New build after 6+ years: chime in please

Route44

Posts: 12,015   +82
Okay, my last personal build is 6 + years old (I've built newer systems for others). It is a socket 939 and specs can be found in the About Me tab. This system has served me very well and continues to do so but its time for a faster system running Windows 7 64 and Office 2010.

As much as I like AMD and had hoped the Bulldozer would be much more than it is I just can't ignore the Intel cpus so this will be an Intel build (I have not built myself an Intel system since the Pentium 3 days so as you can tell I try to make my systems last as long as possible).

* I do not overclock.

Budget: $1000 maximum which includes tax because I will be purchasing parts from NewEgg and they have a warehouse in my state; hey I live in New Jersey where taxes rule :(

Usage: Gaming, Windows Office, some Video Rendering, Video Streaming, internet surfing, email, and other standard PC stuff

What I Already Have: Windows 7 64 Home Premium, brand new Corsair TX 750w psu, brand new still in the box HAF-922 (it was a gift; wish it had USB 3 ports), mouse, key board, sound card (will probably use my M-Audio if it will work otherwise onboard sound is fine), and monitor

The monitor is a 24" Samsung SyncMaster 2494 1080p with a maximum resolution of 1920x1080 which is fine for me.


What I Need to Purchase:

cpu - I was thinking going with an i7 2600 or Ivy Bridge if it is worth it

motherboard - not sure because even though I continually read on pc tech I don't follow Intel all that closely other than cpus. Could use some very solid suggestions here. Would like one that utilizes USB 3.0 and PCI-E 3 if possible.

video card - again, I read on these but I find I really don't dig into the specs until I need one. You already know my maximum resolution on my monitor and at this point I do not plan on running Crossfire or SLi (and never have before).

hard drive - My current systems have 250 gig drives and they are still not half filled; I have the tendency to uninstall games and archive material rather than them taking up space. Probably 750mb will do @7200 rpm and at least 16 cache

ram - minimum 4 and 8 max should do me fine

DVD burner or Blu-Ray - need one but not sure if the latter is worth the money

*** I don't need all the bells and whistles BUT I also don't want to go budget build other than what my budget allows for so I am open to your advice.

Thanks and if I left anything out let me know,
 
Going with the Intel theme:
2600K (content creation/productivity) ($325)
or
2500K (gaming) ($220)

mobo
ASRock Z68 Extreme4/Gen 3- includes a 2 x USB 3.0 front 3.5" panel ($185)
(Bear in mind that Z77 boards are officially launched in 1-2 weeks, so deals on Gen3 Z68 should kick in. Z77's are already on sale in Asia)

2 x 4GB DDR3-1600C9 ($55)

So, $460 or $565 (minus likely mobo price drops, plus tax and shipping) on the core components

CPU cooler ? . Newegg sucks. If you're OC'ing for fun and profit I'd suggest a good high end air cooler like the Archon ($80). You could go with a closed loop kit such as the H80 (no real improvement over air) or H100 (better but more expensive)

Go DVD burner - BD probably isn't worth the effort IMO. Asus DRW-24B3ST (rebadged Lite On with Mediatek chipset) ($23)

Video card: For 1080p, I'd look at a HD6870 ($200, $170 after MIR), or factory OC'ed GTX 560Ti ($220, $200 after MIR) for a little more performance.

As for hard drive, prices seem a little all over the place at the moment. A quick tally of the components so far would suggest ~$100 or so for the HDD, which would net you a 500GB F3, or maybe a WD Caviar Black if you're prepared to go further afield. Decent 750GB seem to have a large price premium attached at Newegg.
 
Z and Papa thanks for looking in on this; I was going to pm you Z concerning this thread but to answered before I had a chance. :)

Thanks much for the suggestions. Is the i7 2600 overkill for me? Also, that ASRock is out of stock unfortunately but since Z77 boards will be released soon I can wait.

* I realize that there is something always coming along new so if one waits one will be waiting forever. The thing I am trying to avoid as best as I can is that when I built my current system, though still viable at the time, little did I know the socket 939 was about to be phased out as 3 months later as both Intel and AMD came out with new cpus.
 
Is the i7 2600 overkill for me?
For most people in general I'd say yes, although it does depend on the workload you put through the system. I went with a 2600K (will update my TS rig spec once the chassis comes back from having some CNC work done), mainly because of the mixed workload I get through- a lot of productivity apps, some gaming, and a lot of media transcoding. The 2500K/2550K will get the work done, but on some larger job queues the 2600K's faster processing rate trumps the savings from using the non-hyperthreaded 2500/2550K.
Ivy Bridge CPU's are supposedly launching at Sandy Bridge prices, so it could follow that there will be price cuts to the 2500K/2550K/2600K/2700K to clear inventory.
Also, that ASRock is out of stock unfortunately but since Z77 boards will be released soon I can wait.
Oops, didn't notice that. This close to Z77's drop the board may not come back into stock. If that's the case, and Z77's have the usual "new tax" attached, I'd look at the Asus P8Z68-V/Gen3 ($180 at the moment), and a USB 3.0 front panel (Silverstone $20 or Asus -the same unit that comes packaged with the Z68 Deluxe, or CoolerMaster (presently out of stock))
 
Check my specs, I went with the i7-2600K. You say you won't be over-clocking so you could go without the k version and get an i7-2600 or if you don't want hypertheading get an i7-2500.
 
I tend to advise my customers to always go for the "K" version even if they intend to not overclock and use the stock Intel HSF, mainly because the difference in pricing is marginal between locked and unlocked, and the resell market pricing for locked multiplier CPU's tend to be much less than for "K" versions. While overclocking may not appeal to the first user, that may not be applicable to the the second- especially if the buyer is looking for the best-bang-for-buck.
If Route44 is planning on holding onto the core components until they are well past any reasonable resell value, then the locked multi may be the way to go. Presently he would save $10 (i5 2500) and $25 (i7 2600)
 
I'd say the 2500k is sufficient unless you're doing a lot of video encoding, a lot of gamers switch hyperthreading off anyway.

You can spend that $100 saving on an SSD.
 
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