I need help upgrading my PC

[IM A COMPUTAH]

I have no idea how to build a pc lol.

I live 15 minutes away from NYC. If you buy the components, I can help you put them together. Also if you do decide to upgrade processor and motherboard, I have a Microcenter about 10 minutes away from me. They run killer deals on the i5-2500k for $180 + $40 off any compatible motherboard or the i7-2600k for $280 + $80 off any compatible motherboard. Compare the price at Newegg; $220 for the 2500k and $315 for the 2600k. Also check out the student thread on these forums for Win7 Professional for $30. If you can't find an .edu address for that I know someone selling Win7 Ultimate licenses for $40 each.


Also, I recommend waiting as long as you can for a new video card. The 7000 series Radeon cards are due out in November, and from the rumors I've read they are promising a massive hardware boost compared to what's out now. They will also bring the prices down for previous series as well.

[Hell_Rell]

I have no idea how to build a pc lol.

I live 15 minutes away from NYC. If you buy the components, I can help you put them together. Also if you do decide to upgrade processor and motherboard, I have a Microcenter about 10 minutes away from me. They run killer deals on the i5-2500k for $180 + $40 off any compatible motherboard or the i7-2600k for $280 + $80 off any compatible motherboard. Compare the price at Newegg; $220 for the 2500k and $315 for the 2600k. Also check out the student thread on these forums for Win7 Professional for $30. If you can't find an .edu address for that I know someone selling Win7 Ultimate licenses for $40 each.


Also, I recommend waiting as long as you can for a new video card. The 7000 series Radeon cards are due out in November, and from the rumors I've read they are promising a massive hardware boost compared to what's out now. They will also bring the prices down for previous series as well.

Hm depending on how much the parts priced out to i might take you up on that. I need to see if my cousin will price out parts.

[madmattd]

Also, I recommend waiting as long as you can for a new video card. The 7000 series Radeon cards are due out in November, and from the rumors I've read they are promising a massive hardware boost compared to what's out now. They will also bring the prices down for previous series as well.

A massive boost is ALWAYS promised, rarely realized. It's usually a step up of course, but not ever as much as promised. That said, we are due for a new round of cards as aside from the dual-GPU GTX 590 and 6990, we've not had a new GPU since like February.

[Hell_Rell]

I feel like it would be easiest to buy the prebuilt hp and the vid card matt suggested though it would be like $650 for both. For that same price would i be able to buy pc parts and build my own? If so id think building one would be better. But honestly i dont have the knowledge like you guys do and have no idea where to start pricing pieces or building anything.

Computah, would you mind helping? If i could build a rig for that same amount of money and include the card i think it would be best investment.

Ive also been looking at some of these Newegg DIY PC Bundles: http://www.newegg.com/Store/MasterCombo ... ?StoreID=7

Only thing is none come with a operating system it seems or a vid card.

[madmattd]

I feel like it would be easiest to buy the prebuilt hp and the vid card matt suggested though it would be like $650 for both. For that same price would i be able to buy pc parts and build my own? If so id think building one would be better. But honestly i dont have the knowledge like you guys do and have no idea where to start pricing pieces or building anything.

Computah, would you mind helping? If i could build a rig for that same amount of money and include the card i think it would be best investment.

Ive also been looking at some of these Newegg DIY PC Bundles: http://www.newegg.com/Store/MasterCombo ... ?StoreID=7

Only thing is none come with a operating system it seems or a vid card.

Newegg's DIY bundles are often pretty solid. For $650, yes, you could build something pretty solid. Maybe $750, but that would be a super-system. Most don't come with a GPU, which is fine since you can just drop one in, and none come with an OS. But Win 7 Home is like $80-90 on Newegg, $120-140 for Pro, depending on the sales you get. They are OEM versions, but they install just like any other OS.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBund ... 90-_-Combo-looks decent, just needs GPU and OS. Not huge on HEC PSU though...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBund ... 63-_-Combo-better stuff, but the PSU will limit you some.

If you are willing to spend a tad more, this one looks super: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBund ... 93-_-Combo
or
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBund ... 66-_-Combo

This one has a Radeon 6850, which was mentioned earlier, it would be solid for you. Just needs OS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBund ... 71-_-Combo

If you want AMD, I see this one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboBund ... 22-_-Combo

Like I said, there are some nice combo builds. I always go from scratch just so I get exactly the brands and models I want, but that doesn't make the DIY systems a poor choice at all. I see some very nice ones in there honestly.

[Hell_Rell]

Stolen from another gaming community i play with:

Gaming Hardware List

Postby Fiasco » Thu Sep 29, 2011 2:38 am
Please do not respond in this thread. Start a new one if you want to discuss parts/ theories. This will make it easier for people to sort through the monthly lists.

I will try to keep this up to date every month. This is NOT my list. These list are generated from PCGamer. I believe this list will provide everyone with a basic jumping off point depending on your budget. I will add prices later. For now, I will just give an ~(approximate) total.

Entry Level: ~$600
Case: NZXT Phantom
PSU: Corsair 500W
Processor: i3-2100 Sandy Bridge 3.1Ghz
MoBo: GIGABYTE GA-P61-USB3-B3 LGA 1155 Intel H61 USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Memory: CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory
Optical Drive: SONY Black 18X DVD-ROM 48X CD-ROM SATA DVD-ROM Drive Model DDU1681S-0B - OEM
Hard Drive: Western Digital AV-GP WD5000AVDS 500GB 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal AV Hard Drive
Sound card: No external Card. Use onboard sound.
Video card: GeForce GTX 550 Ti

He links all the parts as well, it looks pretty good. Though no OS or case that would probably push me to the $700-750 range. Looks like whatever the choice is im pushing a big investment...

[madmattd]

That one has a case in the listing Hell_Rell. But your point still stands, it is an investment to build a whole new system, and unfortunately you don't really have any parts worth carrying over, aside from maybe the optical drive (woot, a whole $20 saved?).

XXplicitt, have we solved your troubles yet?

EDIT: just noticed Xxplicitt asked about his 500W PSU. That should be fine for a single GPU. I only draw 350W full load from the wall (so multiply by 85% efficiency to get what the PSU is delivering) with the 560TI I linked and an overclocked, older, not-super-efficient CPU. Power supply estimators grossly overestimate what you need.

[xxplicitt]

Yeah, I'm about to order the 560 Ti and the Logitech G500 mouse. I'm just making sure the card will fit in my case.

I'm going to wait for Black Friday or the holidays to upgrade my CPU. From what I've gathered when I upgrade my CPU I will be needing a new motherboard and RAM as well. So I'll just be patient with that for now.

Edit: Hm I forgot about overclocking. I guess I will have to start looking around for info on that.

[IM A COMPUTAH]

That HP computer you posted is not bad, the only uncertainty is the refurbished part. You don't know what was wrong with it and refurbished computers generally come with a limited warranty to fix future problems. That being said, assuming all those components work that would be a very good deal for the HP computer.


However, if you do decide the route of building your own PC, this is what I would suggest trying to keep you at a budget of no more then $700. I would also suggest investing in a better case and power supply in the beginning, so if you ever decide to upgrade/replace/add-on you have the bare essentials already:

Microcenter this Friday & Satuday only i5-2500k for $150. Hell of a fucking deal.
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread ... &t=3367862

Radeon 6850 I've seen for sale as low as $100 After Rebate. Right now it's averaging about $130
Here is one for $115 after $20 Rebate and it comes with Deus Ex: http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3361372

2x4GB DDR3 RAM I've seen go as low as $30. Nothing really good out there at the moment.

Corsair M4 SSD 64 GB $90 when on sale. You said you are currently using a 500GB HDD which you can also transfer over.

DVD/CD Burner no more then $20 but more then likely you can already carry over the one you have.

Case probably don't need more then $50. Suggestions:
Antec 200 V2, currently $30 after $10 Manufacturer's Mail in Rebate(MIR): http://www.microcenter.com/single_produ ... id=0334132
Antec 300, currently $45 after $10 MIR

Power Supply:
620 Watt Antec $50 after $15 MIR: http://www.microcenter.com/single_produ ... id=0348767

Motherboard:
Expect to spend at least $100, no more then $175.
My current recommendation would be a P68 motherboard, specifically a bundle from Microcenter with the i5-2500k:
Combo price for the i5-2500k and a Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 is $290.

Win 7:
$30 for professional version in my student thread, and if you can't find an .edu address I can get you a Ultimate license for $40.

All those items I listed above come out to $700. You should use slickdeals to find what's on sale, and not buy components unless they are on sale. I would also hold out on the video card as long as possible at least until the 7000 series launches. Perhaps transfer over your current video card until that point or use integrated graphics.

[xxplicitt]

Computah, a Win 7 64-bit license for $40? I'm still on Vista because I really don't want to dish out $100+ on Windows 7 -_-

[IM A COMPUTAH]

Computah, a Win 7 64-bit license for $40? I'm still on Vista because I really don't want to dish out $100+ on Windows 7 -_-

I found a guy through Craigslist who had a few extras. He runs a software shop, and the downloads are through Microsoft. However if you are wary of that, I would suggest getting the professional version for $30 as listed in the student software thread in this forum.

[madmattd]

That HP computer you posted is not bad, the only uncertainty is the refurbished part. You don't know what was wrong with it and refurbished computers generally come with a limited warranty to fix future problems. That being said, assuming all those components work that would be a very good deal for the HP computer.


However, if you do decide the route of building your own PC, this is what I would suggest trying to keep you at a budget of no more then $700. I would also suggest investing in a better case and power supply in the beginning, so if you ever decide to upgrade/replace/add-on you have the bare essentials already:

Microcenter this Friday & Satuday only i5-2500k for $150. Hell of a fucking deal.
http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread ... &t=3367862

Radeon 6850 I've seen for sale as low as $100 After Rebate. Right now it's averaging about $130
Here is one for $115 after $20 Rebate and it comes with Deus Ex: http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3361372

2x4GB DDR3 RAM I've seen go as low as $30. Nothing really good out there at the moment.

Corsair M4 SSD 64 GB $90 when on sale. You said you are currently using a 500GB HDD which you can also transfer over.

DVD/CD Burner no more then $20 but more then likely you can already carry over the one you have.

Case probably don't need more then $50. Suggestions:
Antec 200 V2, currently $30 after $10 Manufacturer's Mail in Rebate(MIR): http://www.microcenter.com/single_produ ... id=0334132
Antec 300, currently $45 after $10 MIR

Power Supply:
620 Watt Antec $50 after $15 MIR: http://www.microcenter.com/single_produ ... id=0348767

Motherboard:
Expect to spend at least $100, no more then $175.
My current recommendation would be a P68 motherboard, specifically a bundle from Microcenter with the i5-2500k:
Combo price for the i5-2500k and a Gigabyte GA-Z68X-UD3H-B3 is $290.

Win 7:
$30 for professional version in my student thread, and if you can't find an .edu address I can get you a Ultimate license for $40.

All those items I listed above come out to $700. You should use slickdeals to find what's on sale, and not buy components unless they are on sale. I would also hold out on the video card as long as possible at least until the 7000 series launches. Perhaps transfer over your current video card until that point or use integrated graphics.

Computah has a good setup there. You could skip the SSD for now though to save some money. They are nice. And $150 for the 2500K is NUTS. Jump all over that! There are a couple Microcenters near NYC.

[IM A COMPUTAH]

Computah has a good setup there. You could skip the SSD for now though to save some money. They are nice. And $150 for the 2500K is NUTS. Jump all over that! There are a couple Microcenters near NYC.

The $150 for the 2500k is only running Friday and Saturday, so if you are interested in that, you have to get a jump on it. I believe that would bring the price of the mobo + cpu price down to $260, not $290 as originally stated. You also have a few other mobo's to choose from. I also recommend the Microcenter in Paterson NJ, not the one's in NY. 3.5% tax vs 8% tax. The bridge & tolls will pay for themselves with the more you buy.

[xxplicitt]

Went ahead and got Win7 Pro with the student discount. I'm currently backing up my stuff just in case, but I shouldn't lose any media if I upgrade from Vista Ultimate to Win7 Professional right?

[madmattd]

Went ahead and got Win7 Pro with the student discount. I'm currently backing up my stuff just in case, but I shouldn't lose any media if I upgrade from Vista Ultimate to Win7 Professional right?

Theoretically. But best to be safe.