- Jan 16, 2008
- 21
- 0
- 18,510
Okay...So on the trip home from college my mobo finally crapped out on me. I first built this computer in my last year of highschool and I was fortunate enough for it to last me all throughout college. I figured since I have a $1000 coming my way form my security deposit on my expired lease it was time to reward myself with a complete overhaul of this system. I have done alot of research thus far and have worked out what I THINK I want.
I would greatly appreciate input though, especially towards wasteful spending and compatibility issues I may have (my first build was riddled with compatibility problems), and hopefully I can get the most bang for my buck. One of my biggest concerns is that some of my older parts (HDD, DVD drive, GPU) that I dont not wish to replace just yet will not work properly with the new technology that I want to install.
<b>Approximate Purchase Date: </b>
Within a week (or as soon as my security deposit check comes in)
<b>Budget Range: </b>
$500-$600 (I would really like to only spend $400-$450 though)
<b>System Usage from Most to Least Important: </b>
Hyper-tasking (like multi-tasking but more intensive), gaming, programming, video editing/graphic design
<b>Parts Not Required:</b>
Power supply - OCZ StealthXStream 600W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341010
Case - Cooler Master CM 690 (will probably upgrade to the 690 II or Antec 900 though)
GPU - XFX Radeon HD 5670 (I know this card is slightly outdated and I haven't decided whether I want ot sink money into a new one)
DVD/CD Drive - Sony Optiarc (I have little use for this as the only thing I have ever used it for is installing OS)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118002
HDD - WD Caviar Blue 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136074
Monitor - ViewSonic 19" Widescreen
I/O - Microsoft Wireless Combo
<b>Preferred Website(s) for Parts:</b>
Newegg. I've bought everything I own from them. I love them.
That being said I want the best price so I don't really care where I buy it if it is significantly cheaper.
<b>Country:</b>
Good ol' US of A.
<b>Parts Preferences:</b>
I have always purchased AMD products (Radeon, Athlon, Phenom) but I would really like to switch to Intel as it is my understanding that is was these AMD product that have caused me some of the compatibilty issues I have experienced. Also from what I read the new Intel CPU's blow AMD out of the water.
<b>Overclocking: </b>
Tried once but I got scared and stopped. I would really like to give it a go as it seems much easier than it was 5 years ago.
<b>SLI or Crossfire:</b>
A definite option since I have an outdated video card. I could duplicate it for very cheap and possibly step up my graphical processing power.
<b>Monitor Resolution:</b>
I use 1440x900 most often. Max is 1920x1280 (I think)
<b>Additional Comments:</b>
I am interested in upgrading for the FUTURE. These are by no means the final parts I will be replacing this year I just need my computer back and I figured while I was at it I would start to re-build it with updated components. I want this at some point to be a upper-mid range computer withthe ability to perform well with every different task I can throw at it. I am interested in OCing but I DO NOT want to replace my power supply so all of the new parts should be able to operate on my current PWS.
I currently have a Athlon X2 2.4 GHz CPU, BioStar TF 520 A2+ mobo, and DDR2 Mushkin Silverline 2GB RAM module.
I would like to replace these parts with:
<b>CPU:</b>
Intel i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3 GHz - $220
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
or
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Deneb Black Edition - $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727
<b>MotherBoard:</b>
AsRock Z68 Extreme3 LGA 1155 - $118
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
or
ASUS M5A97 AM3+ AMD 970 - $95
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131767
<b>RAM:</b>
G.Skill RipJaws DDR3 1333 4GB (2 x 2GB) PC10666 CAS 7-7-7-21
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231276
Will I need a new CPU fan/heatsink to be able to OC? I have a Cooler Master one right now (I dont rememeber exactly what model) that way outperforms my CPU but then I'm not really testing it the way these newer CPU's will.
Am I wasting money going with the i5-2500K? I dont game often enough that I need to be able to play every game at MAX settings but I would like this machine to play most every thing that strikes my fancy at high to very high settings. My setup prior to the overhaul was acceptable to me as I could play most eveything I wanted to play but usually on medium settings with a decent FPS.
Thanks so much for your input as I would really appreciate it.
I would greatly appreciate input though, especially towards wasteful spending and compatibility issues I may have (my first build was riddled with compatibility problems), and hopefully I can get the most bang for my buck. One of my biggest concerns is that some of my older parts (HDD, DVD drive, GPU) that I dont not wish to replace just yet will not work properly with the new technology that I want to install.
<b>Approximate Purchase Date: </b>
Within a week (or as soon as my security deposit check comes in)
<b>Budget Range: </b>
$500-$600 (I would really like to only spend $400-$450 though)
<b>System Usage from Most to Least Important: </b>
Hyper-tasking (like multi-tasking but more intensive), gaming, programming, video editing/graphic design
<b>Parts Not Required:</b>
Power supply - OCZ StealthXStream 600W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341010
Case - Cooler Master CM 690 (will probably upgrade to the 690 II or Antec 900 though)
GPU - XFX Radeon HD 5670 (I know this card is slightly outdated and I haven't decided whether I want ot sink money into a new one)
DVD/CD Drive - Sony Optiarc (I have little use for this as the only thing I have ever used it for is installing OS)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827118002
HDD - WD Caviar Blue 320GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136074
Monitor - ViewSonic 19" Widescreen
I/O - Microsoft Wireless Combo
<b>Preferred Website(s) for Parts:</b>
Newegg. I've bought everything I own from them. I love them.
That being said I want the best price so I don't really care where I buy it if it is significantly cheaper.
<b>Country:</b>
Good ol' US of A.
<b>Parts Preferences:</b>
I have always purchased AMD products (Radeon, Athlon, Phenom) but I would really like to switch to Intel as it is my understanding that is was these AMD product that have caused me some of the compatibilty issues I have experienced. Also from what I read the new Intel CPU's blow AMD out of the water.
<b>Overclocking: </b>
Tried once but I got scared and stopped. I would really like to give it a go as it seems much easier than it was 5 years ago.
<b>SLI or Crossfire:</b>
A definite option since I have an outdated video card. I could duplicate it for very cheap and possibly step up my graphical processing power.
<b>Monitor Resolution:</b>
I use 1440x900 most often. Max is 1920x1280 (I think)
<b>Additional Comments:</b>
I am interested in upgrading for the FUTURE. These are by no means the final parts I will be replacing this year I just need my computer back and I figured while I was at it I would start to re-build it with updated components. I want this at some point to be a upper-mid range computer withthe ability to perform well with every different task I can throw at it. I am interested in OCing but I DO NOT want to replace my power supply so all of the new parts should be able to operate on my current PWS.
I currently have a Athlon X2 2.4 GHz CPU, BioStar TF 520 A2+ mobo, and DDR2 Mushkin Silverline 2GB RAM module.
I would like to replace these parts with:
<b>CPU:</b>
Intel i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3 GHz - $220
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072
or
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Deneb Black Edition - $120
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103727
<b>MotherBoard:</b>
AsRock Z68 Extreme3 LGA 1155 - $118
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
or
ASUS M5A97 AM3+ AMD 970 - $95
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131767
<b>RAM:</b>
G.Skill RipJaws DDR3 1333 4GB (2 x 2GB) PC10666 CAS 7-7-7-21
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231276
Will I need a new CPU fan/heatsink to be able to OC? I have a Cooler Master one right now (I dont rememeber exactly what model) that way outperforms my CPU but then I'm not really testing it the way these newer CPU's will.
Am I wasting money going with the i5-2500K? I dont game often enough that I need to be able to play every game at MAX settings but I would like this machine to play most every thing that strikes my fancy at high to very high settings. My setup prior to the overhaul was acceptable to me as I could play most eveything I wanted to play but usually on medium settings with a decent FPS.
Thanks so much for your input as I would really appreciate it.
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