Upgrade from xp

[drdoc]

OK, I’m leaving XP behind and moving on. Thus, I need to update my rig. The things I’d like to keep are:
2 Asus EN9600GT/HTDI/512M Geforce 9600GT 512MB GDDR3 pci express Videocards,

NZXT Nemesis Metal mid-tower case (with NZXT pf-500 watt power supply, I realize this is probably too low and welcome suggestions on a 750 watt power supply),

WD 300BGSATA-II 3.0 Gb/s 16M cache 7200 rpm hard drive,

Coolmaster liquid cpu cooling fan system + 2 extra case fans.

I do a lot of gaming so the motherboard and memory are important to me.
My first thought was:

ASUS P8P67 PRO (REV 3.0) LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor

CORSAIR XMS3 8GB (4 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666), (but maybe I only need 4GB?)

Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 64-bit

CORSAIR HX Series CMPSU-750HX 750W ATX12V 2.3 / EPS12V 2.91 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS SILVER Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

While I have opened the case and put parts in and taken parts out, I am definitely in the novice category. This will be my first upgrade/build. Please be gentle.

I think I have an unlimited budget, my wife does not. She keeps an eye on the credit card bills, so try not to get me in trouble.

I have been reading with interest the suggestions made by the responders to VERY Novice (1st Time Builder) Please help! for Dardore. I must say the generosity of time and the well reasoned responses makes me confident I have come to the right place to seek advice.

 

[striker410]

Hi Doc,

Good first draft you have there! It needs a few changes, but not bad...

First thing I'm going to point out is, those video cards just won't get the job done. I would suggest something like a HIS H695FN2G2M Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit
It will give you a HUGE boost to gaming, and would round off the rest of your system.

The next obvious thing is the power supply. You really don't need 750w unless you want to crossfire or SLI some real mean cards. Do you have plans to use high end dual vid cards?

Also, switch the ram to some of G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 4GB
or if you want 8gb, this G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB

Case is a personal preference, and I think that nemesis is just plain ugly. Check out this COOLER MASTER HAF 922

also, swap the HDD to a Samsung Spinpoint f3 1TB . Much larger and faster than your other one.

Also, could you link the specific CPU cooler?

Hope this helps!

 

[drdoc]

Thank you Striker.

The CPU cooler is a Cool Master Aquagate mini RLMUAE8U1 (R80). I'm reasonably sure they are not made anymore.

I will agree, the case is no beauty, it will not take first place at the county fair. OK maybe in the swine division. But its what I got. I'd rather put the $50-$60 in a performance part.

Regarding the vid cards. Are you suggesting the new ones, because my current ones just will not work? (Remember I'm the guy with the noob sign on his back)

I went with the 750w in anticipation of upgrading in the future. Same way with the 8 GB memory.

 

[striker410]

Your 9600gt's may work, but they will be a bottleneck to the rest of the system. I would really suggest a better card, as the one's you have would limit the performance of the machine. Your call though.
And I must suggest a different case. the one you picked, will, It's giving me an evil glare lol.
check out the COOLER MASTER HAF 912 It's a simple design, but it's got glowing reviews and a ton of space and cooling.

Hope this helps!

Edit: I hope you noticed the difference between the ram i suggested and the ram you chose. The one I recommend is 1600MHz, which will offer a small performance boost.

 

[drdoc]

Best answer selected by drdoc.