New member with a first time building a gaming PC thread.

[Ibechief]

So I wanted to start out saying thanks in advance for all the help you guys provide here. Not all people are tech savvy, and it is nice to know that there are people out there to help.

Currently I am gaming on an old (3 years) college computer (HP Pavilion Elite HPE 400f). I got tired of slowly moving the settings sliders down each month and caved in, buying two upgrades.

I purchased a new Graphics Card (R9 270X) and a new Power Supply (Thermaltake Smart M M850W).

My system has been working pretty well but I've got a dedicated sum of money that can be used on some fundamental upgrades; and I think it might be time to just build a new rig. I am really trying to salvage as much as possible from my current rig.

I'm pretty sure that I could use some online videos to build the rig. I just have zero standing knowledge and familiarity on what components it needs.

Here are some hopefully helpful links.

Current Rig Specs
R9 270X Specs
Thermaltake Smart M850W Specs

Mostly I play games like WoW, Diablo 3, Starcraft 2, and Marvel Heroes with my wife and son. Not the most overly intensive games. But I prefer to play on max settings and to not have my CPU or peripherals go out of date in 3 months.

Any help provided would be greatly appreciated. My target is to find a way to utilize some of the existing hardware in my rig along with some newly purchased hardware to rebuild a relatively strong gaming computer.

Thanks!
Jon

 

[TechyInAZ]

What is your budget?

I cannot make any recommendations or builds without a budget.

 

[Ibechief]

What is your budget?

I cannot make any recommendations or builds without a budget.

Sorry about that, I'm looking for some advice on that aspect as well. I'm far less experienced with how much things cost and where the best bang for my buck is so to speak. I'd like to see something from $600 to $1k. I had thought that was a reasonable range considering I'm trying to salvage as much as possible from my old rig.

I had also considered that having some people post budget rigs and high dollar rigs would be advantageous for me from a compare and contrast point of view. Not to mention that the opinions of other more experienced users will have a large impact on my overall budget.

Thanks for taking the time to respond!

 

[TechyInAZ]

Your welcome, Ill whip something up.

Also do you want a mini itx case? or a big desktop tower?

 

[Gorgonzer]

Hey Chief, I put together an upgrade system for you. Assuming you want to reuse your case, GPU, and PSU this will give you good performance over your existing system. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qdvTzy For just a bit more you can get a new case with better air flow to keep the new stuff cool.

Here is the complete system to keep you going for several years. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/MCtjNG
This case here is the same size you currently have with better flow.

 

[TechyInAZ]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/VjbqBm

This is a mini itx build so it's going to be a small pc. (however it can hold huge graphics cards and PSUS)

I didn't put the psu and gpu in since you already have those.

I put in a SSD since that will really speed up things. And put windows 8.1 in.

Also, let me know if for some reason you want a MicroATX or a standard ATX build for some reason.

Also, I put some higher quality parts in this build so it would last longer. Which is why it's more expensive.

 

[Ibechief]

Your welcome, Ill whip something up.

Also do you want a mini itx case? or a big desktop tower?

I really would like to buy another case. The graphics card alone that I have at the moment leaves almost no room for airflow. Also I'm not sure what a Mini itx case is... 🙁

 

[TechyInAZ]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811139033&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

That is the mini itx case I got you the Corsair 250D. Mini itx are extremely small form factors, so you can carry them around if need be.

The Corsair 250D is one of the few cases that can hold a full size graphics card (r9 290X/gtx titan Black size) and a full 240mm radiator if need be.

It's basically can fit all the desktop components you would find in your standard ATX system into a small itx form factor.

It also has great airflow for such a tiny case.

 

[Ibechief]

Hey Chief, I put together an upgrade system for you. Assuming you want to reuse your case, GPU, and PSU this will give you good performance over your existing system. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qdvTzy For just a bit more you can get a new case with better air flow to keep the new stuff cool.

Here is the complete system to keep you going for several years. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/MCtjNG
This case here is the same size you currently have with better flow.

Is there any reason why I would replace my current rigs 1TB 7200 rpm Hard drive with another?
Also the same question about my dvd rewriter burner?

I would rather not spend extra money on parts that are already present. If there is some technical reason for buying replacements then I apologize in advance. I am trying to upgrade my system by salvaging some practical hardware while tossing the rest.

Thanks!

Edit: Also is there a good reason to rebuy windows? I already have windows 7 with a valid key on my current rig. Maybe to upgrade the OS?

 

[TechyInAZ]

Hey Chief, I put together an upgrade system for you. Assuming you want to reuse your case, GPU, and PSU this will give you good performance over your existing system. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qdvTzy For just a bit more you can get a new case with better air flow to keep the new stuff cool.

Here is the complete system to keep you going for several years. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/MCtjNG
This case here is the same size you currently have with better flow.

Is there any reason why I would replace my current rigs 1TB 7200 rpm Hard drive with another?
Also the same question about my dvd rewriter burner?

I would rather not spend extra money on parts that are already present. If there is some technical reason for buying replacements then I apologize in advance. I am trying to upgrade my system by salvaging some practical hardware while tossing the rest.

Thanks!

Oh, I didn't know you already had a 1TB HDD and a optical drive. If that's the case, just get rid of those in my build and save the cash.

 

[Gorgonzer]

The connections on those are SATA not SATA3 so the speed at which data is moved is considerably slower. 1.2GBs compared to 6GBs. Also, when changing motherboards the OS on your existing HD will not work properly. You can however reformat and use it for basic storage of music, pics, data in the new system, just at the slower data rate.
Hope that helps clear things up!

 

[Ibechief]

Hey Chief, I put together an upgrade system for you. Assuming you want to reuse your case, GPU, and PSU this will give you good performance over your existing system. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qdvTzy For just a bit more you can get a new case with better air flow to keep the new stuff cool.

Here is the complete system to keep you going for several years. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/MCtjNG
This case here is the same size you currently have with better flow.

Is there any reason why I would replace my current rigs 1TB 7200 rpm Hard drive with another?
Also the same question about my dvd rewriter burner?

I would rather not spend extra money on parts that are already present. If there is some technical reason for buying replacements then I apologize in advance. I am trying to upgrade my system by salvaging some practical hardware while tossing the rest.

Thanks!

Oh, I didn't know you already had a 1TB HDD and a optical drive. If that's the case, just get rid of those in my build and save the cash.

My wife has an I7 in her laptop is there any particular reason to buy an I5 CPU over the I7? And I have plenty of room for a large tower case, In time I suppose I'll be getting a second graphics card to use Crossfire? Should I be shopping for a larger case now to support it?

 

[Gorgonzer]

I5 is all you need for a gaming PC. If you do any hard number crunching programs or operations than the hypertheading on the I7's help for that stuff. If you dont plan on moving your case around the bigger cases promote better airflow.

 

[TechyInAZ]

Hey Chief, I put together an upgrade system for you. Assuming you want to reuse your case, GPU, and PSU this will give you good performance over your existing system. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/qdvTzy For just a bit more you can get a new case with better air flow to keep the new stuff cool.

Here is the complete system to keep you going for several years. http://pcpartpicker.com/p/MCtjNG
This case here is the same size you currently have with better flow.

Is there any reason why I would replace my current rigs 1TB 7200 rpm Hard drive with another?
Also the same question about my dvd rewriter burner?

I would rather not spend extra money on parts that are already present. If there is some technical reason for buying replacements then I apologize in advance. I am trying to upgrade my system by salvaging some practical hardware while tossing the rest.

Thanks!

Oh, I didn't know you already had a 1TB HDD and a optical drive. If that's the case, just get rid of those in my build and save the cash.

My wife has an I7 in her laptop is there any particular reason to buy an I5 CPU over the I7? And I have plenty of room for a large tower case, In time I suppose I'll be getting a second graphics card to use Crossfire? Should I be shopping for a larger case now to support it?

No, the i5 Quad Cores are more than enough for gaming.

Plus, the i7 in your wifes laptop is a laptop cpu, meaning it's slower than it's desktop counterpart.

 

[Gorgonzer]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jxkFK8
If you want to bite the bullet and get a single better card than go with this build and sell the 270x while its got value. A high end single card will outperform 2 mid range cards in crossfire with out the extra power draw and heat from a second card.
Ubgraded to the 8core on this build as well.

 

[Ibechief]

The connections on those are SATA not SATA3 so the speed at which data is moved is considerably slower. 1.2GBs compared to 6GBs. Also, when changing motherboards the OS on your existing HD will not work properly. You can however reformat and use it for basic storage of music, pics, data in the new system, just at the slower data rate.
Hope that helps clear things up!

Wow, that really stinks. The only time I really care about speed is when I am playing games and maybe surfing the web. Would it be possible to keep the 1 TB drive that I have, and to get a larger size SSD to keep the speed fast for the things that I have concerns about?

Also is it possible to just reinstall windows in the new pc rather than buying a new copy? Granted I don't have a windows disk at all but there has to be a way to get it?

 

[Gorgonzer]

The connections on those are SATA not SATA3 so the speed at which data is moved is considerably slower. 1.2GBs compared to 6GBs. Also, when changing motherboards the OS on your existing HD will not work properly. You can however reformat and use it for basic storage of music, pics, data in the new system, just at the slower data rate.
Hope that helps clear things up!

Wow, that really stinks. The only time I really care about speed is when I am playing games and maybe surfing the web. Would it be possible to keep the 1 TB drive that I have, and to get a larger size SSD to keep the speed fast for the things that I have concerns about?

Also is it possible to just reinstall windows in the new pc rather than buying a new copy? Granted I don't have a windows disk at all but there has to be a way to get it?

The OS install on your existing HD will not recognize your new equipment. The OS flashes a system spec when it first installs and if you change MB the specs wont match and it will not work. I know this from personal experience.
I assumed the same thing when I upgraded my first system.

And yes, the SSD can carry your new OS and program files.

 

[Ibechief]

No, the i5 Quad Cores are more than enough for gaming.

Plus, the i7 in your wifes laptop is a laptop cpu, meaning it's slower than it's desktop counterpart.

Ok, what about the 8 gigs of RAM. I have 8 gigs of RAM in my system now. Should I be upgrading to 16 gigs?

 

[Ibechief]

And yes, the SSD can carry your new OS and program files.

Would it be preferable to get a larger SSD? Then just keep my old hard drive and use it when I do not mind slower speeds? If I do need to upgrade the Hard drive can I keep the slower optical drive?

Sorry for all the questions. I want to ask all the questions I can before I buy anything. I noticed those cases are really cheap as well. Are they decent cases or am I forgoing something nice for the sake of price?

 

[Gorgonzer]

I suppose you could use it. 1600 speed is ideal for gaming, but 1333 is only 1 step down. Thats gonna be a personal choice for you to make. The existing ram will work in the new system. 8gig is ideal for gaming and most computing will not use anymore. If you plan on doing a bunch of rendering of video and the like 16g might be an option for you. But it sounds like 8 is plenty.

 

[Gorgonzer]

You can reuse the optical. New is only 14$. Well worth that. A 240g SSD will get your OS and all of your Blizzard titles on there. With the rest of your storage on the old HDD will work. Dont install the old one when you first start it up. Get the new OS running and updated then install the old and remove the OS. That will keep all your pics, videos, docs intact.
Case is good. Cases are a matter of choice. Most sub 75$ cases are pretty much the same. USB3 on the front is nice to have.

 

[Ibechief]

I suppose you could use it. 1600 speed is ideal for gaming, but 1333 is only 1 step down. Thats gonna be a personal choice for you to make. The existing ram will work in the new system. 8gig is ideal for gaming and most computing will not use anymore. If you plan on doing a bunch of rendering of video and the like 16g might be an option for you. But it sounds like 8 is plenty.

You can reuse the optical. New is only 14$. Well worth that. A 240g SSD will get your OS and all of your Blizzard titles on there. With the rest of your storage on the old HDD will work. Dont install the old one when you first start it up. Get the new OS running and updated then install the old and remove the OS. That will keep all your pics, videos, docs intact.
Case is good. Cases are a matter of choice. Most sub 75$ cases are pretty much the same. USB3 on the front is nice to have.

Is it possible for you to update the link to a build reflecting the changes we have talked about? I tried to do so myself and that website looks like Greek to me 😛

14$ seems like it is worth it to reduce the number of old parts and potential failure in the future.

 

[Gorgonzer]

What model 270x do you have?

 

[Ibechief]

What model 270x do you have?

Model No: R9-270X-CD
Part No: R9-270X-CDFR

It says it is an XFX DD Radeon R9 270X 1050M Boost 2GB D5

 

[Gorgonzer]

Good card. I got a link up for the build I think would best suit your wants. I also included a second with an additional 270x for Xfire.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/xQN3mG
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/YLncRB
Your PSU will handle both just fine. This build will be cool and quiet with years of great gaming. This is a silent case set up! And its beautiful.