2013 PC upgrades

[Killer_Rubber_Ducky]

Hey Guys,

So, I am looking to do a couple of things to my current rig.

First, I am looking to upgrade the CPU from my FX 8120 to a Haswell or Ivy Bridge.
Secondly, I am looking to downsize the size of my chassis.

I recently was diagnosed with a herniated disc in my L5/S1 area of my back. So, the VA does not want me lifting heavy things much.

That said, my case is a Corsair 600T and is massive and heavy.

I have considered the Coolermaster HAF XB or something along the lines.

The Haswell is temping due to running cooler and having a general performance gain over AMD.
I love my AMD but my power and AC bills keep climbing. I sit in my room with the AC at 65 and my room is still around 85 when my PC is on.

What can I do without dropping alot of money on upgrades? I only want to spend ~500 max.

 

[MT Alex]

The Corsair 350D is much classier than that HAF case.

 

[Killer_Rubber_Ducky]

The Corsair 350D is much classier than that HAF case.

can I carry it to LAN parties easily?

 

[Dent1]

Hey Guys,

So, I am looking to do a couple of things to my current rig.

First, I am looking to upgrade the CPU from my FX 8120 to a Haswell or Ivy Bridge.
Secondly, I am looking to downsize the size of my chassis.

I recently was diagnosed with a herniated disc in my L5/S1 area of my back. So, the VA does not want me lifting heavy things much.

That said, my case is a Corsair 600T and is massive and heavy.

I have considered the Coolermaster HAF XB or something along the lines.

The Haswell is temping due to running cooler and having a general performance gain over AMD.
I love my AMD but my power and AC bills keep climbing. I sit in my room with the AC at 65 and my room is still around 85 when my PC is on.

What can I do without dropping alot of money on upgrades? I only want to spend ~500 max.

Depends what you do with your computer, but I doubt you'll notice a difference on everyday usage to justify the upgrade.

Switching CPUs alone will not change your electricity bill, probably a few dollars saving a month at best. The room will be cooler so you might use more heating when it gets cold, so your bill might even go up!

 

[RCoon]

Prodigy + 4670K + Z87 ITX
Or the M-ATX prodigy

 

[Fourstaff]

+1 to matx Prodigy, it will certainly save you quite a lot of weight. Ivy Bridge has a lot of good mitx motherboard if you are going the itx route, but imo the best bang for buck can be found on the matx boards.

 

[Killer_Rubber_Ducky]

But if I want to stay under $500 for the upgrades, what should I be going with. I have 16GB of DDR3 2133Mhz Gskill RAM. I use my machine for many things but mostly gaming. I do have more than one PCIe card. I have a tv tuner, a soundblaster xfi titanium card, and my 7970. Not to mention, 3 HDDs and 2 SSDs with the DVDRW.

 

[Fourstaff]

But if I want to stay under $500 for the upgrades, what should I be going with. I have 16GB of DDR3 2133Mhz Gskill RAM. I use my machine for many things but mostly gaming.

Say you are changing only motherboard + cpu and case. So something like this:

Bitfenix Prodigy
4670K
MSI Z87I

Totals up to about $470 pre delivery off the egg.

I can't really think of a small case supporting the H100i, something you might want to take a look: http://www.overclock.net/t/1144409/...compatibility-thread-page-1-for-full-listings

 

[Killer_Rubber_Ducky]

Say you are changing only motherboard + cpu and case. So something like this:

Bitfenix Prodigy
4670K
MSI Z87I

Totals up to about $470 pre delivery off the egg.

I can't really think of a small case supporting the H100i, something you might want to take a look: http://www.overclock.net/t/1144409/...compatibility-thread-page-1-for-full-listings

would that work with the m-ATX Prodigy? MTAlex also pointed out the 350D and I looked at the Coolermaster HAF XB case. I also eyed the CM N600 varients as well as the CM Elite 120 Advanced. I really would like to be able to use at least my Hauppauge tuner card too. ^_^

 

[Fourstaff]

would that work with the m-ATX Prodigy? MTAlex also pointed out the 350D and I looked at the Coolermaster HAF XB case. I also eyed the CM N600 varients as well as the CM Elite 120 Advanced. I really would like to be able to use at least my Hauppauge tuner card too. ^_^

Get a mATX board then. CM120 is mitx only, so no go if you want to fit your tv tuner in. N600 can take the H100i, but its still a full sized case. The smaller N200 can take the H100i, but I am not sure if the tubing reaches the front properly.

 

[BigBoi]

since i think you mentioned you want to :
1.) put everything you have (as much as possible)
2.) carry it to LAN parties

you can try this:
gigabyte z87mx-d3h $124.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128601&Tpk=z87mx
i5 4670k $229.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116899
Cooler Master Strom Scout 2 advanced $99.99 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119263

total: $454.97

i'm not sure though if the weight is a lot less compared to your 600t

the h100i actually fits on top of that case, but you cant do push-pull unless its ok for you to have the "pull" fans visible...

 

[MxPhenom 216]

Don't get the Storm Scout lolz

Get the Corsair 350D like Alex said, or wait for the incoming ITX version.

 

[Killer_Rubber_Ducky]

Don't get the Storm Scout lolz

Get the Corsair 350D like Alex said, or wait for the incoming ITX version.

i would totally jump on the mITX version except for the fact that it extremely limits my expansion ability. i have a dedicated sound card and a TV tuner as well as the GPU. What i prolly will do is upgrade the case first then grab the mobo and cpu. It will save me cash over time. Since i still have to change the front tires and align them on my truck ~$350. ^_^

I guess the big question Phenom is : do I get the HAF XB or do I get the 350D? both are the same price roughly. The HAF XB would give me the ability to keep an ATX board if I wanted to.

 

[Fourstaff]

i would totally jump on the mITX version except for the fact that it extremely limits my expansion ability. i have a dedicated sound card and a TV tuner as well as the GPU. What i prolly will do is upgrade the case first then grab the mobo and cpu. It will save me cash over time. Since i still have to change the front tires and align them on my truck ~$350. ^_^

Fractal Design Core 1000 is quite a well regarded case if you are willing to ditch the H100i.

 

[MxPhenom 216]

you wont need a dedicated sound card with the chips that are already on these z87 boards.

 

[Fourstaff]

you wont need a dedicated sound card with the chips that are already on these z87 boards.

The X-Fi Titanium he has is still quite a lot better than those found in your standard Z87 boards (with ALC898 or ALC1150). Plus he still has his TV tuner, so Matx is still the minimum size.

 

[Killer_Rubber_Ducky]

The X-Fi Titanium he has is still quite a lot better than those found in your standard Z87 boards (with ALC898 or ALC1150). Plus he still has his TV tuner, so Matx is still the minimum size.

t
When the Onboard is better than the x-fi titanium or an ASUS card, I will stop using them. The TV tuner is not required but it is nice to have an option to put it in.

 

[MxPhenom 216]

meh, just get a Asus ROG board like the Gene and throw it in a 350D and call it a day.

 

[Killer_Rubber_Ducky]

meh, just get a Asus ROG board like the Gene and throw it in a 350D and call it a day.

that is roughly 200$. Not much room for the CPU and Case........

 

[thebluebumblebee]

The HAF XB weights 10 lbs less than the 600T, but the shape of it will move the weight further away from your body, which would put more stress on your back. I would think a simple mid tower would do the trick.
The nice thing about the XB are the handles. The Prodigy-M (not yet available) has "handles" as well. If you get a standard case, you will have to reach under the case to lift it or fashion handles of some sort.

 

[Killer_Rubber_Ducky]

The HAF XB weights 10 lbs less than the 600T, but the shape of it will move the weight further away from your body, which would put more stress on your back. I would think a simple mid tower would do the trick.
The nice thing about the XB are the handles. The Prodigy-M (not yet available) has "handles" as well. If you get a standard case, you will have to reach under the case to lift it or fashion handles of some sort.

thanks for the advice.

can you suggest a good small case and form factor? If the onboard audio rivals my xfi titanium, ill go mITX

 

[MxPhenom 216]

No TV tuner or whatever?

 

[Killer_Rubber_Ducky]

No TV tuner or whatever?

Correct. I don't use it these days. I used it primarily for my ps2 and cable. It works fine but I can't rip the commercials.:-(

 

[da20valve]

The case you have is awesome, plus the 600T is light, you are only going to substitute quality with weight and for that the weight the 600T is awesome, awesomely built and awesomely made, The Bitfenix Prodigy is actually heavier then the 600T and the build quality isn't as good as the Corsair, if you want something easy to carry around then get the Antec Lanboy Air, they aren't for everyone but they are easy to carry because of the handles.

DONT Ditch your case, you are paying extra money for no upgrade, plus with the amount of money you have to spend and the stuff you have not many cases mentioned will be ideal.
Just get the 4670K and something like a Asus Z87 plus, all the rest of your stuff is good and no upgraded is needed. Plus sticking in a Z87 and CPU in your old case is like 15 minutes work.

 

[Killer_Rubber_Ducky]

The case you have is awesome, plus the 600T is light, you are only going to substitute quality with weight and for that the weight the 600T is awesome, awesomely built and awesomely made, The Bitfenix Prodigy is actually heavier then the 600T and the build quality isn't as good as the Corsair, if you want something easy to carry around then get the Antec Lanboy Air, they aren't for everyone but they are easy to carry because of the handles.

DONT Ditch your case, you are paying extra money for no upgrade, plus with the amount of money you have to spend and the stuff you have not many cases mentioned will be ideal.
Just get the 4670K and something like a Asus Z87 plus, all the rest of your stuff is good and no upgraded is needed. Plus sticking in a Z87 and CPU in your old case is like 15 minutes work.

I do like my case. I don't buy that thr prodigy weighs more. I'm currently at my folks where I built a prodigy system for them. That is a light case. Plus, just got back from a Neuro-surgeon appt at the VA. I'm not allowed to lift anything heavier than 40lbs. That kinda removes my case as an option since the shipping weight was 40lbs.