New Computer Hardware in 2014?

[Pejo]

Hello everyone,

I would like to build a computer this year (though I believe it won't be much of an upgrade) so I am trying to figure out when a good time will be for that. Due to this, I am trying to look up what some of the anticipated hardware will be this year. I saw that Intel recently did a refresh on their hardware (minus their K and extreme series). I was wondering if people would be able to list/link some of this hardware.

My computer (have had it for a while, believe 2009, but been slowly upgrading it)
I7 960, OC'd to 4.0Ghz
12GB DDR3 1600 RAM
2x ATI 5850 in Xfire, OC'd
Samsung 256GB SSD, Intel 120GB SSD, WD Black 1TB HDD
HAF 932 Case with Corsair 700W PSU

Thanks,
Pejo

[Zephyr Storm]

Hello everyone,

I would like to build a computer this year (though I believe it won't be much of an upgrade) so I am trying to figure out when a good time will be for that. Due to this, I am trying to look up what some of the anticipated hardware will be this year. I saw that Intel recently did a refresh on their hardware (minus their K and extreme series). I was wondering if people would be able to list/link some of this hardware.

My computer (have had it for a while, believe 2009, but been slowly upgrading it)
I7 960, OC'd to 4.0Ghz
12GB DDR3 1600 RAM
2x ATI 5850 in Xfire, OC'd
Samsung 256GB SSD, Intel 120GB SSD, WD Black 1TB HDD
HAF 932 Case with Corsair 700W PSU

Thanks,
Pejo

Personal opinions here and nothing more:

CPU: I'd upgrade to one of the newest i5 or i7 K models that you can afford. They are solid processors and the ability to overclock never hurts!

RAM: You still have good RAM. 1600 MHz is the sweet spot for gaming and 12GB is more than enough.

GPU: My personal preference is Nvidia and I would suggest upgrading to AT LEAST a GTX 760 or 770. 770 are VERY good cards and offer excellent performance, even in the newest games, for a decent price. If you have the extra money to spend, a 780 or 780ti is even better,

SSD/HDD: You still look good in that regard unless you are just looking for more space, in which case you simply need a bigger HDD. The SSD's are good for windows booting and some other programs/games you want to load fast.

Case and Power Supply: Both of those look good as well. 700W should still be more than enough for anything you put in your rig. If not, 850W is a good next step up. The case is simply nothing my personal tastes and making sure it's big enough to fit everything in it.



Just my two cents to help you out

[Aleksej89]

The CPU seems fine, any I7 that is OCd will perform admirably... if you have money to burn wait for the upcoming Haswell-E 6/8 core CPU.

GPU... honestly i would not be caught dead using AMD/Ati, especially not in Crossfire (dual gpu).
If it was my machine i would change that for a proper nvidia GPU, or dual GPUs if u reaaaaally need it.

Ram seems good, if u got money to burn get some of those 2Ghz+ Rams but you also need a mobo that can properly support it.

Disk drives seem good, would not change anything.

It is a good idea to have the power supply unit tested once in a while (take it to a tech/service shop for ease of mind) - if it is still performing properly then it is probably good enough.

The case seems really nice, if you are not a tech pro yourself then find one and ask him to check out can your case's air flow be improved in any way (adding more fans, changing air flow direction)... more cooling is always good

Not sure what kind of link/list you wanted, you can just google "intel haswell e" and find a ton of tech stuff about them all.

[Pejo]

Thanks for that advice. I'll definitely google the new Haswells.

I'm guessing we're not going to see much of DDR4, next version of PCIE this year eh? When I finally look at purchasing, I'll def look into those upgrades listed above.

[Zephyr Storm]

Ram seems good, if u got money to burn get some of those 2Ghz+ Rams but you also need a mobo that can properly support it.

It has been proven that anything over 1600 MHz for gaming is a waste. The extra money you have to spend to get RAM like that is not worth it. Until DDR4 comes out, 1600 MHz is where it's at.

[Deleted]

It has been proven that anything over 1600 MHz for gaming is a waste. The extra money you have to spend to get RAM like that is not worth it. Until DDR4 comes out, 1600 MHz is where it's at.

This is not quite correct. If you can go to 1866 with similar timings, for a similar price to their 1600MHz brethren, then you should absolutely take that. With the Z97 chipset coming out next month, and the Devils' Canyon (Haswell refresh-K) CPUs in JUne, I would wait at least that long. Maxwell architecture from NVidia is rumoured to be due at the start of next year on the smaller die size.

So my suggestions would be:

Upgrade in June, to a Z97 and the i5-4690k in June;
Buy a cheap, quality GPU (I'd recommend the GTX760 or the R9-270x for 1080p on mdium-high) and a PSU, depending on age (such as the XFX Core/Pro 550, or the Corsair RM550).

[Deleted]

Stick with your cpu for now. And upgrade your gpu's, which one depends on your budget of course; 270x/760, 280x/770, or 290/780.

[Afrospinach]

Maxwell architecture from NVidia is rumoured to be due at the start of next year on the smaller die size.

That is a really long time, I kind of wonder if they will not whip out a beefier 750ti during the interim.

[Zephyr Storm]

Stick with your cpu for now. And upgrade your gpu's, which one depends on your budget of course; 270x/760, 280x/770, or 290/780.

No. Go Nvidia or go home.

[Deleted]

No. Go Nvidia or go home.

Stop talking crap. At the price-points across the board, with the major exception of extreme budget choices, teams Red and green are well within margins of error almost across the board. MY personal recommendation would be to aim for the R9-290x or GTX770. Both should cost $300-350 and give you quality gaming in everything but Crysis 3.

But this advice only applies if you need the upgrade now.

[Pejo]

Really appreciate the advises!

Due to my machine still being decent, I will be holding off until the Haswell-E series comes out - them 8 core processors gonna be sexy (mostly for virtualization, but perhaps gaming will start to use cores better in the future!). I'll start another thread then so we can have this discussion about Nvidia/AMD at that time. Just a quick question - I've always built my own computers in the past (this will be my 9th); however, situations have changed in the last 2 years and I am not able to do it physically anymore. Are there places in the US that you're able to purchase parts off, and they'll build it for you? In Canada, I know NCIX does this. I'm guessing no, and that I may be better off paying someone locally to come in or have a friend help me with it.

Thanks again.

[Deleted]

MY personal recommendation would be to aim for the R9-290x or GTX770. Both should cost $300-350 and give you quality gaming in everything but Crysis 3.

I think you meant the 280x

[Deleted]

I think you meant the 280x

I R GUD AT COMPUTERING, HONEST.

But yes, the 280x is the equivalent to the GTX770.