mid range build on a budget

[Mt.Biker E]

Thanks! Looks good so far. Just need to hunt down a hard drive on sale.

What would be a step up from the Sapphire card for curiosity sakes?

 

[Norton]

Thanks! Looks good so far. Just need to hunt down a hard drive on sale.

What would be a step up from the Sapphire card for curiosity sakes?

MSI Twin Frozer II or III.... not sure if the 6870 comes in the Twin Frozer III version tho

If you're reusing you're Tsunami- the models with the better coolers would be preferred in order to keep the heat down.

Check out some of the reviews on the TPU review database for the 6870 to see how they do.

 

[Mt.Biker E]

Is there a notable difference between a 1 gig gpu & a 2 gig?
Does it effect gaming such a large pvp areas or open world mmo's?
I plan on gettting a 24" or bigger led in the next few months.

 

[Norton]

2 GB is nice but 1 GB should be fine and keep you within budget... if the cost difference is minor, go for 2 GB

I'd stick to 1 GB unless you're going for extreme details or going past 1080P (1920x1080) in resolution

 

[Mt.Biker E]

Thanks a bunch!
It looks like i am going to pick up a case after looking at what 4 fans cost.
It just seems like a no brainer, plus i get a modern case with new usb ports.
Should i spend the extra loot & go full case or stick with a mid?

 

[Norton]

Thanks a bunch!
It looks like i am going to pick up a case after looking at what 4 fans cost.
It just seems like a no brainer, plus i get a modern case with new usb ports.
Should i spend the extra loot & go full case or stick with a mid?

What's left in the budget for a case?

 

[Mt.Biker E]

Around a $100. I know i could spend it else where but having a nice case instead of a budget case seems like a good place to spend it. I like the usb 3 on front or top, along with the sata.

I have been looking at these cases:
Corsair Carbide Series 400R Graphite grey and blac...
NZXT Phantom 410 CA-PH410-B1 White Steel / Plastic...
Rosewill BLACKHAWK Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer C...

I'll use my tax money for a nice 24+ led monitor. What i have is decent & the same but bigger doesn't make sense. Having a crappy monitor is like have an hd tv & not having hd cable.

 

[Norton]

Around a $100. I know i could spend it else where but having a nice case instead of a budget case seems like a good place to spend it. I like the usb 3 on front or top, along with the sata.

I have been looking at these cases:
Corsair Carbide Series 400R Graphite grey and blac...
NZXT Phantom 410 CA-PH410-B1 White Steel / Plastic...
Rosewill BLACKHAWK Gaming ATX Mid Tower Computer C...

I'll use my tax money for a nice 24+ led monitor. What i have is decent & the same but bigger doesn't make sense. Having a crappy monitor is like have an hd tv & not having hd cable.

This Lian-Li is nice ($84.99 after $45 off, free shipping, and 20% promo that ends today)

To get USB 3.0 and E-SATA you would need to pickup a front panel but should be able to find one for <$20

LIAN LI Lancool PC-K62 Black 0.8 mm SECC, Plastic ...

 

[Mt.Biker E]

this:
EVGA SuperClocked 02G-P3-1469-KR GeForce GTX 560 (...
or this:
HIS IceQ X Turbo H695QNT2G2M Radeon HD 6950 2GB 25...

can't decide radeon or nvidia. Is shading still an issue between the 2 or is that a thing of the past.

I might just go with this case:
NZXT Phantom 410 CA-PH410-B1 White Steel / Plastic...
although the rosewell has the sata on top, which is nice!

 

[Norton]

All good options... case is nice but not exactly my tastes... too much plastic for me

A couple of other video card options

MSI w/upgraded power circuitry:

MSI R6950 Twin Frozr II Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit...

XFX w/lifetime warranty:

XFX Double D HD-695X-CDFC Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-b...

I prefer Radeon cards because they generally use less power, run cooler and can do eyefinity (gaming across multiple screens)

 

[Mt.Biker E]

The XFX card looks real nice! Plus it less money with the rebate.
Can't find a review of it though.
Still kicking around what case to get. I'm not thrilled about another case with a door.
Its not a huge deal but it can be a pita if your burning disks.

 

[Norton]

The XFX card looks real nice! Plus it less money with the rebate.
Can't find a review of it though.
Still kicking around what case to get. I'm not thrilled about another case with a door.
Its not a huge deal but it can be a pita if your burning disks.

FYI- That Lian-Li also come w/4 fans. Lian-Li's have excellent build quality & no door

 

[Mt.Biker E]

Ah man I wish i didn't see this beast!
Rosewill THOR V2 Gaming ATX Full Tower Computer Ca...
I might just have to pony up for it, its only 20 bucks lol.

 

[Norton]

Ah man I wish i didn't see this beast!
Rosewill THOR V2 Gaming ATX Full Tower Computer Ca...
I might just have to pony up for it, its only 20 bucks lol.

It's a nice case- look it up on the review database on TPU's homepage

That case is BIG - your Tsunami might be able to fit inside it

Anyway, there's a lot of cases out there- the choice is really up to what you like

 

[Mt.Biker E]

It is a huge case, but i'm going to say it will be the last case i buy for a long while.

Still debating if i should get a new case at all & just make do with what i have.
The Tsunami is a well built case, just old school. I do need new fans & usb 3 interface so its easy to justify a new case. See I talked my self into it
The other cases are only an inch bigger, but I'm guessing its the new layout & cable management systems that make all the difference. Looking at my tsunami tonight made me realize how cluttered it is. Although part of it is the older cable styles.

 

[eidairaman1]

Personnaly id say save up for a USB 3.0 MODEL OF the CM HAF 932/942/X or AnteC 1200.

 

[Norton]

It is a huge case, but i'm going to say it will be the last case i buy for a long while.

Still debating if i should get a new case at all & just make do with what i have.
The Tsunami is a well built case, just old school. I do need new fans & usb 3 interface so its easy to justify a new case. See I talked my self into it
The other cases are only an inch bigger, but I'm guessing its the new layout & cable management systems that make all the difference. Looking at my tsunami tonight made me realize how cluttered it is. Although part of it is the older cable styles.

Don't really need a USB 3.0 if you don't have any USB 3.0 stuff.... remember your new board will have USB 3.0 ports on the back anyway and you can always use a 3.0 hub or add a 3.0 front panel adapter if you really need to. USB 3.0 isn't needed for Mice, printers, etc- it is mostly for fast external hard drives and such. USB 2.0 will still be around for a long time.

Your case is still your call- there's a lot of choices out there. It's like a gearhead picking the right rims for his ride.....

P.S> I 'm a gearhead too

 

[Mt.Biker E]

Thanks for the info & advice!
That makes my decision much easier ....well sort of lol

 

[Mt.Biker E]

This seems to be the best bang for your buck right now.
COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel ...

decisions decisions...

 

[Norton]

This seems to be the best bang for your buck right now.
COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP Black Steel ...

decisions decisions...

All on you now You have to like what you buy

Careful with the double posts- just hit the edit button if you want to add more info to a post before a reply has been sent.

Maybe we should bring the discussion over to PM's as it looks like only you and I are on this thread.... will send one out to you in a little while

 

[droozel]

If I were you:

i3-2100
nzxt 410
msi radeon 6950 2gb twin frozr II or III

do not think about it anymore

 

[Mt.Biker E]

Thanks Droozel.
The nzxt 410 is a nice looking case with great features, but it has a door on it & my last case drove me nuts because of the door.
I went with the xfx card because its quiet & has a transferable life time warranty on it. I'm sure I'll be upgrading my card in a year or less & being able to get some cash back is always a good thing.
As far as the chip set I am sort of looking down the road a bit with the am3+. But who knows its always a crap shoot when it comes to processors.
So many choices so little $$$$

 

[brandonwh64]

NZXT source 210 elite would be my choice.

 

[Mt.Biker E]

Hey all.

Seeing the AMD PhenomII are no longer being produced &
they are no longer on sale I have been rethinking my computer build.

The AMD Phenom II X4 975 Black Edition Deneb 3.6GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core
is back up to $160 on Newegg.
At this price point is it worth sticking with this processor?
Should I be looking at another AMD that is less $$.
OR
Should I be looking at Intel Core i5-2500 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core. $210..

Benchmark wise the i52500 is clearly the winner & consumes much less power than the AMD.
BUT its much more money especially if I grab an AMD in the 100-125 range.
My hesitation with AMD though is the Phenom2 is gone, FX got horrible reviews so if something goes wrong I'm out of luck!

Is the difference for gaming & video processing going to be that great compared to the money spent? I know what ever i get is going to be a huge improvement over what i had, but at the same time I want to "future Proof" (lol) my self as best i can & if that means spending a little more now I'm fine with that.

 

[eidairaman1]

this is where you have to look at other vendors of computer parts

Hey all.

Seeing the AMD PhenomII are no longer being produced &
they are no longer on sale I have been rethinking my computer build.

The AMD Phenom II X4 975 Black Edition Deneb 3.6GHz Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core
is back up to $160 on Newegg.
At this price point is it worth sticking with this processor?
Should I be looking at another AMD that is less $$.
OR
Should I be looking at Intel Core i5-2500 Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz (3.7GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core. $210..

Benchmark wise the i52500 is clearly the winner & consumes much less power than the AMD.
BUT its much more money especially if I grab an AMD in the 100-125 range.
My hesitation with AMD though is the Phenom2 is gone, FX got horrible reviews so if something goes wrong I'm out of luck!

Is the difference for gaming & video processing going to be that great compared to the money spent? I know what ever i get is going to be a huge improvement over what i had, but at the same time I want to "future Proof" (lol) my self as best i can & if that means spending a little more now I'm fine with that.