My first post here. So hi to all! (The preferred format is at the bottom.) Thanks for all the help!
I have been a PC gamer since the 90s. I have built several rigs but lately I just have no time to research or keep up like I used to, due to work. I have read a lot today especially about PCI express 3.0, but it just made me realize how much behind I am.
Primary use is PC gaming on a 27" monitor or on a 40" HDTV. I have a budget of up to $1k if I go with a new build. I would also very much like to see some comments about what else could I do that would improve my current system with only a few $100s... so I can delay the new build. I am scratching my head about win8. That could be one reason to delay a new build. If I don't get 30% or more of a performance increase I would not want to spend the $1k right now. If I could just spend a little here or there, I would rather do that and have a new build in 6 months to a year.
My current build from late 2009 is this (just replaced a GTX275 with the GTX670):
Case (I will keep this... love it):
COOLER MASTER Storm Sniper SGC-6000-KXN1-GP Black Steel, ABS Plastic, Mesh bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119194
OS (need a new copy... or wait for win8?... ouch win8):
Win 7 Home Premium 64x OEM.
Motherboard (I love this board but only 3GB/sec and no SLI):
ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131402
CPU (Can I put in a FX-4170? AM3 vs AM3+?):
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103674
Memory (May be 2x4 would be better... very cheap upgrade):
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193
Video Card (This will stay):
GIGABYTE GV-N670OC-2GD GeForce GTX 670 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125423
Sound Card (Will need to go. I will use onboard and get rid of my surround. Too many cables.):
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102188
PSU (This will stay until I buy another 670 for SLI):
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021&Tpk=corsair%20tx750w
Hard drive (I would like to get this upgraded but I can live with it for another year...):
(I have 3 of these but none in RAID) Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073
Monitor (This will stay... I love it):
SAMSUNG P2770FH ToC Rose Black 27" 1ms Full HD HDMI LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 DC 70,000:1 (1,000:1)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001431
(Also a 40" Samsung HDTV on HDMI... mostly used for F1 2011)
... So after spending some time reading Tom's, Newegg, and other sites my dilemma is this:
I just bought a GTX670 because the GTX275 was starting to run into problems. My monitor native is 1920x1080 and with that resolution I could not max out any new games. I needed that. With the Borderlands 2 for free promo, it was a nobrainer. So I have that. So do I really need a new build? Should I just buy a better AMD CPU, then up the RAM to 8 gig, and forget about the mobo and Hard Drive.
The rest of the system is still decent, the only thing that got me thinking was load times. I have been thinking about buying this Raptor for a long time:
Western Digital VelociRaptor WD6000HLHX 600GB 10000 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136555
... BUT my current motherboard is not 6.0Gb/s!!! It makes no sense without getting a new motherboard. BUT that means another Win7 when Win8 is around the corner. But if I do all that, I might as well just buy a new CPU as well... So now we are talking about a new build.
It seems my current CPU compared to most AMDs is not a ton behind, so I figured IF I do a new build I would have to go Intel this time or else I am not getting a significant improvement. Am I right? Please comment.
So my new build would be this:
Motherboard:
ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131821
CPU:
Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504
(also considering Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz)
I would upgrade the RAM as well not sure which to get. The GTX670, PSU, Case would stay. I would buy the Velociraptor. I would also get rid of the creative sound card and just use built in audio.
All that above is about $850-1000 depending on the CPU and RAM.
So what do you think?
>>>>>> to follow the preferred format >>>>>>
Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: this week
Budget Range: &800-1000 After Shipping
System Usage from Most to Least Important: (e.g.: gaming, surfing the internet, home office)
Are you buying a monitor: No
Parts to Upgrade: (e.g.: CPU, mobo, RAM?, Hard Drive)
Do you need to buy OS: Yes
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com
Location: West Palm Beach, FL, USA
Parts Preferences: by brand or type (e.g.: I like ASUS but I will consider ohers for mobo, I like both AMD and Intel for CPU)
Overclocking: Probably not but I have done it before. I just don' have the time lately.
SLI or Crossfire: Yes... eventually
Your Monitor Resolution: (1920x1080)
Additional Comments: (e.g.: All new games are a go. Looking forward to Xcom, Dishonored, FarCry 3, Metro Light or whatever, COD Black Ops 2, Civ V I play a lot, Skyrim, etc... I HATE NOISE! Parts that are quiet are a must.)
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I am upgrading only if I can see a significant performance boost in gaming. My current rig feels still pretty solid, except for load times.
I have been a PC gamer since the 90s. I have built several rigs but lately I just have no time to research or keep up like I used to, due to work. I have read a lot today especially about PCI express 3.0, but it just made me realize how much behind I am.
Primary use is PC gaming on a 27" monitor or on a 40" HDTV. I have a budget of up to $1k if I go with a new build. I would also very much like to see some comments about what else could I do that would improve my current system with only a few $100s... so I can delay the new build. I am scratching my head about win8. That could be one reason to delay a new build. If I don't get 30% or more of a performance increase I would not want to spend the $1k right now. If I could just spend a little here or there, I would rather do that and have a new build in 6 months to a year.
My current build from late 2009 is this (just replaced a GTX275 with the GTX670):
Case (I will keep this... love it):
COOLER MASTER Storm Sniper SGC-6000-KXN1-GP Black Steel, ABS Plastic, Mesh bezel ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119194
OS (need a new copy... or wait for win8?... ouch win8):
Win 7 Home Premium 64x OEM.
Motherboard (I love this board but only 3GB/sec and no SLI):
ASUS M4A79XTD EVO AM3 AMD 790X ATX AMD
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131402
CPU (Can I put in a FX-4170? AM3 vs AM3+?):
AMD Phenom II X4 955 Black Edition Deneb 3.2GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103674
Memory (May be 2x4 would be better... very cheap upgrade):
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Dual Channel Kit
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231193
Video Card (This will stay):
GIGABYTE GV-N670OC-2GD GeForce GTX 670 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Supported
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125423
Sound Card (Will need to go. I will use onboard and get rid of my surround. Too many cables.):
Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic 7.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16829102188
PSU (This will stay until I buy another 670 for SLI):
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139021&Tpk=corsair%20tx750w
Hard drive (I would like to get this upgraded but I can live with it for another year...):
(I have 3 of these but none in RAID) Western Digital Caviar Blue WD5000AAKS 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136073
Monitor (This will stay... I love it):
SAMSUNG P2770FH ToC Rose Black 27" 1ms Full HD HDMI LCD Monitor 300 cd/m2 DC 70,000:1 (1,000:1)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824001431
(Also a 40" Samsung HDTV on HDMI... mostly used for F1 2011)
... So after spending some time reading Tom's, Newegg, and other sites my dilemma is this:
I just bought a GTX670 because the GTX275 was starting to run into problems. My monitor native is 1920x1080 and with that resolution I could not max out any new games. I needed that. With the Borderlands 2 for free promo, it was a nobrainer. So I have that. So do I really need a new build? Should I just buy a better AMD CPU, then up the RAM to 8 gig, and forget about the mobo and Hard Drive.
The rest of the system is still decent, the only thing that got me thinking was load times. I have been thinking about buying this Raptor for a long time:
Western Digital VelociRaptor WD6000HLHX 600GB 10000 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136555
... BUT my current motherboard is not 6.0Gb/s!!! It makes no sense without getting a new motherboard. BUT that means another Win7 when Win8 is around the corner. But if I do all that, I might as well just buy a new CPU as well... So now we are talking about a new build.
It seems my current CPU compared to most AMDs is not a ton behind, so I figured IF I do a new build I would have to go Intel this time or else I am not getting a significant improvement. Am I right? Please comment.
So my new build would be this:
Motherboard:
ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131821
CPU:
Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116504
(also considering Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge 3.5GHz)
I would upgrade the RAM as well not sure which to get. The GTX670, PSU, Case would stay. I would buy the Velociraptor. I would also get rid of the creative sound card and just use built in audio.
All that above is about $850-1000 depending on the CPU and RAM.
So what do you think?
>>>>>> to follow the preferred format >>>>>>
Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: this week
Budget Range: &800-1000 After Shipping
System Usage from Most to Least Important: (e.g.: gaming, surfing the internet, home office)
Are you buying a monitor: No
Parts to Upgrade: (e.g.: CPU, mobo, RAM?, Hard Drive)
Do you need to buy OS: Yes
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com
Location: West Palm Beach, FL, USA
Parts Preferences: by brand or type (e.g.: I like ASUS but I will consider ohers for mobo, I like both AMD and Intel for CPU)
Overclocking: Probably not but I have done it before. I just don' have the time lately.
SLI or Crossfire: Yes... eventually
Your Monitor Resolution: (1920x1080)
Additional Comments: (e.g.: All new games are a go. Looking forward to Xcom, Dishonored, FarCry 3, Metro Light or whatever, COD Black Ops 2, Civ V I play a lot, Skyrim, etc... I HATE NOISE! Parts that are quiet are a must.)
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I am upgrading only if I can see a significant performance boost in gaming. My current rig feels still pretty solid, except for load times.
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