ($8.81 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: BitFenix BFF-SPRO-20025KK-RP 148.7 CFM 200mm Fan ($17.98 @ OutletPC)
Case Fan: Cooler Master COOLER MASTER JetFlo 120 95.0 CFM 120mm Fan ($16.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SeaSonic M12II 650W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($96.99 @ Amazon)
Optical Drive: Asus BW-12B1ST/BLK/G/AS Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Writer ($78.54 @ Amazon)
Keyboard: Corsair Vengeance K70 Wired Gaming Keyboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Mouse: Logitech M570 Wireless Trackball ($39.88 @ Amazon)
Speakers: Creative Labs Inspire T10 10W 2ch Speakers ($32.99 @ Amazon)
Headphones: Rosewill RHTS-8206 5.1 Channel Headset ($44.38 @ Amazon)
Total: $2382.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-15 20:44 EST-0500)
I think I'm okay on compatibility and parts fitting into the case, but please let me know if I've chosen any bad quality parts, or if you think I should add or change any parts for other reasons.
Thanks in advance for any feedback.
I tried to look up what my limits were ahead of time, but couldn't find them; I can just wait a few days and then order them, though). The promo at SuperBiiz had ended, so I didn't bother using that vendor, and I tried to sign up at microcenter, but it just reloaded the signup page without showing any error message. Thus I'm only ordering from Amazon and Newegg so far. I'll probably order the video cards from TigerDirect.
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