Upgrade or new build?

[flare4000]

So my build is 2 - 3 years I think and it was my first time building a computer and I bought an unbalanced build, now I'm wondering should I buy a new one or just upgrade? I am now switching to pc for gaming and want to be able to play the latest game at 1080p for years to come.

My old build consist of:

Intel i7 930

Stock Heat-sink

GA-X58A-UD3R

A Seagate or hitachi 1TB drive at 7200rpm

Antec nine hundred two

Ati radeon 4650 (I hate this card with a burning passion at this point, lol)

Thermatake 500 watt psu with only one 6 pin plug

If I were to buy a new build it would be along the lines of this http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/NK1fI

also am planning to get a new keyboard and mouse, if I do buy a new computer my maximum budget is $1400-1500 with tax. I live in Ontario so the tax is 13%.

Best Regards,

Flare4000

[jaypro]

If you wanted to upgrade, you can just upgrade your graphics card to a 7950, pop in an aftermarket CPU cooler and overclock the 930, and an SSD, and you can play pretty much any game at 1080p.

i7 930 is still a viable CPU for gaming. The performance jump from 930 to sandy to ivy were all incremental steps.

The 500W Power supply should still be able to run the 7950. Check which 7950 you buy, and make sure you get a molex-> 6pin adapter (if it doesn't come with it)

With that extra cash, you can buy some more games, buy a nice 1080p ips, buy some booze, eat some fancier food, etc.

[flare4000]

Thanks I already got a monitor although its is a tn but meh, Is it worth buying the 7950 or should I just get a 7870 or 7870xt? Would a 212 Evo be good enough as a cooler because if I'm not doing a full upgrade I would rather just balance out my current build. And what are the good SSD to get anyway?

[Dim]

In general a 7870 should be enough. You don't really need to upgrade your cooler, but the 212 Evo is excellent.

Some decent SSDs include: Sandisk Extreme, Samsung 830, Samsung 840 Pro, Samsung 840 (if you can handle the write speed loss), Crucial M4, Intel 520, Corsair Force/Neutron Series, etc.

[bradscoolio]

I agree with dim, a 7870 will do everything and won't draw too much power so feel free to use the molex adapter that comes with it :)

+1 for the sandisk extreme! It's a really good value SSD.

Pop an after market cooler like a 212 evo and crank up the gigahertz!

[flare4000]

Thanks guys! At this point I don't know what I want to upgrade lol.

These are the parts that I am looking at http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/NZnF

I don't know if I should buy a new case and/or a power supply, do you guys have any opinions? My reasons are:

The case fans are too loud and to replace all of the fans would cost practically as much as a new case.

The power supply, the one I have isn't that efficient and I modular just makes it tidier.

And for the cpu cooler that is around $50 that I can use to overclock my cpu.

My last question is does my cpu bottleneck the 7870 xt(le)?

Thanks again,

Flare4000

Edit: I forgot to ask does anyone have any experience with directcanada, canadacomputers, and tigerdirect? The reason that I am asking is that I don't have to pay shipping with them.

Edit 2: Can anyone recommend some cheap case fans that are quite? How are spectres?

This is what I am looking at, at this point http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/O2RG

[target39]

You could spend about $50 more to get a Gigabyte 7950, I'm assuming if you are spending more for a tahiti gpu, you might as well get a 1792 stream processor,384 bit 3gb gddr5 Tahiti clocked at 900mhz, yes you can OC to over 1ghz stable. Also for about $60 ($39.99 after rebate)you could get a Zalman LQ-310 liquid cooler. I know I'm pushing the budget a bit, but I have no idea what your budget is.

[flare4000]

Thanks, for the graphics card I am waiting to see when any good deals show up, but my budget for a graphics card is maximum $350 but lower is better lol. And how is that liquid cooler you recommended? I heard that low end water cooler aren't as good as their air cooling counterparts. Anyway this is what I am looking at now. http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/O8vc

[target39]

That liquid cooler should work great in push pull. Especially now that you're only spending $10 more than an Hyper 212. It will perform much more efficient and cooler than most, if not all air cooler counterparts because liquid transfers heat more efficiently than air. I used an Antec Kuhler 620 on a 95W TDP CPU and a 130W TDP and it worked great on both. They're essentially the same cooler as most all in one liquid coolers are just rebranded coolers made by Asetek. Even if you choose to use only one fan, it should work great as long as it is kept off dust. So choose a case with dustproof vents to keep dust at low levels. Also an ASUS HD7970-DC2T-3GD5 is only $350, if you can find it in stock, and the Powercolor AX7970 is $380. If you want Nvidia features like CUDA and PhysX, then you could get an Zotac GeForce GTX670 for $339 after rebates. Remember though, you can always run a hybrid setup with a cheap geforce card to run PhysX, and a 7970 to run the actual graphical task. Or use your quad core to process PhysX, but you would have to modify the game a bit. I've seen some people do this with Borderlands 2, but you could do it with other games. In terms of raw performance get the 7970, but if you don't want to bother getting your quad core to run PhysX, then get the GTX670. Also the added memory of the 7970 will allow multi monitor setups to run smoothly. Otherwise, that is a great list! :D

[target39]

That liquid cooler should work great in push pull. Especially now that you're only spending $10 more than an Hyper 212. It will perform much more efficient and cooler than most, if not all air cooler counterparts because liquid transfers heat more efficiently than air. I used an Antec Kuhler 620 on a 95W TDP CPU and a 130W TDP and it worked great on both. They're essentially the same cooler as most all in one liquid coolers are just rebranded coolers made by Asetek. Even if you choose to use only one fan, it should work great as long as it is kept off dust. So choose a case with dustproof vents to keep dust at low levels. Also an ASUS HD7970-DC2T-3GD5 is only $350, if you can find it in stock, and the Powercolor AX7970 is $380. If you want Nvidia features like CUDA and PhysX, then you could get an Zotac GeForce GTX670 for $339 after rebates. Remember though, you can always run a hybrid setup with a cheap geforce card to run PhysX, and a 7970 to run the actual graphical task. Or use your quad core to process PhysX, but you would have to modify the game a bit. I've seen some people do this with Borderlands 2, but you could do it with other games. In terms of raw performance get the 7970, but if you don't want to bother getting your quad core to run PhysX, then get the GTX670. Also the added memory of the 7970 will allow multi monitor setups to run smoothly. Otherwise, that is a great list! :D

Borderlands 2 PhysX on AMD 6850/I5-2500K------------http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_VE5yqNbLg

Mafia 2 PhysX on AMD 6950/FX-8120-----------------------http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85G67wQLMK0

You could also run hybrid PhysX, just use a cheapo PhysX enabled geforce card (probably $20 on eBay) to run the PhysX calculations and the 7950/7970 to run the graphical task.

[target39]

Here's a part list I made: [url=http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/OdRP]http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/OdRP[/url=http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/OdRP]

I decreased the SSD capacity down to save money. I'm assuming you will only use this as a boot drive and not storage, since you already have a 1tb HDD. I chose a PSU that has more positive reviews, but if you like the Antec's color scheme, go with it. I also did not pick any fans since I could not find any cheap ones that had ball bearings, or free shipping.

[flare4000]

Thanks but personally I don't think I need a 7970 unless it is cheap, anyway I think that this might be my final post before buying just want some opinions on this upgrade.

ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/OeXi How is the ADATA XPG SX900 because it is somewhat cheaper than most ssd and it has pretty good reviews or should I just get a 840?

Edit forgot to tell you guys that I have 6GB of 1600mhz ocz ram is that good enough?

[target39]

6gb of 1600mhz ram should be enough for medium gaming. Although I recommend getting more ram if you want to "be able to play the latest game at 1080p for years to come." I would recommend a light upgrade for now, Zalman cooler, a 7870, and a 2 molex to pcie power connector. Then, when Haswell and 8 series AMD cards go out, the ivy bridges will be cheaper, and the 7970 will be in the $300 range (I've seen some here in the US at $319 already). I would wait until then and get the best bang for my buck, because you are going to have to upgrade that mobo/cpu combo in the future anyway. You can upgrade for now, but in mind you will need an overhaul anyway. If you play games like Crysis 3, feel free to get that 7950 and OC that to 1.1ghz. Your PSU is fine for now as long as you buy that 2 molex to pcie connector. Also remember that if you think that 7970 is too expensive, you can sell that never settle bundle valued at $129.99. You probably won't sell it for that much, but you could probably sell it for the same value difference of the 7970 and 7950. That Powercolor 7970 is only $359.99 after rebate on NCIX. Sell the Never Settle bundle on eBay for $40, and you get a total of $319.99.

http://www.ncix.ca/products/?affiliateid=7474144&sku=70111&vpn=AX7970%203GBD5-2DHV3&manufacture=PowerColor

[target39]

6gb of 1600mhz ram should be enough for medium gaming. Although I recommend getting more ram if you want to "be able to play the latest game at 1080p for years to come." I would recommend a light upgrade for now, Zalman cooler, a 7870, and a 2 molex to pcie power connector. Then, when Haswell and 8 series AMD cards go out, the ivy bridges will be cheaper, and the 7970 will be in the $300 range (I've seen some here in the US at $319 already). I would wait until then and get the best bang for my buck, because you are going to have to upgrade that mobo/cpu combo in the future anyway. You can upgrade for now, but in mind you will need an overhaul anyway. If you play games like Crysis 3, feel free to get that 7950 and OC that to 1.1ghz. Your PSU is fine for now as long as you buy that 2 molex to pcie connector. Also remember that if you think that 7970 is too expensive, you can sell that never settle bundle valued at $129.99. You probably won't sell it for that much, but you could probably sell it for the same value difference of the 7970 and 7950. That Powercolor 7970 is only $359.99 after rebate on NCIX. Sell the Never Settle bundle on eBay for $40, and you get a total of $319.99.

http://www.ncix.ca/products/?affiliateid=7474144&sku=70111&vpn=AX7970%203GBD5-2DHV3&manufacture=PowerColor

That rebate ends April 15, 2013.

[flare4000]

I think I'll wait out on the graphics card until summer. When it comes to everything else I know I am going to buy a new cpu cooler, case fans that are quite, and a ssd right now, The power supply is up to debate after I buy my graphics card I guess. So here is my list of buy now items: http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/Og2c my only question is what ssd should I get right now I am looking at the SX900, 840, M4, neutron, neutron gtx, or the HyperX 3K.

[target39]

Get the 840, 840 Pro if you can. Their read/write performance (840's write speed is not the best, but livable), MDX controller, and 3 bit per cell technology (21nm TLC) on the 840 makes it a great SSD (840 pro uses 21nm MLC). Once you have enough money for premium fans go for the Noctuas, they are by far the best fans out there. They get a lot of criticism because of their color scheme, but I personally like it. You can paint over them though if you want it to go with your rig. But their performance to noise ratio is by far the best there is. They are quite expensive however ranging from $20 to $30 per fan. Also what will you use the SSD for? If you are just gonna use it as a boot drive, you don't need to spend more on a 120-128gb SSD when you only need 20gb of space to run windows 7. I hope your light upgrade and future build will be for the best. :D Let me know if you need any more help. You won't regret being patient for the new Haswell and new GPUs. Even if performance isn't as high as expected, it will make ivy bridge more affordable for you.

[flare4000]

Thanks, my windows 7 install is already on the brink of 90GB so I will need the extra storage as I don't really like to reinstall apps. But thanks for the tips. Do you have any recommendations for a fan for the water cooler for push pull? I might as well do it if it is a decent price. One last question would a cooler master V6GT or V8 be as good as that water cooler? The reason I am asking is that I read some people say that the pump sometimes have an audible sound for that model. And plus those two coolers look pretty pimp.

[target39]

No those coolers would not provide the same performance as the water cooler would. Especially if you're using a 130W TDP CPU like you are (that TDP will rise a lot more if you OC). This liquid cooler should give you 60-75°C at load and 51dBA at 2050 RPM. If you use different fans (Noctua NF-F12) at push/pull running 1200RPM, you should get around 20-30dBA and over 10°C drop from stock in load temps. Also those air coolers might produce clearance issues with the RAM and side panel.

[target39]

I could also suggest purchasing Arctic MX-4 thermal paste to achieve better temperatures. First remove the preapplied paste on the cooler base. Then, apply thermal paste to the installed and clean CPU in an X pattern. This pattern will provide better temperatures than the rice/pea method, if you do it correctly (don't apply too much).

[target39]

Thanks, my windows 7 install is already on the brink of 90GB so I will need the extra storage as I don't really like to reinstall apps. But thanks for the tips. Do you have any recommendations for a fan for the water cooler for push pull? I might as well do it if it is a decent price. One last question would a cooler master V6GT or V8 be as good as that water cooler? The reason I am asking is that I read some people say that the pump sometimes have an audible sound for that model. And plus those two coolers look pretty pimp.

90GB for the windows 7 install? You can only hear the pump only when air bubbles are present in the loop. If all goes well, that liquid cooler should be fine.

[flare4000]

Nice to know, I guess if I want it to perform better I just have to buy better fans.

[target39]

So what are you planning to order now?

[flare4000]

Just this http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/p/OgIQ maybe another fan if needed for cpu for push pull, might buy a different ssd depending on the price tomorrow, just got to think on my build.

[target39]

Wow those fans are $7.12, but remember they charge $10 shipping which is a robbery for such small items. I would scope out some deals on the Noctuas. Great SSD pick, by the way. :D

[target39]

By the way, how many RAM modules are you running right now? One module, or three?