New Awesome Looking Rig

I would just grab an aftermarket cooler if you don't already have one, OC your 2500K, upgrade your graphics card, and get a new RAM kit (your mobo can handle the kit you previously posted).

First off, that PSU is fine. If it was a quality brand and piece from then at least.... If it was a cheapo one, then it's probably not a great idea to use, BUT, it's only as bad as the new cheapo ones, so if you aren't gonna splurge on a good quality gold certified psu, than that one is as good as what you'd buy now on the discount rack. It's always recommend to have a quality PSU as if it fails it can take the rest of the rig with it... But 3 years ago isn't old enough for the PSU to be out dated in any way.

Secondly, "Hyper threading" means that your cpu cores can handle 2 memory tasks each instead of one, for a total of 8 cores for ram usage in a 4 core cpu. Whether or not this helps depends on what you're doing... With 8 gigs or more of ram and hyper-threading, you wouldn't see that much advantage on general light tasking, gaming, and media use... However, if you start encoding, running mass applications, or working with ram heavy tasks, then yes the hyper threading will start distinguishing itself in a good way.

I just finished a build myself, using a phantom 530 case, i7-4770k, and gtx 780.... The mobo is a maximus VI Hero... I can't speak for the GENE version itself, but I will say that the hero edition is an AMAZING board, so as it's in the same line, I doubt you'd have complaints with it assuming you want the smaller rig style... I went full tower and will never look back.

For flash, I installed 5 extra blue LED antec case fans, 120mm and 140mm... The thing glows so bright it's like it's from another world.. The maximus board has a lot of flashy red lights going on it too, and the gtx 780 has a ominously bright green glowing log. Coupled with the phantom 530's sleek stature, it definitely has that flashy wow factor going. Between these, and other optional LED lights, you can easily make your rig a thrilling high tech decoration in addition to it's usefulness...

Another GREAT way to get flash, is with additional displays and/or software like stardocks windows customization programs, or freeware ones like rainmeter. Google image those terms and you will see ample design styles to flair up your pc AND enhance your tasking.

As far as the paint job goes, that sounds like a great way to give it a unique style. However, be careful when choosing paints, and be sure to get something graded for use on computer cases. You don't want to risk causing any thermal or conductivity issues. Aside from that, a windowed case and/or decal stickers are other classic ways to increase aesthetics.


As far as the CPU, if you are going to go beyond simple tasking and gaming, then sure, go for an i7. The 4770k is the best general value/performance cpu out there right now. Believe me, I researched these things EXTENSIVELY. If you want to go up to the super enthusiast tier, the only other options that are better are a 2011 socket i7 extreme, which would open up server hosting options for your rig, or the 1000 dollar extreme core versions which would give you a poor price/performance ratio, but, it would give you a tad bit more power. So basically, if you don't want to run a large server, or piss money away, you're choice is between the i7 4770k, or the leading i5, which I think is the 3670k or maybe the 3760k, whatever it is, I'm sure you will be recommended it several times... I mainly looking into the i7 and above lines. And for you I'd say go with the 4770k... My PERSONAL opinion would be the hero mobo and non-micro edition parts, but that's your call and both are fine options.

For the gpu, the 780 will beast mode ANYTHING you throw at it on a single monitor. Period. For single monitor use, really, the 770 is plenty if you want to save money and don't need extra displays. I mean, if you think of todays games as gazelle, then the 780 line is a fat, overhead lion that eats them by the dozen and rules the land for ages. The closest he comes to breaking a sweat is with his morning boot-up roar.

When shipping computer components out, you want to ensure 2 things...

1. They are sealed in static proof bags designed specifically for this purpose. You can either reuse them from parts you buy, or purchase them locally or online for a pretty reasonable price. This is especially important if you are shipping to a manufacturer, such as for a warranty use or part return... Many will outright void warranties on arrival for parts that are not shipped in these special bags.

2. They are placed securely in the package and will not jar around or shift during transportation. This is done easily enough by just filling the leftover space with packing bags, peanuts, or newspaper. The only big thing to keep in mind when shipping boxes, is to remove old labels, and use a sturdy box... otherwise, as long as it isn't a booze box, nobody really complains. Hell I've had big companies send me boxes that arrived barely intact lol.. Mail people don't seem to care as long as it holds together and is labeled right.


If you mean what inbound shipping options to select... I picked the free shipping when available, and standard 3-5 day for the rest... All arrived very quickly, some even the next day. There's really no need to splurge on extra shipping fees these days, unless you want to guarantee getting it the next day. Everything ordered from the big sites or their partners will get there in a timely, safe manner, generally speaking.

And as far as prices go, just hop on some common, large marketplaces such as ebay or amazon, and look up what they're going for. If you want to sell them right away, undercut by a couple dollars. Generally the larger sellers won't respond to undercutting unless it's done on a large scale, not for just 1 part. If you don't already have an account in good standing, try to find someone with an existing account in good standing, having good feedback helps A LOT when selling things. If you have to start your own account, feel free to, but you may want to pad your feedback with a couple small items, maybe stuff laying around or reselling yard sale and clearance rack stuff for a couple weeks.

Barring that, you can base your prices off of those sites, and then try to sell them directly to someone, such as on craigslist... This way you dodge the 30% cut they would take, but you may have a harder time selling it if you live in a scarcely populated or low tech area, such as a rural community. I live in one myself, and let me tell you, even opening up a computer case around here makes people think you're a witch or a sorcerer lol.