New PC Advice

[Calumowns]

Hi,

Sorry if this is the wrong forum. A couple of years ago I built a pc which currently stands at: Q6660, 2GB DDR2 1066 mhz RAM, ATI 4450, antec 900 case, corsair 750w atx, asus p5k-e. Running on XP.

I was thinking about updating this, so I will be able to play Sc2, and WoW: MoP. I can either add 2 more GB ram, and get a new graphics card (not sure which one, was thinking a good 2nd hand one - if anyone could provide me with a recommendation?) or I can buy a new pc.

I have done quite a bit of research into newer pc, but I'm looking to spend around £500-600. I'd just like to know if my existing case is generally big enough for new graphics cards etc and is it possible that I can use my existing power supply so I can max out on other parts as much as possible?

Thanks

[glc]

Your case and PSU are good to go for any upgrade you may want to do. 500-600 quid would be plenty for a motherboard/CPU/ram/video card upgrade. It's also time to upgrade to Windows 7.

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[jdeb]

I personally think it may be money better spent towards a new build because of the RAM.

You could put in 2GB of additional RAM. Try and match if you decide to do that. Max for that board is 8GB but it would be cost prohibitive as you could use that 130.00 Euro's towards a new build. Would not hurt to list the brand and model of the RAM unless you know what to get.

So if you bought 2 gigs of RAM, what would your budget be for a video card? You don't need a real expensive card for those game, a HD7770 would be fine.

You can reuse your PS, Case, DVD and maybe the hard drive for data. Spend the money that you would on a mechanical spin drive towards an Intel 120GB SSD for the OS and apps. However, you want to periodically run hard drive diagnostics and run regular backups to play it safe.

If you were my customer this would be my recommendation 599.85 Euro

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Asus P8Z77-V Socket 1155
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Corsair 8GB DDR3 1600Mhz Vengeance Blue Memory
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Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium w/SP1 64 Bit
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[Calumowns]

Thanks for the quick replies. I'm not sure if I should max out with 16GB of ram and pay the bit extra?

I currently have 2x 150GB raptors that I'd be looking to use - would an SSD be alot faster? Should I be looking to overclock my system at all and I'm guessing I couldn't run on stock?

[jdeb]

The Ram is up to you but 8GB is pretty much standard these days.

SSD's are faster and definately quieter than Raptors Use the Raptors for data.

[Calumowns]

Will do. What about me possibly going AMD? Seems to be cheaper. I was looking at the FX-8150 vs the i5 3570k. Not sure how they compare but to me the AMD looks alot better.

I'm also not sure about the motherboard too - GIGABYTE - Motherboard - Socket AM3+ - GA-990FXA-UD5 (rev. 1.x) would that be an equivalent to the ASUS?

[glc]

For gaming, the Ivy Bridge 3570K will outperform anything AMD offers.

If you want to overclock it, add a Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo cooler.

[jdeb]

I agree with glc. My build is solid but takes into consideration the cost of the OS and a SSD. glc's build has a better GPU/CPU combination but does not include an SSD or OS. At the end of the day, glc's will game better but not within your budget. So in conclusion, you have two viable options and it boils down to the "quids"

If you are on a tight budget and want to get max value, the the FX /Scorpius is a viable option. It will save you roughly 60 to 80 quid but do not expect the same performance at what me or glc originally configured. Is it worth it? Well, I have built quite a few and the difference is not worth the price difference, however, you can tweak the settings and increase the value build.

If you want to spec the AMD FX Scorpius platform, let me know. I may be able to dial it in at 500.00 with OS and SSD.

[Calumowns]

Hi, I've been reading a bit about intel vs amd, and intel seem to generally be better but more expensive.

I have decided to go for:

Intel i3570k w/ coolermaster hyper 212
Asus P8Z77-V Socket 1155 - Is it worth getting the more expensive models? I'm not so sure?
RAM - 8GB 1666mhz DDR3 Corsair Vengeance - Would I need low profile?
Graphics - How do the 7850 and the 6780 compare?
Sound card - I have an auzentech prelude but I'm not sure if onboard would be better now?

I have found the above, excluding the graphics card for £350. A friend is giving me his old 120GB SSD and a spare windows 7 he had lying about.

Just thought I'd add, that I appreciate the help.

[glc]

The more expensive motherboards are not worth it - to keep the cost down as much as possible, get the "LK" version.

If you are getting a 212, you need the low profile ram.

Try the onboard sound before putting a card in.

Best Graphics Cards For The Money: August 2012 : Best Graphics Cards For The Money, August Updates

[Calumowns]

Was thinking this for the price:

ARIANET Radeon HD 7950 OC 3072MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card - Aria PC

Any opinions on how good value this is?

[glc]

Great card, but I'd be a bit concerned about the brand.

[Calumowns]

Well, I decided not to purchase the ARIANET 7950.

I was wondering how easy it is to overclock a 7850 (I heard it provides similar performance to a 7950?) or if I should get the 6870 (which I heard is similar to the 7850?)

[glc]

Have you read my link from Tom's in detail?

Try to stay with Sapphire or Asus for AMD cards, EVGA or Asus for Nvidia cards.