Attention Mid-Range System Builders - Updated 08/01/2015

[Sleepingforest]

Think it's worth upgrading my mobo/cpu/ram to what the guide suggests? What I have is awfully long in the tooth, curious to what you guys think.

Thanks

Nah. The q9550 is "good enough". If you're on DDR3, it could be worthwhile to get to 8GB (at least) or 16GB.

 

[shadenone]

I noticed this Sapphire for AR $185 and I was curious whether it's a decent switch. The PowerColor just seems like a bit pricey for a budget build. I know you don't really want to skimp on your GPU, but would this be a viable card yet?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102999

 

[mfenn]

Think it's worth upgrading my mobo/cpu/ram to what the guide suggests? What I have is awfully long in the tooth, curious to what you guys think.

Thanks

Depends on what you're doing. Gaming? Probably not. Anything else CPU intensive? Yes.

 

[mfenn]

I noticed this Sapphire for AR $185 and I was curious whether it's a decent switch. The PowerColor just seems like a bit pricey for a budget build. I know you don't really want to skimp on your GPU, but would this be a viable card yet?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814102999

Depends on your budget and use. For an $800 gaming machine I'd rather drop the SSD and get a 7950 than go all the way down to a 7850.

 

[mfenn]

New update posted. I included the sweet $51 S12II and the $205 GTX 660 Ti deals.

 

[Sleepingforest]

Also worth noting is the 120GB Samsung 840 for $100 on Amazon. It costs about the same as the Sandisk Ultra Plus, but offers a a tiny bit more performance in pretty much every metric. It's a pretty good deal if you don't mind shopping from two places.

 

[mfenn]

Also worth noting is the 120GB Samsung 840 for $100 on Amazon. It costs about the same as the Sandisk Ultra Plus, but offers a a tiny bit more performance in pretty much every metric. It's a pretty good deal if you don't mind shopping from two places.

Thanks for checking, I'll put that in as an alternate.

 

[krnmastersgt]

Would like to note a slight pricing change, that the 7970 in the listed build is actually now 380 base, 360 AR!

 

[mfenn]

Two free DIMMs this week! There is 16GB of RAM total, but you'll have to manually set the timings to match the slower Corsair DIMM. Alternatively, you could sell the Corsair DIMM (it's literally free in the combo, so no reason not to get it).

 

[daraksharnah]

Just wondering mfenn, how are there 2 sticks of ram in the deal? I click on the link and the bundle shows 1x 8GB.

 

[mfenn]

Just wondering mfenn, how are there 2 sticks of ram in the deal? I click on the link and the bundle shows 1x 8GB.

Add to cart and you'll see the other DIMM.

 

[Raelol]

Add to cart and you'll see the other DIMM.

In your opinion, do you think this deal is good enough to jump on even though haswell is coming out soon?

 

[Sleepingforest]

16GB RAM is around $100. Haswell offers 10-15% better performance per clock in most applications. You have to decide how much that 10-15% is worth to you (personally, I'd go for the RAM).

 

[daraksharnah]

Add to cart and you'll see the other DIMM.

Thanks btw! Friend wants a new computer and is jumping on this deal :3

 

[mfenn]

16GB RAM is around $100. Haswell offers 10-15% better performance per clock in most applications. You have to decide how much that 10-15% is worth to you (personally, I'd go for the RAM).

:thumbsup: Agree.

 

[mfenn]

New build posted. Switched to the 200R for $40 and the very nice Capstone Gold 650W. This thing is getting too inexpensive at $962 AR AP!

 

[Torn Mind]

Well, Haswell finally will make the list today, I suspect. Perfect timing

 

[007ELmO]

Is Haswell a gaming CPU, though?

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Is Haswell a gaming CPU, though?

Intel CPUs are gaming CPUs

 

[007ELmO]

Yes, but the architecture in Haswell, does it benefit gaming.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Yes, but the architecture in Haswell, does it benefit gaming.

No. Not really.

 

[mfenn]

Yes, but the architecture in Haswell, does it benefit gaming.

It's good at gaming, just like the previous Intel architectures, but it does not make particularly great strides.

 

[mfenn]

Well, Haswell finally will make the list today, I suspect. Perfect timing

We'll have to see how the costs work out. The prices are a little scary!

 

[mfenn]

New build posted. It's Haswell time!

 

[007ELmO]

the 4770K is only 280 at microcenter, wow