Here is what I currently have:
Tower: COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P AM3 DDR3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard
GPU: SAPPHIRE 100269SR Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
PSU: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
CPU: AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor HDZ720WFGIBOX
MEM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL8D-4GBHK
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
CPU COOLER: XIGMATEK Intel Core i7 compatible Dark Knight-S1283V REV.W with ACK-I5361 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler I7 i5 775 1155 and AMD compatible
This system was built back in early '09 with gaming as the focus. I have been wanting to upgrade for a while, but haven't been able to convince my wife that my computer NEEDS upgrading and my quality of life depends on it until recently. As much as I've tried to stay with AMD, I'm going back with Intel for now due to their extreme performance advantage.
So here's what I'm wanting upgrade and approximate budget. CPU (and MoBo since mine is AMD now), GPU, and possibly getting a SSD for OS/primary game I'm playing at any time. I'd also like to get to 8 GB of RAM. My budget is currently $600-$900 (top end of range could cause marital strife). Here is what I've been thinking after doing some forum browsing regarding latest parts.
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor ($224.99)
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard ($121.99)
MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II 2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 ($249.99 after mail-in rebate card)
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model ($46.99)
I'm at $644 right there, with the possibility of adding this:
OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)($129.99 after mail-in rebate card)
$773.95 total which might not necessitate me sleeping on the couch for a week or so.
I wanted to get some input on this, especially in regards to my current case, PSU, and GPU. I'm not sure if my 650W will be enough, although I suspect it will. Also, whats the best way to tell if the card will fit in my case? How about the memory with those spreader? Will it be an issue with the MoBO and the card slots? And finally, I'm not real sure about the SSD. Any help is much appreciated!!
Tower: COOLER MASTER RC-690-KKN1-GP Black SECC/ ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Mobo: GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P AM3 DDR3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard
GPU: SAPPHIRE 100269SR Radeon HD 4890 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
PSU: CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply
CPU: AMD Phenom II X3 720 2.8GHz Socket AM3 95W Triple-Core Black Processor HDZ720WFGIBOX
MEM: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL8D-4GBHK
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black WD6401AALS 640GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
CPU COOLER: XIGMATEK Intel Core i7 compatible Dark Knight-S1283V REV.W with ACK-I5361 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler I7 i5 775 1155 and AMD compatible
This system was built back in early '09 with gaming as the focus. I have been wanting to upgrade for a while, but haven't been able to convince my wife that my computer NEEDS upgrading and my quality of life depends on it until recently. As much as I've tried to stay with AMD, I'm going back with Intel for now due to their extreme performance advantage.
So here's what I'm wanting upgrade and approximate budget. CPU (and MoBo since mine is AMD now), GPU, and possibly getting a SSD for OS/primary game I'm playing at any time. I'd also like to get to 8 GB of RAM. My budget is currently $600-$900 (top end of range could cause marital strife). Here is what I've been thinking after doing some forum browsing regarding latest parts.
Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor ($224.99)
ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard ($121.99)
MSI N560GTX-Ti Twin Frozr II 2GD5/OC GeForce GTX 560 Ti (Fermi) 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 ($249.99 after mail-in rebate card)
G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model ($46.99)
I'm at $644 right there, with the possibility of adding this:
OCZ Agility 3 AGT3-25SAT3-120G 2.5" 120GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)($129.99 after mail-in rebate card)
$773.95 total which might not necessitate me sleeping on the couch for a week or so.
I wanted to get some input on this, especially in regards to my current case, PSU, and GPU. I'm not sure if my 650W will be enough, although I suspect it will. Also, whats the best way to tell if the card will fit in my case? How about the memory with those spreader? Will it be an issue with the MoBO and the card slots? And finally, I'm not real sure about the SSD. Any help is much appreciated!!