Help Me Decide on a New PC (long post, sorry)

Discussion in 'General Hardware' started by Size_Mick, Feb 14, 2016.

  1. Size_Mick

    Size_Mick Master Guru

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    Hi folks,

    I don't really know any of you, but I've occasionally come sniffing around on guru3d and its forums since almost its beginning. I think this site has more hardware enthusiasts than anywhere else that I know of, so I figured I'd pose this question to you nice people. My post is long and whiny, so if you get the urge to troll me, feel free. But please read the whole thing if you have any interest in helping.

    I've had the same PC (with the exception of an upgraded video card and some additional RAM I added recently) since 2006 and I figure it's time to replace it. What I'm looking for is something that will WOW me in the performance increase department. I normally buy "mid-range gamer" type equipment (you know, because of that whole "diminishing return on investment" problem). I would like to fit within a budget of $600 US (NOT including a monitor) if it can be done. I might go to $800 if necessary. I don't plan to reuse any parts from my old PC, so I will need a new case and PSU.

    I am firmly in the Nvidia camp when it comes to graphics, so ATI (AMD) enthusiasts need not bother wasting their time. On CPUs, however, it's the most performance per dollar I am concerned with, and I'm happy with Intel or AMD. I have no problem with overclocking, provided I can do it on stock cooling with no voltage increases. So either the overclock works under those conditions, or I am not interested.

    Current setup:
    CPU: Intel Core2 Q6600@3.0GHz (333X9)
    Motherboard: Gigabyte EP45-UD3R
    Memory: 8(4x2)GB DDR2@800MHz
    GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX560 1GB
    Storage: WD Black (one 500GB and another 750GB) SATA2 w/ 32MB Buffer, DVD-R/RW (I forget what brand, but the kind you get on newegg for under $20).

    So when I say I want the performance to WOW me, think of what my current rig can do and then think of what, say, a Pentium 3 1GHz and a GeForce 2 can do in comparison. The difference between those is the difference I'm looking for in a new PC, if possible. If you don't think a mid-range PC is capable of that kind of performance increase, I might hold off until the end of this year (amazingly, my system is still running fine after all this time. No HDD errors, and same OS since 2009). If you think mid-range gaming performance today is good enough to wow me coming from what I currently have, please read on.

    Right now, I can still run current games "adequately". That is, I get around 25 average FPS with medium settings and no AA (or maybe FXAA at most) in relatively late game titles like FO4, Arma3, and GTA 5. It's good enough to play the game, but I'm not very happy with the smoothness. I get excited sometimes when I drive into a tunnel in GTA 5 and suddenly the motion becomes nice and fluid. Then I get disappointed when I drive out the other end. Anyhow, i know this means that next year I won't be able to run any new titles (I've reluctantly passed on Star Wars Battlefront for this reason -- they want 2GB of video RAM). My PC is still surprisingly quick at most other tasks not involving gaming, but of course I'm still stuck on HDDs, so it'd be nice to have a good SSD to run games from, if not the whole PC.

    Also, I run the PC through my TV so I can use it from my couch with a wireless keyboard. I was hoping to squeeze in a good (for gaming) wireless keyboard/mouse combo, if anyone has advice on that.

    So anyhow, that's it. I'm hoping someone can price me out a couple of options that would be a good buy in the next month or two, and that I can expect to be happy with for at least 4 or 5 years into the future before I need to upgrade it. Bonus if it will be able to run VR stuff! Thanks for reading, and thanks for any and all replies.
     
    Last edited: Feb 14, 2016
  2. Rob McClelland

    Rob McClelland Guest

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    What you can do is do amd vs intel up to 800 bucks if you want :). DO PSU and CPU and SSD depends how big you want, then mobo then video then last of ram. You might need new case if you want extra long cards. I do recommed get Coolmaster HAF 912 case it's about 60 bucks now. But you may want add extra fans on the case.
     
  3. Vipu2

    Vipu2 Guest

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    If you dont plan to do any HARD work with pc other than game then you should get:
    Some intel i5 cpu.
    Not bad memory that works 8gb+.
    Ok motherboard that works and doesnt have tons of useless features you dont need.
    You can save with keeping PSU and HDD for now and get better later.
    Get good GPU, that is what makes most difference with games.

    If you buy used parts you save a ton with that too so you can get, again a better GPU.
     
  4. scoter man1

    scoter man1 Ancient Guru

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    If you can manage to somehow fit a 970 in your budget, you're gonna have a good time :)
     

  5. airbud7

    airbud7 Guest

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