- Aug 13, 2009
- 2,357
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Hello All,
I am an incremental upgrader--so this is only a partial rebuild. It is, however, my first time starting from scratch with CPU/Mobo -- until now I have been upgrading prebuilts.
I think I have a pretty good idea of what I need, but would welcome any feedback/advice in addition to my questions.
Thanks in advance!
Approximate Purchase Date: Probably as soon as the Asus P67 PRO is reactivated on Newegg.
Budget Range: Flexible--willing to pay for measurable increase in quality.
System Usage: CPU intensive gaming(mostly starcraft II, civ 5), home media manager, something to brag about, etc.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg/microcenter (USA-VA)
Parts Preferences: see below
Overclocking: Maybe--but not right away.
Crossfire: Maybe dual 5770s (i already have one)
Monitor Resolution: currently a crappy 1440x990 and a 720p TV but will upgrade 3-4 months after mobo.
Additional Comments: My priorities are 1) reliability/quality 2) longevity for upgrading. I would rather buy very good parts one at a time than go cheaper and get it all now.
Parts I will reuse from current build:
-Seasonic 650X GOLD PSU
-HIS 5770 1 gb
-Antec 300 Illusion mid-tower case
-DVD burner, 5 hard drives, airport extreme router, fans, all cables, etc.
Ideal plans for this upgrade:
CPU: Core i5 2500K LGA 1155 Boxed Processor (btw for other builders $179 from microcenter = fantastic deal)
MOBO: ASUS P8P67 PRO LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard (does anyone know why NEWEGG has this "deactivated"?!! the others are only "out of stock" -- and I had settled on this model from the Asus website...)
■Reasons I chose this: 1) the many Asus-specific features that will help a relatively inexperienced overclocker (as outlined in the very good review by Anand) 2) I liked the ability to crossfire and still have a PCIe x16 2.0 for an SSD or other card. 3) Also .. as silly as it is -- having bluetooth motherboard control from my iphone seems really cool. If it doesn't come available I may have to bump to a different model. Advice is welcome on this point.
MEMORY: (I am a noob when it comes to memory--advice may be needed here. I picked 2x4gb chips to give me more upgrade room)
currently leaning toward: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM (i am finally ditching vista! -- can anyone think of a worthwhile reason for an average user to get professional or ultimate?)
Plans for my next upgrade: I know i need these items to balance the system, but would rather spread the expense (and excitement) out a little bit. I'll buy these over the next 6mo as I see good sales.
-1900x1080 or larger LED monitor
-A second 5770 for Xfire (if they get cheap enough)
-SSD boot drive
Thanks again for any feedback.
p.s. I spent time writing all this out, please only respond if you have taken the time to read my info.
I am an incremental upgrader--so this is only a partial rebuild. It is, however, my first time starting from scratch with CPU/Mobo -- until now I have been upgrading prebuilts.
I think I have a pretty good idea of what I need, but would welcome any feedback/advice in addition to my questions.
Thanks in advance!
Approximate Purchase Date: Probably as soon as the Asus P67 PRO is reactivated on Newegg.
Budget Range: Flexible--willing to pay for measurable increase in quality.
System Usage: CPU intensive gaming(mostly starcraft II, civ 5), home media manager, something to brag about, etc.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg/microcenter (USA-VA)
Parts Preferences: see below
Overclocking: Maybe--but not right away.
Crossfire: Maybe dual 5770s (i already have one)
Monitor Resolution: currently a crappy 1440x990 and a 720p TV but will upgrade 3-4 months after mobo.
Additional Comments: My priorities are 1) reliability/quality 2) longevity for upgrading. I would rather buy very good parts one at a time than go cheaper and get it all now.
Parts I will reuse from current build:
-Seasonic 650X GOLD PSU
-HIS 5770 1 gb
-Antec 300 Illusion mid-tower case
-DVD burner, 5 hard drives, airport extreme router, fans, all cables, etc.
Ideal plans for this upgrade:
CPU: Core i5 2500K LGA 1155 Boxed Processor (btw for other builders $179 from microcenter = fantastic deal)
MOBO: ASUS P8P67 PRO LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard (does anyone know why NEWEGG has this "deactivated"?!! the others are only "out of stock" -- and I had settled on this model from the Asus website...)
■Reasons I chose this: 1) the many Asus-specific features that will help a relatively inexperienced overclocker (as outlined in the very good review by Anand) 2) I liked the ability to crossfire and still have a PCIe x16 2.0 for an SSD or other card. 3) Also .. as silly as it is -- having bluetooth motherboard control from my iphone seems really cool. If it doesn't come available I may have to bump to a different model. Advice is welcome on this point.
MEMORY: (I am a noob when it comes to memory--advice may be needed here. I picked 2x4gb chips to give me more upgrade room)
currently leaning toward: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL8D-8GBXM
OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit 1-Pack for System Builders - OEM (i am finally ditching vista! -- can anyone think of a worthwhile reason for an average user to get professional or ultimate?)
Plans for my next upgrade: I know i need these items to balance the system, but would rather spread the expense (and excitement) out a little bit. I'll buy these over the next 6mo as I see good sales.
-1900x1080 or larger LED monitor
-A second 5770 for Xfire (if they get cheap enough)
-SSD boot drive
Thanks again for any feedback.
p.s. I spent time writing all this out, please only respond if you have taken the time to read my info.
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