Just getting the feet wet

[googz]

We have a family edition copy of Win7, so I presume we'd just reinstall this on the new PCs, so no new OS required (tho question - it's the upgrade edition, so will I have to literally put on XP just so I can then go to Win 7??)

It's possible you can do a full install from the upgrade disk, but might involve haggling with Microsoft to release a key (that's not the way it's spose to be done and they don't like when people do so). If you don't want to deal with them (really can be a pain in the ass and they might not be willing to help) I'd say install XP and do the upgrade.

I've currently got 2 7200rpm drives in my machine. One is a 320GB Hitachi, the other is a 1TB WD. I'll definitely keep the 1TB around, though I'm tempted to replace the Hitachi with a WD as part of the PC replacement. On the other hand, since I have the 1TB drive, I figure I could go with a smaller drive for OS. (note I currently have about 500GB of music on the 1TB drive, so I don't think I'd want to put the OS etc. on that as well)

Are they SATA drives? If so they would work for now. You will need to figure out a way to get the music off of there. If you're on a tight budget you could really help yourself by using these drives for the time being.

I've upgraded the RAM and GPU on this machine and I'd entertain doing the same in future machines, especially considering how much an impact the GPU can have

Memory is rather cheap and currently 8gb is pretty much the staple. It'd cost you around $45 for a 2x4 set. If you could get the specs of the memory you have now, it's possible you could get by with it in one of the new machines.

Current GPU is a GTS250, so I assume it'd not worth keeping around. I can't remember the spec's on my RAM, only that I raised it up to 4MB

If you're very tight on your budget it's possible you could keep this for the time being, but it's very dated at this point.

Everything else is factory based on the XPS410 specs, which, since I bought it in 2006, probably means it's mostly worthless. Though I assume I can swipe it's CD/DVD drive

Again, is it a SATA drive? If so it'll work.


Are you wanting us to provide you with a parts list? If so we still need the info in the link I posted earlier.

[yurano]

All it would take is an overclocked 3570k in that build to put it over that PSU. Or is an i5 too much of an upgrade now too?

Because you can get an OC 3570K without getting a Z77 motherboard. Doing such would waste the cost of the i3-3220 and the B75 motherboard chosen ($120+$60=$180). If he was to instead get a Z77 mobo with an i3-3220 (kind of silly futureproofing endeavor) then yes he should probably get a 500W PSU.

Plus, Lemmiwink shows that a CX 430 can handle a 3570K and 660 both overclocked.

My upgrades weren't magic either, I just switched gaming platforms from my previous laptop to my desktop. You know, plausible situations and all.

So you're saying, upgradability is incredibly important because you built an entirely new rig...

I actually agree with Glo here. I have a CX430v2 in my steambox and it's great in combination with a 3570k and a gtx660. Both are overclocked, the i5 @4.4GHz and the GTX660 at 1175MHZ/6900MHZvram and power target of 112%. The PSU isn't even breaking a sweat on that setup. The reason I agree with Glo is; While my steambox is not a subject of upgrades, his main gaming rig is. For a main rig I would calculate in a 30-40% headroom. This is not to make his build more expensive but to save him a few bucks should he want to upgrade his video card after some time.

So despite proving Glo wrong, for some wierd reason you still agree with his idea that you should get more wattage. Moreover, a 3570K + 660 really isn't steam box territory. Its actually more of a decent rig.

Realize that when you talk about a main rig, your main rig is 3770K + ASUS Maximus V Formula + 16 GB 2133 Mhz RAM + 256 GB SSD + H100i + 2 aftermarket radiator fans + AX860i + Caviar Black + 680 + Switch 810 Modded + additional case fans + 27" monitor + W8 Pro + gaming level peripherals. You've built a very very premium rig and I would argue that your belief that the CX 430 is insufficient for a main rig (even when its a budget build) is more of a "let them eat cake" response than an argument grounded in practicality.

Let me break it down for you:

1) Someone building a budget build really isn't going to be upgrading. In particular, he probably isn't going to be upgrading up a tier. Upgrading within tier but to a new generation (660 to 860) isn't going to increase power consumption significantly.

2) Here are the error two scenarios:
a) Go with the CX 430 and upgrade in the future, wasting $20 (the cost of the CX 430)
b) Go with a $50+ 500W+ PSU and not upgrade in the future, wasting $30 (the price difference between a 500W PSU and the CX 430)

I would argue that:

1) It is much more likely that a budget builder doesn't upgrade. At most, we can reasonably expect a within tier upgrade for new generation components, GPU in particular.

2) The budget CX 430 allows the OP to bump up performance components on a relatively tight budget OR just save some money up front.

3) If the OP gets a CX 430 and decides to make a big upgrade (moving up tiers) he's going to be spend so much money that the $20 he wasted in getting a CX 430 isn't going to even scratch the surface.

• I've currently got 2 7200rpm drives in my machine. One is a 320GB Hitachi, the other is a 1TB WD. I'll definitely keep the 1TB around, though I'm tempted to replace the Hitachi with a WD as part of the PC replacement. On the other hand, since I have the 1TB drive, I figure I could go with a smaller drive for OS. (note I currently have about 500GB of music on the 1TB drive, so I don't think I'd want to put the OS etc. on that as well)

If you already have old drives, you can opt for an SSD as the primary drive instead. You can keep both 7200 RPM drives as storage (music, movies, etc).

[googz]

If you already have old drives, you can opt for an SSD as the primary drive instead. You can keep both 7200 RPM drives as storage (music, movies, etc).

Have you even paid any attention to the OP's needs here or are you so caught up in an argument that the OP's needs don't matter? The OP needs 2 complete computers and as of now seems to be on a somewhat tight budget.

[slasher0161]

While the budget is tight I personally wouldn't be saving $60 (30 per rig) to get psu's that will likely not last the expected life span of the rigs (based off previous machines). Therefore why get a cx430 and cut it fine for now and have them fail down the road due to capacitor degradation?

The point about ssd's isn't completely silly either maybe not right away but it is certainly a though and considering how cheap they are now days its not a bad thought at all. Hell even if one rig ran ssd + 1tb and the other 320gb + 1tb and if the op believes the ssd is enough of a quality of life improvement to justify the cost to get another down the line then do it.

Ultimately we are here to provide suggestions and help the op but we can only lead him to water we can't make him drink, it is his money and he will spend it however he wishes at the end of the day. Hopefully if we have done our job right he will spend it informed and get the best for his money, for his needs.

[yurano]

Have you even paid any attention to the OP's needs here or are you so caught up in an argument that the OP's needs don't matter? The OP needs 2 complete computers and as of now seems to be on a somewhat tight budget.

All builds include a HDD and the OP doesn't want to place his OS on his old HDDs. This means he needs a new HDD. As such, it wouldn't be a big deal to buy a 64 GB SSD ($70) or a 128 GB SSD ($90-100) instead of a $70 Caviar Blue. I think you missed the OP's criteria. With the $30 saved from going CX 430, he could spring for a 128 GB SSD over a 1TB 7200RPM drive.

While the budget is tight I personally wouldn't be saving $60 (30 per rig) to get psu's that will likely not last the expected life span of the rigs (based off previous machines). Therefore why get a cx430 and cut it fine for now and have them fail down the road due to capacitor degradation?

I like how people throw this idea of capacitor degradation around without pointing to concrete evidence that the CX430 has an extremely high failure rate (like Raidmax or other sketchy PSUs). While the CX series isn't as premium as Corsair's other PSUs, it still is a Corsair unit and backed by Corsair's legendary customer service.

[Faithh]

Capacitor degradation, lol? Like people can predict the lifespan.. I have to pretty much agree that a CX430 is more than enough especially for his use.

My 680 with a power target of 100 which means it can max pull 192W but you will only meet that power usage when you're stresstesting the graphics card something like evga oc scanner or furmark, games don't even come close to that.

It's easy to find their maximum power out by just reading the VBIOS out, I checked this with my ax860i so it's totally valid.

I really doubt you'd be overclocking so a 430W with any kind of graphics card (yes even the ones in the future) would be fine. WoW would barely load your i5 to its max so you never ever will run at the max power either.

Seeing that Yurano advised a gtx 660 which is a brilliant choice, it's max power is around 110W -> http://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/1...48.120919.html

Obviously the 430W is just more than enough and his parts choice has my vote.

[tyrlaan]

Actually, I don't have an issue with using the 320GB as an OS drive, I was just tempted to replace with a new, WD, drive. And yes , both are SATA. (Have to double check my CD/DVD drive if it's SATA, though likely yes)

In terms of upgrading, the big thing I'm used to doing is replacing the video card. I've never upgraded CPU or PSU in previous machines, though I just remembered I did get the PSU replaced in this because the fan was dying. I'll have to crack open the case and see what I have.

Budget-wise, something around the price of what yurano proposed seems to sit right with me and hit the performance I'm looking for. Something in the low $600s, possibly $700 max. I might end up with more to spend, but it's not certain yet. And remember I'm pricing out two.

RAM-wise, I've got 4 sticks of 1MB each - 2 PC2-6400 DDR2 and 2 PC2-5300 DDR2.

I'll have to check out my wife's machine to see what she's got - I think it's only like 1 year younger than mine, and an Alienware.

[Faithh]

Actually, I don't have an issue with using the 320GB as an OS drive, I was just tempted to replace with a new, WD, drive. And yes , both are SATA. (Have to double check my CD/DVD drive if it's SATA, though likely yes)

In terms of upgrading, the big thing I'm used to doing is replacing the video card. I've never upgraded CPU or PSU in previous machines, though I just remembered I did get the PSU replaced in this because the fan was dying. I'll have to crack open the case and see what I have.

Budget-wise, something around the price of what yurano proposed seems to sit right with me and hit the performance I'm looking for. Something in the low $600s, possibly $700 max. I might end up with more to spend, but it's not certain yet. And remember I'm pricing out two.

RAM-wise, I've got 4 sticks of 1MB each - 2 PC2-6400 DDR2 and 2 PC2-5300 DDR2.

I'll have to check out my wife's machine to see what she's got - I think it's only like 1 year younger than mine, and an Alienware.

You can't use your current RAM for your new build considering your upgrading to LGA1155 platform. Honestly if you end up spending more the only interesting is a z77 motherboard + a K version but that's just pure for overclocking and WoW loves this too much. Keep in mind overclocking for WoW is optional not necessary, think that system would do flawless 60 fps at medium/high/ultra settings in raids

Wasting more money for a graphics card is literally wasting for WoW just because a 660 performance is equal to a 680 (500eur) in 25m raids.