Graogrim
New Member
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2008
- Messages
- 308 (0.05/day)
- Location
- East Coast US
| System Name | Paradigm |
|---|---|
| Processor | i5 3570k |
| Motherboard | MSI Z77A-G43 |
| Cooling | OEM |
| Memory | 8 GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3 2133 |
| Video Card(s) | EVGA GeForce GTX 670 2 GB |
| Storage | 128 MB Corsair M4 SSD + 1 TB WD Caviar Black |
| Display(s) | Samsung 24" |
| Case | Rosewill Challenger USB 3 |
| Audio Device(s) | Soundblaster X-Fi Titanium HD |
| Power Supply | Corsair GS 800 |
| Software | Windows 7 64 bit |
So my current system has been around for about 2.5 years and has served me very well. It was a budget construction from the start, but even now I still feel pretty good about it. Every real application and game I throw at it still performs at least adequately.
That said, there are a few specific cases starting to pop up that are making me think of upgrading. Not upgrading hugely, however. My plan is to once again replace the CPU, motherboard, and RAM and reuse my other components. My goal is to keep costs under $350, and the choices I have made reflect that goal.
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-P55-USB3 LGA 1156 Intel P55 USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
CPU: i3-530
Memory: CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
I'm not married to any of these choices, but they represent the kind of setup I'm looking for. The motherboard looks like it will age reasonably well, retaining support for a future i7 upgrade and more RAM as needed. The CPU is a considerable upgrade from my humble E2200, and the RAM just fits the price point and seems to offer good performance for the cost.
I do plan on overclocking this system, probably by a margin similar to what I overclock now--nothing stellar, just the best performance I can get on air while maintaining strong stability and longevity.
So, with all this in mind, I'm trolling for better choices floating around out there. Anyone have any recommendations or suggestions? Just keep in mind that I'm absolutely not considering splurging at this point--I am sticking to my budget.
That said, there are a few specific cases starting to pop up that are making me think of upgrading. Not upgrading hugely, however. My plan is to once again replace the CPU, motherboard, and RAM and reuse my other components. My goal is to keep costs under $350, and the choices I have made reflect that goal.
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-P55-USB3 LGA 1156 Intel P55 USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
CPU: i3-530
Memory: CORSAIR XMS3 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
I'm not married to any of these choices, but they represent the kind of setup I'm looking for. The motherboard looks like it will age reasonably well, retaining support for a future i7 upgrade and more RAM as needed. The CPU is a considerable upgrade from my humble E2200, and the RAM just fits the price point and seems to offer good performance for the cost.
I do plan on overclocking this system, probably by a margin similar to what I overclock now--nothing stellar, just the best performance I can get on air while maintaining strong stability and longevity.
So, with all this in mind, I'm trolling for better choices floating around out there. Anyone have any recommendations or suggestions? Just keep in mind that I'm absolutely not considering splurging at this point--I am sticking to my budget.
