New base system - help needed ASAP

[Cerveza]

Looks like I'll be doing an upgrade in a couple days. It's not really a gaming system, but I'd like to be able to load/play/test games on it.

My current system will go to my son, and I'll be getting an upgraded system.

Currently I have:
Motherboard: ASUS M4A88TD-V EVO/USB3
CPU and Fan: AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Thuban 2.8GHz Socket AM3 125W Six-Core Desktop Processor /  COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus
RAM: G.SKILL ECO Series 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) - I'll get another pair of matching RAM to give him 8GB total.

I will need:

Motherboard
CPU and Quiet Fan
RAM

My hard drive is Western Digital WD Black WD1002FAEX 1TB 7200 RPM SATA 6.0Gb/s
My DVD/CDROM is LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS424-98
And my Graphics card is a GeForce 8800GT

The only requirements would be the SATA and USB3 which are really common right now. I will NOT be doing any multiple graphics cards, so SLI or whatever is not necessary.

I'd like to stick with AMD for the processor. I'd like to get at least 16G of RAM.

I'd like to come in as cheap as possible, but I actually have a pretty good budget for this. I'll add a monitor and have around $1000 for everything. Obviously I don't have to spend $1000 and every dollar I save can go to other fun stuff.

The plan is to have this together for Saturday (2 days away). So hit me!

[TrailMyx]

You totally want to upgrade that video card.

My GTX-670 has been great!

[Cerveza]

Yeah, I can't see spending a ton of money on a graphics card. I really don't play anything graphics intensive. I ran the onboard graphics for a long time without any problems lol.

I really need to get an idea for a MB/CPU combo. I think I'm going with the Asus VE247H monitor, which is just under $200. So if I could get MB+CPU+FAN+RAM for like $400 I'd be super happy.

[sheen]

Hey Cerveza,

i have a guide for you. the problem is only, the german language ;-)

http://www.computerbase.de/forum/showthread.php?t=215394

But on Post #2, you will see different systems for each moneybag.

[Cerveza]

Thanks Sheen. It confirms some of what I'd read about not really needing anything greater then a 4 core CPU. I didn't know about the 8G RAM thing.

So add that into the equation heh...

[UOMaddog]

My key points:
- Get best motherboard possible (within reason)
- CPU speed rarely matters these days, instead look for high on-chip cache (minimum quad-core) and low power usage (lower power = less heat = quieter fans)
- Get SSD for primary drive, use traditional for mass-storage
- Get RAM with a lifetime warranty (I have always, and will always, use Corsair XMS)


Suggestions:

Processor ($125): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113289
(No need for graphics card then)

Motherboard ($140): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128566

Cooling Fan ($40 after rebate, else $55): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181015
(I know someone with this one that loves it, but replaced it with a nicer, quieter fan)

RAM ($70): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233296

SSD ($70/$110):
  Just enough for OS: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820227737
  A little extra space for important stuff: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820167121
(Best advice I can give here is stick with an Intel controller (such as SandForce) as they are much more reliable)

Altogether you're looking at $445-$485!

Hope that helps!

[Cerveza]

Thats the good stuff right there! Thanks UOM!!

I'll get around to SSD eventually, but for right now I'll just run the normal drive. I'll start looking over the listed items to learn more about what exactly I should be putting together.

OH, how does that integrated CPU/GPU thing work? The motherboard sorts em out??

[UOMaddog]

Forgot to mention...

Make sure you have a decent (quality-wise) power supply. Since you wouldn't have a graphics card and SSDs use little power, you'd probably be perfectly fine with a 400W supply. I usually recommend modular ones so that you keep the case un-cluttered (= better airflow). For about $80 you could get a great case and power supply if you need them.

[UOMaddog]

I've been saying I'll get around to an SSD for about 2 years now....still don't have mine! I do however have a WD Velociraptor 10K rpm drive as my primary so it's decently better than a standard 7200rpm drive, but my intention is to get a ~120GB one for the OS and run everything else off my 2 x 2TB WD Green drives.

[Cerveza]

Reading the reviews on that CPU is awesome. I didn't know anything about those FM2 chips, turns out this one is the winner.

The review I read said the 5600 and 5800 are both 100w chips, and really not very voltage friendly. They raved about the 5700's low draw while even supplying the video. I think it may be a winning combination.

I had Corsair XMS3 ram before. I was having a lot of issues with my system and later found out it was a bad stick (2x2GB) so I replaced it with that G.Skill ECO and it's worked great since. I should see if Corsair would replace the one that's bad, after all... lifetime means lifetime.

Don't like water for cooling... 2 parts to fail vs one (pump).

Looking at http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835214023 for a fan... very low noise, decent airflow.

[TrailMyx]

You can get some pretty amazing HD speeds by just setting up 2 drives in RAID 1.  Exactly doubles your data rate.  If you get some nice WD Blues or Blacks, you'll be cruising right along.

[Cerveza]

That Corsair RAM isn't on the MB approved RAM list. Might have to go with something different. I'm not sure just how picky it is though.

[UOMaddog]

I've never had an issue with Corsair RAM on any MB. Approved list just means they physically tested it. 99.99999% chance it'll work perfectly fine. As for your one bad stick of RAM, they are one of the easiest companies to deal with regarding warranty exchange. Their techs don't treat you like an idiot. Just say you ran a memtest86 on it and it came back with errors. They'll give you an RMA in no time flat!

[Cerveza]

Unless there's any other inputs... Here's what I'm going with:

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-F2A85X-UP4 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128566
CPU: AMD A10-5700 Trinity 3.4GHz http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113289
RAM: CORSAIR XMS 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233296
Cooling: Enermax ETS-T40 T.B.SILENCE CPU Cooler http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835214023
Monitor: ASUS VE247H Black 23.6" Full HD HDMI LED BackLight LCD Monitor http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824236112

Total price including monitor: $539.95

I'll add in another 4GB of ram for my old system going into my son's room. Full price just under $580.00

I can get the motherboard, ram, and monitor locally which works out great, cause they would be the items most prone to failure.

[sheen]

I buy a new system in 2 weeks.
The best performance boost you can get is with an SSD. But i don't like the OCZ ones. i heard and read that they often have a total data loss after 2-3 months. i think the samsung 830 series is much better.
a Raid one is fast, but there are also problems with date. if one HD crushs, everything is gone....