Major upgrade help

[s1nc1ty]

1. What YOUR PC will be used for.

Its primary purpose will be to play SWTOR and later Guild Wars 2. Yes I know two games that are not out yet nor are the system specs known as well. My hope is that the new parts will generate less heat. I live in Las Vegas and after some long gaming sessions my current setup functions rather well as a space heater. If I can also keep power use around the same or less that would be an added plus as well.

I would like the motherboard to have at least 4 RAM slots. I have burned myself by going less on that in the past. I will never run more than one GPU so support for two doesn't matter to me.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread

Don't want to exceed $600 by much. Am planning on selling the parts that are being replaced as well as some other things I don't need any more like a PS2 with all the games and stuff I have for it.

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.

West coast of the US. My go to vendor is Newegg.

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc.

No preference amongst Intel, AMD/ATI and nVidia. Prefer Asus, MSI, and Gigabyte for boards and video cards. Like corsair for RAM but otherwise pretty open.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.

Since this is an upgrade here is what I am current running and I will note which parts I want to upgrade.

Case: Antec 900
PSU: Corsair HX520 (This PSU will need to be able to power all the new parts)
CPU: C2Q 6600 @ Stock clock using Intel retail HSF (Want to replace)
MB: MSI P6N SLI Platinum (Want to replace)
RAM: Corsair XMS2 TWIN2X2048-6400C4 (Want to replace)
GPU: BFG 8800 GT OC 512 MB (Want to replace)
HD : WD 500 GB 7200 RPM Qty 3
DVD : Asus DVD-RW Sata
Monitor: Viewsonic VX2835wm 1920x1200
Speakers: Klipsch ProMedia 2.1
OS: Vista Home 64 bit (Upgrading to Windows 7 Home 64 bit with upgrade)

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.

Have read other threads but budget and other considerations were not the same as my own.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.

All parts will be run at default speeds.

8. What resolution YOU plan on gaming with.

1920x1200. May need to upgrade the GPU again in a year due to this. The upgraded GPU for this build can be moved to another computer to upgrade it from the 7600 GT it is running now.

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?

Within the next couple of weeks.

10. Don't ask for a build configuration critique or rating if you are thin skinned.

This are the parts I am looking at. I am open to changes to all of them expect the OS as long as it meets my requirements and budget. Increasing the budget is not an option.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ComboD...t=Combo.632980

MSI P67A-C43 (B3) plus G.Skill 8 GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1333 combo deal

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16819115074

Core i5-2400 Retail

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814121390

Asus ENGTX460 TOP/2DI/768MD5 GeForce GTX 460

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16832116754

Windows 7 Home Premium 64 bit OEM

 

[wb182]

You listed an OEM Windows 7, but you have a vista license that's eligible to upgrade? Just throwing this out there, but if you have access to a .edu e-mail address (from being a current or former student) you can get a $30 upgrade to Windows 7 professional.

 

[s1nc1ty]

You listed an OEM Windows 7, but you have a vista license that's eligible to upgrade? Just throwing this out there, but if you have access to a .edu e-mail address (from being a current or former student) you can get a $30 upgrade to Windows 7 professional.

Thank you for the idea but I don't have access to a educational email. I may re-use my install of Vista on another PC if possible. I can't stay running on XP forever.

 

[mfenn]

My advice is to wait for two reasons:
(1) The release dates of both games that you're waiting for are still TBA according to Wikipedia. Waiting will get you more for your money.
(2) $600 is right on the cusp of being able to hit the sweet spot of both CPU and GPU performance, but still forces you to compromise on one or the other. Save up another $100, and you'll be in a place where you can really hit the $200-$300 GPU range where all the competition is.

 

[s1nc1ty]

My advice is to wait for two reasons:
(1) The release dates of both games that you're waiting for are still TBA according to Wikipedia. Waiting will get you more for your money.
(2) $600 is right on the cusp of being able to hit the sweet spot of both CPU and GPU performance, but still forces you to compromise on one or the other. Save up another $100, and you'll be in a place where you can really hit the $200-$300 GPU range where all the competition is.

My window to do this is very small as in the next week at most. Otherwise I will not have a chance to do this for at least another year. With how hot my CPU and GPU are after long gaming sessions I don't want to chance pushing that date out.

I did forgot about some promo codes and after applying them got me a free upgrade more or less from the 2400 to 2500K. The GTX 460 will work good enough for now. I plan on moving it to the living room computer in about a year. I just don't have the time nor money to bump the GPU up another level for now. The Ti560 and 6950 are roughly double the price of what I would be paying for the 460 yet not double the performance.

 

[aphelion02]

You have a really similar rig to me. For SWTOR and Guildwars, I really don't see you needing to replace your cpu/mobo ram. In fact, my rig is still running swimmingly and I wouldn't even upgrade but for the fact that I will get an intel employee discount...

My suggestions:

1. Spend $100-$200 on a SSD (this will improve your MMO performance more than anything). Depending on what size you want you could save some money here.
2. Spend $200 - $250 on a graphics card.
3. Get a new HSF and OC the Q6600. Those chips are great for OCing you really need to do so to get full value.

Then you have spent around $400-$500 on parts that are all transferable to a new build, and also will improve your day to day and gaming performance dramatically. Save up another $300 and upgrade your CPU/Mobo/Ram a year later.

As an example, you could do something like this:

Galaxy Gtx 560ti $230 with $30 MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814162074

Xigmatek Dark Knight w/ Free Card reader $45 after EMCKFJE36 promo with $20 MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835233029

OCZ Vertex 2 120GB $190 after EMCKFJE23 promo, with $30 MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227551

Total: $392.95 after rebates and promos

You save $200+ for a future upgrade, and your current setup gets a dramatic upgrade for gaming. All these parts can be reused for your later upgrade too; so your eventual rig will be much better when the time comes.

Edit: Just want to throw this out there: with my upgrade and a mild OC; your performance in Guild Wars and SWTOR should both be better than if you got a 2500k-based rig with a gtx460. The SSD and GPU are going to be the major components, with the SSD especially greatly improving your loading times in MMOs.

 

[mfenn]

My window to do this is very small as in the next week at most. Otherwise I will not have a chance to do this for at least another year. With how hot my CPU and GPU are after long gaming sessions I don't want to chance pushing that date out.

I did forgot about some promo codes and after applying them got me a free upgrade more or less from the 2400 to 2500K. The GTX 460 will work good enough for now. I plan on moving it to the living room computer in about a year. I just don't have the time nor money to bump the GPU up another level for now. The Ti560 and 6950 are roughly double the price of what I would be paying for the 460 yet not double the performance.

Is that $600 just going to evaporate in a week? Damn, I better empty my accounts! :awe:

If your system isn't unstable right now, there is little risk that it will suddenly stop within the next few months. I know that you're feeling the upgrade itch right now, but I'm urging to to fight the temptation.

 

[mfenn]

You have a really similar rig to me. For SWTOR and Guildwars, I really don't see you needing to replace your cpu/mobo ram. In fact, my rig is still running swimmingly and I wouldn't even upgrade but for the fact that I will get an intel employee discount...

My suggestions:

1. Spend $100-$200 on a SSD (this will improve your MMO performance more than anything). Depending on what size you want you could save some money here.
2. Spend $200 - $250 on a graphics card.
3. Get a new HSF and OC the Q6600. Those chips are great for OCing you really need to do so to get full value.

Then you have spent around $400-$500 on parts that are all transferable to a new build, and also will improve your day to day and gaming performance dramatically. Save up another $300 and upgrade your CPU/Mobo/Ram a year later.

As an example, you could do something like this:

Galaxy Gtx 560ti $230 with $30 MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16814162074

Xigmatek Dark Knight w/ Free Card reader $50 with $20 MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835233029

OCZ Vertex 2 120GB $190 after EMCKFJE23 promo, with $30 MIR
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820227551

Total: $377.95 after rebates and promos

You save $200+ for a future upgrade, and your current setup gets a dramatic upgrade for gaming. All these parts can be reused for your later upgrade too; so your eventual rig will be much better when the time comes.

Edit: Just want to throw this out there: with my upgrade and a mild OC; your performance in Guild Wars and SWTOR should both be better than if you got a 2500k-based rig with a gtx460. The SSD and GPU are going to be the major components, with the SSD especially greatly improving your loading times in MMOs.

This is not a bad idea, though I don't think the OP would want to overclock the Q6600 if he's already worried about heat.

 

[aphelion02]

A new HSF should take care of that. The stock intel cooler is TERRIBLE; I was in the same situation he was. Moving to the Xigmatek DK lowered my temps by 25 (I kid you not, and I don't think it was a reseating issue because I was really thorough the first time was the stock HSF; even with AS5).

 

[s1nc1ty]

Is that $600 just going to evaporate in a week? Damn, I better empty my accounts! :awe:

If your system isn't unstable right now, there is little risk that it will suddenly stop within the next few months. I know that you're feeling the upgrade itch right now, but I'm urging to to fight the temptation.

The situation as to why it needs to happen now is a complicated one. If it was just that I had $600 sitting around for this then yes I would agree.

 

[mfenn]

The situation as to why it needs to happen now is a complicated one. If it was just that I had $600 sitting around for this then yes I would agree.

Fair enough.

A new HSF should take care of that. The stock intel cooler is TERRIBLE; I was in the same situation he was. Moving to the Xigmatek DK lowered my temps by 25 (I kid you not, and I don't think it was a reseating issue because I was really thorough the first time was the stock HSF; even with AS5).

That really isn't going to change the amount of heat that it pumps into the room though.

 

[aphelion02]

In that case, what I would do in your shoes would be to get an SSD + i5-2500k+ RAM +HSF and save up for GPU down the line. MMOs are not graphically intensive; your 8800GT should do well until you can save up for a better one. The SSD will be better for MMOs than an upgrade to the gtx 460, and you won't need to re-upgrade the GPU in a year.

 

[s1nc1ty]

A new HSF should take care of that. The stock intel cooler is TERRIBLE; I was in the same situation he was. Moving to the Xigmatek DK lowered my temps by 25 (I kid you not, and I don't think it was a reseating issue because I was really thorough the first time was the stock HSF; even with AS5).

Yes a new HSF would lower the temps of the CPU but does nothing to solve the heat being generated by the CPU. The Q6600 is simply a hot chip and all the heat needs to go some place. That some place is venting into my room.

In hindsight pairing the Q6600 with the 8800GT wasn't a good idea. Both run hot and that doesn't really help each other out. On hot summer days overheating has been an issue both for the PC and the temps in my room. Newer games that end up using more cores and push the GPU more hasn't helped.

Its time to get rid of the space heater haha.

 

[aphelion02]

Yes a new HSF would lower the temps of the CPU but does nothing to solve the heat being generated by the CPU. The Q6600 is simply a hot chip and all the heat needs to go some place. That some place is venting into my room.

In hindsight pairing the Q6600 with the 8800GT wasn't a good idea. Both run hot and that doesn't really help each other out. On hot summer days overheating has been an issue both for the PC and the temps in my room. Newer games that end up using more cores and push the GPU more hasn't helped.

Its time to get rid of the space heater haha.

Sorry my bad, the HSF might make things worse lol XD. That said, the Q6600 + 8800GT served me really well for more than two years, but then again I lived in Michigan XD.

 

[BoomerD]

Many things have already been covered, so I'll just throw out a couple of things.

1. Your PSU should be fine for a single GPU Sandy Bridge build. (depending, of course, on it's age and condition) I'm powering an i5-760 rig with an HX-620 and have power to spare.
http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2138210

2. I never owned one of the core2 processors, but the current build replaced a P4 3.06 Northwood and X850XT PE GPU. The new rig doesn't put off any heat by comparison...and the CPU is overclocked to 3.9. During January, I almost missed the old heat box.

It looks like CPU, motherboard, RAM, and GPU are all you're really going to need to replace.
If it hasn't already been mentioned, go with 2 X 4 Gb of RAM. Requires less power for the board than using all four slots, (keeping your PSU in mind) and allows you the option to use the other slots later if you so choose. 8 Gb will do nice things for your rig, especially with a 64 bit OS. I don't regret it at all, but I DO wish I'd have gone with 2 X 4 instead of 4 X 2.