Hi folks,
Decided it's finally time to upgrade my desktop now that I'm shipping off to college. Right now I'm running on a dated desktop that I built on a budget in 07 that has an AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ 2.6Ghz dual-core. Anything from the last couple years will probably feel like a significant upgrade. Recently installed a Radeon 5670 that I'm pretty content with though.
Here's what I'm looking for...
Approximate Purchase Date: Between now and Mid September
Budget Range: $500-600 (include Shipping and Tax)
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Schoolwork, Web Browsing/Music Streaming, Gaming, Video/Image Editing.
Are you buying a monitor: No.
Parts to Upgrade: CPU, PSU, Mobo, RAM. Maybe GPU.
Do you need to buy OS: No.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg/Amazon
Location: San Diego (Fry's is nearby)
Parts Preferences: MicroATX, Small Form Factor, Low Power Consumption
Overclocking: No.
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe. Hybrid Crossfire with Llano/Trinity interests me.
Your Monitor Resolution: Right now it's a 19" 1680 x 1050, but I'd like to upgrade to 23" 1920 x 1080 or 24" 1920 x 1200.
Additional Comments: I want this to be something to watch movies on, do schoolwork on, and play just about anything that comes out of Humble Indie Bundle on max settings. As for other games, I play the mmo City of Heroes and also use a few different emulators. I'd like to be able to play City of Heroes at max-Ultra settings if possible. Also, it's gotta be reasonably future-proof, so USB 3.0, SATA III and PCIe 3.0 are all a plus.
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Current system is full of obsolete tech and is too big. I want something that is fast and capable, looks sleek, and doesn't take up too much room. Like an HTPC with a little more processing oomph.
Here's a preliminary build for the new system:
CPU - Intel Core i5-3450
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116506
RAM - Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104262
GPU - XFX Radeon 5670 (reusing), but please suggest something new if it's within my price/psu range.
PSU - 300W included with Case.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817104075
Mobo - ASRock H77M
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157303
SSD - OCZ Agility 3 60GB Sata III
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227725
Case - Inwin BK644
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811108191
Decided it's finally time to upgrade my desktop now that I'm shipping off to college. Right now I'm running on a dated desktop that I built on a budget in 07 that has an AMD Athlon 64 X2 5200+ 2.6Ghz dual-core. Anything from the last couple years will probably feel like a significant upgrade. Recently installed a Radeon 5670 that I'm pretty content with though.
Here's what I'm looking for...
Approximate Purchase Date: Between now and Mid September
Budget Range: $500-600 (include Shipping and Tax)
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Schoolwork, Web Browsing/Music Streaming, Gaming, Video/Image Editing.
Are you buying a monitor: No.
Parts to Upgrade: CPU, PSU, Mobo, RAM. Maybe GPU.
Do you need to buy OS: No.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Newegg/Amazon
Location: San Diego (Fry's is nearby)
Parts Preferences: MicroATX, Small Form Factor, Low Power Consumption
Overclocking: No.
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe. Hybrid Crossfire with Llano/Trinity interests me.
Your Monitor Resolution: Right now it's a 19" 1680 x 1050, but I'd like to upgrade to 23" 1920 x 1080 or 24" 1920 x 1200.
Additional Comments: I want this to be something to watch movies on, do schoolwork on, and play just about anything that comes out of Humble Indie Bundle on max settings. As for other games, I play the mmo City of Heroes and also use a few different emulators. I'd like to be able to play City of Heroes at max-Ultra settings if possible. Also, it's gotta be reasonably future-proof, so USB 3.0, SATA III and PCIe 3.0 are all a plus.
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Current system is full of obsolete tech and is too big. I want something that is fast and capable, looks sleek, and doesn't take up too much room. Like an HTPC with a little more processing oomph.
Here's a preliminary build for the new system:
CPU - Intel Core i5-3450
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116506
RAM - Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104262
GPU - XFX Radeon 5670 (reusing), but please suggest something new if it's within my price/psu range.
PSU - 300W included with Case.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817104075
Mobo - ASRock H77M
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157303
SSD - OCZ Agility 3 60GB Sata III
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227725
Case - Inwin BK644
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811108191