Upgrade time, been 5 years.

[jasonc213]

Hey guys, it's been 5 years since my last upgrade, and I'm wanting to get some new parts. I'm able to run everything that I want right now with my current set up, but its a little slow. One thing I'm interested in is streaming, and with what I have right now, its completely impossible even with lower settings. Other than that I'd like to be able to play pretty much anything I want game wise. I don't do much else on my computer that is too processor heavy except a little bit of programming. I'd like to try to stay around or below $800, but I could go up to around $1000 if you think the extra cost is worth it. I'm set on a hard drive for now (using a smaller fast mechanical drive for OS with a larger slower mechanical storage drive), along with keyboard, monitor, mouse, headphones. I'd like to upgrade to a SSD maybe 6 months from now. I'm wondering what your guys' opinions are with what will work together re: new/old parts if I upgrade in stages (for example, keep current GPU only upgrading CPU/MB/RAM, or if it wouldn't even be worth it?)

I'm not really interested in overclocking, and I understand that the K series of processors are unlocked with the sole purpose of overclocking. I'm not against it, I just never really wanted to mess with the need for extra cooling/config'ing.

I'm currently running:
Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W Dual-Core Processor
ASUS P5Q Pro LGA 775 Intel P45 ATX Intel Motherboard
Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR2 SDRAM DDR2 800 (PC2 6400) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory
OCZ StealthXStream OCZ600SXS 600W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready Active PFC Power Supply
BFG Tech BFGEGTX260MC896OCXE GeForce GTX 260 896MB 448-bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video

Would love some input such as "oh get XXX brand GPU, its only 10 bucks more for better performance", or "that ram is not the best on that motherboard, use this instead"). Also will my current power supply be enough to run this?

Here's what I'm considering so far:

Intel Core i7-4770K Quad-Core Desktop Processor 3.5 GHZ 8 MB Cache BX80646I74770K
Gigabyte Z87 LGA 1150 CrossFireX HDMI DVI ATX Motherboard (GA-Z87-D3HP)
Crucial Ballistix Sport XT 16GB Kit (8GBx2) DDR3 1600 MT/s (PC3-12800) CL9 at 1.5V UDIMM 240-Pin Memory Modules BLS2C8G3D169DS​3
EVGA GeForce GTX 770 SC 2GB GDDR5 256 -Bit Dual BIOS Dual-Link DVI-I/DVI-D HDMI DP SLI Ready Graphics Cards with ACX Cooler 02G-P4-2776-KR

Thoughts? Suggestions?

 

[Charlie98]

If all you use it for is what you stated, drop down to an i5-4670K and spend the $100 on a good SSD. If you are not going to OC, you can also drop down to a lesser board like an H81 or B85 board.

RAM is RAM, find something on sale that is appropriate (DDR3 @ 1.5v, 1600 or better) and go with it. Fancy heatspreadders don't mean a thing except bling... if that's what you want.

Your PSU is 5 years old, retire it and get a new one... just saying.

Also, They are going to ask you to answer these questions, it will help picking the right parts for you.

 

[lehtv]

Do you need a new OS? What OS are you running?

What resolution is your monitor?

Is your budget in USD and location in the US? If so, do you happen to have a Microcenter nearby?

 

[snouter]

Do you think you'd keep this new computer for 5 years?

I don't see a hard drive listed. If you have not experienced an SSD, I'd def consider something like a 256GB Samsung 840Pro or Evo.

There is some debate going on right now about AMD's Mantle and its effect on the future of game cards and also if 2GB is enough with the newer games coming out already bumping up against it.

The 4770k is a nice chip, but, you might could save a few $$$ going with an i5 variant. Games don't always take advantage of the hyper-threading in the i7.

Otherwise, no matter what you get, it will represent a fairly nice upgrade.

 

[snouter]

Your PSU is 5 years old, retire it and get a new one... just saying.

The silent and overlooked heart of any system.

Also, you need a new power supply to take advantage of Haswell's new sleep states.

 

[jasonc213]

Thanks for the responses all.

@Charlie, I would like to get an SSD as well later on down the road, possibly 6 months. Money is kind of tight, but not to the point where I'm pinching pennies. I'm also planning for the future. I'm going to probably always have just 1 main desktop PC, so I don't mind spending a little more up front if I don't have to upgrade again for a while. That's why I was leaning towards i7 over i5. I could be convinced to OC a little. In your opinion, is the money you save going with an i5 a better long term investment? (Value for your buck, not just lowest cost?) Also, could you expand on the H81 vs B85 boards. I haven't had too much time to research the latest chipsets.

@lehtv, currently I'm running a Samsung 226BW LCD @ 1680x1050. I plan on running that for a little bit, and then moving it to a secondary display and probably picking up a ASUS VG248QE as a main display. Any problems there that you guys can forsee? I'm good on the OS, plan on sticking with Windows 7. I'm in the US, an Amazon employee so I get a 10% discount on our stuff, but I've always purchased from Newegg in the past.

@snouter, thanks as well. What would be an example of something really using the hyper-threading of an i7 over an i5. I thought with a game, skype, and twitch streaming running, that would help out quite a bit.

Looks like the choice for GPU and RAM are pretty solid then, since no real counter-offers were suggested. Still looking for more feedback, thanks in advance, guys.

 

[Charlie98]

The only thing I've done that really taxes my CPU is video encoding. Contrary, my HTPC has a bottom end Pentium that doesn't break a sweat streaming video and Netflix... streaming doesn't require CPU horsepower. There are also very few games that use more than 2 cores (Note: I'm not an expert on this stuff, but based on what I have read here and elsewhere.) I think an i5 is a very solid processor now and in the next couple of years.

Some bathroom reading for you on the mobo chipset differences.

How much room do you need for your OS and programs? You can get a 120GB SSD for less than $100... and I just saved you that much by dropping down to an i5 and H81 board... but I would go to a 250GB if possible. If you are set on running HHDs now, I would use a separate spinner for your OS and programs so you can easily clone it over to a new SSD when you get one, reducing your downtime... unless you want to fresh install the OS.

 

[snouter]

Video editing and compression, 3d rendering and audio processing all take good advantage of hyper-threading. Games and general software do just fine with a straight quad-core, esp if the savings in going from the i7 to the i5 helps you purchase an SSD. I would not consider a new build without an SSD.

Since you are coming from a Core 2 Duo, I don't think you need to worry that much about hyper-threading or overclocking - these new chips are going to seem very fast and powerful to you, so, enjoy that.

 

[jasonc213]

What do you guys recommend as far as a power supply, and how big of a difference does a case make? I just looked and my case is 11 years old hehe, it's been through alot.

@Charlie, what motherboard do you think is the best to go with an i5-4670k?

Also a follow up question for all, re: the hyper-threading. Do you guys know how big of a difference i7 would have over i5 when it comes to compiling programs. I'm still just a beginner or slightly intermediate skill level now, but as I improve, I see I'll be compiling larger apps. Wondering how much that would come into play?

 

[Charlie98]

@Charlie, what motherboard do you think is the best to go with an i5-4670k?

If I was buying a 4670K tomorrow I would get this Gigabyte board. It is essentially the 'new-and-improved' 1150 version of the board I have now... and it's on sale for $75(AR) I would also get a simple aftermarket cooler like a 212EVO and mildly OC it, that would help make up the gap between the more expensive i7 chip.

 

[wholesalestunna]

If you're just streaming video you can get a 500 dollar laptop that does that just fine. If you want to spend $1000 dollars on a computer to last you five years though I would spend a little more to put some newer technology on it (such as the SSD) though, even it required waiting a little longer to get the budget in order to do so.

 

[Torn Mind]

Would still like to have the option of overclocking just in case you need a little extra? If so, you can indeed go Z87+"K" chip.

If not, there are a few things I'd advise. There is no problem with going with a cheaper board with Intel LAN. Since you want to stream your gameplay, a Xeon E3 or FX-8350 might be worthy options for you should you decide to not get a "K" chip.

Your current mobo, CPU, and RAM probably still can be liquidated, although it might take a while, for some money on Ebay.

It also would help to know what resolution and settings you want to game at, as that can factor into deciding whether CrossfireX/SLI is worth spending extra money on a board for.

16 GB of RAM is probably unnecessary for a single user computer used primarily for gaming.

You don't need a new PSU right now if it is still working, although eyeing a successor to buy eventually is a good idea.

 

[jasonc213]

Just to clarify about the streaming guys. I'm not talking about streaming videos from my pc to my tv. I'm talking about using a service like Twitch to broadcast playing me playing games. (These types of services usually will have your game running full screen, with a picture in picture webcam.)

See http://www.twitch.tv/trumpsc/c/3200903 as an example.

Any thoughts on power supply and case?

 

[VirtualLarry]

streaming doesn't require CPU horsepower.

Yes, it does. Especially if you are streaming from the same PC you are playing your game on.

That said, I fully expect NV to come out with support for their hardware video encoder in their highest-end GPUs and twitch.tv. That would greatly reduce the CPU load. They already use it to stream to Shield over a LAN, so streaming to twitch shouldn't be much more complex.

 

[wholesalestunna]

Yes, it does. Especially if you are streaming from the same PC you are playing your game on.

That said, I fully expect NV to come out with support for their hardware video encoder in their highest-end GPUs and twitch.tv. That would greatly reduce the CPU load. They already use it to stream to Shield over a LAN, so streaming to twitch shouldn't be much more complex.

The video streaming is going to require some power. Personally I'd go for a good video card, fast RAM, and then a good CPU

 

[Charlie98]

Yes, it does. Especially if you are streaming from the same PC you are playing your game on.

I was thinking streaming from a HTPC point of view... my bad. I am not familiar with the streaming the OP is talking about.

 

[Torn Mind]

I was thinking streaming from a HTPC point of view... my bad. I am not familiar with the streaming the OP is talking about.

The main difference is that it involves real-time encoding and the uploading, whereas with HTPC and other network file accesses, there is no such action going on. It's the encoding that can "get in the way" of smooth frame production.

 

[Torn Mind]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817182068
Rosewill Capstone 550.
$64.99 after promo code. $49.99 if the rebate goes through.

 

[mfenn]

Yes, it does. Especially if you are streaming from the same PC you are playing your game on.

That said, I fully expect NV to come out with support for their hardware video encoder in their highest-end GPUs and twitch.tv. That would greatly reduce the CPU load. They already use it to stream to Shield over a LAN, so streaming to twitch shouldn't be much more complex.

It exists and is called ShadowPlay. It's enabled on the newest versions of GeForce Experience. I don't know the full list of supported GPUs, but certainly any higher-end GTX 700 series card is compatible. Anyway, I can tell you that normal software based streaming through OBS or Xsplit will work fine on an i5.

Overall, I'd take an i5 + SSD versus i7 + HDD any day of the week. The i7 is maybe 20% faster than the i5 in the best case. The SSD is 400% faster than the HDD in the worst case and 10000% faster (yes, a factor of 100) in the best case. There is simply no reason to spend $800 and NOT get an SSD.

For $800, I would do:

i5 4570 $200
ASRock H87 Pro4 $83
Team DDR3 1600 8GB $48
MSI GTX 770 $315 AR
Samsung 840 EVO 120GB $90
XFX XXX 650W $45 AR
Total: $781 AR

 

[Torn Mind]

If you use V.me checkout at Tigerdirect, you can get the 240 GB Seagate 600 for about $115.

If you can liquidate your current setup, you might have enough buffer to get a Xeon E3-1230 V3.

 

[Tomana]

look around for a sale price, get a SeaSonic SS-750KM3 (or if more power is needed they also offer 850, 1050 and 1250W in the same model). Best hardware purchase I ever made. Ran 460 GTX SLI and was a silent runner for sure. The cooling fan will kick in when needed but since the main power transistors are attached to the PS case it makes for a HUGE heatsink. Extremely well designed and built.

 

[Cerb]

Definitely get a 240GB or bigger right now, IMO, because good sales are happening left and right, and it greatly increases practically usable space. Within the last few weeks, rarely has a day gone by when there wasn't a $150 ~250GB SSD, and today there have already been multiple better sales, including the linked one. Any of the following should be good series to go for, IMO (I'd try Seagate for that price, though ):
Corsair Neutron
Crucial M500
Plextor M5 (S, Pro, Xtreme)
Samsung 840 Evo
Sandisk Extreme II
Sandisk Ultra Plus (slowish peak performance, but good real-world)
Toshiba Q Series (a THNSNH model # should be on the sticker)

All offer a 3-yr warranty or better. All are going to be so close in real-world performance that you'd be hard-pressed to tell them apart, with desktop usage.

P.S. Today, for example:
$130 Sandisk Ultra Plus (Tigerdirect, use V.me)
$120 Crucial M500 (TG, use V.me)
$110 Intel 530 (Newegg)
$130 Seagate 600 (Newegg)

 

[mfenn]

look around for a sale price, get a SeaSonic SS-750KM3 (or if more power is needed they also offer 850, 1050 and 1250W in the same model). Best hardware purchase I ever made. Ran 460 GTX SLI and was a silent runner for sure. The cooling fan will kick in when needed but since the main power transistors are attached to the PS case it makes for a HUGE heatsink. Extremely well designed and built.

Even 750W is overkill for a single-GPU rig. The higher wattages are just ludicrous. Given the OP's budget, he needs to get a high-quality yet cost-effective PSU, he doesn't need to be wasting money on ultra-premium ones.