advice for upgrade/ new gaming rig for 600-650 dollar range

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emenos

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May 8, 2014
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Hi, I wanted to upgrade my rig for newer games since it is getting a bit dated.
what i have:

  • -MB: asrock a770de+
    -CPU: athlon 64 x2 5400+ 2.8 ghz
    -MEM: 4x 2gb ddr2 1866
    -Vid: geforce 9600 GT 512MB
    -HDD: 2x SATA 2 (want to keep using and not buy new if possible)
    -optical drives: various dvd/bluray sata drives scattered around in and out of pc (no need to get more)
    -cooler master atx case
    -logisys 550w PS

what i'm after:
to upgrade while keeping as much pieces as possible. priority from greatest to least:

  • -CPU
    -Vid
    -MB
    -MEM
    -HD
the budget needs to be $600-650 max or below.
all advice on possible builds is welcome, not necessarily picky about being intel or amd main goal is something stable that will last for many years before next upgrade. thanks for any help you can give :)
 
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Rationale
Micro ATX boards generally cost about 50% or 60% of what a full ATX board would cost (once again, that's assuming you don't overclock since full ATX boards have a monopoly on that). For example, an ATX board might cost $110 and a comparable mATX board would cost $60, and the difference is mostly because full ATX boards are currently getting loaded with extra features.

I could try. No idea if you'll like the results.
I'm also assuming you're going to try to use your current copy of Windows; it'd be tough to use your current mobo either way since it's DDR2.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4570 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($199.97 @ OutletPC)...
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Your optical drives and HDDs should be fine, as you said.
I might recommend you wait for the Devil's Canyon CPUs, but it's not really necessary as a high end Haswell i5 should still be good in several years.

I can suggest some parts now. Do you have any interest in overclocking?
 
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($144.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.94 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A99X EVO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($106.99 @ NCIX US)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($184.99 @ Amazon)
Case: Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $591.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-08 21:44 EDT-0400)

Here's what I came up with. I put in a new case, but the 200r for 45 bucks is a sweet deal! This case is awesome, and will save you time from tearing apart everything in the old build. I was thinking about a new PSU but the 550 watt should be enough for now.
 
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.94 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($199.99 @ TigerDirect)
Total: $654.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-08 21:47 EDT-0400)

Here's an i5 build, which would be better than the one I had.
 
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i prefer not to overclock things in order to avoid heat or stability issues.



 
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($87.32 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI Radeon R9 270X 2GB TWIN FROZR Video Card ($199.99 @ TigerDirect)
Total: $632.29
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-08 22:26 EDT-0400)

Here it is with no 212 Evo. I still recommend to buy it just to keep the CPU even quieter and more air flowing.

 
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4440 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($184.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H87 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($78.36 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 270 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($159.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $545.30
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-08 22:44 EDT-0400)

Locked i5 since you aren't interested in overclocking. It would be easier to OC this GPU to a 270x without a heat/stability problem.
 
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But, why still limit yourself to a locked i5? If he want's to eventual overclock, he's going to be kicking himself for not buying an unlocked version.

Edit- Also, why such cheap ram?
 
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Probably because it's cheaper and the performance difference is not currently noticeable. Overclocking generally bloats the price more than its worth by the time you get a better motherboard, cooler, and unlocked CPU.
 
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Well that's up to him, I'm just going with what he said in which he says he doesn't want to overclock. The ram I listed will perform the exactly the same as the ram you listed (1600Mhz CAS 9). With the Corsair you're paying more for the brand and design.
 
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($133.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.00 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 270 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($159.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $595.96
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-08 22:55 EDT-0400)

Here's my recommendation.
 
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For corsair, I pay more attention to design because most of the time I'm putting these together with the Evo's and have to pay attention to clearance.
 
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($133.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.00 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Superclocked ACX Video Card ($249.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $685.96
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-08 22:57 EDT-0400)

Now if you wanted to spend a little more, you could hop on board for a 760.
 
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Heh. That's $130 more just for the 'benefit' of overclocking.
 
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Woah what? Sorry xD..
 
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Yea probably best not to get an unlocked i5. Also he said he wanted to spend $650 max.
 
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Mine was. The 760 one I put out wasn't but that's like throwing noodles at a wall >.>
 
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few questions on your choices: why is intel/radeon a common choice for builds when amd/nvidia tend to be much cheaper for a budget build (also run faster in my experience from the past though this may have changed recently)? also, what is a "locked" processor? (im assuming its either locked cores or hardwired so it cant be overclocked) i never overclock, i prefer a build that will run smoothly with good framerate across the board without it. I know many people like MSI and Asus but i have had bad experiences with them using cheap components such as caps and mosfets that burn out too fast(i like asrock because they seem to use well built components for a low price). need something that will hit the 5 year mark and still be running newer games at lower settings while running all games at high settings now. my current rig i built in 2006(not counting MB which was replaced later on) and it still runs pretty much any game with medium to low settings, some on high. i would like this build to last about the same length if possible. hope im not being too picky for ya, and thanks for the input :)
 
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Look, I use to think that way as well about GPU's. I always thought the 750 Ti was better than the R9 270x, but when it come's down to raw performance, the 270 kick's it butt. While Nvidia might be a tad bit better for gaming, it's not going to make or break it. A locked processor is something that can't overclock, like a regular version of the 4670K. Any intel cpu with a K on the end mean's it can overclock. I recommend spend the 30 bucks for an unlocked cpu, that way if you do curious and want to overclock in the future, you could.
 
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.00 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 270 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($159.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $576.97
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-08 23:16 EDT-0400)

Here it is with an Asrock Extreme 4 motherboard. This is a fantastic little motherboard, very reliable and will serve all your needs. To me, the only things you might want to upgrade is that PSU.
 
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yeah, the logisys was a quick replacement for the 650w coolermaster psu that had a fan burn out. i didnt have a replacement fan on hand and the logisys was cheaper than buying a new fan(for some odd reason) so i got it as a temporary solution. if there is room left in this new build i will get a new psu for it.



 
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PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($72.00 @ Newegg)
Video Card: XFX Radeon R9 270 2GB Double Dissipation Video Card ($159.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($47.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $624.96
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-08 23:21 EDT-0400)

There having a sale on 550 watt XFX psu's, which are fantastic little ones.
 
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