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It's that time again... budget build! Help me.

Zeze

Zeze

Lifer
1. Mainly budget gaming & lightroom. I just play Dota 2 anyways.

2. $500-600, depends on how much I could sell my old PC for.

3. USA

4. I have everything but the PC (kb/m, monitor, speakers, etc). I do this thing where I sell my previous 1-2 year old system for near original cost on Craigslist and build a new system. Works out surprisingly well in last 5-7 years.

7. Yes, I will OC, but only with stock cooling OR the cost of aftermarket cooling is worth it (typically not). Why ignore a free upgrade?

8. 1920x1080

9. Probably in next coming weeks.

So my current system is i3-2120, HD6870, 8 gigs, 1 TB HD. Dota 2 runs beautifully at all max at 60-70 fps (AA and Vsync off, those are hogs). I built it for $565 last year.

How much of an upgrade can I get build with same $560-600 today? Should I wait another year? (Or I could possibly sell my old system for more).

Question 1: what are we looking at here... 20-30% improvement? If that?

Q2: Is there a big or next wave of CPU/mobo/GPU platform arriving anytime soon that would drop current prices? If so when, and should I wait instead?
 
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If you want an Intel platform, and OC features, you have to pay through the nose (Intel's "overclocking tax") to get a high-end chipset and unlocked "K" CPU. (*)

(*) Recently, some mobo makers figured out how to OC "K" CPUs on lower-end Intel chipsets. This feature may not last. (Intel may make a chipset rev to block it, like they did in the days of the 865/875 chipsets and the PAT feature.)

TBH, you should have bought the 7850 like everyone was suggesting in your old thread. Then you wouldn't be back here a year later asking for an entire computer upgrade.

A mid-range gaming build is around $1000 or more these days, with an unlocked "K" Intel quad-core, and a mid-range GPU.

I would look for a used GPU upgrade, and call it a day. (Maybe pick up a GTX760?)
 
We aren't allowed to give price checks, but you'll get around the original price (since it is Craigslist)

Then just get the 1K build.

OR

You could sell you CPU, Mobo, and GPU then just replace those parts with:

i5 4570K + an appropriate Z87 Motherboard (The cheapest one should be fine) + a Hyper 212+ Evo + 760(?) + SSD (This will have a huge impact on how the way your PC feels)
 
Ah...so it's important to you to sell it soon so that you can try to make back full value?

Problem is that for ~500-600 w/ some gaming, I'd probably recommend an ivy-bridge i3 to you today...which isn't exactly much of a step-up from where you are now. 😛

I think Haswell i3s are supposed to launch in sept...is that too long of a turn around for you to make back your investment?

Either way, I don't think i3s are much to talk about for OC'ing which you mentioned wanting to do. Maybe try something different like an FX-6350?
 
Building in the $500 range is for suckers.

On Dell/Lenovo Outlet, when they run their specials every few weeks, you can get Ivy i5 desktops for $300 and i7 desktops for $500.

I picked up a Lenovo K410 i5-3330, 8GB, 1TB, for $275 shipped from Lenovo Outlet. I added a Radeon 7950 I picked up off Craigslist for $200, and a $25AR Corsair PSU from Newegg. It blazes on games.

I live and breathe Craigslist, and in my area it's a buyer's market for computers and components. Your current i3 rig might sell for $300 around here.

If you don't want to go the Dell/Lenovo route, replace your i3 CPU with an Ivy i5 (your motherboard should be compatible with a BIOS update), buy an SSD, and buy a better video card. You can keep every other component of your current system.
 
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VirtualLarry said:
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Essence_of_War said:
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Click to expand...

Sorry about the OCing. It seems I gave you guys a wrong impression. I don't particularly care for OCing, especially going out of way just to get the OC-able CPU.

I just said yes because my current HD6870 enjoys a nice 20% boost from stock OCing. And my current i3-2120 is an excellent value, don't care about OCing.

That being said, what is the current $120~ CPU go for. And how much better is it from i3-2120? My quick googling tells me it's i3-3220.

And GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 2 GB or HD 7850 2 GB seems to be the same price point ($170~) of what I paid for HD6870 last year. How much better is that?
 
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CPU-wise you can pick up the i3-3220, or the FX-6350 at that price. The FX is multiplier unlocked, which is nice, but I have a hard time believing that either will give you a noticeable bump in performance over where you are now.

Similarly, to get an actual step-up in performance over the 6870 you probably need to pick up a 7850 or a 650 Ti Boost, and you really won't see a significant difference unless you step up to a 670/760 or 7870 LE/7950. Esp if your 6870 has OC'd nicely.

I know it's not as fun as building, but there is a sick Dell Outlet buy DominionSeraph found in another thread:
http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=35297486&postcount=5

Edit:

If you have the urge to build, you could do worse than this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6350 3.9GHz 6-Core Processor ($139.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-DS3 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport XT 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($62.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7850 2GB Video Card ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill FB-04 ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 500W 80 PLUS Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($29.99 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Samsung SH-224DB/BEBE DVD/CD Writer ($14.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $574.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-07-24 16:18 EDT-0400)

Looking it over, I'm dubious over whether or not it will offer you better performance than you already have. 🙁
 
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Zeze said:
Sorry about the OCing. It seems I gave you guys a wrong impression. I don't particularly care for OCing, especially going out of way just to get the OC-able CPU.

I just said yes because my current HD6870 enjoys a nice 20% boost from stock OCing. And my current i3-2120 is an excellent value, don't care about OCing.

That being said, what is the current $120~ CPU go for. And how much better is it from i3-2120? My quick googling tells me it's i3-3220.

And GeForce GTX 650 Ti Boost 2 GB or HD 7850 2 GB seems to be the same price point ($170~) of what I paid for HD6870 last year. How much better is that?
Click to expand...

The 650 Ti Boost and 7850 are pretty bad upgrades coming from an HD6870. They're 30% faster. I wouldn't bother with that upgrade.
 
jpeyton said:
Building in the $500 range is for suckers.

On Dell/Lenovo Outlet, when they run their specials every few weeks, you can get Ivy i5 desktops for $300 and i7 desktops for $500.

I picked up a Lenovo K410 i5-3330, 8GB, 1TB, for $275 shipped from Lenovo Outlet. I added a Radeon 7950 I picked up off Craigslist for $200, and a $25AR Corsair PSU from Newegg. It blazes on games.

I live and breathe Craigslist, and in my area it's a buyer's market for computers and components. Your current i3 rig might sell for $300 around here.

If you don't want to go the Dell/Lenovo route, replace your i3 CPU with an Ivy i5 (your motherboard should be compatible with a BIOS update), buy an SSD, and buy a better video card. You can keep every other component of your current system.
Click to expand...
Most people on Craigslist are dumb so they'll eat it up
 
I live and breathe Craigslist, and in my area it's a buyer's market for computers and components. Your current i3 rig might sell for $300 around here.
Click to expand...

You got some lot more living and breathing to do in Craiglist.
 
I'd personally pick a HD7950 and an IB i5 CPU, then sell off the old CPU and GPU. Saves the cost of a new motherboard and OS license too.
 
Zeze said:
You got some lot more living and breathing to do in Craiglist.
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Says the person who spent over $500 building a Core i3 system last year? I like my odds.

T_Yamamoto said:
Most people on Craigslist are dumb so they'll eat it up
Click to expand...
Therein lies my problem, I try not to reside in areas where I'm surrounded with low IQ people.
 
jpeyton said:
Therein lies my problem, I try not to reside in areas where I'm surrounded with low IQ people.
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Sorry about my initial tone, but yours came off condescending first- 'live and breathe'.

Your so-called 'low-IQ' pedestrian people are everywhere. I did this in Boston, Cambridge, and NYC.

You are mistaken if you think you live in some special elite city.
 
Zeze said:
Sorry about my initial tone, but yours came off condescending first- 'live and breathe'.

Your so-called 'low-IQ' pedestrian people are everywhere. I did this in Boston, Cambridge, and NYC.

You are mistaken if you think you live in some special elite city.
Click to expand...

Yeah you must live in a special city. I live in Raleigh NC and we have people selling "gaming" PCs with a i3 and a 5770 for 500 dollars.
 
Intelligence is soil nutrients. Information is the seed. You can have intelligence, but with no information to process, it is "not used". A professional laywer or chemist would probably be fooled if forced to go by their gut on picking which computer is best for gaming.
 
Termie said:
The 650 Ti Boost and 7850 are pretty bad upgrades coming from an HD6870. They're 30% faster. I wouldn't bother with that upgrade.
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Yep, especially for somebody who isn't GPU-limited today. i3 2120 to i3 3220 is even worse, 10% at most.
 
T_Yamamoto said:
Yeah you must live in a special city. I live in Raleigh NC and we have people selling "gaming" PCs with a i3 and a 5770 for 500 dollars.
Click to expand...

And when I put my Q9300 @ 3.0, with HD4850, 30GB SSD, 640GB AAKS HDD, 8GB DDR2, and Windows 7 HP 64-bit, on Craigslist for $500, I didn't get any hits. Go figure.
 
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