Tax returns equal looking for a new computer!

[Okiah]

Hello all,
I have been struggling playing my games on an old desktop that I've had for almost eight years since I started college, and it's -REALLY- time for me to upgrade. I'm looking for something close to the top of the line, so I don't have to upgrade for several more years!

I'm comfortable with building my own computer. I'm looking to spend anywhere from 1,500 to 2,000 USD. I plan to use it for any games out now or in the future. I want to use Windows 7 64. I want 1920 x 1200 resolution. I want a minimum of 60 FPS for all games at the highest settings (if possible). I'm from the US. I can reuse my power supply and my monitors, and I don't need bluetooth or a wireless network card.

Now, additionally, I want to get into using an SSD (120 GB) for my operating system and the games I use most (WoW, Starcraft, Battlefield Bad Company 2). I'm looking to either have a top of the line video card, or use two video cards running SLI (Hate ATI, way too many problems with them). I'm interested in liquid cooling though I'm really unsure how it works and where you go to refill the liquid. I'm looking for a full tower case that uses USB3. I need a motherboard that can use USB3. I'm also interested in 12 GB [4 GB x3] DDR3-1600 memory and 1TB Harddrive. Also, an intel I-7 of some kind. I'm really unsure of how the i7's change and what merits a good one and why they are so good. If you see anything I have missed in my thoughts, I appreciate any feed back and thanks in advance for any help you may have!

[Scoobasteve1226]

I'm not the MOST tech savvy, but if I were you, I'd wait for the I5-2500k and the p8p67 mobo rerelease. Best bang for you buck right there. Thing is, if you use them, you want to use 3gigs x 4 sticks ram, or of the sort. You'd want 4 matching dual channel rams to get the best use of it. Other than that, I would suggest a single 560ti, or if you want overkill, a 580. You won't need dual cards with those.

[The Doctor]

You're poor enough to get taxes back and you think making a big purchase is a wise decision instead of building a savings.


Here's a tip. burn your free money. This might be considered trolling or harassment, i apologize. But seriously, think about saving.

[Okiah]

As much as I do truly appreciate your concern for my wellbeing, I'm quite aware of how to manage my money and have a family and have stocks etc. So, please, when it comes to speaking your mind...don't. You don't know my situation behind it or how I'm taxed. Thanks. I do not appreciate the harassment and have reported you for it.

Back to the computer. Thank you Scooba, what's so impressive about the i5-2500k?

[Jirachix]

You're poor enough to get taxes back and you think making a big purchase is a wise decision instead of building a savings.


Here's a tip. burn your free money. This might be considered trolling or harassment, i apologize. But seriously, think about saving.

Nice sig bro

[llDemonll]

Back to the computer. Thank you Scooba, what's so impressive about the i5-2500k?

Long explanation, but it's the best processor for the money on the market right now.

Also I'm getting a tax return, and I'm not poor...There is no correlation between the two.

[remstar]

What about the i7-2600k how is that compared to the i5-2500k?

[Adappy]

Only difference is hyperthreading is on the i7. If you only plan on gaming with your PC, hyperthreading is generally viewed as not worth it (as most games don't take advantage of it), and can even reduce performance in some cases.

[shocktopuslol]

the i7 2600k is overkill for pretty much every game

[Saithes]

the i7 2600k is overkill for pretty much every game

^That. It's major overkill and in some cases hyperthreading can lower performance.

[Fuzzykins]

I spent like two hours trying not to spam and get my post count high enough to post this...

If you're looking to upgrade, two GTS 450's in SLI will provide excellent performance without blowing too much money.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-558-_-Product
(The one I got from BestBuy was stupidly overpriced. I'll never shop there again, even if it's secure, in my hands after the transaction.)

Installing Liquid Cooling yourself is incredibly difficult in my opinion, save a select few coolers. Since I haven't the faintest clue how to install one, we'll skip this subject.

I'd wait for the i5-2500k as well, but if you can't:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115066
6 Core i7 3.2 GhZ. Though, you may need to upgrade your motherboard, as the i7 has been known to be incompatible with some. (Naturally, you'll see this wherever you go.)
Don't swear off AMD's either. AMD Phenom II's are great CPU's. (I'd have one if I could.)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115079
The above is the fastest Intel CPU I think I could find un-overclocked at 3.46 Ghz on NewEgg. I'm sure there's faster out there, just having issues finding them right now, as it's stupidly late at night.

Scooba was right on with his post about your RAM though.

[noremac]

Here is what I would recommend. One of my personal favorite sites to shop for PC parts is Newegg.com. I am not sure if you have used it before but they are awesome and I have never had any problems with them.

Anyhow, this is what I whipped up: http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...umber=19629967

To summarize that basically I got you everything you wanted except the case has no built in USB 3, which is a really rare feature for cases at this point in time. Most motherboards will come with a bracket though that allows you to install 2 USB 3 ports in the front of your case.

There is no motherboard included because the P67 "Sandy Bridge" motherboards are currently on recall due to a defect. They are expected to be back on sale in the middle of March. So add about $200 more to that price for a motherboard, which I would suggest the ASUS P8P67 Pro which costs $189.99.

You wanted 12GB of RAM but you really don't need that much for gaming, besides it was not possible because the motherboard is dual channel meaning you buy the RAM in pairs of 2 and not 3. So you either are stuck with 8GB (using 2 x 4GB or 4 x 2GB) or all the way up to 16GB (4 x 4GB or 2 x 8GB) which was above your budget.

Everything else should be what you wanted.

[nwo]

I spent like two hours trying not to spam and get my post count high enough to post this...

Pairing up 2 low end cards in SLI is just dumb, especially if you purchase both of them at the same time. Oh, and those gts 450s are ridiculously overpriced, if you're not getting them for $90 or less, then you shouldn't be getting them at all because there are better options. Go with a GTX 560 Ti as already recommended since you do not want to get an ATI card.

If you need 12GB of RAM, it sounds like you are going to do a lot more than just gaming? If that's true, then you might want to consider an i7 2600k. However, if your primary use is going to be gaming and simple multi-tasking (more than 1 game running at the same time, browser with 20-30+ tabs, videos, music, etc) then stick with the i5. But, if you do video editing or use other applications that can use more than 4 cores, then you may want to think about an i7.

[Deleted]

Hello all,
I have been struggling playing my games on an old desktop that I've had for almost eight years since I started college, and it's -REALLY- time for me to upgrade. I'm looking for something close to the top of the line, so I don't have to upgrade for several more years!

I'm comfortable with building my own computer. I'm looking to spend anywhere from 1,500 to 2,000 USD. I plan to use it for any games out now or in the future. I want to use Windows 7 64. I want 1920 x 1200 resolution. I want a minimum of 60 FPS for all games at the highest settings (if possible). I'm from the US. I can reuse my power supply and my monitors, and I don't need bluetooth or a wireless network card.

Now, additionally, I want to get into using an SSD (120 GB) for my operating system and the games I use most (WoW, Starcraft, Battlefield Bad Company 2). I'm looking to either have a top of the line video card, or use two video cards running SLI (Hate ATI, way too many problems with them). I'm interested in liquid cooling though I'm really unsure how it works and where you go to refill the liquid. I'm looking for a full tower case that uses USB3. I need a motherboard that can use USB3. I'm also interested in 12 GB [4 GB x3] DDR3-1600 memory and 1TB Harddrive. Also, an intel I-7 of some kind. I'm really unsure of how the i7's change and what merits a good one and why they are so good. If you see anything I have missed in my thoughts, I appreciate any feed back and thanks in advance for any help you may have!

You could maybe start off by telling us what PSU you're using at the moment since you want to reuse it, considering you want quite a power hog.
Top of the line video card is perfectly fine I guess, but why the hate towards ATIN (It's AMD now btw mate) Their cards perform just as good as their Nvidia counterparts, and their drivers are also as stable.
As for the liquid cooling system, the water doesn't vaporize. It's a closed circuit with pumps and tubes and radiators. The water needs to be replaced every (half)year or so though as far as I herd.
About the RAM, is there any way you can tax your system hard enough for it to use 12GB? Honestly, I don't think we'll see these kind of ram sizes anywhere near the comming years. Besides, ram is by far the easiest component to upgrade or replace, if you need more, it'll be as simple as just popping in another stick or two.
I'd not get an i7, but rather an i5 2500k. They are by far the best CPU's out there at the moment.

[Scoobasteve1226]

Here is what I would recommend. One of my personal favorite sites to shop for PC parts is Newegg.com. I am not sure if you have used it before but they are awesome and I have never had any problems with them.

Anyhow, this is what I whipped up: http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...umber=19629967

To summarize that basically I got you everything you wanted except the case has no built in USB 3, which is a really rare feature for cases at this point in time. Most motherboards will come with a bracket though that allows you to install 2 USB 3 ports in the front of your case.

There is no motherboard included because the P67 "Sandy Bridge" motherboards are currently on recall due to a defect. They are expected to be back on sale in the middle of March. So add about $200 more to that price for a motherboard, which I would suggest the ASUS P8P67 Pro which costs $189.99.

You wanted 12GB of RAM but you really don't need that much for gaming, besides it was not possible because the motherboard is dual channel meaning you buy the RAM in pairs of 2 and not 3. So you either are stuck with 8GB (using 2 x 4GB or 4 x 2GB) or all the way up to 16GB (4 x 4GB or 2 x 8GB) which was above your budget.

Everything else should be what you wanted.

I like his build, but I find the 2 560ti's way overkill. Just get a 580 if you want that much performance. Other than that, I would also change the ram to 4x2gb, to get more use out of the dual channel feature. And I personally hate that case. For my case preference, I'd say the HAF932 or the Antec 902. Keep in mind the cases size and air flow.
And you asked what is so great about the I5-2500k. Right now, it is the BEST price per performance part on the market, especially for gaming. At 220$, it provides a great 3.3 ghz to start, and it is easily overclocked. I have heard of people that barely even know how to overclock getting up to a 4.2 with no problems, and that's just by copying what people tell them to in their BIOS. The processor is just the absolute best out on the market at this point in time, even beating out the Hexacore I7 in most games because the games don't need that much power.

[noremac]

I agree with you for the most part except for this:

I would also change the ram to 4x2gb, to get more use out of the dual channel feature.

The reason I chose 2x4GB is for a few reasons. For one it will leave 2 slots open on the motherboard so in the future if he wants to buy more he still has 2 slots open. Another reason is that it is ideal to use the least number of sticks as possible (in multiples of 2 of course) because that puts less stress on the memory controller and allows you to better overclock your RAM or tighten your RAM's timings. With 4 sticks vs. 2 it lowers your headroom in that respect.

As for the 560's vs 1 580 they are pretty much the exact same price right now, but 2 560's should be better performance. They aren't performing very well at the moment but it is a new card so the drivers can only improve over time.

Although going with 1 card now means he could buy a second 580 down the road and have really awesome performance, so it may be better to just go with a single 580 now.

So with those changes it mind now it looks something like this: http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...umber=19629967

[Scoobasteve1226]

I agree with you for the most part except for this:


The reason I chose 2x4GB is for a few reasons. For one it will leave 2 slots open on the motherboard so in the future if he wants to buy more he still has 2 slots open. Another reason is that it is ideal to use the least number of sticks as possible (in multiples of 2 of course) because that puts less stress on the memory controller and allows you to better overclock your RAM or tighten your RAM's timings. With 4 sticks vs. 2 it lowers your headroom in that respect.

As for the 560's vs 1 580 they are pretty much the exact same price right now, but 2 560's should be better performance. They aren't performing very well at the moment but it is a new card so the drivers can only improve over time.

Although going with 1 card now means he could buy a second 580 down the road and have really awesome performance, so it may be better to just go with a single 580 now.

So with those changes it mind now it looks something like this: http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...umber=19629967

Agree about the Ram. I just don't see it necessary to go over 8 gigs for just games though. And I'd NEVER overclock my RAM. But agree with all that you said. And the reason I suggested the 580 instead was for exactly what you said :P

[bcl0328]

I agree with you for the most part except for this:


The reason I chose 2x4GB is for a few reasons. For one it will leave 2 slots open on the motherboard so in the future if he wants to buy more he still has 2 slots open. Another reason is that it is ideal to use the least number of sticks as possible (in multiples of 2 of course) because that puts less stress on the memory controller and allows you to better overclock your RAM or tighten your RAM's timings. With 4 sticks vs. 2 it lowers your headroom in that respect.

As for the 560's vs 1 580 they are pretty much the exact same price right now, but 2 560's should be better performance. They aren't performing very well at the moment but it is a new card so the drivers can only improve over time.

Although going with 1 card now means he could buy a second 580 down the road and have really awesome performance, so it may be better to just go with a single 580 now.

So with those changes it mind now it looks something like this: http://secure.newegg.com/WishList/Pu...umber=19629967

i just made a build almost identical to this one, instead i have an i7-2600k though

[Shelly]

Regarding just the tax thing.

If you received EIC on your tax return you are poor. Please give back your free money and start demanding corporations actually pay a real wage to people and stop supplementing your pay with babies.

In news with just the computer though, really it sounds like a lot of what you might be doing may be overkill, but I don't remember reading about what your average usage is. Also while you may be comfortable building your own machine take a look at sites like www.cyberpowerpc.com, what I found when I decided I'd try building a machine 6 years or so ago was that if I wanted to build it and be entirely above board with my OS and everything that it was going to cost me a good $300 or so more to build it from scratch.

Now I will say that I could have cut that cost WAY down by buying parts piecemeal over the year and watching sales like a hawk, but I'm really not that guy. YMMV.

[pallypower]

I find this interesting because, Am about to upgrade my computer too. And you guys say I7 is worse then the I5? Maybe someone can exlain that?