Holiday upgrade build

[BWMerlin]

With holidays coming up I have some free time and was considering upgrading my current rig and preparing it for it's retirement when Intel released Haswell next year. Over the many years I have owned this rig it has honestly been the worst computer I have ever had and I have had so many things replaced because of failure that there is very little left from the original build (one HDD, the CPU and the DVD drive are all that remain of the original build).

My plan is to use some of the parts of this upgrade in the new Haswell rig (mainly the SSD, case, monitor and sound card) and then junk the rest/turn it into a back up computer. I currently use my PC for mainly web browsing, watching movies, playing games and virtual machine work and would love to spend no more than $1000 on this upgrade. My main motivation for upgrading now is one, I honestly don't know if this rig will hold together until Haswell is out and two, I want to get myself a really nice Haswell rig so will be looking to spend quite a lot (virtual machines love RAM) so would love to take less of wallet hit in the future and get some of the parts now that I can later reuse.

Current rig specifications:

Intel Core 2 Duo E8200
Gigabyte G41M-combo
8GB DDR3 Kingston PC3-10700 RAM
Nvidia GeForce 9800 GT OC
Windows Vista Ultimate Edition 64-bit SP2
Seagate 500GB main HDD
Seagate 500GB old install HDD (it and the main HDD were part of a RAID 1 array before my other motherboard died)
Seagate 1.5TB storage drive.
Samsung 2TB USB 3.0 external back up drive
Samsung SyncMaster 2333 24" monitor
LG Flatron L1750SQ 17" monitor

Proposed upgrade items:

Gigabyte ATI HD 7770 OC Edition, PCI-E 3.0, 1GB 128-bit GDDR5, DVI,HDMI,2x Min $120

Corsair Obsidian 650D Black Mid Tower Case with Window $198.50

Samsung 250GB SSD 840 Series- SATA III 6Gbs, 2xnm Toggle DDR 2.0 NAND, 3-Core MDX Controller, 512MB $199
or
Samsung 256GB SSD 840BW Pro SATA3 2.5 $270

Sound card (unsure what to get or even if I should get on but looking at around the $100 mark).

CROSSOVER 27Q LED-P 27" DVI Computer Monitor (QHD) 2560X1440 16:9 Pivot ~$371.72

Total ~$860

With the upgrade to a solid state drive it is the perfect time to also change my current operating system. For the longest time I have wanted to use Linux full time and this would be the perfect chance as I already use open source applications for most things so it is no problem to get the Linux version with the only sticking point is games. I know Wine can handle most of them (with varying degrees of success) but I do wonder how much of a performance hit I will take (not really worried about the frames but more the overall experience and playability).

Operating system choices:
Lubuntu 64-bit Free
or
Windows Vista Ultimate Edition 64-bit SP 2 Free
or
Windows 7 Enterprise Edition 64-bit SP 1 $15
or
Windows 8 Enterprise Edition 64-bit $15

I would love some input about this proposed build.

 

[DSF]

If gaming means playing new 3D games I don't think you're spending nearly enough on the GPU. With a well-designed modern case there's plenty of space for your three-four drives, SSD and a full-size video card. No need to spend $200 there when that money can buy you gaming performance. Same with the SSD where there are reputable 256GB models available for $100 less than that if you scout the deals.

 

[mfenn]

I'm in agreement with DSF about the need for more information. Can you elaborate on what "gaming" means exactly? What titles in particular do you enjoy?

 

[BWMerlin]

I'm in agreement with DSF about the need for more information. Can you elaborate on what "gaming" means exactly? What titles in particular do you enjoy?

At the moment I am playing a lot of League of Legends with a bit of Diablo 3 on the side. I will be getting the Starcraft 2 expansion pack when it comes out next year. Besides LoL and Diablo my other games are older titles ie. from the bargain bin because my system is newer than when they were released and so I can run them at maximum settings.

 

[DSF]

Keep in mind that you're only spending about $120 towards true gaming performance with your proposed upgrade. The SSD will be nice for load times, but I don't think it's going to do much for you in a game like LoL. Also, your proposed new screen is almost 1.8 times as large as your old one in terms of pixel count, so keep that in mind when buying a video card.

I'm sort of wondering why you think your current machine won't make it until Haswell comes out. Is it dying? If not, you're only playing oldish games anyway.

Basically, here's what's eating at me with this build: Your proposed video card is going to be a bottleneck on that large display if you ever decide to play new games as they come out. If you buy a better card right now, it will be bottlenecked by your current processor until you make the Haswell move.

If it were me, I would probably just wait for Haswell to hit and make a full upgrade then, unless your current rig is frustratingly slow at something. Your storage and video card dollars will go even farther than they do now. I wouldn't bother with a sound card for gaming, but I'm also not an audiophile by any stretch of the imagination, so take that for what it's worth.

If you absolutely must upgrade now I would cut your case budget in half, drop the sound card, find a better SSD price and get yourself a video card that will properly drive 25x14 when you upgrade the processor.

 

[riversend]

So, you want to do the following:
1- Ugrade in stages with eventual config being a Haswell, 1440 display system with multiple uses
2- Upgrade this stage such that you can pull those parts into the final build.
3- Go to a Linux build.

What is your overall budget for the eventual final build? Why the 7770 GPU now (agree that this does not seem to make much sense, once you get the high res display and upgraded machines you will likely want newer games)? I assume that the case is an aesthetic choice, thus the willingness to pay so much.
DSF's thoughts are quite good without knowing more.

 

[Eureka]

BWMerlin, what are you thinking? A 1440p monitor with a 7770? You won't be able to drive any modern games at that resolution... you might be able to get by on LoL. I'd get at minimum the GTX 660 for $180 or 7870 for $195 that's available right now.

You're overpaying for the 650D. Great case, worth about $150 max. I feel a bit ripped off paying $150 for mine. It does look great, but cooling set up could be made better. At $200, you're better off looking at other cases. Look around for a cheaper price.

You don't need a sound card, I'm pretty sure anything after 775 will have decent onboard audio. If you want better quality, get a desktop amp unit.

 

[dmoney1980]

pretty much echoing what others said here....OP, you can pick up a Corsair 300 for $80 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...1&name=Corsair), that will hold 4 internal storage drives and any video card, with good cooling to boot.

If I were you, I would grab a new case and a 128 / 256 GB solid state drive - one of the reliable brands and whatever is cheapest. The rest I would hold off on until Haswell is out....don't even bother upgrading the GPU unless you see some ridiculous deal on a GTX 670 or Radeon 7950 (both minimum to play 1440p)

 

[BWMerlin]

What is your overall budget for the eventual final build?

I haven't set one but I am thinking it will probably near three thousand dollars including at least two new monitors.

Why the 7770 GPU now (agree that this does not seem to make much sense, once you get the high res display and upgraded machines you will likely want newer games)?

The 7770 seems to give the best performance for the one hundred dollar mark. I don't have a lot of time for series gaming (hence why I play LoL and Diablo which you can pick up and put down pretty quick) and I am unlikely to get any new releases (I have plenty of games still in their wrapping that I haven't played due to lack of time) except for the StarCraft two expansion when it comes out.

I assume that the case is an aesthetic choice, thus the willingness to pay so much.

Yes and no, yes I really like the looks of it (nice and plain looking with clean lines and no hideous grills, fans or lights) and it should have a lot more room inside so that when I do need to work on things I won't have to keep pulling my graphics card out to do basic things like remove a hard disc or change the RAM.

BWMerlin, what are you thinking? A 1440p monitor with a 7770? You won't be able to drive any modern games at that resolution... you might be able to get by on LoL.

I never said anything about modern games, most of my games come form the discount bins and I can run them at maximum resolution on my current set up because of their age. I also have an issue with my current card being unable to upgrade to the latest drivers because when ever I do they crash when playing flash video content. I emailed nvidia support about this and they said it was an issue with overclocked cards (mine is factory overclocked) and I tried their suggestion of lowering the clock speed to factory levels but that didn't solve that so I am stuck on a older graphics driver released (probably isn't much of a problem really).

I'd get at minimum the GTX 660 for $180 or 7870 for $195 that's available right now.

A 7870 stars at $235 while a GTX 660 starts at $228

You're overpaying for the 650D. Great case, worth about $150 max. I feel a bit ripped off paying $150 for mine. It does look great, but cooling set up could be made better. At $200, you're better off looking at other cases. Look around for a cheaper price.

That is the cheapest I can find that particular case for. I am willing to look at alternatives as long as they are not tacky (yes I do realise a case is just a housing and it will sit under my desk collecting dust most of the time but still doesn't have to look horrid).

pretty much echoing what others said here....OP, you can pick up a Corsair 300 for $80 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...1&name=Corsair), that will hold 4 internal storage drives and any video card, with good cooling to boot.

Actually doesn't look bad, I will look into it so more.

If I were you, I would grab a new case and a 128 / 256 GB solid state drive - one of the reliable brands and whatever is cheapest. The rest I would hold off on until Haswell is out....don't even bother upgrading the GPU unless you see some ridiculous deal on a GTX 670 or Radeon 7950 (both minimum to play 1440p)

That seems like it might be the best, get a SSD and case then hold off until Haswell hits along with the new AMD and Nvidia cards.

 

[riversend]

I think the case and SSD now is a good start on the eventual build.

I recognize the low priority you place on current gaming performance, so these are just a couple of other thoughts. Can't blame you for wanting the 7770 given driver issues with your current GPU, but unless you are going to resell or keep as part of your backup machine you might still consider going bigger now.

Trying to marry up the next round of Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA releases is problematic, getting a powerful video card now will likely do well through a Haswell CPU/mobo/RAM upgrade.

 

[Eureka]

Actually, are you in the US? Because the prices I'm giving you only reflect prices in the US...

 

[BWMerlin]

Can't blame you for wanting the 7770 given driver issues with your current GPU, but unless you are going to resell or keep as part of your backup machine you might still consider going bigger now.

I have had the most issues with my graphics cards over the years so I may keep it as a spare just in case.

Trying to marry up the next round of Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA releases is problematic, getting a powerful video card now will likely do well through a Haswell CPU/mobo/RAM upgrade.

Agreed but as you can see I don't upgrade very often/at all so holding off and getting new release gear works out for me.

Actually, are you in the US? Because the prices I'm giving you only reflect prices in the US...

No I am in Australia so everything is more expensive even before you do the currency exchange.

 

[mfenn]

No I am in Australia so everything is more expensive even before you do the currency exchange.

/sigh. This is why this thread exists.

Anyway, if what you're looking for is a clean-looking case with plenty of room, then you certainly don't need to buy something as expensive as a 650D. Check out the following:

Antec P280 $135
Corsair 550D $169
Fractal Design R4 $149
Lian-Li PC-K9 $105

As for the SSD, I would pick up the Samsung 830 for $205 while you still can. It's a better drive than the 840 (non-Pro) but costs about the same.

 

[BWMerlin]

if what you're looking for is a clean-looking case with plenty of room, then you certainly don't need to buy something as expensive as a 650D. Check out the following:

Antec P280 $135

I think we have a winner,

I have settled on the P280 case, the Samsung 256GB 840 Pro SSD and four Corsair Air Series SP120 Quiet Edition Case Fan which brings my total to $475. I may still grab the AMD 7770 if my current card doesn't make it or I really want to play some newer/more demanding games between now and when I move to Haswell.

 

[riversend]

I have an older version of the 280 and have really liked it over the years. That should do you nicely for some time to come.

 

[frozentundra123456]

I think we have a winner,

I have settled on the P280 case, the Samsung 256GB 840 Pro SSD and four Corsair Air Series SP120 Quiet Edition Case Fan which brings my total to $475. I may still grab the AMD 7770 if my current card doesn't make it or I really want to play some newer/more demanding games between now and when I move to Haswell.

I would concur with the comments of the other posters regarding the 7770. Unless you want to keep it as a backup it will be severely underpowered at 1440p. I just recently got one for my old 1440 x 900 monitor and it was great. However, when I moved up to 1920 x 1080 it is just OK. It was on sale for a very good price so I am still happy with it. I do however have to turn down some settings in most games. If pyou are going 1440p I would get at least a 7850.

 

[mfenn]

I have settled on the P280 case, the Samsung 256GB 840 Pro SSD and four Corsair Air Series SP120 Quiet Edition Case Fan which brings my total to $475. I may still grab the AMD 7770 if my current card doesn't make it or I really want to play some newer/more demanding games between now and when I move to Haswell.

Good choice on the case. I would skip the 840 Pro right now as it is overpriced relative to the 830. Also, don't add any fans to the case until you see how the stock ones perform, you'll likely be pleasantly surprised.