Would like to upgrade my "guts". Suggestions?

[Skiz]

I'm looking to upgrade the guts of my current PC . The current price point I have in mind is ~$500 or less. For starters, here is what I currently have:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.40GHz Socket 775
XFX nForce 780i 3-Way SLI motherboard
Corsair 8 GB (800MHz Dual DDR2 RAM)
Two nVIDIA e-GeForce 8800 GTS's in SLI
One GeForce 7900GT
100 GB SSD - OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD2
60 GB SSD - OCZ Vertex Turbo OCZSSD2
2x Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB (media & backups)
Cooler Master 690 case
650W PSU
2 x 24" Dell UltraSharp 2407WFP-HC


For cost cutting purposes, I'd like to upgrade only the items in red:

Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.40GHz Socket 775
XFX nForce 780i 3-Way SLI motherboard
Corsair 8 GB (800MHz Dual DDR2 RAM)
Two nVIDIA e-GeForce 8800 GTS's in SLI
One GeForce 7900GT
100 GB SSD - OCZ Vertex 2 OCZSSD2
60 GB SSD - OCZ Vertex Turbo OCZSSD2
2x Western Digital Caviar Green 2TB (media & backups)
Cooler Master 690 case
650W PSU
2 x 24" Dell UltraSharp 2407WFP-HC


The system will not be used for gaming so upgrading the graphics is not a priority. I do however want to ensure that this upgrade will go the distance, so I'd like to go i7 and also have access to USB 3.0. Is this a reasonable expectation given my budget goal? What recommendations can you offer?

[clocker]

I'd like to go i7 and also have access to USB 3.0. Is this a reasonable expectation given my budget goal? What recommendations can you offer?
The i7 CPU itself will eat 60% of your $500 budget.
A good PSU (say, Corsair) is another $125 or so.
You now have about $75 left for the motherboard and RAM.

I like to splurge on the mobo and memory then upgrade the CPU as early adopters move ever upward, leaving a juicy trail of yesterdays "latest and greatest" in their wake.
This works best on platforms that Intel doesn't decide to vanish on a whim...s775 had a few good years but when it died, it died fast and hard.

[Skiz]

Yeah, I was thinking it might be a bit low but, I figured I would shoot for it.

You think this (http://austin.craigslist.org/sys/2628333201.html) is the way to go?

[Artemis]

If you look at the i5 2500 CPU instead of the i7 2600 you shave off approximately $90 on the price. I've never been sold on Intel's 'hyperthreading' cores anyway, they only work if the software is coded to take advantage of hyperthreading, and most apps ignore it. The i5 2500 runs @ 3.3Ghz where as the i7 runs @ 3.4Ghz, bang for your buck the i5 2500 is a far better deal.


Yeah, I was thinking it might be a bit low but, I figured I would shoot for it.

You think this (http://austin.craigslist.org/sys/2628333201.html) is the way to go?

The 920 CPU is an LGA1366 based CPU and uses tri-channel RAM. The fast answer is no, go for a new Sandybridge based LGA1155 system. The RAM for LGA1366 is expensive (as are the motherboards comparatively).

[Skiz]

You think this (http://austin.craigslist.org/sys/2628333201.html) is the way to go?

The 920 CPU is an LGA1366 based CPU and uses tri-channel RAM. The fast answer is no, go for a new Sandybridge based LGA1155 system. The RAM for LGA1366 is expensive (as are the motherboards comparatively).

It was mainly a response to clockers suggestions that I look at used hardware for the quick discounts, not that exact model. Duly noted tho'.

[Artemis]

To be more specific about the i7 920 it is firstly clocked at almost the same speed as your current processor @2.66Ghz (so unless you overclock there is not that advantage). Secondly being an LGA1366 processor you have to buy tri-channel (3 sticks) of RAM rather than 2 and matched tri-channel RAM is very expensive comparatively.

It is also a pot boiler of a processor with a thermal profile of 130w TDP, your current Q6600 is the worst of the Core2Quads (in terms of heat) being the earliest with a 105w TDP so the 920 requires a big ass cooler.

I actually went hunting after this original post and found a direct comparison of the i7 920 & Q6600 processors on a benchtest at Tomshardware ( a decent hardware review site):http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/phenom-ii-940,2114-10.html
The differences when you get to look at them are minimal, so this is not going to be a worthwhile upgrade path.

If you are going to upgrade, buy the current technology, for your price bracket you should get a decent system although as I said before I would look at the i5 2500 CPU as well as the i7 2600 .

[Skiz]

Sounds reasonable enough. Been reading around on that i5 2500K for about an hour now and it looks solid as can be. Impeccable reviews everywhere I go and Newegg seems to have a top price of $220.

Any motherboard recommendations?

I'd like to continue on with 8GB of RAM, and with RAM being so inexpensive I don't really see a need to skimp in that dept. Any recommendations there? I know you recommended some in the previous thread but I'll be getting a different mobo.

PSU? My 650W has been great for years. Do I need more than that going forward? Maybe a 750W?

[clocker]

The i5 is probably your best bang/buck deal.
For my last few builds I've used Gigabyte boards with great success, very stable, no surprises.

I use gSkill or Patriot RAM, whichever is cheapest at the time.
Again, no problems with either.

PSUs are a thicket of useless specs...who knows what the advertised "650w" actually means?
For several years now I've used Corsair supplies and never had a failure, so I'll keep using/recommending 'em.
I much prefer the modular units because they make install so simple and clean- worth the extra bucks, IMO.

[Artemis]

If you are sure your PSU is not the cause of your current woes Skiz, then for now at least there is no need to upgrade it as the new system will use less power than you are currently using and the CPU will run slightly cooler too (95w TDP).

I absolutely agree with clocker re brands (the other manufacturer I use is Zotac for Mini-ITX based builds).

These two items are worth considering:

Motherboard:

Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3

It is a Z68 chipset board with 4 Sata 3 + 4 Sata 2 connectors (for future upgrades) USB 3 and all the trimmings and 1x PCIe 16 @x16 and 1x PCIe 16 @ x8 for SLi

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128512

Slightly faster RAM this time round to go with the faster motherboard

RAM:

G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2X4GB) DDR3 2133

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231468&cm_sp=Cat_Memory-_-Daily_Deal-_-20-231-468

(it's a daily deal so I would pull finger).

So this comes in under your budget

CPU $219.99
M/B $147.99
RAM $ 79.99

$447.97 leaving if you wish a decent budget for a PSU, although with $150 in your pocket left in the budget I would SERIOUSLY look at a graphics card upgrade. A single NV 550GT will provide increased performance and consume far less power than your current setup. If you wish to look further up the food chain an NV GTX560 would be a big leap in performance. Below is a link to a table giving comparisons of the new 500 series GPU's:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GeForce_500_Series

The link to the card below still comes in under your budget of $600

GT550:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130625

While this GTX560 only goes over the $600 mark by $40 :

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125383


(http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125383)

[Skiz]

Thanks for the tips folks. Gonna buy all this tonight unless someone objects or sees a problem. Wishlist with everything listed - https://secure.newegg.com/WishList/MySavedWishDetail.aspx?ID=12698349

or here are the individual links -

Motherboard - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128512

CPU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115072

PSU - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139010

Memory - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231468

EDIT: Ordered. Made one change. I read where I couldn't fully use the 2133 memory without doing some overclocking, so I bought the 1600 instead.

Thanks for the help. I'll take some photos when it's all up and running. :bijoy:

[zot]

That looks like an excellent choice.

I did not like the first suggested motherboard because it seemed very outdated (too many PCI and not enough PCI-E slots, no USB 3.0 ports, etc, etc) but this one looks very nice. Lots and lots of connection ports!

That reminds me of something else I was planning to do sometime and was wondering .... Can those USB 2.0 ports on the front of an old PC case be easily converted into USB 3.0 ports (and are there standard kits available for doing this?) or are those existing 2.0 ports permanently molded into the case with no easy way to replace them - other than buying a whole new box?

[clocker]

You can buy PCI add-on cards for USB3...it's highly unlikely you'll find a retrofit for a specific case.

I'm not sure what all the fuss is about anyway...after you're all kitted out with USB3, it really does you no good unless all the other PCs you interact with have it as well, which is highly unlikely.
Since the release of Vista/Win7 and their easy to configure HOMEGROUP, it's just as easy (and fast) to transfer data between machines over the network as it is to brandish a USB3 flashdrive and physically walk the data from place to place.
Outside of your own computer network, chances are excellent that 90% of the PCs you'll see are still on XP or Vista and they will barely function with USB2, nevermind the new standard, so your investment in the new tech will for naught.

[bijoy]

:bijoy:

late posting, but anything to do with me, or just some expression?

[Skiz]

:bijoy:

late posting, but anything to do with me, or just some expression?

I don't really recall typing that but given the context, I suppose it was related to the disingenuous computer pics you were busted posting.

[bijoy]

^^ oh! :P