Built computer in 2011 -- Strongly considering a new build

[Supakaiser]

Hey guys, just wanted to sort myself out so I thought I'd post for advice and consultation on these fine MMO-C forums and see what you guys had to say about what I would like to do with my computing scenario.

First off, here is my current setup:

> Case: COOLER MASTER HAF 922
> CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K (OC'd to 4.4ghz)
> CPU Cooler: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 (120mm)
> GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 570
> Headset: SteelSeries Siberia v2
> Keyboard: SteelSeries 6Gv2
> Motherboard: MSI P67A-G45 (B3)
> Mouse: SteelSeries WoW [Legendary]
> OS: Windows 7 64bit Home Premium
> PSU: CORSAIR TX 650T
> RAM: tG.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 1333
> STORAGE: Samsung 1TB @ 7200rpm

I purchased this computer before I really started getting into streaming my gameplay for everything. The i5 2500k (especially overclocked) is quite nice, but I really wish I had gone with an i7 for that extra "oomph" because on certain games (APB, WoW) I have some issues where I have to sacrifice stream quality (FPS / image quality) for in-game performance.



I am also not wholly satisfied with my gaming mouse due to its "middle mouse" always throwing my camera around when I hit it (in any game). Though if I dont use the software, and subsequently don't have my fancy programmed buttons, this isn't an issue. But at that point I might as well have a regular two button mouse :V

Other concerns of mine are my LCD monitor. In my current setup I tend to be sitting on a beanbag chair on the ground (so slightly below the LCD level) and leaned back at times. This results in some dark-as-hell viewing angles which are really annoying. I've been considering upgrading to something larger (24" or possibly bigger -- currently at 22" 1080p, for clarification I do not want to go above 1080p as a resolution) and something with 120hz refresh rate but I also want to make sure I can attain such an FPS to warrant a 120hz monitor. Also, when it comes to World of Warcraft I have nit-picky problems. For 40 man raid stuff (world bosses namely) and 25 man raiding I always have to turn my graphics down to the near-lowest settings, even when not streaming in order to obtain FPS greater than 25. In 10 man raiding I can comfortably sit at ultra settings all-around and maybe dip to 50 FPS. I would really like ULTRA or HIGH in any environment, I hate being forced to swap to lower settings.

Some things I'm looking for with a new computer are trying out an SSD for the first time (not as a main drive of course), maybe two WD black 1TB HDs, a new mouse, 16GB Ram (though Im not 100% sure I -really- need it) and an i7. I really want higher stream quality and less load on my CPU when doing poorly optimized games (APB: Reloaded is a prime example of one I play frequently) and the ability to play and stream modern games at high to ultra quality.

My experience with PCs goes back to the late 90's, when it really picked up for me and I began learning and eventually building my own PCs in the early 2000's. However I'm not some turbo extreme pro who has experience with watercooling or crazy customization and the like. So I am not always up-to-date with information on what's what in terms of what to buy and what to avoid or what to look for.

I think that covers most of what I wanted to put out there.

Thanks for taking the time to read this and help me out!

Oh, here's a quick TL;DR sort of list to what I want to accomplish:

* Play (@1080p) and stream (@720p) modern games at high or ultra settings (don't care about super extreme AA though)
* Be able to stream at "faster" or "fast" preset without capping out on CPU usage
* Be able to roll "high" or preferably "ultra" settings on World of Warcraft in large player environments (25 man, 40 man) @ 1080p
* Have an SSD for most common played games + OS
* Overclockability! Nothing extreme, but I like to juice out as much as possible with a beefy CPU cooler and a HAF case
* Raid0 2x 1TB HDs maybe
* A larger 1080p monitor with great viewing angles. 120hz if reasonable.
* Upgrade to Win8 64 possibly or at least Win7 ultimate (from win7 home premium)
* 4-5 years of reliability in the aforementioned fields.

[chazus]

-I don't believe there are 120hz IPS screens, so you're probably going to need to make a choice between the two. Personally, I'd go with the IPS, since a viewing angle -problem- seems to be a bigger issue than getting 80+ fps in shooters.
-If you get an SSD, it will be your main OS drive. Period.
-No reason to upgrade from Win7 Home Premium whatsoever
-SSD > Raid HDD. Period.
-While upgrading from a 2500K to a 4770K would give you a moderate performance increase, and shouldn't be ruled out entirely, I feel like you're getting lower performance from your 2500K than you -should- be getting. Might be a setting/config issue there with WoW.

[virusgt]

Personally if i were you i would stick in an SSD for your operating system and see what happens. That is a very easy and quick change you can do. I did that on my old system and was immediately impressed by how much things improved.

[Supakaiser]

Personally if i were you i would stick in an SSD for your operating system and see what happens. That is a very easy and quick change you can do. I did that on my old system and was immediately impressed by how much things improved.

You really think adding an SSD would make such a significant improvement in my overall experience? :O

-I don't believe there are 120hz IPS screens, so you're probably going to need to make a choice between the two. Personally, I'd go with the IPS, since a viewing angle -problem- seems to be a bigger issue than getting 80+ fps in shooters.
-If you get an SSD, it will be your main OS drive. Period.
-No reason to upgrade from Win7 Home Premium whatsoever
-SSD > Raid HDD. Period.
-While upgrading from a 2500K to a 4770K would give you a moderate performance increase, and shouldn't be ruled out entirely, I feel like you're getting lower performance from your 2500K than you -should- be getting. Might be a setting/config issue there with WoW.

Thanks for the reply. I've done and complete clear of cache and settings for WoW (including C:\ProgramData\Blizzard Entertainment\ and all addon .bak .tmp and .old) but the performance is still the same.