- May 18, 2013
- 4
- 0
- 10,510
Approximate Purchase Date: e.g.: Next month or so, longer if that helps
Budget Range: $800-$1200+ (not including the SSD, which I already have)
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Everything, including gaming
Are you buying a monitor: No
Parts to Upgrade: Everything new except SSD, mouse/keyboard, monitor, and OS
Do you need to buy OS: No
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Don't care. There is a Microcenter down the street, if that helps.
Location: Somerville, MA
Parts Preferences: Intel. Other than that, I don't care.
Overclocking: Maybe (never done it, but would)
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe (never done it, but would)
Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1200
Additional Comments: Quiet would be nice, but only as a tiebreaker. Mostly looking for good performance/$ and for no one component to be way ahead or behind the others.
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I recently won a Samsung 840 Pro 512GB SSD, but my current machine is old enough that it only has SATA2. So that's the starting point, and here's as far as I've gotten (the prices are all the current best prices, but I'm sure with a month or three of watching, most can be had for ~10% less):
CPU
Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor
$209.99
This seems like the current best value processor out there, and the price is often less than this so a little waiting might save $20+, right?
CPU Cooler
Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler
$59.99
No idea. This one seemed quiet and passable. Any recommendations?
Motherboard
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
$134.99
Not really sure what to look for in a Motherboard. This one has SLI and plenty of RAM and SATA3 slots, and seems decent for overclocking (which I've never done) without breaking the bank. Plus, it comes with the RAM stick below on Newegg (or it can be combined with the CPU at Microcenter for ~$55 less total after tax, but with no RAM). Any obviously better options?
Memory
Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
$0.00
This comes with the Motherboard on Newegg currently, otherwise I might have gone with something else. Any reason not to go with this?
Storage
Samsung 840 Pro Series 512GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
(already have)
Video Card
EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card
$187.99
This card seems like it fits with the rest of the build, and is at a good performance/$ value point.
Case
Antec Three Hundred Illusion ATX Mid Tower Case
$70.98
Definitely open for suggestions.
Power Supply
SeaSonic 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
$116.98
This is one I really don't know how to select. 650W seems like overkill for this build, but is it worth planning for upgrades? How important is having a modular power supply?
Optical Drive
Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer
$17.98
Anything stick out as being way over or under powered for the rest of this build? Anything incompatible? Or any advice at all, really, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Budget Range: $800-$1200+ (not including the SSD, which I already have)
System Usage from Most to Least Important: Everything, including gaming
Are you buying a monitor: No
Parts to Upgrade: Everything new except SSD, mouse/keyboard, monitor, and OS
Do you need to buy OS: No
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: Don't care. There is a Microcenter down the street, if that helps.
Location: Somerville, MA
Parts Preferences: Intel. Other than that, I don't care.
Overclocking: Maybe (never done it, but would)
SLI or Crossfire: Maybe (never done it, but would)
Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1200
Additional Comments: Quiet would be nice, but only as a tiebreaker. Mostly looking for good performance/$ and for no one component to be way ahead or behind the others.
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I recently won a Samsung 840 Pro 512GB SSD, but my current machine is old enough that it only has SATA2. So that's the starting point, and here's as far as I've gotten (the prices are all the current best prices, but I'm sure with a month or three of watching, most can be had for ~10% less):
CPU
Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor
$209.99
This seems like the current best value processor out there, and the price is often less than this so a little waiting might save $20+, right?
CPU Cooler
Noctua NH-U9B SE2 37.9 CFM CPU Cooler
$59.99
No idea. This one seemed quiet and passable. Any recommendations?
Motherboard
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
$134.99
Not really sure what to look for in a Motherboard. This one has SLI and plenty of RAM and SATA3 slots, and seems decent for overclocking (which I've never done) without breaking the bank. Plus, it comes with the RAM stick below on Newegg (or it can be combined with the CPU at Microcenter for ~$55 less total after tax, but with no RAM). Any obviously better options?
Memory
Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
$0.00
This comes with the Motherboard on Newegg currently, otherwise I might have gone with something else. Any reason not to go with this?
Storage
Samsung 840 Pro Series 512GB 2.5" Solid State Disk
(already have)
Video Card
EVGA GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card
$187.99
This card seems like it fits with the rest of the build, and is at a good performance/$ value point.
Case
Antec Three Hundred Illusion ATX Mid Tower Case
$70.98
Definitely open for suggestions.
Power Supply
SeaSonic 650W 80 PLUS Gold Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply
$116.98
This is one I really don't know how to select. 650W seems like overkill for this build, but is it worth planning for upgrades? How important is having a modular power supply?
Optical Drive
Lite-On iHAS124-04 DVD/CD Writer
$17.98
Anything stick out as being way over or under powered for the rest of this build? Anything incompatible? Or any advice at all, really, would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
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