New Build (Gaming)

[unholy]

Alright, so I'm not looking to make a completely new build, but rather seeking advice on how to progress. I think I've hit the ceiling as far what I can upgrade from my first build that I did when I was 17. I've got a few parts that I think I can still recycle and hopefully use.

AMD Phenom II X4 940
MSI K9A2 CF-F Mainboard (this thing is ancient I know)
OCZ2P1066 PC2-6400 2x2GB
XFX Radeon HD5770 1GB
Corsair 750W PSU
Seagate 1TB HDD

I've got mouse/keyboard/speakers/headphones. I'll need a case as the current Antec 900 has seen some better days. And I think that my GPU is nearly dead. It just started artifacting the other night, but I've had troubles with the graphics driver resetting periodically and I can't seem to figure out why.(This has happened on and off for two years now.

So in an ideal world, I'd only have to replace a case and a new GPU. But I don't think that will be the case in my situation. I'm unsure of the newest GPUs or CPUs now and I think that in order to even get a new GPU, I'm going to have to shell out money for a new Main board. And if I have to do that, then I might as well just start from scratch.


Help me please?!

[glc]

I think you have plenty of life left in your core components.

Have you blown the dust out of the system recently and checked for video card fan operation?

I'd go for a new case and video card for now. They can always be kept when you do upgrade the core whenever. Personally, I'd wait on those at least till Ivy Bridge is out and proven.

[rwest]

And if your old card doesn't clean up well enough to cool it off and make it playable, you could get a video card with the latest interface to help with future upgradeability.

Plenty to choose from at reasonabe prices too:
Newegg.com - Computer Hardware, Video Cards & Video Devices, Desktop Graphics Cards, PCI Express 3.0 x16

[unholy]

That is where my issue is. Will my motherboard support these new PCI-E 3.0 cards?

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by unholy That is where my issue is. Will my motherboard support these new PCI-E 3.0 cards?

Yes. They are backwards compatible. However, the newer chipsets coming out will take advantage of the technology.

[unholy]

Thanks!

Now to figure out what GPU to buy..

[glc]

What is your budget for the video card?

[unholy]

Was looking at around $300. I play some BF3, Dota2, LoL, Skyrim, Call of Duty etc.. so I'd like a decent mid range card. No real objection to ATI or nVIDIA. Last nVIDIA I had was the 8800GT so... I've been out of the loop for some time.

[Sourtop]

Nvidia is releasing their mainstream 600 series cards in May if the rumors are true so you could wait until then (Or until you pick up Ivy bridge if you do) or you could get a GTX 570 right now.

Newegg.com - EVGA 012-P3-1571-KR GeForce GTX 570 HD w/Display-Port (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

$270 after MIR.

Or you could get a GTX 560 Ti for around $220.

[glc]

If the 570's are starting to go under $300, that's the best for the money.

[jdeb]

EVGA "AR" series have a lifetime replacement warranty when registered.

Newegg.com - EVGA 012-P3-1570-AR GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card

[Sourtop]

EVGA has changed its warranty. Now its only 3 years, but it is transferable.

If you put a GTX 570 in that machine you should be able to play all games at max or near max settings. Save up and get an Ivy Bridge system this summer and upgrade as you go. Your HDD and PSU are fine so all you'll need to get in the future is a new motherboard, CPU, and memory.

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by Sourtop EVGA has changed its warranty. Now its only 3 years, but it is transferable. If you put a GTX 570 in that machine you should be able to play all games at max or near max settings. Save up and get an Ivy Bridge system this summer and upgrade as you go. Your HDD and PSU are fine so all you'll need to get in the future is a new motherboard, CPU, and memory.

Wrong

EVGA | Products

http://www.evga.com/support/warranty/

[Sourtop]

Odd. Seems the website is conflicting with this article:

EVGA | Articles | New EVGA Warranty

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by Sourtop Odd. Seems the website is conflicting with this article: EVGA | Articles | New EVGA Warranty

You are misreading it. It says a minimum of three years. Depending on the series of card will decide the warranty scenario. I believe they improved their overall warranty structure on all cards.

I just RMA'd one (AR series) from an over-zealous overclocker and they handled it quickly with no issues.

[Sourtop]

Ah, you're right. My bad.

[jdeb]

Originally Posted by Sourtop Ah, you're right. My bad.

It's all good. Understandable, it may help someone out.

[Sourtop]

Its good you called me on that. I was planning on getting one of the EVGA 4 GB GTX 680 signatures when they're released and the warranty changes had me a bit confused.

[unholy]

Alright I think I'm going to splash on that EVGA 570 that jdeb posted.

I mentioned that I've been having cooling issues despite cleaning out my system of dust. I even pulled my components out and dusted them all individually. It didn't really help.

Is there any cons to having a full tower as opposed to a mid tower? Obviously size/weight, but anything regarding airflow?

Also, I should mention that I'm going to have to put said case on the floor(I think this is part of my problem now) so it sucks in a bunch of dust that it normally wouldn't. I was looking at something like these.

Newegg.com - Thermaltake Overseer RX-I VN700M1W2N Black Steel / Plastic ATX Full Tower Computer Case

Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER HAF 932 Advanced RC-932-KKN5-GP Black Steel ATX Full Tower Computer Case with USB 3.0, Black Interior and Four Fans-1x 230mm front RED LED fan, 1x 140mm rear fan, 1x 230mm top fan, and 1x 230mm side fan

[glc]

Any of the Coolermaster HAF cases will give you excellent cooling and airflow.

If you put a case on the floor, I'd recommend you put a small block of something under each corner to get the bottom of the case off the floor. If it's on carpet, also put some kind of mat under it.

[David M]

I have noticed over the years that cases placed on desks tend to be cleaner than cases placed on the floor, especially if you have pets.

[unholy]

Figured that I'd just bump this back up instead of making a new topic. It dawned on me that I'll be getting my income tax refund later this week and would be able to buy the rest of my system in the next week or so.

I was looking at just replacing everything with an i5 2500 or should I just continue to wait until Ivy Bridge is released(I presume it'll drop the current Sandy Bridge prices down too)


Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-2500 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 2000 BX80623I52500
Newegg.com - GIGABYTE GA-Z77X-UD3H LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Newegg.com - CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ16GX3M4A1600C9B

As I said, I've got a HDD, PSU, simple CD/DVD Burner, a GTX 570 per your guys' advice and my new case.


I should be good to go if I do end up buying these correct?

I think I'm pretty set on the i5 2500 for now, but I'm unsure of whether or not the motherboard/RAM is decent enough or if there are better alternatives. I went looking for stuff based on Khalil's post of hardware recommendations.

[jdeb]

You want the "K" series. If you are going with a discrete graphics card then you do not need IGP

Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-2550K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Without IGP BX80623i52550K

or wait until Ivy Bridge comes out. That is up to you. I never hold off for technology but that is me.

[Extremerc12]

GLC,

If he puts the wheels on the HAF 932, there is no need for a block on carpet. The tower sits well enough off the floor.

[unholy]

Originally Posted by Extremerc12 GLC, If he puts the wheels on the HAF 932, there is no need for a block on carpet. The tower sits well enough off the floor.

Enough to mount the PSU with fan facing down?