Old build < New build? (Upgrade)

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wright83

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I was thinking about doing a new build or maybe just updating a few of my components that I have now.

This is my build from several years ago but I've upgraded the graphics card along the road.

My main goal is to have a faster gaming computer.

I would like to get a fast SDD, if I do need a better Graphics card I can do that. Thou if I want to upgrade the ram then I have to get a whole new Motherboard/Cpu/Ram
This is the fasted ram I can install technically into this motherboard or it wont read anything better .


Intel Core 2 Duo E8400
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115037

2 x 24" LCD Screens
- Dell ST2410 http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna/productdetail.aspx?c=us&l=en&s=gen&sku=320-1070
- Dell 2405FPW http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=Dell+2405FPW&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:eek:fficial&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=16128443045455071158&sa=X&ei=VsHWTqbFCsHf0QHout3ZAQ&ved=0CFYQ8wIwAw --- [Gives off way to much heat, OLD]

MSI P7N Diamond LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 780i SLI
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130158

GIGABYTE GV-N460OC-1GI GeForce GTX 460 (Fermi) 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125333

Mushkin Enhanced 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820146693

Antec Nine Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

2 X WD Raptor 150 GB Internal Hard Drive

I would like to upgrade if you guys think I need to. Let me know your opinion.


 
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Raiddinn

Raiddinn

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Without knowing what you intend to use the computer for it is hard for me to make specific suggestions.

I am just going to go out on a limb and assume you mean to game with it.

If so, I would start saving money for a new core

i5 2500k
1155 motherboard
2x 4GBs of 1333 RAM

If the monitor gives off too much heat, I will trade you a 1905 FP I have laying around for it. That should save you a few $.
 
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cutebeans

cutebeans

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What is your budget? You have actually only 2 ways to upgrade your computer.

1st idea is a complete overhaul.

Get a new CPU + Motherboard + Ram + buying another GTX 460 for SLI, what is your PSU btw?

2nd idea. Get another 460 to SLI.

Depends on your budget.
 
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cpatel1987

cpatel1987

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If your willing to spend that much, then start from scratch.

i5 2400: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115074 $189.99

Kingston 4 GB DDR3 Memory: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820104238 $19.99 x 2.

Gigabyte ATX Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128487 $104.99.


Hard Drive and other components you can salvage from your old build. Then:

If you want an SSD, go for it, have my OS on it, and LOVE the speed benefits: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227550 $99.99

Graphics Card: Gigabyte Radeon 6850 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125353 $169.99. I find the 6850's to be the best bang for the buck right now. You have a GTX 460 now, which are nice, so I honestly wouldn't upgrade that card.

Power Supply: Up to you. Power supplies aren't my expertise, and because of that, I'm brand loyal to Thermaltake: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817153152 $79.99.

GTX 460 handles a lot of games, so if your having performing issues, biggest culprit is gonna be your current processor.
 
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cutebeans

cutebeans

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i5-2500k $210 (TIGERDIRECT)
Asrock Extreme3 Gen3 $125
Corsair TX750 $105
G.Skill Ripjaws 8gb DDR3 1600 $44
GTX 460 1gb $190

$674

Everything is in newegg. Don't get ThermalTake PSUs my friend. They make solid cases but their PSU line isn't that good.

A good 650w can do it but a 750w would be better since it would give you more headroom.
 
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wright83

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What about a monitor. I would like to get rid of my Dell 2405FPW gives off way to much heat. Should I just replace it with another 24"screen?
A friend of mind got the Samsung 27" 350 Series LED Monitor for a good price. Or should I stay away from 27" because the resolutions are the same like 24"
Also is the Samsung good for gaming? http://www.samsung.com/us/computer/monitors/LS27A350HS/ZA

Or is there a better monitor that you guys can recommend. Are there any monitors that have USB3 installed in them and good for gaming?

So based on your new build BUTBEANS should I keep my same case? Also you mentioned i should get the GTX 460 but I have two of those already.

Is there anything else I need. Someone mentioned to me the ASUS P8Z68-V LGA 1155 Intel Z68 HDMI, is this a good mobo to max iut?

Can anyone recommend good fast preforming SSD I assume I would want a 120gb nothing more

Also I would like a case that has USB3 attached to the front those are essential. I always like sticking in USB chips as in ANT (Garmin watch, wireless keyboard and mouse) So i have easy access to them so that I dont have to reach around the back.

If I use all these upgrades and I want to maximize my performance on Batman/batterfield ect.. Can I stick with SLI GTX 460 for now?
 
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Raiddinn

Raiddinn

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460 is a decent card. You may not be able to max performance with it, though, even in SLI x 2.

It really depends on your budget how far you want to go

2 x 570 will hold you over for the next like 5 years at about $650
1 x 580 will be a lot worse but will still max everything for like 3 years easily for about $480
1 x 570 will probably be able to do the next 2 years easily at $330

TBH, I wouldn't even try to SLI 460s, a 6850 is less than a second 460 would be and may even outperform 2x 460s SLId and without the potential micro stuttering.

I am a 1 video card person myself, so I would just get a micro atx board from a tier 1 manufacturer and just use 1 of a better card instead of 2 of a worse one. Less heat, less power bills, less configuration problems, good enough performance generally.

The only other reason not to get a micro atx board really is for 4x RAM slots and unless you are doing high end video editing and such then 2x 4 GBs is about the max you would need and that is available on a micro atx board.

Cpatel1987 - I think you should read the following review from a good review site that stress tests PSUs. It is regarding a Thermaltake branded PSU with 750w. I think you might rethink your brand loyalty if you read it.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Thermaltake-TR2-RX-750-W-Power-Supply-Review/902

The PSU couldn't give more than 580w without blowing up and the ripple variance is so high that it is extremely likely to take down other parts. A $40 PSU killing a $300 video card is a sad event.

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/Why-99-Percent-of-Power-Supply-Reviews-Are-Wrong/410/1

This link will tell you everything you need to know for deciding whether a PSU is good or not in about 10 minutes. It should be on everyone's reading list who wants to be a hobbyist PC builder.

 
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wright83

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It says there are two but if you look at any of the pictures it only shows one USB 3.0 on the right side why is that?
 
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Raiddinn

Raiddinn

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There are three things I would primarily look at if I were you when picking out a monitor:

1) How far are you going to be sitting away from the monitor? Can you easily see the whole screen? If you are close you may have to turn your head physically in order to see the sides of the monitor. If you are farther away you can probably take in the whole thing at once more easily.

2) The refresh rate (hertz) of the monitor. With 2x 570s (doesn't really matter which version, tbh) your computer will be trying to refresh graphics at a very high rate. A 60 Hz monitor may not be able to refresh as fast as your graphics cards are able to prepare a new display for rendering. Some renderings prepared may be overwritten by newer renders before they are even read by the monitor.

This puts a practical limit for FPS at the refresh rate of the monitor, 60 hz = 60 fps, 75 hz = 75 fps, 120 hz = 120 fps. Frames per second and hertz are essentially the same word. The FPS could be bottlenecked by a video card or it could be bottlenecked by a monitor. With low end video cards, the video cards are usually the problem because even bare minimum monitors can handle 60 FPS. With high end video cards it is more often the monitor that is the bottleneck.

In this case, it is likely the monitor will be your bottleneck more than the other way around, so you will want to aim for a higher number of Hz (say 120) instead of a lower number (60).

3) Manufacturer - Many companies make monitors but not all of them do so well. Some use lower quality parts in order to make and sell the monitors for a cheaper price, but the experience will be less good. Other companies use higher quality parts and sell the products for a higher price. Those are banking on people wanting the better experience and being willing to pay more for it. Which direction you lean really depends on your budget.

Once you select a few similar candidates in approximately the same price range that you feel comfortable with, then read a lot of customer reviews on each one. The number of positive reviews matters less than the number of negative ones. Ideally you want to have the highest ratio of positives to negatives possible, but its also good to just have very very few negative comments in general.
 
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wright83

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Thanks for the advise if you have anything to follow up on by the number 1) then let me know. Thanks again! :)
 
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Raiddinn

Raiddinn

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Whatever the refresh rate is on the monitors will be the max frame rate you can get with whatever you are doing, just keep that in mind. That being said, as long as it is 75 Hz you are probably not going to be able to notice a difference with a much higher FPS than that.

As for #1, I know people with productivity apps like to have multiple screens because they can put a spreadsheet on one, a web browser on another one, and a graphics program on a 3rd one, etc. For gaming, I think it is kinda hard to keep up with 3 monitors. I have always gamed with 1 monitor and never felt like I would be better off with two. YMMV.

Anyway, how many monitors you get really depends on needs of yours that I am not extremely familiar with, but I prefer gaming myself so I just stick with the biggest single size I can afford (its only a 19, but I don't complain).
 
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wright83

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I am tending to lean towards replacing my two 24" monitors with 120hz because right now one of my screens doesn't match the other (1900 x 1200&1080) and one overheats a lot. I do tend to have two screen like you mentioned above where you have a spreadsheet on one and web browser on the other. When it comes to gaming I just play one one 24" screen and turn off the other monitors so it doesn't distract me.

Or I can just do one big 30" but then I dont feel like I have the option of doing that split screen but if someone wants to offer me a comparison of ONE 30" 120hz vs 2 x 24" 120hz

I am leaning anyways to the recommend 24" monitors with 120hz
 
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wright83

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What about the new build. Should I do it and then whole off on the 2 x 570 and just use my 460's in the mean time until the new cards come out and then i'll decide to get the new ones or have the 570s drop more in price? Isn't the announcement coming on Dec 5th?
 
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wright83

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Also when I am looking for a screen, I know I should look for 120hz but does the ms matter a lot? Do I need 2ms?

A lot of good reviews for the Acer HN274 is two of these good then one big 30"?

What is also the best way to wire up the video cards via HDMI or other? If if so does 28AWG matter that much for a 24AWG on my new build?

 
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D

de5_Roy

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monitor selection depends on individual preference.
monitor manufacturers inflate and deflate display specs according to their own need. for example - dynamic contrast ratio.
120 hz is usually for 3d monitors. in 2d mode you might experience some smoothness compared to 60 hz displays.
ms is used for measuring response time. usually it's g2g response time. tn panels usually have 2ms and 5 ms response time and ips panels have 5-8 ms. most people say 5 ms is enough for ips panels, but a lot of people say 2 ms is better.
one thing monitor manufactuers almost always skip is input lag. input lag is the time passed after an action is performed, say a mouse click, till that action is seen on the display.
 
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