Upgrade time - Opinions Sought

[drew]

CORSAIR HX Series HX850 850W ($190)
ASUS Z97-PRO LGA 1150 Intel Z97 Motherboard ($190)
Intel Core i7-4770K Haswell Quad-Core 3.5GHz LGA 1150 ($340)
G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) ($150 (thinking about 32gb))
Samsung 840 EVO MZ-7TE500BW (SSD) ($250)
EVGA GeForce GTX 770 DUAL 4GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express ($410)

Probably don't need such a monster GFX card, I doubt I'll be doing a ton of gaming (it's been over a year since a single minute of game has been played).

I guess this is more aimed towards CAD and photoshop. Which, I may forgo a little GFX grunt and replace with more RAM.

The GFX card is the only real variable, at this point.


Planning on making the current bits into a media server/huge DVR.

[Yw-slayer]

Looks fine. If you don't need a GTX770 then just stick with a 750Ti or something and put the rest of the money towards something else. Maybe a 3-4TB HDD.

[drew]

I've currently got a 4GB 680GTX (that's a bit over a year old).


Wondering if that would suit with the new machine, and just get something "decent" for the AV box.

[Yw-slayer]

I'd stick with that, the. Usd400 can buy you a lot of other good stuff.

[Freude am Fahren]

I have that exact PSU. Zero problems with it in 2+ years. Also, I think you can get a better price. Newegg lists it at $169.99, and you may be able to find bundles with other items you want to save even more.


I also have an EVGA 770 4GB (The Classified version with ACX cooling, which I think they all have now). Also no problems, other than I haven't figured out how to turn off the LEDs, which are pretty bright and right next to the window on my case. It probably is overkill. I think it may be a bit much for me even, other than I want to game with three screens in things like iRacing, DCS, FSX, etc. Still need to buy the stand to do that though :lol: I don't suspect I'll be upgrading it while they are still using three digit names.

[drew]

770 removed, $$ applied to RAM

[Blerpa]

How much is the total of that?

[drew]

With the 32gb of ram and no GFX, about $1100. I may actually re-use my PC Power/Cooling PSU (750W) as well, and get a silent one for the AV setup.

[Blerpa]

I'm on an ancient Barton 2800XP+ single core as my main (and also old) PC died out more than an year ago. Finally I've a stable job and I'm looking into getting a big PC in less than a year (first I've to pay house taxes, fix some debts and start to save a bit): am I wrong, nuts or just getting too old because I'm considering splashing like 1200 euro on an Alienware Aurora desktop just for the sake of having it already built and delivered it at home hassle-free? I may be gotten bored by self-assembled PCs...

[Freude am Fahren]

I haven't shopped them in a while, but Alienware always seemed overpriced. If you spec a very similar Dell (who know owns, and I assume makes Alienware), you can save a lot. When you get into the high end stuff that they put in the AW's, you pay ridiculous premiums for only the next level or two up in spec. And they are still usually not the top end stuff you can get building yourself.

At this point I think you pay a premium just for the Alienware case/logo.

I think you'd be best off getting one of the pre-built systems from Tiger Direct or Newegg, or other boutique builders. Or at least the mostly built bundles the former two offer. You can get high end specs without the name plate premium.

(Don't know much about high-end notebooks, that may be another story)

[TheBenior]

I also recommend boutique builders, if you've got any over there.

In the US, we've got Cyber Power PC and I Buy Power, who are terribly named, but let you configure pre-built systems from a wide variety of parts. Since they purchase parts wholesale, it can be difficult to beat their prices when building yourself (unless you're cannibalizing parts from an existing rig).

[drew]

The build-it-yourself doesn't bother me too much. I haven't scratch-built one in 5 years (this machine).

The other problem is that my "case" is non-standard. So, even if I did buy one pre-built, I'd have to dismantle it all anyway.

[Blerpa]

I'll probably go Dell. There are no pre-built configurable online shops in here mostly, the few that are there are more overpriced than Alienware (!!!).
I may go for an XPS 8700 Dell. Although it is a 900/1000 euro difference to a 1200 euro of the Alienware... and the AW one gets extreme i7 CPUs over normal i7 ones and better case solutions for adding HDDs and other stuff later.
Also... one of my friends works in France for Dell Italia (yes, they moved all their italian sale team to France to contain costs - woah) and it could be so that he could have access to some internal discounts.
Let's see about that. Doesn't hurt that Dell 1 year assistance sounds better than anything offered by OEMs in Italy bar none.
Still, I don't have the time nor the interest anymore to buy one on my own. Add and update stuff? Ok, I can be content with that.

I'm going desktop... otherwise I'd be looking at Lenovo for laptops. Or Razer for gaming laptops (BAH).

[Jason]

CORSAIR HX Series HX850 850W ($190)
ASUS Z97-PRO LGA 1150 Intel Z97 Motherboard ($190)
Intel Core i7-4770K Haswell Quad-Core 3.5GHz LGA 1150 ($340)
G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) ($150 (thinking about 32gb))
Samsung 840 EVO MZ-7TE500BW (SSD) ($250)
EVGA GeForce GTX 770 DUAL 4GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express ($410)

Probably don't need such a monster GFX card, I doubt I'll be doing a ton of gaming (it's been over a year since a single minute of game has been played).

I guess this is more aimed towards CAD and photoshop. Which, I may forgo a little GFX grunt and replace with more RAM.

The GFX card is the only real variable, at this point.


Planning on making the current bits into a media server/huge DVR.

Well that proves it... you did find a lady.

[drew]

:finger:

[drew]

Plot thickens. i7-4790K was just released yesterday. Same as the 4770k in cost, but base clock of 4.0, as opposed to 3.5.

SOLD!

[Yw-slayer]

VALUE?

[drew]

Next gen for the same cost as last gen... VALUE!

[drew]

Ordered.
EVGA EVGA Z97 FTW LGA1150
Core i7-4790K
Samsung 840 EVO-Series 500GB SSD
G.SKILL (4 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 2133

That should tide me over.

Re-using GTX680, 750W PC Power & Cooling PSU, and Noctura CPU fan/sink.

I'll piece together the HTPC over the next month or two.

[Alan P]

Should be a great system Drew. 680 still does well at 1080p

[drew]

I'm still on one monitor, and no real need/urge to go multiple.

Pieces are supposed to be here tomorrow-Wednesday :)

[Random]

Big fan (haha) of my Noctura h/s and fan combo. :up:

[drew]

Yep. Quiet, and do their job well. :)

Fans themselves are a bit spendy, relative to the others. But that's to be expected.

[Random]

Yup.

And their color scheme is not particularly fashionable. ;)

I'm running just the small fan (92mm) from their dual-fan CPU cooler (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608025) on the chip and used the 120mm fan as a case fan = nearly silent* box. :cool:

* I can hear my data drive spin up and down. Haha!

[drew]

I'm all but done with the selection of the HTPC bits, going with a slightly non-conventional setup.

[21Kid]

I'll have to call you when I'm ready to put my HTPC together. :)

[drew]

Bear in mind, the parts I have, are met with logistical challenges for HTPC (namely the full ATX board).

Interested in a fully-functional mobo, CPU/Cooler, Power supply, Ram? :)

[mk]

I'm still 3k+ xp.
Firefox crippled browsing and so on.
Linux installed for less exprienced and windows Vista and 7 waiting in the corner.
Dosen or less harware box waiting for better time, not nessessary average stuff.
Anyway, xp closing was crap.

[thesameguy]

XP HAD TO DIE.

[mk]

XP HAD TO DIE.
I'm not against.

For regulars.

[drew]

So, as fate would have it, got everything put together, and running first go.

But, having not known about a limitation with Windows 7 Home (premium), only seeing 16GB ram....


I guess I'm off to the store tomorrow to get 7 Pro....


#DirtyFuckers

[21Kid]

Why do you need more than 16GB RAM>???

[drew]

Photoshop/CAD, etc.

[thesameguy]

So, as fate would have it, got everything put together, and running first go.

But, having not known about a limitation with Windows 7 Home (premium), only seeing 16GB ram....


I guess I'm off to the store tomorrow to get 7 Pro....


#DirtyFuckers

You can do the "Anytime upgrade" in the comfort of your own home if that's more convenient...

[drew]

Oh, nice... I seriously need to stop drinking.

I knew there should have been a way to do an upgrade...


...and done. 10 Minutes, $90....


Now I just need to consult the EVGA geeks why I'm only seeing 16GB.

[drew]

Boom. Roasted.

Decided to replace my Noctua cooler with a Corsair H60. In doing so, I realized that the DIMMs weren't all seated (even though I check 2 times prior.

Now I'm on 32GB, 30C idle and quieter than before.


It's always the simple shit...

[thesameguy]

3rd time's the charm?

[drew]

Apparently!

Now it's time to start tweaking this bitch.

[Alan P]

Apparently!

Now it's time to start tweaking this bitch.

And what about the computer? :D

[drew]

bad-dum-CRASH

[Random]

Going that well, eh?

Better stick to the woman. ;)

[drew]

:)