Hey guys, I was wondering if you could help me out.
(I have been waiting so long to upgrade that I am in a semi-permanent holding pattern, waiting for the next release.)
I am currently only allowed to spend a portion of the tax refund on my toys, so if you guys could help me optimize my purchase that would be awesome.
(I am not going with my friends advice IRL, they are fanboys and don't use logic when purchasing.)
I intend to reuse the following parts, which shall be upgraded at a later time:
22" 1680x1050 LCD
Radeon 5850 w/ Gelid IcyVision cooler
120gb HyperX SSD (sata6) For MMOs, SC2 and whatever 'game of the moment' is on heavy rotation
NH-d14 cooler
WD caviar black hdd for Steam
Windows 7 Pro 64-bit retail edition
Generic DVD combo drive
Corsair HX 620 Watt PSU
HAF 922 case
I was seriously considering an i5-2500k cpu, 8gb ddr3@1600mhz, and a z68 mobo with maybe a Crucial M4 for the OS drive.
But then the Z77 motherboards got released and the new Intel i5 & i7 CPUs are being released. So I am right back in that holding pattern. Help me break free!
Basically I am looking at the 'core' of a new platform : CPU, RAM, Mobo, bootdrive.
Also, maybe I can use the HyperX 120gb SSd that I currently own as the boot drive and buy a new PSU?
One of my friends spent the weekend trying to talk me into an Fx-8120 build. I like AMD
becaus they have pretty nice features for their motherboards, but their CPUs have been pretty lackluster lately.
I mention the AMD because I can save a bit of money and maybe shoehorn in a new HyperX 120gb ssd for Raid 0 goodness.
Also, I have been seeing rumors online of the new i5 and i7 series running hotter than expected, and maybe not overclockign as much.
Budget $500, maybe $600 Canadian dollars. Ty for any help.
PS My current rig will be replacing my fathers old and tired pentium 4 internet/email box.
