How should I spend my money??

[Zardnok]

I was extra busy this past week and now have a bit of extra cash to spend to upgrade my computing experience. I am unsure if I should build something new or try to upgrade my old system. That said, let me give you an idea of what I have currently and what I will be doing with the machine and hopefully get some advice from the resident experts.

First off, what I have:

My Core 2 Duo box is named Amanda. Amanda was quite the Vixen 4 years ago sporting an Asus P5K Deluxe mobo, a C2D 6420 with Titan Amanda cooler O/C to 3.2, a Raptor 150 HDD, 4X1GB DDR2 6400 RAM, Corsair 520 PSU, and an EVGA 8800gts 640mb. I currently have Win XP Pro on this machine, but will likely upgrade to Win 7 regardless of what I do. I also have another 8800gts 320mb card not in use currently. I ran this CPU at 3.6 comfortably for a while, but backed it down to 3.2 for longevity sakes.

Secondly, I plan on using this machine to play WoW and read football forums. My current machine has been fine until recently when it developed a strange graphics glitch that is reset by tabbing out of game and back in. I have tried swapping out my 8800gts and the problem is still there. It also seems to lock up 2 or 3 times a week during raids (not good for guild main tank) and I will get a memory error.

My choices, build a new machine in the $6-700 range with an I5-2500k, a cheap mobo and HDD, 2X4GB ram and use my 8800gts or even both if I could SLI them, not sure about mixing a 640mb card with a 320 card. Or I could keep Amanda and juice her up with a new 6870 ($200), 2-2gb ram sticks ($60) to up total to 6 gb, and an SSD drive ($180) for the new Win 7 OS ($100).

 

[VirtualLarry]

Well, it sounds like it might be failing in some way, so I would hesitate to use it as a base for an upgrade, unless you wanted to troubleshoot and replace the bad part(s), and then use it as a base. But that would cost money, that would again, be likely better spent on a new rig.

So I say, sure, go for it, get a 2500K, 2x4GB DDR3 1.5v, and pick up a favorite mobo, add a 1TB HD (and perhaps an SSD for the OS), and build your new dream rig.

 

[Zap]

Since it is already giving you problems, I'd say to do a full upgrade, keeping only your case/PSU/SATA ODD/HDD. Does that $700 budget include the OS?

Core i3 2100 $125
random decent P67/Z68 motherboard $150
GTX 460 1GB (not SE) $165
2x2GB DDR3 RAM (1.5v plz) $40
60GB SSD $120
= $600
Extra $100 for Windows 7 or Core i5 2500K

Core i3 to get you started. It will already be an upgrade from your old CPU. Heck, supposedly a 2100K will be available, so you can get that and crank it up to 11. The motherboard is as a basis for future overclockable CPUs. You can also get one that supports SLI (probably cost $40 more). The 60GB SSD should be enough for installing Windows and WoW on it. You really want to have WoW on the SSD.

 

[Zardnok]

I am definitely leaning towards the just build a fresh box; four years seems to be about a life-cycle for one of my machines, so it may just be time to retire Amanda to "Alt-Box" status and come up with something new to last me another four. I guess the I5-2500K is the best bet for future proof CPU, so let me throw out some ideas and feel free to shoot me down if I am on the wrong track.

Intel I-5 2500K $225
Which CPU Cooler ????
Which Z-68 Mobo ????
G-Skill 2X4GB RAM $80
OCZ 90GB SSD $165
Corsair CX500 PSU $60
Antec 300 Case $60
Lite-On DVD $20
Win 7 OS $100

That stuff puts me right at $700 with no mobo or cooler. I can drop the SSD for a regular HDD and save $100 to put towards the mobo, but I think I would rather keep the SSD for a fresh build and come up with extra money for the mobo. That will give me time to research the various Z-68 mobos available and figure out what the hub-bub is with Gigabyte not playing nice with the on-board Video and exactly what Virtu does for me and my graphics needs. Speaking of graphics needs, can I run my 8800 gts cards in SLI mode with one being a 640mb and the other being 320mb? I will ask the question in the video forums as well if I don't get a response here. Would it even be worth running both those cards in SLI to just play WoW until I can save up $150-$200 for a modern single card??

I will likely OC my 2500k to 4.5ish and be content, so I will need a cooler that can maintain decent temps. I have a stack of Yate Loon 120 fans, so there will be plenty of airflow in the Antec 300. Amanda uses a Titan Amanda cooler and the dual 92mm fans ramp up and can become distracting under heavy use, so I think I want to go with a larger 120mm heatpipe solution. I have a Tuniq Tower in my 939 machine, but I could swap it out for a stock 939 cooler and try to find a mounting bracket to adapt the TT onto an 1155 board.

The more I read back over my list and bounce around Newegg, the more I am convinced I will need to increase my budget to $900ish. I am a big fan of value. I don't mind paying more for something if I can see a tangible upgrade, even if that means I have to save up longer.

Thanks for reading and responding. Any opinions on Z68 mobos, CPU Coolers, or the items I listed are appreciated. Feel free to give me other options and ideas that I may not be thinking of.

 

[mfenn]

I wouldn't bother trying to SLI anything from the 8000 series at this point, it's just too old to be worth the extra noise and heat. Besides, they would use the lower of the two framebuffers and 320MB will kill you in a newer game.

Here's what I would suggest:
i5 2500K + GA-Z68A-D3H combo $330
Hyper 212+ $40
PNY DDR3 1333 8GB $55 AR AP
GTX 460 1GB $127 AR
OCZ Solid 3 120GB $195 AR
LG DVD Burner $19
Corsair 430CX $35 AR
Antec Three Hundred $45 AR
Windows 7 Home Premium $100
Total: $946 AR

This gets you pretty much a completely new system with current generation parts. If you want to be under $900, swap the Solid 3 for the 60GB model and use it alongside your Raptor.

 

[VirtualLarry]

GTX 460 1GB $127 AR

Ugh, Zotac Rebate, don't count on that one.