Upgrade

[Uxi Mr]

Greetings!

 

Hey everyone, I hope I'm doing this right. I'm upgrading my PC from 3 years ago which is built iBuyPower.

 

Here's my current specs:

 

Processor: Intel® Core™ i7 960 Processor @ 3.2GHz

Cooling: Enermax Dual Silent High Performance Liquid CPU Cooling

Memory: 12GB RAM

Video Card: EVGA GTX 770 ACX 2GB

MoBo: Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R

PSU: Corsair 750AX

Storage: 1TB HDD

Case: CoolerMaster HAF 922 Gaming Case - Black

 

Here's what I'm looking at:

 

Processor: Intel® Core™ i7 5930K

Cooling: Noctua NH-D15 (will this fit LGA 2011-3 though?)

Memory: Need suggestions (not sure if G.Skill Ripjaws 4 is a good for the buck and quality)

Video Card: Current one

MoBo: Need suggestions

PSU: Current one (unless it needs upgrade)

Storage: Intel 730 series 240GB

Additional storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB

Case: A couple of choices, I'm torn between them.

Corrsair Obsidian 450D

Corsair 380T

NZXT H440

Antec Lanboy Air

Corsair 780T

 

 

Here's some information to help with suggestions:

 

 

1. Budget & Location
Budget is flexible between $1200 to $1500 USD (I will stretch up to $1800 if needed)

Location is east coast USA

2. Aim
I mainly do MMORPG, but I do have games like COD, Battlefield, Crisis, Assassin's Creed, and I like maxing out settings for best possible visual. I also do video editing and image rendering, hence I went for this processor. Knowing this, I would like to overclock, I assume.

3. Monitors
I currently have a 1080p monitor and a VGA monitor (1440x900) as a second display. If my budget allows it, I'd get another 1080p as a third display, although I wouldn't sacrifice my budget for display.

4. Peripherals
I am thinking on upgrading to Windows 8.1, but what are your suggestions? I haven't really tried it.

5. Why are you upgrading?
I am upgrading because of a drop in performance whenever I'm playing MMORPG and/or editing videos and rendering images. Also, I'd like to be ready 5-10 years from now.

 

6. What made you pick the parts that you want?

Processor: It's the latest, mid-range processor at the moment. Am I going overboard? I want security 5-10 years from now.

Cooling: I really like Noctua because they are optimized and has a good reputation. Also, I think I'm better off with fan cooling rather than liquid cooling. What do you think?

Memory: As mentioned, I am not sure about this one. I need suggestions please!

Video card: I'll be using the same since I just recently bought this and I think that it's good enough for what I'm doing.

MoBo: I'm divided between ASUS and MSI. I need help!

PSU: Since my current one is 80+ gold certified, I think it's still good to use?

Storage: I picked this because it seemed like it's really popular? I have no way of testing/comparing them on-hand, whether Crucial or Sandisk or Samsung is better, or maybe Intel? Let me know please!

Additional storage: I'm not much worried about this one since it's going to be a file bin, but let me know if you have any suggestions!

Case: Okay, here's where it gets a little tedious. First off, I like cases with easy removable fan filters (we all hate dust!). Other things to note are: a handle for when it's time to clean, also, it will be cool if it's white, has self-retaining thumb screws (NZXT), and metal structure (durability).

 

OK, let me know please if I missed something. It will be truly appreciated if you can help!

 

Thank you!

 

 

[xnoobftw]

Greetings!

 

Hey everyone, I hope I'm doing this right. I'm upgrading my PC from 3 years ago which is built iBuyPower.

 

Here's my current specs:

 

Processor: Intel® Core™ i7 960 Processor @ 3.2GHz

Cooling: Enermax Dual Silent High Performance Liquid CPU Cooling

Memory: 12GB RAM

Video Card: EVGA GTX 770 ACX 2GB

MoBo: Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R

PSU: Corsair 750AX

Storage: 1TB HDD

Case: CoolerMaster HAF 922 Gaming Case - Black

 

Here's what I'm looking at:

 

Processor: Intel® Core™ i7 5930K

Cooling: Noctua NH-D15 (will this fit LGA 2011-3 though?)

Memory: Need suggestions (not sure if G.Skill Ripjaws 4 is a good for the buck and quality)

Video Card: Current one

MoBo: Need suggestions

PSU: Current one (unless it needs upgrade)

Storage: Intel 730 series 240GB

Additional storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB

Case: A couple of choices, I'm torn between them.

Corrsair Obsidian 450D

Corsair 380T

NZXT H440

Antec Lanboy Air

Corsair 780T

 

 

Here's some information to help with suggestions:

 

 

1. Budget & Location

Budget is flexible between $1200 to $1500 USD (I will stretch up to $1800 if needed)

Location is east coast USA

2. Aim

I mainly do MMORPG, but I do have games like COD, Battlefield, Crisis, Assassin's Creed, and I like maxing out settings for best possible visual. I also do video editing and image rendering, hence I went for this processor. Knowing this, I would like to overclock, I assume.

3. Monitors

I currently have a 1080p monitor and a VGA monitor (1440x900) as a second display. If my budget allows it, I'd get another 1080p as a third display, although I wouldn't sacrifice my budget for display.

4. Peripherals

I am thinking on upgrading to Windows 8.1, but what are your suggestions? I haven't really tried it.

5. Why are you upgrading?

I am upgrading because of a drop in performance whenever I'm playing MMORPG and/or editing videos and rendering images. Also, I'd like to be ready 5-10 years from now.

 

6. What made you pick the parts that you want?

Processor: It's the latest, mid-range processor at the moment. Am I going overboard? I want security 5-10 years from now.

Cooling: I really like Noctua because they are optimized and has a good reputation. Also, I think I'm better off with fan cooling rather than liquid cooling. What do you think?

Memory: As mentioned, I am not sure about this one. I need suggestions please!

Video card: I'll be using the same since I just recently bought this and I think that it's good enough for what I'm doing.

MoBo: I'm divided between ASUS and MSI. I need help!

PSU: Since my current one is 80+ gold certified, I think it's still good to use?

Storage: I picked this because it seemed like it's really popular? I have no way of testing/comparing them on-hand, whether Crucial or Sandisk or Samsung is better, or maybe Intel? Let me know please!

Additional storage: I'm not much worried about this one since it's going to be a file bin, but let me know if you have any suggestions!

Case: Okay, here's where it gets a little tedious. First off, I like cases with easy removable fan filters (we all hate dust!). Other things to note are: a handle for when it's time to clean, also, it will be cool if it's white, has self-retaining thumb screws (NZXT), and metal structure (durability).

 

OK, let me know please if I missed something. It will be truly appreciated if you can help!

 

Thank you!

CPU: get the i5 4690k

MOBO: Gigabyte gaming 3/ MSI gaming 5 (whichever is cheaper)

GPU is good

PSU is good too

I would suggest getting the Samsung evo 250gb instead (i had friends having issues with intel SSDs)

For casing i would go 780t out of all those choices (but i honestly think your current case is good enough)

For memory just use back the 12gb of ram if you can, if not just choose whichever ram (8gb) that is cheapest (frequency doesnt matter if you are only gaming)

[xnoobftw]

And no do not upgrade to windows 8.1. There are alot of instabilities when it comes to games (loads of micro stuttering)

Ah shit i didnt see the video rendering part. Get the i7 4790k instead and you'll be fine

[Uxi Mr]

Hey! Thanks for replying. As for my thoughts:

CPU:  Really? Why 4790K? If I go for the latest one, won't I be more secured for the future?

Storage: Oh I thought Intel is faster and factory tuned (at least according to Linus)?

Casing: Yea I would need to change because like I mentioned, I want a easy removable fan filter

Memory: I think I would need a higher frequency since I don't just do gaming, like mentioned above

[ewantheocelot]

The intel ssd is very high performance but in the real world it isn't such a difference I would find it hard to find a real world scenario in which you will notice. It would be affected if you were going RAID 0 in which the controller would be used to a greater use. For most people even editing for mainstream project 4 cores/8 threads should be enough for the money and you would save a lot of money on using DDR3 instead of DDR4 as prices are extremely high for it.

[ewantheocelot]

Plus if you are going single GPU I would say just use a mid tower. I am using a mid for 2 GTX 780 Ti's and I don't get any thermal throttling.

[ewantheocelot]

How much are you willing to spend on the motherboard because z97 ones will be a lot cheaper than the x99 ones.

[Uxi Mr]

Again, thank you for the replies! I did changed my mind, after reading some reviews, etc etc. I have used what everyone seems to be using, pcpartspicker, here's what I came up with:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($339.99 @ Amazon) 

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler  ($93.99 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard: Asus Z97-WS ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($297.99 @ Amazon) 

Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory  ($179.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($129.72 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($102.99 @ Amazon) 

Case: NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($109.99 @ Amazon) 

Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($264.99 @ Amazon) 

Total: $1519.65

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-16 23:45 EDT-0400

[Uxi Mr]

-bumps-

 

Can I please get some more input :l

I was expecting a little more replies than this...

[xnoobftw]

-bumps-

 

Can I please get some more input :l

I was expecting a little more replies than this...

You need to quote before we get the notifications

Any other questions?

[Uxi Mr]

You need to quote before we get the notifications

Any other questions?

Oh I'm sorry I thought it's allowed to bump after a couple of days. Yes, I actually am looking for inputs about the setup that I posted. Is it worth the money or can I squeeze somethings out?

[Jayhawk]

That motherboard is way too much of the budget and so is the case. Not to mention... THAT CPU COOLER IS $94! Just get a Hyper 212 Plus and throw two of the Cooler Master 120mm 19Dba fans that are like $6. Can't remember what they're called. Just use PCpartpicker. I use them and they're a dream.

[Uxi Mr]

That motherboard is way too much of the budget and so is the case.

I was thinking about it too... now I'm leaning over Z97-A instead. And the case? Why is that? Any suggestions for a better case? With good aesthetic + feature? I'm looking for air cooling but I do like it if it has good aesthetics, so I went for H440.

[JuTheBarbarian]

 

Again, thank you for the replies! I did changed my mind, after reading some reviews, etc etc. I have used what everyone seems to be using, pcpartspicker, here's what I came up with:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($339.99 @ Amazon) 

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler  ($93.99 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard: Asus Z97-WS ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($297.99 @ Amazon) 

Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400 Memory  ($179.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($129.72 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($102.99 @ Amazon) 

Case: NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($109.99 @ Amazon) 

Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($264.99 @ Amazon) 

Total: $1519.65

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-16 23:45 EDT-0400

 

 

From here it looks to be a pretty good build. I myself would probably keep your current RAM (as long as it is DDR3 and 1600mhz or above). This is because 12gb of RAM is more than enough as 8gb is recommended for gaming and 12gb is recommended for professional applications (like 3d rendering and the like). And plus, you can use the money you saved on the RAM upgrade to upgrade to a GTX 970. The 970's aren't that expensive and I believe they actually out-perform the 780ti while using a lot less electricity. I'd also recommend an MSI Z97-GAMING 7 ATX motherboard, it's cheaper than the Asus one, makes overclocking easy (or so I am told.....), and also comes with audio boost 2 for better audio quality, just a great motherboard in my mind. Plus you can put the money saved towards a gtx 970, which between the money you saved on the motherboard and the RAM should just about have you covered.... Oh, and I think the case is fine so don't worry too much about that....

 

Here is the updated list if you choose to go this route....

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($339.99 @ Amazon) 

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler  ($93.60 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 7 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($174.98 @ OutletPC) 

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($129.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($101.99 @ NCIX US) 

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card  ($356.13 @ Newegg) 

Case: NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($109.99 @ Amazon) 

Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($264.99 @ Amazon) 

Total: $1571.66

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-22 23:05 EDT-0400

 

Hope I Helped and Happy Building!

[Uxi Mr]

That motherboard is way too much of the budget and so is the case. Not to mention... THAT CPU COOLER IS $94! Just get a Hyper 212 Plus and throw two of the Cooler Master 120mm 19Dba fans that are like $6. Can't remember what they're called. Just use PCpartpicker. I use them and they're a dream.

 

NH-D15 is ptimized though and is really silent that's why I picked it over CM, at least, according to tons of review videos I watched, NH-D15 triumphs even over liquid coolers on temp benchmarks.

 

From here it looks to be a pretty good build. I myself would probably keep your current RAM (as long as it is DDR3 and 1600mhz or above), and use the money saved to upgrade to a GTX 970. The 970's aren't that expensive and I believe they actually out-perform the 780ti while using a lot less electricity.

I can't really stretch my money to upgrade to 970 since there isn't any "saved" money left, if anything I was looking forward to making this build less expensive. I just recently got this 770 and it's good enough for what I do.

 

Switching from Z97-WS to Z97-A saved me around $150.oo so that's good to hear.

 

As always, thanks guys for the input!

[Jayhawk]

For the motherboard, drop down to an Asus Maximus VII Hero at $205 and a Corsair 400R at $80. I know that the 400R is that attractive, but it can fix anything you throw at it and has some of the best air cooling and cable management available.

[Uxi Mr]

 

 

 

From here it looks to be a pretty good build. I myself would probably keep your current RAM (as long as it is DDR3 and 1600mhz or above). This is because 12gb of RAM is more than enough as 8gb is recommended for gaming and 12gb is recommended for professional applications (like 3d rendering and the like). And plus, you can use the money you saved on the RAM upgrade to upgrade to a GTX 970. The 970's aren't that expensive and I believe they actually out-perform the 780ti while using a lot less electricity. I'd also recommend an MSI Z97-GAMING 7 ATX motherboard, it's cheaper than the Asus one, makes overclocking easy (or so I am told.....), and also comes with audio boost 2 for better audio quality, just a great motherboard in my mind. Plus you can put the money saved towards a gtx 970, which between the money you saved on the motherboard and the RAM should just about have you covered.... Oh, and I think the case is fine so don't worry too much about that....

 

Here is the updated list if you choose to go this route....

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($339.99 @ Amazon) 

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler  ($93.60 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 7 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($174.98 @ OutletPC) 

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($129.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($101.99 @ NCIX US) 

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card  ($356.13 @ Newegg) 

Case: NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($109.99 @ Amazon) 

Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($264.99 @ Amazon) 

Total: $1571.66

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-22 23:05 EDT-0400

 

Hope I Helped and Happy Building!

 

 

My current memory is really old school (or at least that's what I think). First it came with 6GB (2GB x3) Corsair or major brand (picked my parts from iBuyPower) then I bought another set of Corsair 6GB (2GB x3) so that totals to 12GB. Yes they are DDR3, but are they or would they really be good for MoBo with 4 DIMM? I don't think so? I think I'm better off buying new memory and keeping my GPU?

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the motherboard, drop down to an Asus Maximus VII Hero at $205 and a Corsair 400R at $80. I know that the 400R is that attractive, but it can fix anything you throw at it and has some of the best air cooling and cable management available.

For $30.oo difference for the case, I won't really sacrifice the aesthetics, seeing that my current case (CoolerMaster HAF 922) is plain looking like 400R, it's like not even changing my case.

 

For the MoBo, I'm still deciding on Asus Maximus VII Hero, MSI Z97 Gaming 7, or Asus Z97-A.

 

As always, thanks for the input!

[xnoobftw]

 

 

 

 

My current memory is really old school (or at least that's what I think). First it came with 6GB (2GB x3) Corsair or major brand (picked my parts from iBuyPower) then I bought another set of Corsair 6GB (2GB x3) so that totals to 12GB. Yes they are DDR3, but are they or would they really be good for MoBo with 4 DIMM? I don't think so? I think I'm better off buying new memory and keeping my GPU?

 

 

 

 

 

 

For $30.oo difference for the case, I won't really sacrifice the aesthetics, seeing that my current case (CoolerMaster HAF 922) is plain looking like 400R, it's like not even changing my case.

 

For the MoBo, I'm still deciding on Asus Maximus VII Hero, MSI Z97 Gaming 7, or Asus Z97-A.

 

As always, thanks for the input!

 

Just go with this and reuse old parts that isnt in it

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($338.97 @ OutletPC) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($28.66 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($139.99 @ Micro Center) 

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($129.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Seagate Desktop HDD 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($143.51 @ Amazon) 

Total: $781.12

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-22 23:42 EDT-0400

 

Your case has insanely good airflow so a 212 EVO will be sufficient for you to OC the shit out of it

A 770 is good enough for 1080p gaming, i would suggest an upgrade to a 970 if you want an extra uumph but that really is up to you. (if you really want to play everything maxed out)

[Uxi Mr]

 

Just go with this and reuse old parts that isnt in it

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($338.97 @ OutletPC) 

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler  ($28.66 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard: MSI Z97-GAMING 5 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($139.99 @ Micro Center) 

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($129.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Seagate Desktop HDD 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($143.51 @ Amazon) 

Total: $781.12

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-22 23:42 EDT-0400

 

Your case has insanely good airflow so a 212 EVO will be sufficient for you to OC the shit out of it

A 770 is good enough for 1080p gaming, i would suggest an upgrade to a 970 if you want an extra uumph but that really is up to you. (if you really want to play everything maxed out)

 

Thank you all for your input! This helped me a lot! I have now finalized my build, considering all factors that I focused on.

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($339.99 @ Newegg) 

CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler  ($93.60 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard: Asus Z97-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($144.99 @ Newegg) 

Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($191.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($129.99 @ Amazon) 

Storage: Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($104.99 @ Newegg) 

Case: NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case  ($119.99 @ Newegg) 

Monitor: Asus VG248QE 144Hz 24.0" Monitor  ($264.99 @ Amazon) 

Total: $1355.53

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-23 00:32 EDT-0400