Replacing my junker

[lossbot]

I've been out of the loop for a while and I'm kind of lost with all the new products and such. I have a really old system (running a 3200+, 1GB OCZ Platinum, 500w Ultra, A8V-E Deluxe, etc), and it struggles with my huge 27" monitor. I refuse to play on anything other than the native 1920x1200 res, but even games like WoW only pull 30-40 FPS.

I'm looking to build a new system that can handle the new expansion (which introduces dynamic shadows, destroys my FPS on this machine), preferably 75+ FPS in graphic intensive zones. I'm willing to spend whatever I need to, but I don't want to overspend and I'm not shooting for the moon here. If I can do this for $500, then $500 it is! The only thing I want to make sure is that it runs cool, runs smooth, and that triple-boxing in windowed mode is at least doable. I'd also love to cut down the size of my rig, this thing weighs like 20 pounds and I lug it over to my friends every weekend, along with the 27" monitor it's a huge pain in the ass. Is it possible to make a MicroATX system like this still? Last thing, I might be installing Vista on a second partition some time, so I'd like to have 4GB of memory as opposed to 2

TLDR recap:

- Need new system that handles new WoW expansion and pulls moderately high FPS consistently.
- Keep price down as much as possible.
- MicroATX would be awesome if it's at all possible!
- 4GB of memory.

Anyways, off to hunt for parts, I'm open to any suggestions! Thanks.

 

[Priv]

It's hard to do something without a budget.

 

[Priv]

AeroCool M40-BK Black 0.6 SECC Steel MicroATX Cube case
I dont know much about MATX cases, but I believe this is what you are looking for, it's compact and easy to take over to your friend. $89

CORSAIR CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V
Good PSU $80 after rebate ($100 before)

mushkin 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
Not much choice lately for memory, this one wins hands down. $47 after rebates ($67 with)

Intel C2D E8400
Pretty much best bang for buck. $

ASUS EAH4870/HTDI/1G Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 $269 after rebate ($289 before)

Western Digital Caviar SE16 WD6400AAKS 640GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache
$75

SAMSUNG Black 22X DVD+R 22X DVD-R 16X DVD-ROM 2MB Cache SATA 22X

TOTAL = $900 after rebates ($962 before)

 

[Priv]

For some weird reason the MB wasnt included in my post, here it is.

DFI LP JR P45-T2RS LGA 775 Intel P45 Micro ATX

 

[Guest]

Here are my recomendations:

COOLER MASTER Centurion 541 RC-541-SKN1 Black Aluminum bezel, SECC chassis MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119088
with combo
COOLER MASTER Centurion 541 RC-541-SKN1 Black Aluminum bezel, SECC chassis MicroATX Mini Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171016

$94.98

Intel Core 2 Duo E7200 Wolfdale 2.53GHz 3MB L2 Cache LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115052
$117.99

ASUS P5Q-EM LGA 775 Intel G45 HDMI Micro ATX Intel Motherboard
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131336R
$95.25

SAPPHIRE 100245L Radeon HD 4850 512MB 256-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102770
with combo
OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227298

$227.98


or you can opt to combo OCZ Reaper HPC Edition 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory - Retail with the video card http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227284
and save $8.99($3.99after rebates) but the motherboard allows you to overclock the ram to 1066 so your best bet is the OCZ Platinum 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 1066 (PC2 8500)

The total here comes to $536.20
-$50.00 in rebates
Total: $486.20

The Hard drive and dvd rom together should run sub $100 and you can choose based on your storage and media needs.

 

[lunyone]

You have lots of options. Here are a couple of case options to consider:
$76 shipped. Not sure if I would trust the PSU, but if it's a low power rig than the PSU might be okay. I prefer to use quality PSU's, so I'd seriously consider using one. I'm just showing you different case styles that you may like. Link to case below

Here's the next gen version w/a 500w PSU, which would be a bit better. Link to case below.

 

[lunyone]

You could also just get this below and just get a regular case and make your lugging around a bit easier!!

Link where this is listed. I'm sure it can be found for less, but haven't looked into it
Does either type of case interest you?? The X-pack cases above have handles on them, so it makes it easier to tote them around.
A friend of mine uses a case very similar to the one below. He totes it back and forth to work every day and has been doing it for 2+ years. The handle is very helpful!

 

[Onus]

The X-QPACK2 case is a great design, but so poorly executed that I ended up junking mine. The metal is very flimsy. It is fairly solid when assembled, but can get misshapen too easily. This makes re-assembly very difficult. The plastic vents in the front are weak, and break very easily. The springs that hold the handle can also get misaligned.
There were grounding problems in the case that caused system resets every time my fluffy cat merely walked past.
Finally, a factory drone had put one of the screws that holds the front on through the power switch leads.
I did not use the included PSU, considering it too dicey. I think it does now, but I don't recall that mine even had a 6-pin PCIE connector. I used a Mushkin modular PSU. It worked pretty well; a modular PSU is a good idea in that case.

 

[Shadow703793]

+1 for Corsair 650TX, ATI 4850 (or better), 4GB DDR2 800 RAM, E7200(if OCing quite a bit, else E8400 if Ocing more ) and the WD 640GB AAKS. For HSF a XIGMATEK S1283 (+ bolt in kit) or Core Contact. As for case Antec 900 (or 1200) FTW! (Personal preference here, just get a good case with good airflow/layout/size)

 

[ahslan]

I had the X-QPack and I personally think it was one of the greatest cases I've ever had...The psu worked in my rig, but you can easilty replace it with a better quality one (just make sure to get one of those smaller optical drives...a regular psu + regular sized optical drive will NOT fit)