Planning for a build around October...wait or...?

Hayde · Sep 13, 2011

Hey guys,

I'm starting to plan for a new computer build sometime around the middle of next month; the question is...are there any major CPU/GPU upgrades coming out this winter that I should hold off for? I'm aiming for a mid-range gaming rig around $700-1000USD...

It does not have to play things on ultra (and probably won't, considering that price range) but being able to crank settings on medium-high would definitely be a plus. The problem with my budget is that I'm currently on a laptop and I've been on a laptop for the past 3 years with my college experience and all that.

I'm finally going to settle in a permanent spot soon and I want to consider having the luxury of a spacious (and upgradable) desktop.

If there any major upgrades coming out this winter, or something that may potentially reduce the current price of items...I don't mind holding off until Black Friday, as my laptop is completely functional for what it's worth.

I'm completely out of the whole latest gadgets loop, so I have no idea if Intel is releasing their ivy-bridge setups any time soon, or if NVidia/AMD planned for additional line-up's of GPU's this Christmas...

I understand that hardware gets rolled out every few months, but if there's going to be something major coming out this Holiday, I definitely don't mind waiting another month or so if that's what it takes. What do you guys think?

cmcghee358 · Sep 13, 2011

Yes the next gen of AMD CPUs will be coming out in Q4. I would wait. Especially considering your budget.

r0aringdrag0n · Sep 13, 2011

Yes, AMD is releasing its "FX" series CPUs, which will sport the 32nm manufacturing process, which is rumored to be as fast, if not faster than the current "Sandy Bridge" Intel CPUs. I would wait to see if the FX CPUs are really better than Sandy Bridge. If it is, you may consider upgrading, or waiting around next year for the new Intel "Ivy Bridge" CPU line.

ervinelim · Sep 13, 2011

Yes, the amd new CPUs are coming out either this week or next week.

Hayde · Oct 24, 2011

Hey guys, hope this isn't considered a "necro"--but I thought I'd just reply to this since my question relates to the original intent of the thread.

Okay, so October has just about come and past, and I've decided to go hold off on my purchase until the first week of December; let's just say I splurged on a few things and now I wish to cushion my balance before making any more silly purchases.

I have read the AMD Bulldozer reviews and...well, for the most part they seem abysmal or at least for my purpose, which is a gaming rig. It seems even their best core--8150 was arguably losing to the 2500k in many categories on the benchmark testing.

So with that mind, I've decided to up my minimum spending budget to $800, and still *ideally* cap myself around $1000 if possible--I might be willing to go a bit more if it's justified. I've been looking around places like CyberpowerPC and iBuypower because it seems from many threads here that these companies are starting to be able to compete with Newegg prices and thus the original argument of being able to build things yourself cheaper...is slowly going out the window.

At this point, I'm not really sure how I should build. It seems like based on my range of purchase--that is, December I should not be facing any new hardware with the delay of Nvidia 600 series...and I haven't heard much AMD's Radeon site either. The only thing I'm really locking myself onto is either an i5 2500k or an i7 2600k. Based on my budget, it probably makes more sense to go into an i5 and upgrade down the road as necessary.

As for GPU's, it looks like the 560Ti or 6950 would be my maximum comfort range, although I have been eyeing the 570 as a potential; that would likely mean my budget of 1000 would be crossed though.

Remember that the only thing I'm carrying over is basically speakers and a mouse; I have not owned a physical desktop in the last 6 or 7 years, so I don't have a hard drive or DVD drive to bring with me. That being said, my specified budget is going to strictly anything within the tower; I already set aside money for a monitor, keyboard, and other pieces so don't worry about accounting for those.

Other than what I specified, I have no idea what I should choose for parts; any suggestions or even a build list would be wonderful. My goals are basically the same; I would like to crank my settings as high as they can go, and I would settle for medium-high as necessary, though I know I'm not realistically going to get ultra settings on newer games given my budget. I can always upgrade later down the year as need be.

Thanks in advance!

ScrewySqrl · Oct 24, 2011

ScrewySqrl · Oct 24, 2011

oh ewait. you need windows and a Monitor.

you can add Windows for $95 (combo with the case) and a 1920x1080 monitor for about $110, with pushes you up to the $1000 mark

or keep them and trim most of the system back -- Drop the Cooler: $0, i5-2400 + 8 GB: $220, H61M/U3S3: $70, HD 6850: $145, and Corsair CX430: $45, which trims $175 off the old price, adds back $205, and makes it $818 shipped.

I BuyPower and Cyberpower are good, but you still end up with a better quality parts for your money building it yourself (mostly in the PSU at the low end), and save usually $200-500 over their builds, $1000 or more from alienware

Hayde · Oct 24, 2011

ScrewySqrl :

Don't worry about the monitor or windows in this case; the budget is purely on the tower itself

Thanks for the first build though! I'll look into it now.

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Planning for a build around October...wait or...?

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