New build advice plz, used the template

[Marking]

Approximate Purchase Date: ( Dec 2011)

Budget Range: ($1500 - $2000) I wanted to say lower but know that is not feasible.

System Usage: (gaming most important... surfing the internet, watching movies)

Parts Not Required: ( keyboard, mouse, monitor, speakers, I have Tagan BZ Series 700W psu and windows 7 home premium do i have to purchase windows again? I have a GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Video Card too unless I should replace it.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com,

Country: USA

Parts Preferences: by brand or type (e.g.: I would like to use an Intel Core i7 or i5 CPU

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: undecided

Monitor Resolution: 1680x1050

Additional Comments: ( I built a comp in 2007 I had help figuring out which parts to order) if I can resue any of these parts it would be good. I replaced the ASUS MB with the GIGABYTE one but I think that was not the problem si it's still good.
12/4/2007
WD Caviar SE16 WD3200KSRTL 320GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive

LITE-ON 20X DVD±R DVD Burner with 12X DVD-RAM write and LightScribe Technology Black E-IDE/ATAPI Model LH-20A1H-185 LightScribe ... - OEM

ZALMAN CNPS9500 AT 2 Ball CPU Cooling Fan/Heatsink

BFG Tech BFGR88640GTSOC2E GeForce 8800 GTS 640MB 320-bit GDDR3 PCI Express x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

ASUS MAXIMUS FORMULA LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard

APEVIA X-CRUISER-BK Black Steel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

CORSAIR XMS2 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model TWIN2X2048-6400C4

Intel Core 2 Duo E6850 Conroe 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor BX80557E6850

ABS Tagan BZ Series BZ700 700W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Patent Piperock ..

11/18/2009

GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard

 

[cutebeans]

i5-2500k $210 ( tigerdirect)
Asrock Extreme3 $125
Seagate Barracuda 500gb $85 (amazon)
G.skill Ripjaws 8gb DDR3 1600 $44
GTX 570 $300+
Corsair CX600 $70
Haf 932 $140

No need to replace your OS. It's still good.

 

[clarkjd]

Purchasing Windows again depends on the type of license you originally bought. If it was an OEM license, then Yes you need a new copy. If it was a retail, then you should be able to transfer the license.

 

[Marking]

Hi Thanks for replies!

Pardon me for asking but since I am a newb at knowing these things I must ask. That build that cutebeans listed is it WAY WAY better than the computer I have already? Is it $1000 better? I don't wanna build one that is only a little better. If I go to all the expense and trouble to build one I would like it to be really really better than the one I am using that I listed in the template above. thanks

 

[Kronk42583]

As far as gaming, the new parts listed are going to play modern games at nice frame rates, which yours is probably going to struggle a bit. Use toms "best X for the money" articles. They are a huge help. The i5 2500k is considered the most powerful CPU needed for gaming. I went with and amd phenom 2 955 BE and simply changed the multiplier in my bios to 18x from 16 and got a nice 400mhz boost. I use threaded apps a lot so the quad core was nice and they sell around $110 now. I prefer not to mess with sli/crossfire if I don't have to. I got a $250 radeon 6950 and it's awesome, I can always add a second later when they come down in price. I play at 1080p, so it will probably just murder your games at 1680x1050. Ripjaws ram is good and super cheap now. I think I saw 8gb for just under $50 on newegg. Newest purchase for me was an ssd. I bought a corsair force 3 180gb which is plenty big enough for my OS and apps, and I use an old cheap hdd for media storage. It's a huge upgrade and almost eliminates load times in games. Highly recommend looking in to one. 128gb seems to be the bang for your buck size.
My rig:
Antec 300 case $60
PSU. Seasonic 650w gold. $110
CPU amd phenom 2 x4 955BE. $110
Mobo. Asrock 970 extreme 4 $100
Ssd corsair force 3 180. $250
Hdd WD caviar black 640. $50
Ram. Gskill ripjaws 4x2gb $50
Radeon 6960. $250
$980 total.

There are certainly faster computers out there I'm sure, but mine is blazing fast at most things. I'd recommend getting a modern motherboard so you can upgrade it in the future, rather than Have to do complete rebuilds every few years. Gaming at that lower resolution also doesn't require quite as much power.

Lastly I got a cooler master hyper 212+ CPU cooler. It's nice and big and quiet, keeps temps way down, even with my moderate overclock.

 

[cutebeans]

Hi Thanks for replies!

Pardon me for asking but since I am a newb at knowing these things I must ask. That build that cutebeans listed is it WAY WAY better than the computer I have already? Is it $1000 better? I don't wanna build one that is only a little better. If I go to all the expense and trouble to build one I would like it to be really really better than the one I am using that I listed in the template above. thanks

Yeah, it is really really better than the one you're using.