I've got the itch for a build...

[thaf]

So it's been 6.5 years since my last build and it's done me quite well I must say, but it's at the point where I need more power. My biggest hit was when I finally got rid of my 19" monitor and went with a 1920x1028, killed performance on what games I could play. Also, I intend on building a more suitable VM Server Admin lab for testing purposes, very limited as of now. So that's the typical use right now...

Anyways here she is:
AMD 64 3800+
ASUS A8N SLI Premium (never went SLI)
2GB Ram
evga 7800gt
Gigabyte Aurora 3d case

What I was curious about is that I have a rough idea what I want, but I know there's always something coming around the corner it seems regarding CPU or Video cards. Since Ivy Bridge is up and away should I wait for prices of the Sandy Bridge CPU's to potentially drop? Or is there going to be something new from AMD or Nvidia in the way of graphics in the near future? I've waited this long so I figured a month or two wouldn't exactly kill me. 🙂

This is the skeleton of what I was looking at and trying to fill in the pieces:
i5 2500k or i7 2600k? Wasn't sure for VM performance if it mattered
16GB RAM: set on size, not what kind
SSD : 120GB set on size, not on model
Video: ?
Mobo: ?
PSU: ?

The other essentials being case, storage, and optical drives have already been decided or have already. I'd say in total for the parts I listed above that needed filled in, $1200 would suffice and I'll be purchasing from Newegg. Thanks for taking a look.

 

[lehtv]

Welcome to the forums. Are you planning to overclock?

 

[thaf]

Thanks! And I do intend on overclocking the CPU.

 

[lehtv]

I'd probably stick to the i5. It's plenty fast for VM stuff and everything else, and it leaves you with more cash to spend on other things. But on your budget an i7 is certainly not out of the question. I'm just not 100% sure how much hyperthreading benefits VM... someone else will clarify, I'm sure.

Something like this:

CPU i5-3570K $230 or i7-3770K $320, or see how things play out for i7-2600K
Cooler CM Hyper 612 $40
Mobo Asrock Z77 Pro3 $110 (doesn't support SLI/Crossfire, hence low cost)
RAM 2x 2x4GB 1600MHz $90 or 2x8GB 1600MHz $115 (allows for 32GB later; may be useful depending on how resource intensive your VMs are)
SSD Samsung 830 128GB $159 (excellent performance, reliability and cost)
PSU XFX 650W $65 AR

That's $694 AR to $809 AR so far, without the video card. Now your budget could allow for even a GTX 680 ($500), but a HD7850 half that price will already run 1080p very well. However, availability of 7850's and GTX 680's is very bad at the moment. In between you get GTX 570 for $300 or so, HD7970 for $350, 7950 for $400 and NVIDIA's midrange offerings in the GTX 600 series, yet to be released.

What sort of case and storage drives do you have?

Also, do you care about sound quality? I usually leave sound card out of parts recommendations but personally, I wouldn't be satisfied with onboard sound.

 

[thaf]

Fantastic, exactly what I was looking for.

As for the case, was looking at: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811352014

Storage: 1TB drive as well as a 320GB that I'll be transitioning over.

Sound quality, I've been running on on-board with logitech z-5500 speakers. I wasn't exactly sure if a sound card would be noticeable as I'm not that much of an audiophile, but I know my speakers are good so if complimenting them with a card would be worthwhile, I'm all ears.

 

[lehtv]

That's a good case (I own it and am happy). Some people complain about build quality but I've been lucky enough to not have any such issues. The case is mainly intended for quiet computing, so if you do buy it, make sure your CPU and GPU coolers are very quiet as well, at least on idle. The Hyper 612 goes pretty well with this case, as for the graphics card, I'd make sure it has dual fans (then use MSI Afterburner to create a custom fan profile that keeps it quiet).

If you don't really care about quietness all that much, I'd sway you towards Corsair 400R or some other case that has better thermals and supports overclocking better without the need for extra case fans.

I'd say a sound card is more important for headphones than for a set of computer speakers. I don't know if I'd notice the difference in sound quality with speakers, but with headphones it's very apparent. Apart from having better sound quality per se, you also get an equalizer which can be useful for compensating for deficiencies in bass/treble etc., be it a deficiency in the speakers themselves or in your audio source. I have the Xonar DX myself and I use it with Sennheiser PC-350 headphones. The soundcard was definitely one of the best purchases I made for this PC but I can't really say whether you'd feel the same way.

Also note that if your OS is Windows 7 Home Premium, you'll be able to use up to 16GB RAM. For more than that, you need Pro.

 

[mfenn]

What sorts of games do you like to play? That'll better inform our GPU recommendations.

 

[dmoney1980]

welcome to the forum! Follow lehtv's advice, he knows his stuff. Regarding the SSD, I would recommend a Crucial M4 or a Samsung 830. The new Intels are nice too! you're safe with all 3, just stay away from OCZ

 

[thaf]

Noted for the SSD recommendations!

My current rig doesn't allow me to play much of anything except extremely dated games. Starcraft 2, D3 would definitely be on the list of newish games that I'd play from the start. Huge overall fan of Skyrim and BF3 on the xbox and would not mind seeing the PC ports of this as I've seen nice deals on steam, but it's not worth it with the hardware I have now.

Thanks yet again.

 

[mfenn]

BF3 is easily the most intensive of those games. I could definitely see springing for a 7950 if getting maximum performance in that game is a priority. Otherwise, a 7850 would be fine.