Hello, tech newbie here.
I recently decided that it's become necessary to move up to a better system. My current PC is an HP Pavilion a350n - specs listed on the link aside from the power supply, which is 250w, and the replaced RAM, which is 2G. I've considered upgrading it to fit my needs, but it's quite the relic compared to what's out there today. I'd have to deal with a motherboard that only supports AGP, and the power supply would have to be replaced as well... and it just seems to be a waste of money.
So, I've decided to take the first step away from the manufacturers and build one myself. (No more OEMs, wooo!
)
I'm looking to make a mid-range machine with a focus on reliability and longevity. My current system has lasted me 8 years, so I'm hoping I can put together a model that will do the same - or at least come close - without a major batch of replacements. As such, I'm not interested in overclocking or anything of the sort, as that would reduce the life expectancy of the parts (I would assume).
My current budget is $850 USD. I'm reluctant, but willing, to push this up to $1000, but only in the case of parts that are absolutely necessary (i.e. better quality motherboard, processor, PSU, etc.) I'm trying to stay close to my needs with a decent amount of space to upgrade in the far future, if I should choose to do so.
Here's what I have so far (tentative with Black Friday sales coming up):
My biggest concerns would have to be the motherboard and graphics card.
Does the mobo seem adequate in way of space for future upgrades years ahead? It seems that the mobo changes the PCI-E x16 slot to x8 if USB 3.0 or SATA3 is used. Should I be concerned about this?
Also, I picked the graphics card because it seemed to be a good model for the price, and I've heard Nvidia cards are better for gaming. I mostly play MMOs, and very few are graphics-intensive to the point where I would need a truly high-end card. However, is there a better model I could select for around the same price?
Suggestions are greatly appreciated. As a reminder, I'm only looking to switch out parts in case of performance issues, or if I'll drastically increase the bang for my buck.
P.S.: How do you all get the titles from Newegg in your links automatically? Is it the Trackback field? *scratches head*
I recently decided that it's become necessary to move up to a better system. My current PC is an HP Pavilion a350n - specs listed on the link aside from the power supply, which is 250w, and the replaced RAM, which is 2G. I've considered upgrading it to fit my needs, but it's quite the relic compared to what's out there today. I'd have to deal with a motherboard that only supports AGP, and the power supply would have to be replaced as well... and it just seems to be a waste of money.
So, I've decided to take the first step away from the manufacturers and build one myself. (No more OEMs, wooo!
)I'm looking to make a mid-range machine with a focus on reliability and longevity. My current system has lasted me 8 years, so I'm hoping I can put together a model that will do the same - or at least come close - without a major batch of replacements. As such, I'm not interested in overclocking or anything of the sort, as that would reduce the life expectancy of the parts (I would assume).
My current budget is $850 USD. I'm reluctant, but willing, to push this up to $1000, but only in the case of parts that are absolutely necessary (i.e. better quality motherboard, processor, PSU, etc.) I'm trying to stay close to my needs with a decent amount of space to upgrade in the far future, if I should choose to do so.
Here's what I have so far (tentative with Black Friday sales coming up):
- CPU and Mobo
- Graphics Card and PSU
- G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL
- Western Digital Caviar Black WD7501AALS 750GB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Hard Drive -Bare Drive
- Case and Optical Drive
My biggest concerns would have to be the motherboard and graphics card.
Does the mobo seem adequate in way of space for future upgrades years ahead? It seems that the mobo changes the PCI-E x16 slot to x8 if USB 3.0 or SATA3 is used. Should I be concerned about this?
Also, I picked the graphics card because it seemed to be a good model for the price, and I've heard Nvidia cards are better for gaming. I mostly play MMOs, and very few are graphics-intensive to the point where I would need a truly high-end card. However, is there a better model I could select for around the same price?
Suggestions are greatly appreciated. As a reminder, I'm only looking to switch out parts in case of performance issues, or if I'll drastically increase the bang for my buck.
P.S.: How do you all get the titles from Newegg in your links automatically? Is it the Trackback field? *scratches head*
