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Upgrade minimal components for best performance

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If I go the GTX 760 should I go ahead and invest into a WC system? I would like to keep sound/dust down to a minimum as I will building a desk/case for my future upgrades.

Also do I need to do anything special to get access to the market on this forum? Whom do I need to get down on my knees for? 🙂
 
You could watercool if you'd like, but a good case with dust filters on the fans, a dual-fan 760, and a positive pressure set-up would be quite a bit easier.
 
Dust filters work, but a whole room air filter ain't a bad thing either (and not just for your computer), although they are much more expensive.
 
Torn Mind said:
Dust filters work, but a whole room air filter ain't a bad thing either (and not just for your computer), although they are much more expensive.
Click to expand...

Where's Aigo to show you a pic of his filtration box with a furnace/AC filter, and a bunch of fans on the side.
 
Budget increased by about $400. I am doing way too much research and my mind is blowing with information. Here is a status update:

Upgraded to a Samsung SSD 250 GB and added 8 GB of the G.SKILL ram that that makes 16.

Dilemma: Custom desk build and will be tearing apart an old case to part out for use of mounts (unless someone has a better option). I want coolness and quietness. But priority is quiet. I am not OC'ing...yet.

Things to do with the new budget: New GPU and way to cool it/CPU. I have seen some mondo heatsinks for the CPU that would fill the case area but would settle for a single loop WC on the CPU with a well cooled GPU if there is such a thing. I have read the reviews but since I have up'd my budget I think I need to do some more reading. I have about $800 to spend now but definitely don't want to waste if I don't have too.

Here is a preliminary sketch of my desk. The computer housing will be on the right where is angles in.

 
Having the PC inside the desk alone will quiet things down a bit, so you can use any typical big quiet heatsink, like a Macho, or NH-D14. With a custom desk, you are also free to use any size and model, and placement, of fans, for cabinet cooling.

Make sure to seal, lacquer, or paint, the inside, too, else all the surfaces will gather dust.
 
So since I have been building my desk/cpu case it has made time pass. I have yet to upgrade major components. I did buy 2 addition sticks of 4 GB to add and an 250 SSD that have both not even been unpacked yet, but now that I have the money I really would like to just probably overhaul.

Same questions arise:

jbombo34 said:
Built current set-up in spring 2011, primarily but not limited for gaming. It doesn't have to be the best but would like the best performance I can get.

Mobo:
MSI 890FXA-GD70 AM3+ AMD 890FX

PSU:
CMPSU-850TX 850W (not planning to upgrade unless needed)

CPU:
AMD Phenom II X6 1100T 3.3GHz, 3.7GHz Turbo Socket AM3 125W (Hopefully won't have to upgrade this, has been awesome and have not OC'd it)

RAM:
G.SKILL 8GB DDR3 1600 EDIT 12/1/13: Bought 8 GB DDR3 1600 for a total of 16 GB

Hard Drive:
WD5002AALX 500GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache for booting, apps, etc(would like to go to SSD here, have 2 TB alt storage as well) EDIT 12/1/13: Bought 250 Plextor SSD

Video:
SAPPHIRE 100290SR Radeon HD 5870 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 (have not had a single problem)

Thanks!
Click to expand...

UPDATE 12/1/13

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. Primarily Gaming BF4, EQLandmark/Next

2. What YOUR budget is. $1500-$1700
3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from. US of A

4. N/A

5. IF YOU have a brand preference. Have only done builds with AMD so I guess I am willing to try something different if it gives me more bang

6. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are. Would love to be able to use anything I can. Most likely the SSD (unopened), RAM, PSU

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds. OC, WC preferably see new case I am building (attached) I don't have to do duel res or duel rads that is the just setup that looks cool. I can do any setup b/c of the size of the case. GPU cooling primary/CPU secondary if not at all


8. What resolution, not monitor size, will you be using? 1080/1440; would probably do a higher res if i had a better monitor, possibly a 120 mhz?? refresh

9. WHEN do you plan to build it? end/beginning of year, or when I finish my desk lol


X. Do you need to purchase any software to go with the system, such as Windows or Blu Ray playback software? I have Win 7, but if 8 is the new standard for gaming then I can add to my budget for that
 
jbombo34 said:
Online would work, eh?
Click to expand...

No, most of their best deals are in-store only.

So basically it looks to me like you want a new CPU, mobo, and GPU. Everything else should carry over. You could certainly spend $1700 on those components, but do you really want to? You'd be running into some serious diminishing returns.
 
No not at all. Just max budget lol. Somewhere around the R9 280x and compatible. Will invest in some WC custom build hardware. I'm a novice but I enjoy challenges lol. And an all in one just doesn't look classic or cool. Especially since I have built this custom case to be able to "view" the set up.
 
I know the cooler has had good reviews but should I focus on WC it, the CPU or both? Aesthetics and performance are what I'm going for now.
 
Lol they are reservoirs for WC. And I'm assuming you're talking about the airflow arrows. Different color means represents air temp as it flows through the case
 
jbombo34 said:
I know the cooler has had good reviews but should I focus on WC it, the CPU or both? Aesthetics and performance are what I'm going for now.
Click to expand...

The CPU is more straightforward with lots of choices, so I would focus there first unless you've done a custom loop before.

jbombo34 said:
What about this? AMD FX-6350 It seems to have better OC'n ability, plus with mantle won't 6 core benefit more? Or am i blinded by the price tag
Click to expand...

You're blinded be the price tag, clock speed, and core count. There are a few things to keep in mind when comparing Intel and AMD processors:

- AMD processors have lower Instructions Per Clock (IPC). This means that they get less work done at a given clock speed, or conversely they have to be clocked higher to do the same amount of work.
- AMD FX series processors are derivatives of the Bulldozer architecture, which means that each marketing "core" is not the same as what you would traditionally consider to be a core. A Bulldozer-based CPU has 2 integer units for every floating point unit. So a "6 core" has 6 integer units and 3 floating point units. In some situations the 6350 would act like a six-core, but in others it would act like a tri-core. Intel cores are full cores, so a quad core has 4 integer units and 4 floating point units.

When you combine both of those points, you'll see that real-world performance favors Intel by quite a large margin. You'd have to drive the FX to 50-100% higher clockspeed than the Intel chip before things even out.

So, long story short, get the Intel.
 
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