Help, I'm replacing my main 2004 PC build.

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dreydin

dreydin

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Dec 26, 2007
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I've been out of the PC game for a long time and could use some help, guys.

Intro: So my PC rig I built in 2004 is finally getting to the point where I'm considering retiring it. I've done a few minor upgrades (storage, sound, display) here and there, but the cpu/mobo/ram/video has never changed over the course of 8 years. What I am hoping for is that this new build can achieve something similar in terms of reliability and effectiveness.

Inventory: Currently, I believe I have all of my HDD (X-25M, Caviar Black, WD 1TB ext) needs met. Even my lousy Barracuda AC-1 soundcard will do the job for now since I run most of my audio through an external DAC.

Needs: My current PC can do the job, but with Diablo III on pre-order and seemingly simple games like Minecraft killing my multitasking capabilities, I need to upgrade. What I will be needing is a cpu/mobo/ram/psu/video. This PC will be used for browsing, PC gaming (TFC, Minecraft, Diablo III), academic work, music, and watching BDRip videos via HDMI to my flat panel. Also, I want the build to be quiet. My current rig is a little noisy.

Budget: I'm in college right now, so my budget is tight. I've had a few people offer me their used processors (I am considering a i3 530 with ram for $50), but I don't really know too much about what is going on in the industry right now to agree to anything that might burn me for life expectancy/longevity. I am prepared to spend around $500, give or take, but really I haven't researched much (yet), so I'm not sure how far that will realistically take me if I'm wanting something that will last.

I hope this is informative for anyone willing to help. Please let me know if there are any other pieces of information needed for assisting me with this project. I'm not really sure where to start, so I figured this would be a good place. Thanks!
 
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mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
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If you're only "considering" retiring Athlon 64 3500+, your performance standards must be pretty low (not that that's a bad thing). However, I'm not going to sit here and promise that anything that you will buy today will keep you going for 8 years, that's just too far out.

If somebody is willing to sell you an i3 530 and RAM (what about mobo?) for $50, that is a pretty sweet deal. Throw in a $50 mobo and a you will be set on that aspect.

As for gaming, spending $90 AR on a 6770 and $25 AR on a 430CX will be more than adequate considering that the only game that you have listed that is even remotely "intensive" is Diablo 3.

All told, that should come out to $225 or so even if you have to buy a motherboard. Save the rest of your money for upgrades if and when you need them.
 
dreydin

dreydin

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Dec 26, 2007
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Well, it seems I've had a change of heart. I skipped the Nehalems and purchased a i5 2500k :D

Also, a friend of mine is giving me a Nvidia 9000 series graphics card. I'm not sure what model it is (he says it was $200ish), so I won't be able to provide information on that quite yet. But, that does clear up a nice chunk of change in my budget for this exciting Sandy Bridge build. What I'll do now is list all the relevant parts I own or that I've purchased to give a view of what I'll be needing.

CPU: i5 2500k
Storage: X-25M (OS), WD Caviar Black 750, WD 1TB external
Video: Unknown 9000 Series Nvidia

And here is what I still need. I've listed a few items that I think may do the trick, but please, tell me what you think. I have been out of the PC game for so long that all these items have been chosen from quick reads on various tech forums.

Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128502 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
Ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428
PSU: Not sure how much power I need? I plan to OC around 4.4
Cooling: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018 - Overkill? I want something effective and quiet.

I don't think I'm missing anything. Thanks for the help!
 
dreydin

dreydin

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Dec 26, 2007
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Haha, I thought so. The Noctura looks so nice though! I'm more than willing to go with something better suited for the job at hand though. Are any of those you mentioned known for being really quiet? I'll probably go with one of those.

As for the GPU, at this point it's really a wildcard. Until my friend gives me the model number, I won't know how to handle video. And unless Diablo III is a resource hog, I'm not going to be playing anything graphic intense to merit a higher end card for the foreseeable future.

Anyone have thoughts on the platform? mfenn?
 
S

stahlhart

Super Moderator Graphics Cards
Dec 21, 2010
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dreydin said:
Haha, I thought so. The Noctura looks so nice though! I'm more than willing to go with something better suited for the job at hand though. Are any of those you mentioned known for being really quiet? I'll probably go with one of those.
Click to expand...

Looks like from the specs the EVO is going to be a little quieter, but not having run either of them I can't speak from experience. It may not even matter as much, though, because at 4.4 you probably are not going to have to go all that high on core voltage, so even a cooler that's not as quiet as the Noctua is probably not going to be working all that hard fan-wise during normal usage.

But that Noctua's going to be about as quiet as air cooling gets, if that's key for you.
 
dreydin

dreydin

Member
Dec 26, 2007
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T_Yamamoto said:
a 5770/6770 or a 6850 will meet all your gaming needs

my 2 cents
Click to expand...
I know a 9k series isn't ideal, but it's free, so I'm going to wait to see what my friend is giving me first before contemplating video. Thank you for the GPU suggestions.

stahlhart said:
Looks like from the specs the EVO is going to be a little quieter, but not having run either of them I can't speak from experience. It may not even matter as much, though, because at 4.4 you probably are not going to have to go all that high on core voltage, so even a cooler that's not as quiet as the Noctua is probably not going to be working all that hard fan-wise during normal usage.

But that Noctua's going to be about as quiet as air cooling gets, if that's key for you.
Click to expand...
Ahh, it's too bad I'm on this budget because it feels like throwing money out the window if I go Noctua and only OC conservatively. I just read now the EVO is quieter at low speeds and louder at high. This would work as I don't mind it getting louder if I'm actually on the PC doing something. The price though! I guess it really depends on what the mobo/ram/psu lock in as, price-wise.
 
M

mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
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www.mfenn.com
dreydin said:
Also, a friend of mine is giving me a Nvidia 9000 series graphics card. I'm not sure what model it is (he says it was $200ish), so I won't be able to provide information on that quite yet.
Click to expand...

9000 anything is going to be fairly slow at this point. $200 new sounds like a 9800GTX+ which is roughly on par with a 6770.

dreydin said:
Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128502 or http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157271
Ram: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231428
PSU: Not sure how much power I need? I plan to OC around 4.4
Cooling: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608018 - Overkill? I want something effective and quiet.

I don't think I'm missing anything. Thanks for the help!
Click to expand...

Mobo: Since you're not intending to go dual-GPU (at least I hope you aren't) you could save some money and get the ASRock Z68 Pro3 for $89 AR AP instead.
RAM: Fine, but too expensive for what it is. This Patriot DDR3 1600 8GB kit has the same specs but costs less.
PSU: The XFX Core 550W would be plenty for your needs.
HSF: Way overkill as has been mentioned. I like the Hyper 212 EVO recommendation.

What about the case, reusing an existing one?
 
dreydin

dreydin

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Dec 26, 2007
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Hmm, I may just let Diablo III dictate whether I need to upgrade the video or not. Still haven't heard from my friend yet. I guess if it's anything under that model (9800GTX+), then I'll have to decline his offer.

@mfenn, I really appreciate the platform help btw! Ok, so I think I have this whole picture coming together now. For the mobo, you're right, I'm not going dual. But I am willing to spend a little more if it helps at all. Would it help at all? I'm not even sure what else I (noob status) would need from one, tbh. For RAM, I've never bought flashy parts (Ripjaw) and think I'll keep it that way for a while longer. That PSU looks good! And EVO it is. I almost thought about getting the + model and replacing the fan, but heck, I'll give this one a shot and try regulating the speeds.

So here is the line-up:

CPU: i5 2500k
HSF: CM 212 EVO
Mobo: ASRock Z68 PRO3 GEN3
RAM: Patriot Sig 2x4 DDR3 1600
PSU: XFX Core PRO550W
GPU: N/A
Storage: X-25M, Caviar Black 750, 1TB ext

How does it look?

As for the case, my Antec is ancient. Older than my 2004 build, actually. It does fine, but really, what do I know? I've never had anything to reference it too. It has a front fan to pull in, a side fan to pull out and a rear fan to pull out. They're all run of the mill type fans too. I've always seen nice cases as unnecessary and even tacky when it comes to all those lights. I guess I don't know enough about them to spend money. I have seen some really nice ones though!
 
Doppel

Doppel

Lifer
Feb 5, 2011
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I still have a PC going from even older. The fact is D3 may actually be enough for me to finally do something about that.
 
dreydin

dreydin

Member
Dec 26, 2007
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Nice! Do you still use it as your main PC? How do you use it? That is impressive :D I think regardless of Diablo (even though it's the reason for the push), it's a nice time to upgrade old PCs. The Nehalems were already worthy upgrades for what was available in the early 2000s, so the Sandy Bridge? It's a no brainer for me :)

Btw, I've read about people have overclocking issues with the ASRock Z68 PRO3 GEN3, so I'm going with the ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3. I don't need SLI, but I figure for $15 extra I can take advantage of the processor (performance-wise) as much as possible since I am wanting this thing to last a while.
 
T_Yamamoto

T_Yamamoto

Lifer
Jul 6, 2011
15,007
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doesnt matter on mobo, depends on CPU
if you read the newegg reviews, its a load of bs anyways
(most people dont review, and the people that do are the people who like to review or people that got it DOA)
 
M

mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
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dreydin said:
Nice! Do you still use it as your main PC? How do you use it? That is impressive :D I think regardless of Diablo (even though it's the reason for the push), it's a nice time to upgrade old PCs. The Nehalems were already worthy upgrades for what was available in the early 2000s, so the Sandy Bridge? It's a no brainer for me :)

Btw, I've read about people have overclocking issues with the ASRock Z68 PRO3 GEN3, so I'm going with the ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3. I don't need SLI, but I figure for $15 extra I can take advantage of the processor (performance-wise) as much as possible since I am wanting this thing to last a while.
Click to expand...

The link you posted sounds more like somebody who can't find the options in the BIOS menu. :D :D If you fall under that category, it is better that you just don't overclock at all. Also, where are you seeing that the Extreme3 is only $15 more expensive than the Pro3? It looks like $33 more on Newegg.

Anyway, your case will probably be fine, maybe a little louder than a modern one because it most likely uses 80mm fans.
 
dreydin

dreydin

Member
Dec 26, 2007
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It does seem a little odd (that 2 people can't find it) and obscure, but I gathered that the VCore option isn't available on the PRO3 board, whereas the Normal and Extreme3 boards have it. As for the price, you're right. I forgot about the 10% promo. I just don't want to run into any OC'ing issues. How can I confirm such a thing on this board? I'll keep searching in the meantime.

For the case, I kind of want a Fractal R3 (for the looks and sound dampening), but that completely busts my budget. I currently have some audio equipment selling and with taxes around the corner, I may do that down the road.
 
M

mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
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You definitely can increase the Vcore on the Pro3 Gen3. Check out page 44 of the manual for all of the voltage control options.
 
dreydin

dreydin

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Dec 26, 2007
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Wow, you've been a great help, mfenn. Many thanks to you! :)

I will save all details until I can post pictures up of the build.
 
dreydin

dreydin

Member
Dec 26, 2007
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Well crap, my friend can't find his 9800 and is offering me a 8400GS, lol. Needless to say, I thanked him and declined. This is not what I was expecting. I have been waiting all week to pull the trigger on my Newegg order and finally did last night, but that was after I tossed in a new case with a few fans. Their cost is about the same as I would have spent on a GPU :(

Anyways, now I'm in the market for a video card and this doesn't look like much of a budget rig anymore. It is starting to look very similar to one of your mid-range system builds, mfenn :D With that said, what should I be looking for in a video card? I don't really know where to start. I'll be playing TFC, Minecraft, and Diablo 3. I'm not a heavy gamer, so there's not really anything else on the horizon that I am interested in playing. Also, what is the difference between a 6950 and a 560Ti? Are there any great deals going on right now? I need to find some benchmark reviews.
 
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mfenn

Elite Member
Jan 17, 2010
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For the games you listed, you don't need anything as powerful as a GTX 560 Ti or 6950 2GB. Here is a Sapphire 6870 with the same cooler as the 6850 that you listed, but that costs less than the 6850 after rebate (go figure).
 
dreydin

dreydin

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Dec 26, 2007
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neweggstack.jpg


biggrin.gif
 
VirtualLarry

VirtualLarry

No Lifer
Aug 25, 2001
56,587
10,225
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dreydin said:
Intro: So my PC rig I built in 2004 is finally getting to the point where I'm considering retiring it. I've done a few minor upgrades (storage, sound, display) here and there, but the cpu/mobo/ram/video has never changed over the course of 8 years. What I am hoping for is that this new build can achieve something similar in terms of reliability and effectiveness.

Budget: I'm in college right now, so my budget is tight. I've had a few people offer me their used processors (I am considering a i3 530 with ram for $50), but I don't really know too much about what is going on in the industry right now to agree to anything that might burn me for life expectancy/longevity.
Click to expand...

Building any computer, with the expectation that it is going to last 8 years, is foolishness.

Go with what meets your needs NOW, and save money for LATER. That's the best way to do things.
 
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