Download the Tom's Hardware App from the App Store
The reference for current tech news
Yes No
Ads
Tom's Hardware > Forum > Systems > Homebuilt > [Solved] Upgrade - $300-$350

[Solved] Upgrade - $300-$350

Forum Systems : Homebuilt [Solved] Upgrade - $300-$350

Related Content
You have searched for " [Solved] Upgrade - $300-$350" . You might be interested in the following threads:

See more for " [Solved] Upgrade - $300-$350"

Can't find your answer?
Ask!

Best answer from aznshinobi.

Homebuilt

|

New Build

|

Prebuilt

|

CyberPower

Word :    Username :           
 
Vexille   02-22-2011 at 11:39:12 PM

Afternoon,
Looking at upgrade options around the low $300 range. Current system is:

cpu - e6750
mb - p6n sli platinum
ram - 4gb
gpu - msi twin frozr 275 gtx oc (1gb)
psu - 650w antec
storage - wd caviar black 2tb
case - 900 antec
monitors - dual - 1) l227wtg 2) 19' generic dell
os - windows 7 home premium 64 bit

I mostly game and watch movies with my system. The games I like are first person shooters and mmo's. I plan on playing SWTOR for many endless hours when it comes out. My gut tells me I need a new cpu and mb. I read a few things that indicate a i5-2500k is the way to go but quite frankly...if the overclocking isn't straight forward i probably won't waste my time with it.

Reply to Vexille
Register or log in to remove.
omnisome   02-22-2011 at 11:45:03 PM

i5-2500k is a great overclocker, it has unlocked multipliers etc..

Reply to omnisome
aznshinobi   02-22-2011 at 11:48:39 PM
Best answer

You are correct. The most beneficial upgade for you is going i5 2500K (if you plan to overclock) and getting the Asrock Extreme4 P67 (150$) that should sum up to 380$. So if you don't plan on overclocking, drop down to the i5 2500 which would get you about 330-350$.

Reply to aznshinobi
Vexille   02-23-2011 at 01:32:11 AM

hmm. is it just me or is that motherboard not really available? is it brand new or obsolete?

Reply to Vexille
ScrewySqrl   02-23-2011 at 01:34:07 AM

its on recall, back in april

------------------------------ We have no wish to offend you, unless you're a twit.
My PC: I5-2400, ASRock H61-VS, Mushkin 4 GB 1333, HD 6850, 2x Seagate 500 GB HDD, Corsair 430W, Rosewill R102 case
HTPC: Phenom I 9650 2.3Ghz, 4 GB DDR2-800, 120gb hdd, HD4850 512MB, Ultra 500W
 Reply to ScrewySqrl
aznshinobi   02-23-2011 at 01:35:36 AM

^ Yes, because of performance decay in the SATA connectors (it decays the CPU perf too.)

I thought you knew but I guessed not.

Reply to aznshinobi
Vexille   02-23-2011 at 01:39:24 AM

K. I knew it was causing issues but i thought that was with SSDs. I guess its the controllers on the board in combo with the chip causing it? Anyway...so if I want a i5-2500 I should wait until April?

Reply to Vexille
aznshinobi   02-23-2011 at 01:47:01 AM

Yes, that'd be what I would do.

Reply to aznshinobi
ScrewySqrl   02-23-2011 at 01:47:45 AM

yes. Although by then the Bulldozer will be out (announcements March 1, and official shipping at the start of April. I've seen one leaked 3D Mark benchmark that says Zambezi at 3.5 GHz beats an overclocked to 4 GHz 2600K. What one leaked bench means isn't THAT much, but it sounds like the early Zambezi 4 Module/8Core is going to hold its own at the very least with Sandy Bridge.

------------------------------ We have no wish to offend you, unless you're a twit.
My PC: I5-2400, ASRock H61-VS, Mushkin 4 GB 1333, HD 6850, 2x Seagate 500 GB HDD, Corsair 430W, Rosewill R102 case
HTPC: Phenom I 9650 2.3Ghz, 4 GB DDR2-800, 120gb hdd, HD4850 512MB, Ultra 500W
 Reply to ScrewySqrl
Vexille   02-23-2011 at 01:51:14 AM

ok...so is the Bulldozer gonna be in my range?

Reply to Vexille
aznshinobi   02-23-2011 at 01:56:38 AM

It may possibly be, but pricing has not been released. I also heard of that leaked bench, but I heard that was a BS leak. However don't count on it.

Reply to aznshinobi
X-2   02-23-2011 at 02:46:09 PM

Aren't only the server chips (bulldozer) being released in the spring? I believe the desktop ones are coming in the summer

Reply to X-2
ScrewySqrl   02-23-2011 at 02:49:47 PM

you have it backwards Desktop (Zambezi) in April, Server(Orochi) in Q3

------------------------------ We have no wish to offend you, unless you're a twit.
My PC: I5-2400, ASRock H61-VS, Mushkin 4 GB 1333, HD 6850, 2x Seagate 500 GB HDD, Corsair 430W, Rosewill R102 case
HTPC: Phenom I 9650 2.3Ghz, 4 GB DDR2-800, 120gb hdd, HD4850 512MB, Ultra 500W
 Reply to ScrewySqrl
Vexille   02-23-2011 at 11:01:31 PM

Are there any decent options without having to wait 2 months? I mean I don't want to gimp myself and the reality is...I can wait if the 2500k is what I should get.

Reply to Vexille
ScrewySqrl   02-23-2011 at 11:14:53 PM

well, April 1 is 5 weeks away

------------------------------ We have no wish to offend you, unless you're a twit.
My PC: I5-2400, ASRock H61-VS, Mushkin 4 GB 1333, HD 6850, 2x Seagate 500 GB HDD, Corsair 430W, Rosewill R102 case
HTPC: Phenom I 9650 2.3Ghz, 4 GB DDR2-800, 120gb hdd, HD4850 512MB, Ultra 500W
 Reply to ScrewySqrl
aznshinobi   02-23-2011 at 11:49:35 PM

Plus, the 2500K (230$) > i7 960 (290$) Might as well wait. 1336 boards are more expensive anyway.

Reply to aznshinobi
Vexille   02-24-2011 at 12:36:17 AM

K. I'm just gonna wait. Is $229 a decent price...if so, I'll just buy it and sit on it until April

Reply to Vexille
Vexille   03-06-2011 at 09:20:29 PM

As a follow up...here is what I purchased:

i5-2500k
MSI P67A-GD65 (I have had good luck with MSI overr the years and this MB was available with b# stepping). Plus I like the idea of overclocking but don't really have any experience so the OC Genie, 1 button = OC, allows me to gain some performance without OC'ng becoming a time/money sink.
RAM - My old RAM had to be replaced as well. Ended up buying 8gb G.Skill 1600.

Overall, I went about $125 over my original budget but am very happy with the purchases.

Thanks for all the help.

Reply to Vexille
Register or log in to remove.
Ask the community Add a reply
See all topics related to "Upgrade - $300-$350"
Tom's Hardware > Forum > Systems > Homebuilt > [Solved] Upgrade - $300-$350
Go to:

There are 1873 identified and unidentified users. To see the list of identified users, Click here.

Bestofmedia Forum ©
2000-2009 Bestofmedia Group
Page generated in 0.285 seconds
Please mind

You are about to answer a thread that has been inactive for more than 6 months.
If you still wish to proceed, please ensure that your posting is original and does not duplicate or overlap any prior responses to this thread.

Add a reply Cancel
  • Ask the community now
  • Publish
Ad
Ads
Latest best answer
1200-1400 Gaming PC - Want Opinions
By Why_Me, 34 minutes ago:

The Z68 boards are older and targeted for Sandy Bridge cpu's. For the newer Ivy Bridge...

Related Topics
See all relatives topics
Best offers
They won a badge
Join us in greeting them
How do I win badges?
Top experts
Become an expert The rank