The Ultimate 'Build-A-PC' Thread. Complete With Pricings & Recommendations (06/06/10)

[quote name='j-cart']You are running a stock i5, I would say Xfire would cause a lot of tweaking headaches. Just know that if you get a 680, your cpu will be your bottleneck. Honestly, a 6870 is still a solid card. It is on par with what I have, a 470 and these cards will last us for quite some time.

It is up to you to figure if the money is worth the graphics.[/QUOTE]


I have my i5 running at stock speeds right now as well, but I am going to OC it when I put in the card, so I don't think it will be that big a bottleneck for me personally. I have an Antec 900 for my case and a 212+ for my CPU cooler so I am hoping I get a decent overclock on air.

I have an antec neo 620w PSU (rebadged seasonic with 48 amps on a 12v rail) in there right now. I don't plan on overclocking the card until I get a new PSU so I am hoping there won't be any power issues with the system. It doesn't seem like there would be as the only items I have hooked up are a BD drive, a SSD, and an older hard drive.

I guess I will keep on waiting for the 680's to come out. Antsy to get something because I am unemployed for another couple of weeks and have been playing a shit load of PC games since I put in my i5 a month or so ago.
 
So, I finally got my new speakers in (Klipsch 2.1 THX) and it was definitely the speakers that were the problem, because these behave as they should. Actually, it was a friend of mine that suggested the MP3 test I did on the old ones probably wasn't an accurate test, since it was a headphone out rather than a line out. Unfortunately, I didn't have another way to test it. But, since my wife needed a new set of speakers, I bit the bullet and got what I felt was the best for the money.

Now my attentions are going toward rebuilding my wife's computer. Thanks for the recommendation of the Corsair power supply, which was on sale today. Now to clear off one of the hard drives on my computer for her...
 
[quote name='TheLongshot']Now my attentions are going toward rebuilding my wife's computer. Thanks for the recommendation of the Corsair power supply, which was on sale today. Now to clear off one of the hard drives on my computer for her...[/QUOTE]


To make things easier in the long run, save the good stuff and wipe the HDD clean. A new drive makes it feel like a new PC again.
 
[quote name='j-cart']To make things easier in the long run, save the good stuff and wipe the HDD clean. A new drive makes it feel like a new PC again.[/QUOTE]

That's what I'm doing.
 
Looking for a newer PC build for gaming. Looking to start with an i5 2500k processor, as my current PC is on AMD Athlon 64. So yeah... 2003 processor to a Sandy Bridge is a huge leap for me. Looking to get a video card good enough to play Skyrim quality games on a medium quality at a smoothish frame rate.

Anything else (case, HDD, power supply, RAM, optical drive) will be at the value brand.

Also, can anybody suggest me a build? This does not include the monitor and I still don't know whether or not to get a great (both in price and in performance, of course) motherboard. I'll be getting my parts off of newegg.com so unless the part is on a deep discount elsewhere base your prices there.

Oh, yeah, and sorry if I sound noobish, I'm new to building computers :D
 
[quote name='ryuk1214']Looking for a newer PC build for gaming. Looking to start with an i5 2500k processor, as my current PC is on AMD Athlon 64. So yeah... 2003 processor to a Sandy Bridge is a huge leap for me. Looking to get a video card good enough to play Skyrim quality games on a medium quality at a smoothish frame rate.

Anything else (case, HDD, power supply, RAM, optical drive) will be at the value brand.

Also, can anybody suggest me a build? This does not include the monitor and I still don't know whether or not to get a great (both in price and in performance, of course) motherboard. I'll be getting my parts off of newegg.com so unless the part is on a deep discount elsewhere base your prices there.

Oh, yeah, and sorry if I sound noobish, I'm new to building computers :D[/QUOTE]

Was in your boat a month or so ago. Ended up costing me a little bit more than I anticipated after a monitor and a copy of Windows. Very happy with my purchase though.

Most people will recommend not skimping on motherboard because it's the backbone of the PC. I got a 2500k as well and went with an ASRock P67 Extreme Gen4 motherboard and it's great. 8GB of RAM was really cheap, power supply was a Corsair 430w (that is always on sale for SUPER cheap) which is working great for me, DVD burner was super cheap, case is a HAF 912 (also very cheap). Ended up going with a Radeon 6870 for about $150 and it gives excellent value for the cost (runs all games on at least high, sometimes ultra, at 1080p).

Wanted to spend about $700-800 total but after all is said and done I probably spent $1200 (including a 24" monitor and the 120GB SSD I bought after the fact).
 
[quote name='n4styn4t3']Was in your boat a month or so ago. Ended up costing me a little bit more than I anticipated after a monitor and a copy of Windows. Very happy with my purchase though.

Most people will recommend not skimping on motherboard because it's the backbone of the PC. I got a 2500k as well and went with an ASRock P67 Extreme Gen4 motherboard and it's great. 8GB of RAM was really cheap, power supply was a Corsair 430w (that is always on sale for SUPER cheap) which is working great for me, DVD burner was super cheap, case is a HAF 912 (also very cheap). Ended up going with a Radeon 6870 for about $150 and it gives excellent value for the cost (runs all games on at least high, sometimes ultra, at 1080p).

Wanted to spend about $700-800 total but after all is said and done I probably spent $1200 (including a 24" monitor and the 120GB SSD I bought after the fact).[/QUOTE]

Okay, so if I get a $130 motherboard and don't include the cost of aftermarket fans, monitor, or Windows 7, can you ballpark how much I can expect to spend?
 
$130 Mobo
$150 GPU
$200 CPU
$40 PSU
$50 case
$100 HD
$20 DVD drive

That's $690. If you shop around and don't mind rebates, you can probably shave another $50 off. So $650ish for a barebones box that is pretty damn good for games.

Forgot RAM, add maybe $40 for 8gigs.
 
If you don't need to build immediately, you could also just lurk slickdeals for a few weeks and buy piece by piece and get the best deal for all of your components.
 
[quote name='n4styn4t3']If you don't need to build immediately, you could also just lurk slickdeals for a few weeks and buy piece by piece and get the best deal for all of your components.[/QUOTE]
pretty much what i did.
 
[quote name='n4styn4t3']If you don't need to build immediately, you could also just lurk slickdeals for a few weeks and buy piece by piece and get the best deal for all of your components.[/QUOTE]
Nice!! Will do. Thanks. :)
 
As I've said before, now that my computer is done I'm looking at using my old parts to upgrade my wife's computer. I have the new power supply in there, and found enough Molex splitters to hook up everything that was in there. One thing that I'm looking at, tho, is maybe upgrading the case. Right now it is servicable and could be used. But, there are things I don't like about it.

  • The 3.5" drive slots are pretty much on top of each other. Currently, the floppy drive and two hard drives are in there and haven't failed, but it's pretty tight.
  • There is only one 60mm fan in the case, and there isn't much of an opening in the front of the case for air.
  • No front USB ports. This has been a sticking point for my wife for a while.
  • It is beige and no one makes components for beige cases anymore. It is all black or aluminium.
So, my options are:
  • Keep the current case. She'd be fine with one hard drive, replace the floppy with the Rosewill USB port/card reader I got from Newegg. I can keep the optical drives in there for the time being, since I have an EIDE port on the old motherboard.
  • Buy her a new case. I'm looking at something like the Antec 300 that is a relatively modest ATX case that doesn't cost a whole lot of money. This would already have the ports in front. Downside is that it would be another $60 to spend.
  • Buy myself a new case. I have an Antec Solo that I've very much enjoyed. I could buy the Antec Solo II, which offers some improvements over the original, but not anything that I couldn't live without. (While having USB 3.0 ports in the front would be nice, I don't know if I'll have an application for it for a long time. It would also be nice to be able to put longer graphics cards in my system, but again, not a high priority.) That would be $90.
Any thoughts would be appriciated.
 
If you're looking at cases, here's one I bought for my last build. It's $50, so saves you 10. Has USB ports on the front (something I also need in a case, too). My only complaint was that it was a little tight, I had to remove the fan at the top to get the motherboard in but had no problem putting it back in though. The picture shows blue LED at the front but mine's not plugged in.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153
 
[quote name='icedrake523']If you're looking at cases, here's one I bought for my last build. It's $50, so saves you 10. Has USB ports on the front (something I also need in a case, too). My only complaint was that it was a little tight, I had to remove the fan at the top to get the motherboard in but had no problem putting it back in though. The picture shows blue LED at the front but mine's not plugged in.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147153[/QUOTE]

A similar case is the HAF 912. Got one for a PC I'm building my dad and really like it. plenty of room inside. I removed the HDD cage too (as even with it removed there's a bracket for 2 3.5" and I think 2 2.5" drives) for increased airflow/make it easier to get the gpu installed.

50 bucks at BestBuy w/ free shipping. Just another possible option.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Cooler+...ssis/2305176.p?id=1218320074469&skuId=2305176
 
For those thinking of the 680, I'd proceed with caution. Only because it is hardware that hasn't been iterated on. To be fair nVidia is pretty good from my experience, but they don't have a flawless record.

It makes me cringe when I listen to the cagcast and hear Cheapy being pushed towards or wanting the bleeding edge tech.
 
I just bought this case for a build that I put together for my wife/family:
NZXT Source 210 - http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=317580
Only 27.99 after $10 rebate - seemed decent.
(I was originally going to get the Antec 300 too, but someone on Tom's Hardware recommend this case which saved me close to $30)



Other components used:
Intel Core i5 2500K LGA 1155
ASUS P8Z68-V LX LGA 1155 Z68 ATX Intel
Kingston HyperX blu 8GB DDR3-1333
Crucial 128 GB m4 2.5-Inch Solid State Drive SATA 6Gb/s
CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 V2 430W
LG 22x DVD±RW Super Multi Dual Layer Burner - OEM
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit OEM
2.5 Inch to 3.5 inch HDD adapter

Re-used an old graphics card (Geforce 8800 GTS 320 MB) and a 640 WD Black HDD for storage.

Total cost $580 after shipping/tax/rebates.
 
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I've ordered most of the components I need to build a computer. I'm only waiting for everything to arrive, and I still need to purchase a video card. From everything I've read, in the $250 - $300 range, the 7850 is best bang for buck, but I've no idea what brands are best.

I was hoping to buy it on Amazon because I've some credit and $50 in credit card rewards in a week or so, but they have far less of a selection than Newegg.

What exactly am I trying to look for in choosing one brand over another? I see that XFX has a limited life time warranty, which sounds awesome, but Amazon doesn't carry it.

My impatience is tempting me to go with the GTX 570 because Amazon has heaps of them in stock and with mail-in rebates, but it seems like it's a more expensive 7850 that runs a lot hotter and uses way more wattage.

Mainly building this computer to play Diablo III and not planning on playing Skyrim on maxed out settings anytime soon, so would it be in my best interest to wait for a deal on something and use the 8800 GT 512 mb from my current computer in the meantime?
 
I got my mobo back from Asus. Turn around time was about 2 weeks. Glad my computer works again, never gonna put it in sleep mode ever again.
 
[quote name='nekromantix']I've ordered most of the components I need to build a computer. I'm only waiting for everything to arrive, and I still need to purchase a video card. From everything I've read, in the $250 - $300 range, the 7850 is best bang for buck, but I've no idea what brands are best.

I was hoping to buy it on Amazon because I've some credit and $50 in credit card rewards in a week or so, but they have far less of a selection than Newegg.

What exactly am I trying to look for in choosing one brand over another? I see that XFX has a limited life time warranty, which sounds awesome, but Amazon doesn't carry it.

My impatience is tempting me to go with the GTX 570 because Amazon has heaps of them in stock and with mail-in rebates, but it seems like it's a more expensive 7850 that runs a lot hotter and uses way more wattage.

Mainly building this computer to play Diablo III and not planning on playing Skyrim on maxed out settings anytime soon, so would it be in my best interest to wait for a deal on something and use the 8800 GT 512 mb from my current computer in the meantime?[/QUOTE]

What resolution will you be gaming at?

My last 2 Nvidia cards have been eVga cards and I have no complaints (I think there generally considered to be a reliable manufacturer) but I don't think they make Radeon cards.

I think XFX has a good reputation. I know Gigabyte makes good motherboards, don't know about graphics cards. I used to think PowerColor was a "cheap" brand but that may not be accurate. Sapphire seems to have good reviews on Newegg. So really I was no help. Sorry!
 
[quote name='cheapfrag']What resolution will you be gaming at?

My last 2 Nvidia cards have been eVga cards and I have no complaints (I think there generally considered to be a reliable manufacturer) but I don't think they make Radeon cards.

I think XFX has a good reputation. I know Gigabyte makes good motherboards, don't know about graphics cards. I used to think PowerColor was a "cheap" brand but that may not be accurate. Sapphire seems to have good reviews on Newegg. So really I was no help. Sorry![/QUOTE]

Native resolution of the monitor I ordered is 1920 x 1080. Dunno if my 8800 gt can handle that, but I don't mind not playing at 1920 x 1080.
 
I am looking to build a new system, with a ivy bridge. What z77 mobo should I look at? I have been thinking with going with MSI z77a-GD65, any opinion would be great.
 
[quote name='retro.elite']I am looking to build a new system, with a ivy bridge. What z77 mobo should I look at? I have been thinking with going with MSI z77a-GD65, any opinion would be great.[/QUOTE]

Not an expert (AT ALL) but just (3 days ago) built a new system with an Asrock Z77 Extreme4 and I must say it was an easy no hassles installation. Picked it up at Microcenter for 90 bucks (50 off mobo if purchased with a CPU) with an i5 3750k. Read a lot of reviews of the new Z77 boards and many were pushing for the extreme6 in comparisons, and the extreme4 is almost the same minus a couple features I would never use. Only caveat is it is actually slightly smaller than standard ATX, so doesn't have any stand-offs to align with on the far right side of the mobo (by the mobo power plug) but it's not really an issue imho.

I'll shut up now and let more knowledgeable people chime in :D
 
So I think I'm going to put a few more fans in my case. I built a $500 build in November and it runs with a little noise. Fire up Diablo III and it gets loud. CPU temp stays normal. I was thinking about checking the Bios and see if there was anything I could do about fan noise

Specs
ASRock M3A770DE AM3
650 Watt Antec Power Supply
SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6870 1GB
AMD Phenom II X4 955 3.2 GHZ
NZXT GAMMA Classic case
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811146061

So outside of the CPU, GPU and fan on the back I was thinking at least one fan on the front and one on the top or side, so 3-4 fans. Do I want 120mm or 140mm? What brands do you guys recommend, I was thinking Xigmatek, areocool, or Cougar. Do I want ball bearings or something else? What about a fan controller and 5volts vs 7volts? Sorry for all the questions, but I want to make sure Im covering all my bases.

Ive also got a setting in the Bios h/w monitior quiet CPU which I enabled
And I dropped it to this
CPU QUIET FAN
TARGET CPU TEMPERATURE 50ºC
TARGET FAN SPEED LEVEL 4

Much quieter. I think I should get a new CPU Fan and maybe two more fans
 
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[quote name='Zmonkay']Not an expert (AT ALL) but just (3 days ago) built a new system with an Asrock Z77 Extreme4 and I must say it was an easy no hassles installation. Picked it up at Microcenter for 90 bucks (50 off mobo if purchased with a CPU) with an i5 3750k. Read a lot of reviews of the new Z77 boards and many were pushing for the extreme6 in comparisons, and the extreme4 is almost the same minus a couple features I would never use. Only caveat is it is actually slightly smaller than standard ATX, so doesn't have any stand-offs to align with on the far right side of the mobo (by the mobo power plug) but it's not really an issue imho.

I'll shut up now and let more knowledgeable people chime in :D[/QUOTE]

Probably what I am going to get since my Asus w/965 black crapped out on me. First the MB, then - and I cannot make this up - the cpu "stuck" to the heat sink and ripped out while I removed the heat sink. So, it's Microcenter this coming weekend for and i5-3570 and probably the MB mentioned. The other one that I was thinking about if they have it in stock is the Biostar TX77xe4.

No need to update my 6870, as that will play everything I want.
 
Hey guys I am thinking about retooling my pc for an update. I was looking at getting a AMD x8, a good vid card, and 8 or 16 gigs of ram depending on budget. I have a good case, power supply is at 600w so I dont think I need a new one of those. So my question to the community, is what is the best mobo for the AMD and possibly crossfire vid cards. Also if anyone has a line on discount ram. Really loooking to keep it going for a few years. Specfically I want to play soem Battlefield 3, ARMA2 and Bethesda games in a decent quality.Thanks in advance

Edit:

This is what I have worked up thus far, I still needed RAM and A Hard drive. Let me know if I could possibly substitute something else.

SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6870 100314-3L Video Card
Item #:N82E16814102948
Return Policy: VGA Standard Return Policy
$179.99
$169.99

Add SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 6870 100314-3L Video Card to cart
1

AMD Gift - Dirt3 Game Coupon

AMD Gift - Dirt3 Game Coupon
Item #:N82E16800995114
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$49.99

Add AMD Gift - Dirt3 Game Coupon to cart
1

AMD FX-8120 Zambezi 3.1GHz Socket AM3+ 125W Eight-Core Desktop Processor FD8120FRGUBOX

AMD FX-8120 3.1GHz Socket AM3+ Eight-Core Desktop Processor
Item #:N82E16819103961
Return Policy: CPU Replacement Only Return Policy
$169.99

Add AMD FX-8120 3.1GHz Socket AM3+ Eight-Core Desktop Processor to cart
1

ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS Black SATA 24X DVD Burner - Bulk - OEM

ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS
Item #:N82E16827135204
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$17.99

Add ASUS 24X DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS to cart
1

Noctua NH-D14 120mm & 140mm SSO CPU Cooler

Noctua NH-D14 120mm & 140mm SSO CPU Cooler
Item #:N82E16835608018
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$99.99
$89.99

Add Noctua NH-D14 120mm & 140mm SSO CPU Cooler to cart
1

ASUS M5A88-V EVO AM3+ AMD 880G SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI ATX AMD Motherboard

ASUS M5A88-V EVO ATX AMD Motherboard
Item #:N82E16813131733
Return Policy: Standard Return Policy
$129.99
$114.99
 
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Still waiting on Amazon to get the ASUS GTX 670 Top in stock, but decided to go ahead with my first build since I already had everything else.

Get down to turning it on and.... no POST beeps. Scratched my head a bit, reseated everything, tried without things plugged in, RAM in different slots, etc. etc. and notice that my mother board has a debug feature. Look up the code it's reading and find out that the Asrock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 doesn't recognize ivy bridge CPUs without an updated BIOS.

Found out on Tom's Hardware that Asrock's offices are located down the street. Probably going to call them up on Tuesday and hopefully can just drive down sometime to pick up an updated BIOS chip. Was hoping everything would go down without any problems.
 
[quote name='retro.elite']What ivy bridge CPU did you get? Also Asrock bios update is on their website.[/QUOTE]

Got the 3570K.

I was under the impression that in order to flash my motherboard's bios I needed a CPU inside it? Relatively ignorant with computers, especially newer stuff, so what would I do?

Computer I'm using right now is socket 775.
 
Did the ASRock on the Z68 have the option to update the BIOS from the Internet? I have read that their Z77 boards do but I just started reading up after my AM3 MB went bye-bye on me. Off tomorrow for a i5-3570 and some Z77 MB combo from Microcenter. Damn MB ruined by plans for an Eyefinity setup.
 
Got the 3570k and the Gigabyte T77X-UD3H from Microcenter....finishing up my 7 million MS updates before I finalize the rest of the drivers.
 
My PC keeps restarting if I'm playing a game, any insight as to why I may be having this problem?

Would it be heat? Last upgrade was updating my CPU cooling fan. My processor runs at around 34-43 degrees C. I noticed my graphics card is about 81 degrees C, any options to bring the temperature down?

I'm only running at 4GB of RAM but also jumped up from Windows 7 32bit to 64bit. Is it this simple? I didn't have any trouble on 32bit.
 
[quote name='Bloodbooger']My PC keeps restarting if I'm playing a game, any insight as to why I may be having this problem?

Would it be heat? Last upgrade was updating my CPU cooling fan. My processor runs at around 34-43 degrees C. I noticed my graphics card is about 81 degrees C, any options to bring the temperature down?

I'm only running at 4GB of RAM but also jumped up from Windows 7 32bit to 64bit. Is it this simple? I didn't have any trouble on 32bit.[/QUOTE] Are those idle temps, or under load? For idle, 81C is extremely high for a GPU, but it's normal if its completely maxed under load. Other than that, what GPU are you using, and what type of PSU do you have? Whenever someone says their PC is constantly restarting, I think of PSU failure or the PSU wattage being too low first.
 
[quote name='sunghost']Are those idle temps, or under load? For idle, 81C is extremely high for a GPU, but it's normal if its completely maxed under load. Other than that, what GPU are you using, and what type of PSU do you have? Whenever someone says their PC is constantly restarting, I think of PSU failure or the PSU wattage being too low first.[/QUOTE]

Not always. My wife's computer keeps restarting and I replaced the power supply and that didn't solve the problem. I'll eventually get around to rebuilding her system.

I'd also check to see if airflow is clogged in your case. You'd be shocked how dusty a computer can get.
 
[quote name='sunghost']Are those idle temps, or under load? For idle, 81C is extremely high for a GPU, but it's normal if its completely maxed under load. Other than that, what GPU are you using, and what type of PSU do you have? Whenever someone says their PC is constantly restarting, I think of PSU failure or the PSU wattage being too low first.[/QUOTE]

That's idle... I'm not sure where I was prior to the upgrade though. I'm using an Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT and my PSU is a Corsair CMPSU-750HX (750-Watt).

[quote name='TheLongshot']Not always. My wife's computer keeps restarting and I replaced the power supply and that didn't solve the problem. I'll eventually get around to rebuilding her system.

I'd also check to see if airflow is clogged in your case. You'd be shocked how dusty a computer can get.[/QUOTE]

Good tip! I ought to crack the case open and do some cleaning. Couldn't hurt and may do some good.

Thanks guys!
 
Bad / flaky hard drive is a known culprit for reboots as well...could be RAM as well or a marginal component on the MB itself. Best of luck on the machine.
 
[quote name='Bloodbooger']That's idle... I'm not sure where I was prior to the upgrade though. I'm using an Nvidia GeForce 8800 GT and my PSU is a Corsair CMPSU-750HX (750-Watt).



Good tip! I ought to crack the case open and do some cleaning. Couldn't hurt and may do some good.

Thanks guys![/QUOTE]

If that's idle, then you should definitely try cleaning first. 80c+ for a GPU is way too high for an idle temp and even if its not causing your reboot problem, it could cause problems later.
 
Who knew a SSDs are fast? ^THIS GUY!

Naw, my brother got me one for my bday and it is now the highest rating section by windows 7.
 
Ok, so I was contemplating upgrading my current system

Intel Core Duo E7200 @2.53
ASUS P5QL-E
2 GB Ram
MSI 450 GTS (Wasn't really planning on upgrading this, but if I did it would be the last thing to upgrade).
750W PSU (overkill much?)

I really wanted more ram, but didn't want to spend a stupid amount of money on any 1066 memory, which is the highest my mobo supports. And the majority of the mobos I looked at meant I would also need to upgrade my CPU (this was when I looked back around christmas... haven't looked since).

The thing is now that I am looking over everything again, and thinking of switching to AMD, I was wondering if it would be worth getting an OEM (since that is the only way it is sold now... that I know of) Phenom II X4 980 or waiting for their new AMD releases this year and jumping on price drops. Or should I just stick with Intel?

The reason I was considering AMD was primarily the price. I'm not looking for a top of the line system by any means.

Since it apparantly takes forever to make newegg wishlists public and If I don't post this now I will have to retype it all on my laptop so I will just link to the 3 items I would most likely have gotten (or still could, except maybe the mobo).

ASUS M4A87TD/USB3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition
Kingston HyperX 8GB

As for the mobo, I really only look at the single slot ones since by the time I upgrade I will just get a single fancy new card (The only reason I have a 450 GTS is because my 8800 GT decided it longer enjoyed my company).

And for the RAM. I used Kingston because my dad used Kingston and it has always done a fine job. There may be better, but I have no idea, so please enlighten me on that.

I know I should probably upgrade my GPU, but I am kind of on the edge because the rest of my PC is about four years old while the 450 is only two. Still I am entirely willing and would welcome any suggestions in the GPU area. Also take into consideration that I am playing games at 1440x900.

Sorry for the long post, but I am really thinking of finally buying the parts now.
 
[quote name='Kaltic']Ok, so I was contemplating upgrading my current system

Intel Core Duo E7200 @2.53
ASUS P5QL-E
2 GB Ram
MSI 450 GTS (Wasn't really planning on upgrading this, but if I did it would be the last thing to upgrade).
750W PSU (overkill much?)

I really wanted more ram, but didn't want to spend a stupid amount of money on any 1066 memory, which is the highest my mobo supports. And the majority of the mobos I looked at meant I would also need to upgrade my CPU (this was when I looked back around christmas... haven't looked since).

The thing is now that I am looking over everything again, and thinking of switching to AMD, I was wondering if it would be worth getting an OEM (since that is the only way it is sold now... that I know of) Phenom II X4 980 or waiting for their new AMD releases this year and jumping on price drops. Or should I just stick with Intel?

The reason I was considering AMD was primarily the price. I'm not looking for a top of the line system by any means.

Since it apparantly takes forever to make newegg wishlists public and If I don't post this now I will have to retype it all on my laptop so I will just link to the 3 items I would most likely have gotten (or still could, except maybe the mobo).

ASUS M4A87TD/USB3 AM3 AMD 870 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition
Kingston HyperX 8GB

As for the mobo, I really only look at the single slot ones since by the time I upgrade I will just get a single fancy new card (The only reason I have a 450 GTS is because my 8800 GT decided it longer enjoyed my company).

And for the RAM. I used Kingston because my dad used Kingston and it has always done a fine job. There may be better, but I have no idea, so please enlighten me on that.

I know I should probably upgrade my GPU, but I am kind of on the edge because the rest of my PC is about four years old while the 450 is only two. Still I am entirely willing and would welcome any suggestions in the GPU area. Also take into consideration that I am playing games at 1440x900.

Sorry for the long post, but I am really thinking of finally buying the parts now.[/QUOTE]


Wow, your proposed system is almost identical to mine. Last year I got:

AMD Phenom II X4 840

ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3 AM3 AMD 880G HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard
X2 of Kingston HyperX Blu 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model KHX1600C9D3B1K2/4GX


Runs great and I have had no complaints. Haven't had any issues running any games and for the price AMD has always gotten my money personally. I usually rebuild every few years so AMD is the way to go for me. I guess I could invest a ton in Intel for a longer run build, but I have no complaints. I ran benchmarks and stuff on my system and it has no issues.
 
Has anyone here ever had a bad experience dealing with the XFX support team/system? I'm trying to get my XFX 6850 RMA'ed. Firstly it took them an entire day to respond to my ticket. Secondly their response was meaningless. (Asking for my serial number, and then not responding back for 3 days after i give it to them).

So i find out that XFX doesn't like to respond to support tickets unless you have registered your product on the site. So i do this, and i get a response in minutes.......... However XFX suggested that they can ship me a cooler. So i can fix it myself. 0.0 I'm under warranty. No i don't want to void my warranty, and risk wasting the last month of warranty i have left. So i can get ran around in circles with a refurbished cooling unit that probably won't even work.

After i declined their offer XFX has refused to answer my support tickets since then. It's been 3 days now.
i'm just going to throw the card aside, and get a new one. Maybe i'll try to fix it with an after market cooler later. Any suggestions?

I suggest you guys look up the horror stories about XFX before buying anything with their brand on it. Hopefully by typing this here i have saved hundreds of people from grief. cheers!
 
I've heard how terrible XFX's support is, but I've never used any of their products to experience it myself. Most people only bought them for their lifetime warranties, back when they offered them for their older GPUs.
 
Yeah, they are absolutely terrible. XFX just wasted an entire week to send me 3 messages that didn't lead to anything. I may call them on Monday, but i honestly don't think i could stomach it.
 
I got a little bonus today at work and I'm toying with buying or putting together a new machine. I haven't had a desktop or a gaming computer in over 10 years, but with the new resurgence of PC gaming in the mainstream as well as indie scene, I'm interested in diving back in. I never was a real graphics whore, so I do not need top of the line or need to run things at full settings. I would be looking to spend about $600 tops.
Obviously a pre-built would be nice and easy but I have built computers in the past. Any ballpark suggestions?
 
[quote name='Mr Unoriginal']I got a little bonus today at work and I'm toying with buying or putting together a new machine. I haven't had a desktop or a gaming computer in over 10 years, but with the new resurgence of PC gaming in the mainstream as well as indie scene, I'm interested in diving back in. I never was a real graphics whore, so I do not need top of the line or need to run things at full settings. I would be looking to spend about $600 tops.
Obviously a pre-built would be nice and easy but I have built computers in the past. Any ballpark suggestions?[/QUOTE]

This is the guide I used and I came away extremely happy with my rig:

http://www.hardware-revolution.com/best-budget-gaming-pc/
 
[quote name='Mr Unoriginal']Awesome. What monitor did you end up getting?[/QUOTE]

I had an old monitor from my previous build:

Samsung 940BW.

If you keep an eye out for coupons at places like Office Max and Staples you can score decent monitors for like 75 or less. Unless you want a super fancy one, but mine isn't super fancy and looks great.
 
[quote name='Nekopanchi2012']Yeah, they are absolutely terrible. XFX just wasted an entire week to send me 3 messages that didn't lead to anything. I may call them on Monday, but i honestly don't think i could stomach it.[/QUOTE]
That sucks, I've seen some of the problems people had with XFX in other forums before. I guess I could count myself as one of the lucky ones though as I RMA'd a 9600 GSO with a lifetime warranty, and received a 6870.

If your 6850 is still relatively new, it might be easier to request an RMA from where you bought it.
 
It's eleven months old. I asked Newegg if they could scream at XFX for me, but they couldn't get through either LOL. They told me to keep trying, and contact them later if XFX refuses to respond.



In the mean time i bought the ASUS DCII 560 TOP. It looks really promising for what i need. I just hope the software installs smoothly.
 
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