200-300 dollar upgrade...

[Dubesta11]

Alright, I will make this simple. I am overall happy with the performance of my computer. That being said, it does have a few things I might want changing. Here is the parts list:

 

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($160.00) 

CPU Cooler: Corsair H55 57.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler  ($50.00) 

Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Pro4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($100.00) 

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory  ($40.00) 

Storage: Sandisk Ultra Plus 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive  ($150.00) 

Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive  ($55.00) 

Case: Corsair 230T Windowed-BLUE ATX Mid Tower Case  ($54.00) 

Power Supply: Corsair CX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply  ($50.00) 

Case Fan: Corsair Air Series AF120 Performance Edition (2-Pack) 63.5 CFM 120mm  Fans  ($29.98 @ OutletPC) 

Case Fan: Corsair Air Series SP120 High Performance Edition (2-Pack) 62.7 CFM 120mm  Fans  ($27.98 @ OutletPC) 

Other: GTX 660 Ti 2048MB (Microcenter, Boston, Referb) ($160.00)

Other: Nzxt G10 ($30.00)

Total: $906.96

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-05 22:55 EST-0500

 

Things that could be improved:

 

1. Noise. While its not loud, its definitely noticeable when the room is quiet. I know the corsair fans are not the best for the money, but they look good. I would be willing to swap them out.

 

2. Overclocking. I am not a hardcore overclocker, but I would like to be able to. The motherboard I have right now works fine for a 4.5GHz overclock, but I think it could go further. That would (I assume) mean getting a better motherboard and cooling system (temps are decent with what I have). Possibly even a mATX so I could get a smaller case in the future (ATX is fine though). I could use my old motherboard as a future Pentium build for a friend. 

 

3. Looks. Every computer should look good, but I actually think I am happy with the looks of my computer. I like the lights on the front, but it doesn't light up much of the case. And blue fans kind of don't go with a red theme... So new fans in the front and possibly a light strip inside the case.

 

4. Portability. This is a big one for me since I transport it every week. A simple handle system might be nice and come in handy (heh).

 

5. Peripherals. My keyboard, mouse, and headset are all logitech gaming gear and I am very happy with them. The monitors however are refurbished AOC ones that don't even match color (colors are off of the 2 I have, hard to fix). 

 

 

That's about all I can think of, besides save up for a 970 (Which is very not cost effective, since everything is playable as of now). I also want to start getting ready for college by getting quieter and more compact things. 

[TheKDub]

I'd stick a R9 280x, 290, or GTX 770 in there to replace your 660ti if you can find one in your budget, or expand it a little and get a 970.

[rmac52]

I would upgrade the 660 ti

[Dubesta11]

I'd stick a R9 280x, 290, or GTX 770 in there to replace your 660ti if you can find one in your budget, or expand it a little and get a 970.

 

Is that really that much of an improvement? I can already play most games at modified ultra at over 60FPS, so wouldn't getting smaller upgrades be more useful for a lot less money? (I prefer Nvidia as well for a high end build)

[TheKDub]

Is that really that much of an improvement? I can already play most games at modified ultra at over 60FPS, so wouldn't getting smaller upgrades be more useful for a lot less money? (I prefer Nvidia as well for a high end build)

 

Hmm, well looking back over your current rig, I'd suggest upgrading that cooler to something like the h105.

 

I also have the 230t , though I currently am planning on upgrading it to a corsair air 540 which is like the king of all cases to me :3

[kennethnakasone]

I would go with the handle-system for the case first, seeing as it needs to be transported frequently.

 

Also, I personally would put a monitor upgrade fairly high on the list as well (since it's what you have to stare at all the time). If you do a monitor upgrade and you see a drop in performance afterwards, perhaps you could consider a graphics card upgrade at that point?

 

Looks are a minor thing for me, but if you show system this to acquaintances frequently, I don't see a problem with placing higher priority on upgrades to looks than upgrades to internals/peripherals.

[MourningSouls]

Fans I would suggest are Enermax T.B. Vegas (Red) for the front and some Rosewill Hyperboreas or Cougar Turbines for all the exhaust spots.

 

A LED strip would be best for lighting up the rest of the case, since I'm not fond of LED's in general I don't pay any attention to what is good and what isn't.

[Mistersprinkles]

http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/information-technology/files/2013/09/hadron-air-evga.jpg

 

^EVGA Hadron is what you want. You should have built with ITX from the get go if you knew youd be moving it around all the time.

You need a better GPU as well. If you want a really kick ass ITX motherboard look at the Maximus VI or VII Impact. Those are amazing. There's also the more affordable Z97-I by ASUS which is a great board.
You don't need a really good board, VRM wise, to OC haswell though. Any decent 4 phase VRM setup with a good heatsink will power the chip on any kind of overclock you could achieve on air. 

I think you should be happy with the overclock you currently have. You won't notice an extra 1 or 200Mhz in daily use, really. 

 

So, pick up an EVGA Hadron air, an ASUS Z97 I, and the EVGA Mitx CPU cooler. A GTX 970 would also be a wise purchase. 

Now you have a little beast you can pick up under your arm and cart around with ease. You can even toss it in a duffle bag or back pack.

 

Another equally small, equally kick-ass design is the Silverstone FT03 mini. But that one is hard to find these days and much more challenging to build in.

As far as fan noise goes, most half decent motherboards have 2 or more PWM fan ports and some sort of PWM fan control. Use the fan control software that came with the motherboard to control case fans connected to these ports. If you have more fans than ports use splitters. They are cheap and easy to find on sites like newegg.

[Dubesta11]

Hmm, well looking back over your current rig, I'd suggest upgrading that cooler to something like the h105.

 

I also have the 230t , though I currently am planning on upgrading it to a corsair air 540 which is like the king of all cases to me :3

 

I don't think a dual 120/140mm radiator will fit due to the ram being in the way. That would be a far future upgrade when hard overclocking is needed. I also need a somewhat conventional case, so as much as the air cases look great, it would be impractical.

 

 

I would go with the handle-system for the case first, seeing as it needs to be transported frequently.

 

Also, I personally would put a monitor upgrade fairly high on the list as well (since it's what you have to stare at all the time). If you do a monitor upgrade and you see a drop in performance afterwards, perhaps you could consider a graphics card upgrade at that point?

 

Looks are a minor thing for me, but if you show system this to acquaintances frequently, I don't see a problem with placing higher priority on upgrades to looks than upgrades to internals/peripherals.

 

It is more of a low priority since it does not affect the performance of the computer to get a strap, but it would help a little. I would love to get a 23-24 inch monitor but again, what I have works fine (dual 1080p AOC IPS). I might get an ultrawide instead of dual monitors in the future too.

 

 

Fans I would suggest are Enermax T.B. Vegas (Red) for the front and some Rosewill Hyperboreas or Cougar Turbines for all the exhaust spots.

 

A LED strip would be best for lighting up the rest of the case, since I'm not fond of LED's in general I don't pay any attention to what is good and what isn't.

 

I will check those out.

 

 

http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/information-technology/files/2013/09/hadron-air-evga.jpg

 

^EVGA Hadron is what you want. You should have built with ITX from the get go if you knew youd be moving it around all the time.

You need a better GPU as well. If you want a really kick ass ITX motherboard look at the Maximus VI or VII Impact. Those are amazing. There's also the more affordable Z97-I by ASUS which is a great board.

You don't need a really good board, VRM wise, to OC haswell though. Any decent 4 phase VRM setup with a good heatsink will power the chip on any kind of overclock you could achieve on air. 

I think you should be happy with the overclock you currently have. You won't notice an extra 1 or 200Mhz in daily use, really. 

 

So, pick up an EVGA Hadron air, an ASUS Z97 I, and the EVGA Mitx CPU cooler. A GTX 970 would also be a wise purchase. 

Now you have a little beast you can pick up under your arm and cart around with ease. You can even toss it in a duffle bag or back pack.

 

As far as fan noise goes, most half decent motherboards have 2 or more PWM fan ports and some sort of PWM fan control. Use the fan control software that came with the motherboard to control case fans connected to these ports. If you have more fans than ports use splitters. They are cheap and easy to find on sites like newegg.

 

I really love that idea actually. Unfortunately I just bought a new case and would like to make that a low prority. Also, I would not be able to SLI with an itx computer, something that would help encourage futureproofing. But without SLI, how long do you think a 970 would last?

 

Looking at the Hardron, that's actually  possible: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811205011&cm_re=hadron_air-_-11-205-011-_-Product Last time I saw it was at $170, a little harsh price. But for around 120-140, that's something like 60 for the PSU and 80 for the case. Add this: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157531&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID= to stay in budget and the total price is 260. 260 for just extra portability and not much expansion options. I think I would rather go for an ATX board for maximum additions. 

[Mistersprinkles]

Then meet in the middle and go MATX in a Corsair Air 240. Tiny size, easy to carry, SLI/CFX capable, great air flow.

 

http://images.bit-tech.net/content_images/2014/08/corsair-carbide-series-air-240-review/air240-614x250.jpg

 

Thats what it looks like with 2 GPUs in it. If you carry this thing around its the biggest case I'd suggest. You don't want to lug a giant 60lbs case around.