Hi everyone! I built my first-ever PC two years ago, and now my motherboard has died just as I've started to think about my first upgrades. I don't really know what to look for in components for a gaming PC, so I'm looking for advice on what motherboard and CPU + CPU cooler to choose for good gaming performance and future upgradeability. Thanks in advance for any help you fine folks can give me!
Approximate Purchase Date: As soon as possible, preferably by Thurs., 12/12
Budget Range: ~$500. I can go up to a maximum of $650 if necessary, but I'd prefer to keep it under $500.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming, video and audio recording and editing, watching movies and videos, internet, writing and office work
Are you buying a monitor: No.
Parts to Upgrade: For now, motherboard and CPU + CPU cooler. I intend to upgrade the graphics card and possibly power supply sometime in the next 6 months, but not yet unless I have to.
Do you need to buy OS: Yes, but the above budget accounts for that already.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: I prefer newegg, but I'm willing to purchase elsewhere.
Location: Concord, CA, USA
Overclocking: Maybe
SLI or Crossfire: Probably not
Your Monitor Resolution: 1360x768
Additional Comments: I play heavily-modded Skyrim, and I'm hoping to record some of my gaming sessions in the future, so I need to be able to run Fraps with minimal lag. I also want to be ready for newer games coming out soon.
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I was already starting to think about upgrading soon for better gaming performance, but my motherboard died and made the upgrade more urgent.
Parts I already have:
Rosewill Blackbone Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Cooler Master Extreme Power Plus - 500W Power Supply
EVGA 01G-P3-1556-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) FPB 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model KHX1333C9D3B1K2/8G
Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive
Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive
Sony Optiarc 24X DVD Burner, Bulk Package Black SATA Model AD-7280S-0B - OEM
Approximate Purchase Date: As soon as possible, preferably by Thurs., 12/12
Budget Range: ~$500. I can go up to a maximum of $650 if necessary, but I'd prefer to keep it under $500.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: gaming, video and audio recording and editing, watching movies and videos, internet, writing and office work
Are you buying a monitor: No.
Parts to Upgrade: For now, motherboard and CPU + CPU cooler. I intend to upgrade the graphics card and possibly power supply sometime in the next 6 months, but not yet unless I have to.
Do you need to buy OS: Yes, but the above budget accounts for that already.
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: I prefer newegg, but I'm willing to purchase elsewhere.
Location: Concord, CA, USA
Overclocking: Maybe
SLI or Crossfire: Probably not
Your Monitor Resolution: 1360x768
Additional Comments: I play heavily-modded Skyrim, and I'm hoping to record some of my gaming sessions in the future, so I need to be able to run Fraps with minimal lag. I also want to be ready for newer games coming out soon.
And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I was already starting to think about upgrading soon for better gaming performance, but my motherboard died and made the upgrade more urgent.
Parts I already have:
Rosewill Blackbone Black Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Cooler Master Extreme Power Plus - 500W Power Supply
EVGA 01G-P3-1556-KR GeForce GTX 550 Ti (Fermi) FPB 1GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
Kingston HyperX Blu 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 Desktop Memory Model KHX1333C9D3B1K2/8G
Seagate Barracuda ST500DM002 500GB 7200 RPM 16MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive
Seagate Barracuda ST1000DM003 1TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive Bare Drive
Sony Optiarc 24X DVD Burner, Bulk Package Black SATA Model AD-7280S-0B - OEM
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