Upgrade advice sought

[wb182]

Here are my main systems:
Server: HP EX485 w/ stock parts and 7 TB of HDs (WHS v1)
Laptop: HP Envy 14
Desktop: Dell XPS 420 (Q6600)

In the desktop, I've made the following upgrades:
An extra 2TB hard drive (something pitiful like 350gb for the primary), I think 6GB DDR2 RAM (2x2+2x1), and an evga GTX 260 core 216 and OCZ Fatal1ty 550w PSU. Lately, I've been having some pretty regular crashing.

1. What YOUR PC will be used for.
MediaCenter recording (4 tuners from 2 HomerunHD's) and streaming to an Xbox360. Handbrake video encoding. Gaming -- I don't game a ton these days, but I like the option to, and hope to make more time for it in the future. Used to be solely WoW, but these days playing Rift, SC2, Civ V, Fallout 3, etc etc. Definitely want to be able to run SWTOR when it comes out.

Also, a big part of why i'm considering this is to consolidate, and get rid of my server while throwing the HDs from it into a new tower (i'm thinking Antec Three Hundred or Fractal Design R3...but I haven't researched cases extensively). So I'll be backing up laptops overnight, and maybe taking advantage of the HD capacity to back up parts of the desktop too.

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread
Tough question. For a case, processor, mobo, and RAM? under $500?

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

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.
I'm open to whatever.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
My hard drives, my 23" dell LCD. My video card at least for the next 6 months.

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

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

8. What resolution YOU plan on gaming with.
1920x1080

9. WHEN do you plan to build it?
No hurry. Sandy Bridge prices are still high, and there's always something new around the corner. Looking for advice on what makes sense for me and when. To be more specific, I could see waiting 5-6 months.

 

[wb182]

Well I said I had read similar threads but not enough of them apparently. Read through the "tax-refund gamer PC", and saw some great suggestions from aphelion02 and rob454.

If I were to build today, it'd probably be:
Core i5-2400
some cheap recommended 1155 mobo (I really don't know mobos too well)
8GB of G.Skill Value Series DDR3
Antec Three Hundred
PSU - still not sure....mainly because I don't know if my current PSU is the source of my recent crashes. It would seem silly to spend several hundred dollars to upgrade my desktop and yet end up keeping the 2 components most likely causing the crashing!

That's if I were to build today. But honestly the more I think about it, the more i realize there's no critical need for me to upgrade in the new few months. I'll still be reading everyone's recommendations for others though and building the perfect mediaserver / gaming tower in my head.

Thanks,

 

[aphelion02]

If not including a video card, I think this build here is perfect for you. I put it together in a previous thread:

LG DVD Burner - Bulk Black SATA Model GH24NS50 - OEM

APEX Vortex 3610 Black Metal / ABS ATX Mid Tower Computer Case

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive

CORSAIR Builder Series CX430 CMPSU-430CX 430W ATX12V Active PFC Power Supply

G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-8GBXL

ASRock H61M-VS LGA 1155 Intel H61 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard

Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor BX80623I52500K

Total: $505.91 after rebates and promos

Parker: I asked because you didn't answer everything. Do you need windows? Keyboard and mouse? Do you have a monitor?

 

[wb182]

That Corsair PSU would be fine powering my current GTX 260? or a Radeon HD 6850 down the road? And would the fact that I'd want like 5 internal SATA drives affect the PSU (or mobo) selection.

And wow, i didn't think sandy bridge mobos came that cheap!

 

[fffblackmage]

A ~400W PSU is enough.

For mobo selection... just make sure it has enough SATA ports.

 

[mfenn]

If I were to build today, it'd probably be:
Core i5-2400
some cheap recommended 1155 mobo (I really don't know mobos too well)
8GB of G.Skill Value Series DDR3
Antec Three Hundred
PSU - still not sure....mainly because I don't know if my current PSU is the source of my recent crashes. It would seem silly to spend several hundred dollars to upgrade my desktop and yet end up keeping the 2 components most likely causing the crashing!

This looks like a pretty good start actually.
i5 2400 + Gigabyte GA-H67M-D2 combo $272
G.Skill DDR3 1333 8GB $80
Antec Neo Eco 520C $60
Antec Three Hundred $60
Total: $472

I bumped the PSU up to the Neo Eco 520C because it has enough native SATA power connectors for 6 drives (5 HDD + 1 optical). The mobo also has exactly enough SATA ports.

 

[wb182]

I'm awfully close to pulling the trigger on all of your recommendations mfenn. I noticed this combo had USB 3.0 ports for not too much more. It looks like it has the same 4 SATA 3GB and 2 SATA 6GB as the Gigabyte to meet my HDD needs, but is there anything i'm missing that should turn me away from this mobo?

i5 2400 + ASUS P8H67-M LE combo - $278

And looking at the picture of it, I'm guessing a good sized video card (like my GTX 260) will fit without blocking any of the 6 SATA connectors.

Alternatively, what about this ASRock H61 w/ USB3.0 & SATA6GB - $79.99 Shipped. As far as I can tell, the only difference between it and an H67 is 2 memory slots rather than 4? My chief concern with this Mobo is how well my GTX 260 my fit...potentially blocking 2 of the SATA connectors.

Thanks!

 

[mfenn]

I'm awfully close to pulling the trigger on all of your recommendations mfenn. I noticed this combo had USB 3.0 ports for not too much more. It looks like it has the same 4 SATA 3GB and 2 SATA 6GB as the Gigabyte to meet my HDD needs, but is there anything i'm missing that should turn me away from this mobo?

i5 2400 + ASUS P8H67-M LE combo - $278

And looking at the picture of it, I'm guessing a good sized video card (like my GTX 260) will fit without blocking any of the 6 SATA connectors.

Alternatively, what about this ASRock H61 w/ USB3.0 & SATA6GB - $79.99 Shipped. As far as I can tell, the only difference between it and an H67 is 2 memory slots rather than 4? My chief concern with this Mobo is how well my GTX 260 my fit...potentially blocking 2 of the SATA connectors.

Thanks!

The ports on the ASUS are right angle, so the GPU won't prevent you from using them. It will make it a PITA to plug a few of them in, but that's no big deal, you'll just have to remove the GPU before connecting any new cables. The ASRock board is effectively something like $7 cheaper than the ASUS after combo discount, and I think the extra DIMM slots are worth that much.

 

[wb182]

A bit nerve wracking, but I finally placed my order tonight. Was hoping to avoid getting a PSU, hard drive, optical drive, and OS, but ultimately decided I needed everything, and hopefully I'll be able to unload my old stuff more easily.

At any rate, here's the final shopping cart:

CPU & Mobo: i5 2400 + ASUS P8H67-M LE combo - $277.99

PSU: Antec NEO ECO 520C - $59.99

Primary HDD : Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 7200 RPM - $64.99

RAM: G. SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB - $84.99 - 10% promo code w/ free 2GB Flash Drive

Optical Drive: LG DVD+-RW SuperMulti Drive - $18.99

OS: Windows 7 Home Premium OEM - $99.99

Case: Antec Three Hundred - $59.95
------------------
Total = $658.38

Reusing the following:
4X Samsung Spinpoint F4 2TB 5400RPM

EVGA GeForce GTX 260 Core 216 896MB (May Replace w/ HIS Radeon HD 6850 if needed)

Dell Dell S2309W

I think that's it. Hopefully I won't have any issues or conflicts, but the dream is to have that running smoothly with a total of 5 HDDs at 9 total TBs capacity. I'm not too good at selling my old stuff, but I'm hoping I can sell my HP EX485 for ~$250 and the Dell XPS 420 for ~$300.

Thanks for everyone's advice, including other threads where I stole bits of suggestions.

 

[mfenn]

Looks good to me, though you probably didn't need the PSU.

 

[wb182]

yeah I couldn't find the original PSU from my Dell, so I needed to keep the old one in it to re-sell it. oh well.