$100 left in my computer budget. Where to spend it?

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tojo78

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My old Dell XPS Studio needs replaced as it just doesn't make sense to keep dumping more money into a 6 year old computer. So I am going to put together my own computer with a budget (with minitor) of $1,600. My main purpose with this computer will be gaming (play Eve with maybe 2 clients at the same time).

Here is roughly what I have right now in my Dell:

CPU - i7 @ 2.6Ghz
RAM - 6 GB DDR3 1066
Motherboard - Factory, no clue on the specs
Video Card - Radeon 6870 1 GB
Monitor 24" Dell widexfeen monitor, approx 6 years old

Here is what I have assembled on Newegg:

Case - Xion Xon-560 Mini-ATX
CPU - Intel i5-4670K Haswell 3.4GHz
HD - Western Digital WD10EZEX 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB cache SATA 6.0GB/s
Mortherboard - ASUS B85M-G
RAM - Corsair Dominator 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 PC3 12800
Video Card - EVGA SuperClocked 02G-P4-2765-KR GeForce GTX 760 2GB
PSU - Corsair Enthusiast series TX750M 750W ATX12V
Monitor - Samsung S27C500H 27" 5ms (GTG) HDMI Widscreen LED
OS - Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit

With the new setup, I am about $125 under budget. I have been debating upgrating to an i7, upgrading to a GTX 770 or adding more RAM. Looking for feedback on my setup and any suggestions on if I would spend the balance on by budget on upgrading anything else. Thanks in advance!
 
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l1ghtm4st3r
Your build right now doesn't really need to have anything more spent on it. Although if you were to, I would put it towards an upgraded graphics card in order to ensure the time before you next have to upgrade is extended. 8gb RAM should be enough for the online gaming and the rest of your system checks out suitably.

Be sure you want to get a 1080 res screen at 27 inch, some say it's slightly blocky. I have one at 1440 and couldn't imagine using much lower.

Also, is that i7 in your old XPS that dated? Couldn't you use it in this build instead of the haswell?
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l1ghtm4st3r

l1ghtm4st3r

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Your build right now doesn't really need to have anything more spent on it. Although if you were to, I would put it towards an upgraded graphics card in order to ensure the time before you next have to upgrade is extended. 8gb RAM should be enough for the online gaming and the rest of your system checks out suitably.

Be sure you want to get a 1080 res screen at 27 inch, some say it's slightly blocky. I have one at 1440 and couldn't imagine using much lower.

Also, is that i7 in your old XPS that dated? Couldn't you use it in this build instead of the haswell?
 
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chris987

chris987

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http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151106 the tx is good but overpriced. this is better quality and modular and with 53A on the 12v rail can easily run a 770 plus o/c.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130921 .
also this deserves a look gold rated very good unit.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182071

only +60$ and with the 65$ left upgrade to a z87 mobo to have the o/c ability 4670(k) has. cannot o/c on b85

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131980
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157369
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130693
you can always add ram later . better start with a good mobo. else take the b85 and the non (k) cpu and add an ssd for OS
 
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coozie7

coozie7

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Jun 2, 2007
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Good points from Chris987.
Also consider:
Add a half decent CPU cooler, the stock Intel item can get noisy under sustained load and you'll need a decent cooler if you opt for a Z87 mobo to overclock anyway.
Fan control will be important if you're looking for a quiet setup and the B85G-M has only one 4 pin header so you might want to consider another mobo with more headers, or adding a separate fan controller. This is less likely to be a problem with a Z87 mobo. ;)
Unless you have plans to sell the Dell soon, I'd hold off on the new monitor and devote the cash towards a faster graphics card, the stronger the better.

Off topic suggestion, just something to consider: I'm fairly sure that XPS will overclock and those ancient i7s do so very nicely, (my ancient i5 750 does anyway ;) ), you may find that just a few hours playing with the current system plus a better graphics card is all you really need.
 
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tojo78

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Thanks everyone for your responses! All of them gave me food for thought. I do not plan to ever overclock so I am going to keep the mobo I have right now unless there is another reason to get a different kind. I am also going to go with the i5-4670 instead of the K version. From what I understand, the K would only be worth it for overclocking. I am going with a EVGA SuperClocked w/ACX cooling 02G-P4-2774-KR GeForce GTX 770 2GB. Continuing to use the Dell isn't going to be option as it is time to move on after 6 years of service. I might eventually rebuild it or just sell it. I'll figure that out later. Regarding my montior, I want to go bigger to the 27" and I have a personal preference for Samsung. Any advice on buying a monitor? I think $300-$400 is going to be my monitor budget.

Well with the changes I made, I am still $100 under budget. Any final suggestions? Thanks again!
 
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coozie7

coozie7

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Fair comment on the Dell and monitor choice.
If possible, try to see the monitor working, pop into Bestbuy or Frys and have a good look. Take your time over this decision, hunt up reviews and learn the language, from a usability point it's the most important part of the system and it's the one you're most likely to keep.
Agree on the SSD, my rig's a little old to be getting such new fangled wizardry but for a new build it's going to be very useful.
Suggestion: Get the 27" monitor first, it's a large proportion of your budget and if you get one for well under the $400 max, you may want to put the money saved into a even faster graphics card or rebalance the build to allow for a 'K' CPU and Z87 mobo.
Or you could just treat the wife...Always a good move. ;)
 
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tojo78

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The wife is well taken care of so no computer budget to her! Ha Ha. I think I am set with my build. Just got it get it order now and put it all together. Thanks for your help everyone!
 
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loki993

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One question.....why mini ATX? do you have some sort of space requirement and second will a GTX 770 even fit in your case.

Second you can save a bit by dropping down to some cheaper RAM, you don't really need the dominator and the performance difference wouldn't be noticeable, if there even is one but thats a different conversation. Your not overclocking so your just paying extra money for fancy heat spreaders.

As for more RAM or an I7 for what your doing you probably wouldnt see much difference for the money spent. I would have suggested a better graphics card but looks like thats covered already.

You really should look into getting an SSD even if you had to cut down on something else the extra performance is really very noticeable. a 120 gig seagate 600 is 104 on newegg. The Crucial is even cheaper but I felt that the performance, from reviews, of the smaller crucials wasn't up to par. whether or not that would be noticeable in the real world I dont know. Most people will say probably not but I feel better.

I got the 240 seagate for my computer and its amazing how fast it is.

For the monitor check out the the Samsung S27C570H. 27 inch, 1080p, IPS and response time is fast for an IPS though for EVE Im not sure if that matters all that much. Ive been researching monitors for a bit for my new build and this is what Im leaning towards, plus its only 300 on amazon.

check out this review
http://pcmonitors.info/reviews/samsung-s27c570h

This monitor was recommended to me from him on the site.

Oh and get a decent CPU cooler Intel has been using the same cooler for years and its not even up to snuff enough to keep a stock haswell cool. You can get a Hyper 212 evo for like 30 bucks.
 
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