What to upgrade for Christmas?

[tiny voices]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/mWOf

This is what I currently am using as my main computer. Its not too special at all but it gets the job done. I mostly play minecraft/ skyrim/ SC2, and use it for school work at college. My question to you, is what would you upgrade on this system if you have the chance for a free upgrade or two? I never ask for anything for Christmas from my parents and they have told me they would like me to list a few things aside from my one big gift (new tires, and air compressor for my suspension setup on my Volkswagen).

To clarify a few things:

I pulled the HDD from an external enclosure. (why its a slower drive) I also have a 160gb 7200rpm drive sitting around. I can always move my OS to that one if it makes sense to do so. The 160gb drive is only 1.5gbs and the caviar green is 3.0gbs. I don't know if that makes any difference or is moving the OS would be a good idea or not. Would like some input here as well.

I don't really have a need for a SSD because my computer is generally always on and boot times aren't something I am really concerned with.

The CPU is overclocked at 3.7ghz on stock cooler. Any more and it would probably fry. Might ask for an aftermarket cooler. options?

Basically i would like some input on some $0-$70 upgrades and maybe one or two $70-$120 upgrades.

Thanks!

 

[wanderer11]

I would recommend a better psu and gpu, but that would cost more than $120. Buy a coolermaster 212 evo to OC your cpu some more ~$30. I really don't have any other ideas for $70-$120. A third monitor maybe?

 

[cbrunnem]

Um I disagree with the power supply that is a quality power supply and can handle most single gpu setups as long as you keep that CPU or move to an Intel cpu. If you upgrade the gpu make sure it's a new gen one so you stay under 450watts.

 

[tiny voices]

The GPU is new and it does everything I need it to do so its staying for a while. Any input on the HDD situation?

 

[tiny voices]

I was mistaken, the 160gb drive is also 3gbs

 

[jjhuang42]

the only item in that budget ($120ish) that I'd recommend swapping out is the hard drive. Your HDD's are both SATA II, which is fine since your motherboard only has SATA II controllers. Butyou could get a PCIe to SATA III add on card for $30-40 (but it'll only be up to 5Gb/s, not the full 6).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815256005

A 250-320GB 7200rpm HDD SATA III 6.0Gb/s can be had for $60, or bump up to 10,000rpm for $100. More than enough space for OS, apps, and games. You can always use your older 2TB as a secondary data drive for movies, music, etc.

The HDD is almost always the slowest cog in the case. In your situation, it is - that's where I'd spend your upgrade dollars.

 

[mousseng]

Some things that would be nice to have:

- A CPU cooler. If you don't want to spend a lot, the Hyper 212 EVO is a good choice; if you want a little more cooling, the TPC-812 is one of the best air coolers on the market.

- A solid-state drive. I'd pick either a Samsung 830 or OCZ Vertex 4. 128GB would be a good capacity, letting you load up your OS and some games and applications. Edit: Missed that bit in your original post. It would still be a nice investment - boot times & load times for anything installed on it (not just the OS) would be drastically reduced, and even ignoring OS boot times, your computer would feel much snappier (especially explorer.exe).

- A sound card (or sound system). It seems the general consensus at Tom's is that they're completely worthless, but that really depends on how sensitive you are to quality sound. There's plenty of great sub-$50 sound cards.

- A new power supply could be a good option if you plan on some heavy expanding soon, but I get the feeling you're not.

- Maybe a new motherboard? Potentially better overclocking, newer chipset and features, more room for expansion. You've got plenty of options spanning a large range of prices.

 

[tiny voices]

Will the hyper 212 EVO get in the way of my RAM?

 

[mousseng]

It could, and most other coolers likely would as well. You could also opt for a new memory kit - Newegg's had a few deals on memory lately, with high-performance, low-profile kits as low as $30.

 

[odiervr]

Thoughts (since you asked):

1. Aftermarket Cooler: Coolermaster 212 Evo. $30. The fan is attached in such a way that you can move it up (and out of the way) of your RAM if it's a problem.
2. Given your pricerange. SSD. No lower that 120 GB. I'd consider Intel 330, Samsung 830, and Crucial M4. The Intel and Samsung both have newer versions recently released - so these models should be a little cheaper soon. All three of these are very reliable.

Yes, you don't 'need' an SSD, but since I've owned one - I will NEVER return to the HDD. It's that much of a difference.

 

[jjhuang42]

Thoughts (since you asked):

1. Aftermarket Cooler: Coolermaster 212 Evo. $30. The fan is attached in such a way that you can move it up (and out of the way) of your RAM if it's a problem.
2. Given your pricerange. SSD. No lower that 120 GB. I'd consider Intel 330, Samsung 830, and Crucial M4. The Intel and Samsung both have newer versions recently released - so these models should be a little cheaper soon. All three of these are very reliable.

Yes, you don't 'need' an SSD, but since I've owned one - I will NEVER return to the HDD. It's that much of a difference.

I agree - I love my SSD; probably has improved my PC the most other than the GPU upgrade. But I'm limited by the SATAII controller on my motherboard, same as you. I wanted to use the PCIe to SATAIII add on card, but my PCIe slot is covered by the mammoth GPU. Still, you'll max out the SATAII and you'll notice much faster boot up and application launches/operations.

 

[tiny voices]

Will there be a noticeable difference between a 2tb 5400rpm 32mb cache 3.0gbs drive and a 160gb 7200rpm 8mb cache 3.0gbs drive?

 

[jjhuang42]

Will there be a noticeable difference between a 2tb 5400rpm 32mb cache 3.0gbs drive and a 160gb 7200rpm 8mb cache 3.0gbs drive?

no, not really. one's not an upgrade to the other; I recommended upgrading to a new one entirely and use the 2TB as a secondary drive. you could use the 160gb as an external drive.

 

[MotherFerJones]

Yes, i did read the part about you not wanting an SSD, but that would be the best route for you. SSD's offer near zero LOAD times in anything you put on them, games load faster, applications open instantaneously, and the general OS environment will be snappy. As you can see there are more benefits to SSD's than just fast boot times, i cant imagine you like load screens in video games, SSD's kill them.

Samsung 830 128GB is on sale on NE for $90, which is a stellar deal for such a beast.

 

[ittimjones]

Nice headset?

Corsair H60 and OC that B!?!?!

Other than those two things, the biggest prlm w/ ur rig is that it's AMD, I'm sure that if you put an Intel sticker on the case it would bring FPS up by about 10.