Nearing Upgrade time

[Lathais]

Well, it is nearing the time of year when I have a bit of extra money and my current rig is getting close to 2 years old.

Budget
about $1000

Resolution
best I can get

Games / Settings Desired
Rift on Ultra

Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc)
no

Country
US

Parts that can be reused
Here is my current system:
AMD Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition Deneb 3.4GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor HDZ965FBGMBOX: Probably the part in biggest need of upgrade
ASUS M4A89GTD PRO/USB3 AM3 AMD 890GX HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard : Will need upgrade
XFX HD-685X-ZNFC Radeon HD 6850 1GB 256-bit DDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity Probably needs upgrade
CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMZ8GX3M2A1600C8: Probably ok here
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Compatible with Core i7 Power Supply This was/is overkill
RAIDMAX SMILODON ATX-612WB Black/Silver 1.0mm SECC Steel ATX Mid Tower Foldout MB Computer Case Case is fine, but just in case a vid card os too big for it I am linking it.
I have a 320GB HD, probably sorely in need of upgrade, but I do not store much info, so if I could fit OS and Rift on a SSD then this will be fine coupled with that, otherwise, I'll want a bigger HDD

Do you need an OS?
Currently running Vista, do not really want to upgrade unless there is some huge benefit to doing so

Do you need peripherals (e.g. monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc)?
Mostly set there, however my secondary monitor recently died. It was only there to see vent/mumble, or to be browsing during downtime sometimes. Not really used to game on at all. What was there was an old 19" Viewsonic Widescreen, 1440x900. About 5 years old I think. I would like to replace it, but any cheap small flat screen will do as it is not used for any gaming. Just browsing, having guides up while in games, sometimes playing stupid flash games while watching a movie on main monitor.


In short, I will have approximately $800-1000 budget, if I can go less, good. I am thinking I really only need CPU, MB and GPU, possibly SSD if can squeeze it in, a cheapo flatscreen monitor.

[inux94]

Here you go

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Silver Arrow CPU Cooler ($69.70 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($134.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 7970 GHz Edition 3GB Video Card ($413.78 @ NCIX US)
Total: $908.45
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

I'm not sure if Rift is more CPU or GPU intensive, so I chose the 7970 GHz edition. Deltrus might come by and edit it.

[Jinto]

HD7970 is way overkill for 1440x900. The most you will need is a HD7870 or GTX660 TI. Anyway if Microcenter has very few B&M locations and they only sell the CPU in-store. If you are lucky enough to live close to one then the motherboard should be bought there too as they give $50 discount on mobo + cpu combo.

[inux94]

HD7970 is way overkill for 1440x900. The most you will need is a HD7870 or GTX660 TI. Anyway if Microcenter has very few B&M locations and they only sell the CPU in-store. If you are lucky enough to live close to one then the motherboard should be bought there too as they give $50 discount on mobo + cpu combo.

That was his seconday screen.

Mostly set there, however my secondary monitor recently died. It was only there to see vent/mumble, or to be browsing during downtime sometimes. Not really used to game on at all. What was there was an old 19" Viewsonic Widescreen, 1440x900. About 5 years old I think.

[Faithh]

1. 2500K is better than an 3570k for overclocking. Although why would you buy any of them without overclocking them? You can get easy 25% more performance on cpu by overclocking. Seen a lot of 3570k not passing the 4.5GHz while every 2500K is easily overclockable to 5GHz with decent cooling and even @ air. Remind that the 3570k has pci express 3.0 and the 2500k only 2.0 But the difference in performance between them is 0.000% in 1080p but in resolutions like 5760x1080 there is a big difference.

2. Rather pick an Asus p8z77-v - Asrock isnt reliable as Asus tbh. Although they share the same hardware but Asrock is crap at programming bios tbh.

3. I don't see why you would give 70 eur for a cooler while the Syncthe mine 2 costs only 20eur and is performing equally to a corsair H100 (watercooling) and surely better than that Thermaltake which inux94 linked. http://nl.hardware.info/reviews/2359...ies-high-speed

4. Crucial M4 is a decent SSD but the Samsung 840 basic is better for the same price. Look at PCMark vantage and PCmark 7 benchmarks here because they base on realtime performance not on sequential or compressed data. http://uk.hardware.info/reviews/3200...pcmark-vantage

5. If you're planning to overclock a 7970 forget that GHz edition, just buy a normal 7970. You're going to hate those boostclocks, trust me.. It's the only reason why I hate my gtx 680. If you don't plan to overclock your GPU, go for the GHz edition.

[DeltrusDisc]

We, the rift community, are mostly in agreement that rift is more friendly with nvidia gpus, so I would say a gtx 660 ti or 670. Otherwise the other things inux94 posted will be your best bet in rift! For telara and see you in storm legion!!

Oh lawl, just realized, HAI LATHAIS. This is a <terrible idea>.... (guildie for those wondering)

[Lathais]

Thanks for the advice.

@inux

The CPU is only available that cheap with in-store pick-up at a store not in my city.
The cooler is out of stock, and I have never done water-cooling before either. I am usually fine with stock heatsink and fan as I never have and do not really intend to overclock at all. Also, the only retailer listed for it is out of stock.

Looks like that CPU is avail with heatsink and fan from newegg.com for 214.99, saving me 44.70 which could be put towards the second monitor I am really missing lately.

I am also not very keen on the idea of ASRock. They have burned me in the past. I received a board DOA and was unable to get it replaced or my money back. I have been using Asus since then and never had a reason to complain. I have heard they are a better company now, and do not have issues like that, however, I just don't feel like supporting a company that has burned me before when there is a company that is known the be more reliable.

@Faithh

1. Hadn't really planned on overclocking. I have never Overclocked in the past and don't really intend to.

2. Definitely would choose Asus over ASRock. see above.

3. I don't see why you would watercool to begin with. I have always been fine air cooling. Something about mixing water and electricity just doesn't seem right to me.

4. Thanks, will take a look at Samsungs

5. Same as CPU, don't really intend to Overclock.

[DeltrusDisc]

As stubborn as he is in game and in the rift subforums here.

---------- Post added 2012-10-25 at 03:40 AM ----------

1. 2500K is better than an 3570k for overclocking. Although why would you buy any of them without overclocking them? You can get easy 25% more performance on cpu by overclocking. Seen a lot of 3570k not passing the 4.5GHz while every 2500K is easily overclockable to 5GHz with decent cooling and even @ air. Remind that the 3570k has pci express 3.0 and the 2500k only 2.0 But the difference in performance between them is 0.000% in 1080p but in resolutions like 5760x1080 there is a big difference.

2. Rather pick an Asus p8z77-v - Asrock isnt reliable as Asus tbh. Although they share the same hardware but Asrock is crap at programming bios tbh.

3. I don't see why you would give 70 eur for a cooler while the Syncthe mine 2 costs only 20eur and is performing equally to a corsair H100 (watercooling) and surely better than that Thermaltake which inux94 linked. http://nl.hardware.info/reviews/2359...ies-high-speed

4. Crucial M4 is a decent SSD but the Samsung 840 basic is better for the same price. Look at PCMark vantage and PCmark 7 benchmarks here because they base on realtime performance not on sequential or compressed data. http://uk.hardware.info/reviews/3200...pcmark-vantage

5. If you're planning to overclock a 7970 forget that GHz edition, just buy a normal 7970. You're going to hate those boostclocks, trust me.. It's the only reason why I hate my gtx 680. If you don't plan to overclock your GPU, go for the GHz edition.

Hey guy. Read again. THERMALRIGHT=\=thermaltake. The silver arrow is essentially the best air cooler with the nh-d14. So don't kid yourself and do more studying.

[Lathais]

Ok, with the above in mind, here is what I am thinking:

Intel Core i5-3570 Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core: $214.99
ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard: $149.99
SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC128B/WW 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD): $108.99
EVGA 02G-P4-2678-KR GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 : $389.99
ASUS VS Series VS198D-P Black 19" 5ms LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor: $99.99+$8.99 Shipping

$972.94


How does this look?

---------- Post added 2012-10-24 at 11:19 PM ----------

As stubborn as he is in game and in the rift subforums here.

and that is putting it mildly. I am very very mule headed. You won't typically find someone more stubborn than me.

[Milkshake86]

As stubborn as he is in game and in the rift subforums here.

---------- Post added 2012-10-25 at 03:40 AM ----------



Hey guy. Read again. THERMALRIGHT=\=thermaltake. The silver arrow is essentially the best air cooler with the nh-d14. So don't kid yourself and do more studying.

Id like to know where he got that ASRock is trashy? Id love to hear more about every i5-2500k reaching 5ghz on air.

[yurano]

Intel Core i5-3570 Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core: $214.99
ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard: $149.99

If you don't overclock and are not getting a K unlocked CPU, then you can opt for a H77 motherboard which is cheaper.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...CE&PageSize=20

[inux94]

1. 2500K is better than an 3570k for overclocking. Although why would you buy any of them without overclocking them? You can get easy 25% more performance on cpu by overclocking. Seen a lot of 3570k not passing the 4.5GHz while every 2500K is easily overclockable to 5GHz with decent cooling and even @ air. Remind that the 3570k has pci express 3.0 and the 2500k only 2.0 But the difference in performance between them is 0.000% in 1080p but in resolutions like 5760x1080 there is a big difference.

2. Rather pick an Asus p8z77-v - Asrock isnt reliable as Asus tbh. Although they share the same hardware but Asrock is crap at programming bios tbh.

3. I don't see why you would give 70 eur for a cooler while the Syncthe mine 2 costs only 20eur and is performing equally to a corsair H100 (watercooling) and surely better than that Thermaltake which inux94 linked. http://nl.hardware.info/reviews/2359...ies-high-speed

4. Crucial M4 is a decent SSD but the Samsung 840 basic is better for the same price. Look at PCMark vantage and PCmark 7 benchmarks here because they base on realtime performance not on sequential or compressed data. http://uk.hardware.info/reviews/3200...pcmark-vantage

5. If you're planning to overclock a 7970 forget that GHz edition, just buy a normal 7970. You're going to hate those boostclocks, trust me.. It's the only reason why I hate my gtx 680. If you don't plan to overclock your GPU, go for the GHz edition.

ASRock motherboards are just as high quality as the ASUS.

[Lathais]

If you don't overclock and are not getting a K unlocked CPU, then you can opt for a H77 motherboard which is cheaper.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...CE&PageSize=20

Thanks!! That was good info. It allowed me to up the SSD to a larger one with the money saved on MB.

ASUS P8H77-V LE LGA 1155 Intel H77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard $119.99

$30 Extra

Looking at SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC256B/WW 2.5" 256GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) now for the SSD. It's $169.99, so $61 more than the one half the size, not bad. Brings my total upgrade cost to $994.95 if I buy all these parts on newegg. When it comes time to actually buy I will look again and see if I can't find some deals on other sites, but this give s me a great starting point. Thanks for all the help.

[DeltrusDisc]

While I would really say to try out OCing (Rift will SERIOUSLY benefit) I suppose you can get away without it, but here's my argument FOR it.

When my CPU had down-clocked back to normal frequencies when I did a BIOS update, but hadn't realized it, I was playing Rift and was like.... my fps seems low. I reboot, get into BIOS, sure enough, CPU is at stock. My 4.4GHz OC makes a biggggg difference.

[Lathais]

While I would really say to try out OCing (Rift will SERIOUSLY benefit) I suppose you can get away without it, but here's my argument FOR it.

When my CPU had down-clocked back to normal frequencies when I did a BIOS update, but hadn't realized it, I was playing Rift and was like.... my fps seems low. I reboot, get into BIOS, sure enough, CPU is at stock. My 4.4GHz OC makes a biggggg difference.

Ok, the parts I have chosen are not Overclockable right?
if I were to change them to parts that could be overclocked, how much more would that cost? More than I can afford I am sure.
If I were to buy lower models that were cheaper but Overclockable would they outperform what I have picked?

[yurano]

Ok, the parts I have chosen are not Overclockable right?
if I were to change them to parts that could be overclocked, how much more would that cost? More than I can afford I am sure.
If I were to buy lower models that were cheaper but Overclockable would they outperform what I have picked?

So from your previous build:

Ok, with the above in mind, here is what I am thinking:

Intel Core i5-3570 Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core: $214.99
ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard: $149.99
SAMSUNG 830 Series MZ-7PC128B/WW 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD): $108.99
EVGA 02G-P4-2678-KR GeForce GTX 670 FTW 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 : $389.99
ASUS VS Series VS198D-P Black 19" 5ms LED Backlight Widescreen LCD Monitor: $99.99+$8.99 Shipping

$972.94

The P8Z77-V LK is a overclock capable motherboard. The only other part that needs to be changed is the CPU. From the $215 i5-3570 to the $230 i5-3570K. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...6504&Tpk=3570k

You can definitely get a cheaper motherboard, although you would have to go with Asrock instead of ASUS because the ASUS LX isn't much cheaper than the ASUS LK.

Although, PCPartPicker shows the LK at $110 after $20 MIR from NCIX US which is less than the frequently recommended Asrock Extreme 4. http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-p8z77vlk

[Lathais]

Ok, it appears as though it is doable just slightly over budget.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Silver Arrow CPU Cooler ($69.70 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V LK ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($109.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Samsung 830 Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2GB Video Card ($349.99 @ NCIX US)
Monitor: Acer G205HVbd 20.0" Monitor ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $969.65
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

I have never OCed before so am still a little nervous about it, but this way the option will be there. Even though this is a little over budget, it's actually under. I have 2 identical builds and my total budget is $2000. Only one build needs the monitor, so this actually comes in under the $2000 budget. I was kinda stuck on $1000 each and had forgot that the monitor doesn't totally count when doubling everything. I may even be able the get a slightly larger/better monitor.

Thanks for all the help guys, I will be building this sometime in the next few months, once I am ready I may come back to see if much has changed, then I'll let you all know how it went.

On to my next project, my RL friend has requested my assistance in finally building himself a gaming rig. He is sick of getting <5 FPS in raids on his crappy laptop. He has not really given me a budget, but I originally told him he should probably plan on at least $1000. He didn't seem happy about that. He has really no parts that can be recycled either, except a mouse. I guess he could potentially wait until I upgrade and take my old MB/CPU, but not sure I would be doing him any great favors. I will probably start by looking at the recommended builds here and work from there, unless someone has some great suggestions. He really doesn't care if he can play on Ultra, or even High settings, he just wants to be able to play lag free. Anything above that I can get him is bonus.

[Lathais]

Figured I would bring the old thread back instead of starting a new one, though some things have changed. My budget got cut nearly in half due to some stuff coming up, so I am thinking drop the SSD, go with a cheaper cooler, save a little by switching to ASRock, forget the monitor and look at reducing video card.

So for the MoBo I am looking at the ASRock Pro3, Extreme3 and Extreme4. I know the Extreme4 is highly recommended on these boards and elsewhere, however, the only differences I am seeing in the Pro3 and the Extreme4 are PCI Express 3.0 x16 slots, the Pro3 only has one and the Extreme4 has 2 and RAID support, Audio Chipset, LAN Chipset, Video and USB Ports.

I am only planning on a single GPU setup, so that does not matter.
I do not plan on using RAID so does not matter.
There shouldn't be a big difference, if any, between the Realtek ALC892 and the Realtek ALC898, right? I am actually ok with what I have which is a lot older than those.
LAN Chipset is same speed, different brand. Realtek or Broadcom, shouldn't make a difference, right?
USB Ports, I am ok with only 2 3.0 instead of 4.

So based on this I can save about $40 going with the Pro3 instead of the Extreme4 unless I am missing something. Please let me know if I am.

Looking at the Hyper 212 EVO for cooling.

The video card is where I am stuck. I originally was going to go with a 2GB GeForce 670, but that is about $360 and puts me about $182 over budget. I could drop to the 660ti for about $100 less, but still $80ish over budget. Going even further down the line to a 660 for about $200 leaves me $20ish over budget which is bearable. Once going to the 660 though, I am left wondering if the Radeon HD 7850 may be a better choice. I have heard that Rift runs better on an nVidia, but not sure it will be a huge difference. I was also considering the 650ti but I do not think that would be a wothwhile upgrade over my HD6850.

For some reason PCPartspicker is not working for me, I am clicking add part and it is taking me back the the build screen with nothing there, but that is where I got the info.

Intel i5-3570k: $214.99
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO: $29.99
ASRock Pro3: $77.55

Total: $322.53

What would be the best video card, for Rift, that will keep me under $500-$525

[jholdaway]

I would think a 7850 would best. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...on%20HD%207850

[Lathais]

I would think a 7850 would best. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...on%20HD%207850

According to http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/...ew,3107-7.html: the 7850 is about equal to the 660 and as I said I have heard Rift runs better on nVidia, though this may have changed with that driver update a while back bringing them closer to equal. It is also about $20 cheaper though depending on brand. That difference in price is not very much, so if the nVidia will in fact run Rift better than I would probably still want to go with it. Anybody have experience with either card and a similar setup in Rift?