Contemplating New Build

[coreymcdonald855]

Hey all! Just looking for some advice on building a budget gamer. Details below.

Approximate Purchase Date: Within a month.

Budget Range: ~$500 After rebates and shipping

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming>gaming>gaming>streaming videos

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: I would like to recycle as much as I can. I will be using a mid-size Antec case (not sure exactly which one) w/ a 750w supply unless it is absolutely necessary to switch. After staring into the box for 2 minutes, that's all I'll be keeping.

Do you need to buy OS: I intend to use Ubuntu, unless anyone objects to that with a reasonable argument.

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Most economical/recommended

Location: Carbondale, Il, USA

Parts Preferences: Whatever you all think is best, because I haven't a clue.

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe (in the future)

Your Monitor Resolution: 1440x900 (likely to get better when I can afford it)

Additional Comments: I will be playing CSS, Civ: 5, Fallout, and Skyrim. I would, at the least, love to crank out some decent games on Civ. It has been notoriously laggy on larger maps, so I have yet to fully experience the game. Also, I will begin using Creo Parametric 1.0 on this build, which I hear can be quite demanding. I should mention that the ability to upgrade is high priority.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: Recent driver issues that are most likely the result of hardware problems, specifically my mobo.

 

[J_E_D_70]

Read the cover article on a $600 build, read the comments section for other viewpoints, then see which of your parts (look like most) are reusable.

 

[g-unit1111]

What PSU do you have / are planning to use?

For $500 I'd suggest this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($76.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 500GB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon HD 7850 1GB Video Card ($159.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $529.95
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-02-27 12:53 EST-0500)

 

[coreymcdonald855]

I'd like to retain my current PSU. Also, I have a WD3200KS. After comparing the suggested HD (WD5000AAKX), I'm wondering if I would be better off putting that money into something else, perhaps a better GPU. Thoughts?

 

[g-unit1111]

I'd like to retain my current PSU. Also, I have a WD3200KS. After comparing the suggested HD (WD5000AAKX), I'm wondering if I would be better off putting that money into something else, perhaps a better GPU. Thoughts?

Yeah get a Radeon 7870 XT.

 

[coreymcdonald855]

F'ing computer realized I was upgrading, so it decided to BSOD a few times before letting me back on. Anyway, I have a concern about the HD. I want to format it (has W7 now) prior to installing in the new build, but outside of Windows 7 repair/reinstall disks, I'm not sure how to do that. Is it possible through BIOS?

 

[g-unit1111]

F'ing computer realized I was upgrading, so it decided to BSOD a few times before letting me back on. Anyway, I have a concern about the HD. I want to format it (has W7 now) prior to installing in the new build, but outside of Windows 7 repair/reinstall disks, I'm not sure how to do that. Is it possible through BIOS?

I'm not sure what you mean. When you change out the hardware you will be required to reinstall Windows. It's mainly due to driver conflicts. You will need your Windows system disk when you are rebuilding.

 

[coreymcdonald855]

I plan on never paying for an OS again, if I can manage. You answered my question, though. I'll boot from my Ubuntu USB and install over W7 in the new build. Check. Also, I compared your selection with some others. I love it, great reviews and such. I ordered yesterday and I'll post on Friday when I get it together.

 

[coreymcdonald855]

Sorry for the late update. I ran into trouble with Ubuntu and haven't had a chance to push the new rig, yet. Once I have mouse controls and network identification, I'll let ya'll know.

UPDATE: Turns out the one thing I didn't replace was the one thing that was bad. Got a new 500 GB drive, everything is working great. Installing games and such now.