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Well, it will be more of a total computer replacement. Between two weeks and a month from now I'll be starting to order or pick up parts to build a brand new computer. Mine right now is getting long in the tooth and is starting to become inadequate for our needs. My budget will be around $1000 (have slightly over $600 saved now) so I did some window shopping online through these sites (Microcenter.com (Northeast Ohio/Mayfield Hts), Tigerdirect, Newegg and NCIX).

I've come up with this list and I'd like to know from everyone there thoughts on the parts list and whether it is a good combination or if you know a better one for less than a grand.

MB: (NCIX) Asus "M5A88-M" $100 or (Microcenter) "M5A97" $95 (which one is better? Or is there a better MB for about $100 to $110?)
CPU: (Newegg or Tiger Direct) 8-core AMD AM3+ 3.66GHz "FD8150FRGUBOX" $250
GPU: (Newegg) Radeon HD 6790 840Mhz 1GB 4.2GHz "HD679XZRFC" $130 + $5 shipping
RAM: (Microcenter) 2x4GB 1600MHz "KHX1600C9D3K2/8GX" $50
HDD: (Newegg) 1TB WD Blue SATA 6GB/s 7200RPM "WD10EALX" $100
DVD: (Newegg) LG "GH24NS90" 24X DVDRW $18
PSU: (Microcenter) Diablo Tek 600W $36 (forgot the part number)
Case: (Microcenter) $38 (forgot the name and part number but then again I'm not too sure which case to get.)
OS: (Newegg) WIN7 Ultimate 64bit OEM "GLC-01844" $190 (deciding going to splurge an extra $50 and get the Ultimate instead of Pro)

What do you think? A good setup or can you suggest a better list? Thanks.

I'm just going to be blunt: That is a bad set-up.

You don't need an 8 core processor. Period. You barely need a 4 core processor, since even games will generally struggle to max out 3 cores. There just isn't enough going on for it to be able to utilize more than that.

Don't get windows 7 Ultimate unless there is a specific killer feature you need that Pro doesn't have. (hint: there isn't)

I'm not sure why you choose that video card, it's only just barely suitable for gaming.

Dominus Atheos wrote:I'm just going to be blunt: That is a bad set-up.

You don't need an 8 core processor. Period. You barely need a 4 core processor, since even games will generally struggle to max out 3 cores. There just isn't enough going on for it to be able to utilize more than that.

Don't get windows 7 Ultimate unless there is a specific killer feature you need that Pro doesn't have. (hint: there isn't)

I'm not sure why you choose that video card, it's only just barely suitable for gaming.

I want to have a computer that I do not need to do a major upgrade for another five or so years. Just trying to get ahead of the curve. When I first bought this computer a little over five years ago, a lot of people thought (from memory) that having a dual core processor was unnecessary as games were not using more than a single core.

What do you recommend for a video card then? The Radeon 7000 series?

Unless Diablotek went from being crappy to awesome in under four years, it does not matter how many watts it has. Diablotek is the worst in quality, as in it may damage your computer and often will not put up the amount of power advertised. Antec and Corsair are great brands for solid power supply units. This is what I got: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6817139004 This particular model is deactivated now, as it was purchased in 2009, but it still performs without issue hooked up to this video card purchased the same year: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814130370

As you probably guessed by now, I was going for an entry level gaming-capable system. You are apparently trying for a much more capable system and have way more cash than me (my computer was under $500), so it would be ironic to purchase a bottom of the line power supply for your computer. The power supply may not be the sexiest part in the case, but don't cut the corner; it is crucial.

Oh, and my GPU is still handling the latest games just fine. I am apparently partial to EVGA GeForce GTX models.

Edit: Found the list of reputable power supply units: http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx

As for the HDD I'd try to have a faster one, like say WD VelociRaptor series, even if only the 600 GB has a price more or less in your budget.

I'd also recycle the old computer's HDD as additional storage (either internal or with an external case) where you can store stuff that does not need all this speed (anything not a game/program, basically).


I second the "8 cores is nonsense", and suggest to save your money on that to spend it on a better GPU. Not that it totally sucks, but GPU requirements rise faster than CPU requirements as time goes on.

Stay away from powercolor GPUs.

Consider a Solid State Drive in addition to the HDD.

Stick Windows and a couple of games on it and you'll notice the difference in load times more than most other upgrades.

I'd stay away from any AMD CPUs right now, since the new range they introduced last year was, to put it bluntly, very underwhelming. The best choice for what you want would probably be the Intel Core i5 2500 - or, if you're willing to hold on for a few weeks, the updated Core i5 3570. In either case, you'd ideally want a motherboard based on the Z77 chipset to go with it.

For a video card, how about this one instead? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6814161402

DaveJB wrote:I'd stay away from any AMD CPUs right now, since the new range they introduced last year was, to put it bluntly, very underwhelming. The best choice for what you want would probably be the Intel Core i5 2500 - or, if you're willing to hold on for a few weeks, the updated Core i5 3570. In either case, you'd ideally want a motherboard based on the Z77 chipset to go with it.

I see. What kind of motherboard would you suggest for the 2500 or the 3570?

Well, any Z77 chipset motherboard should serve you well. However, the Asus P8Z77-V LX seems to be an inexpensive yet decently featured model, as does the MSI Z77A-G43. Really, the only motherboard maker you want to stay away from is Gigabyte, as their quality control seems quite iffy from what I've heard.

If you decide to plump for the 2500, you could shave a few bucks off by going with a motherboard based on the older Z68 chipset. Your best bet is to look for a combo deal that includes the processor and an appropriate motherboard, which is usually the cheapest and most pain-free route.

How is the case on fans?

someone_else wrote:As for the HDD I'd try to have a faster one, like say WD VelociRaptor series, even if only the 600 GB has a price more or less in your budget.

It's kind of hard to bother with a 10K drive when you could just get an SSD + slow media storage.

Ok I've crunched some numbers and decided to do all of my business with newegg since they seem to be cheaper overall and there's no tax.

Here is the updated list.

MB: MSI "Z77A-G43" $110
CPU: Intel i5 2500K "BX80623I52500K" $220
GPU: Asus Radeon 7750 "HD7750-1GD5-V2" $110 +$7 shipping
RAM: Corsair 2x4GB "CMX8GX3M2B1600C9" $50
HDD: 1TB WD Blue SATA 6GB/s 7200RPM "WD10EALX" $100
DVD: LG "GH24NS90" 24X DVDRW $18
PSU: Antec 650W "EA-650 GREEN" $65 ($55 after mail-in rebate)
Case: "ATX-305WB" $40 ($25 after mail-in rebate)
Win7: Ultimate $190 (deciding to still stick with this but I might change my mind later on, though I doubt it.)

The total comes out to (after taking into account the rebates) around $875 including shipping costs. About $50 more than the previous set up but not that bad.

As for getting an SSD, I'm going to pass on that for the time being.

someone_else wrote:<snip>

I'd also recycle the old computer's HDD as additional storage (either internal or with an external case) where you can store stuff that does not need all this speed (anything not a game/program, basically).

<snip>

Not going to do that. I've already have an extra HDD and I'm not going to do anything to this computer other than wipe and reinstall XP on it. I'm going to keep this computer as a backup just in case something goes wrong with the new computer .

Enigma wrote:Win7: Ultimate $190 (deciding to still stick with this but I might change my mind later on, though I doubt it.)

There's little reason for you to get anything more than Home Premium unless you have certain specific needs.

Hell, you could buy a small SSD with the savings and use your motherboard's "Smart Response Technology" (SRT) feature to get a nice speed boost.

phongn wrote:

Enigma wrote:Win7: Ultimate $190 (deciding to still stick with this but I might change my mind later on, though I doubt it.)

There's little reason for you to get anything more than Home Premium unless you have certain specific needs.

Hell, you could buy a small SSD with the savings and use your motherboard's "Smart Response Technology" (SRT) feature to get a nice speed boost.

I'll second most of this. Home Premium gives most features that a home user (even a hardcore gamer) would want or need. Win 7 Pro gives EFS folder support, Remote Desktop support, plus Windows XP Mode (basically a fully-virtualized XP for apps dependent on it), so if those features are important, then go Pro. Win 7 Ultimate simply tosses in the Pro features plus all of the Enterprise features. Of these, BitLocker whole-disk encryption and multi-language multi-account support (so, say, one account in English/ANSI and another account in Japanese/SJIS) are about the only ones that a regular user is likely to need or run into. Check the feature list and make sure that you absolutely need a feature from a different version before buying up.

Intel SRT on Z68 and later boards improves performance a lot without needing to commit entirely to SSD use. I tossed a cheap 32GB SSD into my system and enabled the functionality, and it's helped with responsiveness on everything except for giant datasets (which are stored on a drive that's not linked). Skyrim, for instance, barely flashes loading screens before finishing. Note that you'll have to set up the SATA controller as RAID rather than AHCI in the BIOS before you install Windows for this, even if you don't plan to use RAID.

Gigabyte has quality issues? News to me. Last I checked their reputation was pretty good. I know some of their Z68 stuff has had problems with boot loops, but that problem doesn't seem limited to Gigabyte.

I bought a SSD with my upgrade and my only regret is I didn't get a larger one, but if you're set on a HD, Newegg has a deal on 1 TB Western Digital Caviar Black, which offer a 5 year warranty as opposed to the 2 for the Blue for $20 more.

Scratch it. I'll go Pro instead and save $50.

Exonerate wrote:Gigabyte has quality issues? News to me. Last I checked their reputation was pretty good.

I've not heard anything bad about them recently and personally speaking my past 3-4 builds have all used Gigabyte boards... Your mileage may vary of course.

phongn wrote:

someone_else wrote:As for the HDD I'd try to have a faster one, like say WD VelociRaptor series, even if only the 600 GB has a price more or less in your budget.

It's kind of hard to bother with a 10K drive when you could just get an SSD + slow media storage.

My experience with SSDs can be summed up by "they load faster but run worse" On both OS, programs and games. They are also fucking expensive.

Even with that Intel swapping memory tech they were worsening performance last time I tired them (albeit it was on laptops). Hope Datana knows what he is saying and they are starting to do it right.

atg wrote:

Exonerate wrote:Gigabyte has quality issues? News to me. Last I checked their reputation was pretty good.

I've not heard anything bad about them recently and personally speaking my past 3-4 builds have all used Gigabyte boards... Your mileage may vary of course.

They had to recall several X79 based models last year (link) after it turned out they had a nasty habit of going up in smoke under full load. I'm not saying that Asus, MSI and Intel motherboards are flawless in this department by any means, but I can't remember them doing any such large-scale recall in recent years.

Fair enough.

someone_else wrote:

phongn wrote:It's kind of hard to bother with a 10K drive when you could just get an SSD + slow media storage.

My experience with SSDs can be summed up by "they load faster but run worse" On both OS, programs and games. They are also fucking expensive.

Something must've gone seriously wrong; I've used SSDs in new and old machines and they run far better than any rotating media.

Even with that Intel swapping memory tech they were worsening performance last time I tired them (albeit it was on laptops). Hope Datana knows what he is saying and they are starting to do it right.

SRT isn't on laptops. If you're referring to Windows' built-in flash caching system, well, that indeed has problems (like purging the cache on every boot)

It sounds like someone_else may have been using one of the early SSDs. Those were awesome in terms of sequential read/write performance, but they tended to do a faceplant whenever any degree of fast, random file access was required, to the point where they were actually slower than most mechanical drives. It wasn't until Intel and then SandForce came along that SSDs were consistently better than mechanical HDs.

Enigma wrote:Ok I've crunched some numbers and decided to do all of my business with newegg since they seem to be cheaper overall and there's no tax.

Here is the updated list.

MB: MSI "Z77A-G43" $110
CPU: Intel i5 2500K "BX80623I52500K" $220
GPU: Asus Radeon 7750 "HD7750-1GD5-V2" $110 +$7 shipping
RAM: Corsair 2x4GB "CMX8GX3M2B1600C9" $50
HDD: 1TB WD Blue SATA 6GB/s 7200RPM "WD10EALX" $100
DVD: LG "GH24NS90" 24X DVDRW $18
PSU: Antec 650W "EA-650 GREEN" $65 ($55 after mail-in rebate)
Case: "ATX-305WB" $40 ($25 after mail-in rebate)
Win7: Ultimate $190 (deciding to still stick with this but I might change my mind later on, though I doubt it.)

The total comes out to (after taking into account the rebates) around $875 including shipping costs. About $50 more than the previous set up but not that bad.

As for getting an SSD, I'm going to pass on that for the time being.

Bought the MB, CPU and Win7 Pro from Newegg. I should be getting it close to this time next week.