5 year out of the game...need help with new rig!!!

[zabak80]

For the past 15 years I've always built my computers, but as I grew older and had more responsibilities, I've gamed less and had limited time to dedicate to tech.

I just realized my current rig is 4 YEARS OLD!!! With an old i5, etc.

Even though my computer is 4 years old, it still works flawlessly, but I can tell it is slowing down and I need to upgrade. I mainly now use it for internet, some light gaming and watching TV/movies. Really, I mostly play TF2 and will look forward to GTA V shortly. Other than that, gaming isn't a huge priority.

So I'm asking the experts to fast-track this build since I really don't have a lot of time to get up to speed on the newest tech and compare and contrast ram, etc.

PLEASE provide some guidance as to what I should get. Here is what I am looking for:

- Will be buying a new 27" monitor. (separate budget, not included in build)

- Light to medium gaming, as I said I would like to run GTA V respectfully, but don't need to dominate benchmarks.

- Would like it to last 2 - 3 years.

- Mostly for media/tv/movies and internet browsing and looking at funny cat pictures.

- HARD DRIVE: would like to move to a SSD, but really don't need more than 128 gb.

- PROCESSOR: thinking intel, i5 or i7??? What is good for my usage?

- CASE: can use my old one, still works and has plenty of fans, so MAYBE in the future I will upgrade it, but not a priority and can do without.

- Video Card: Gotta run the 27" and be ok.

- MOBO: Um, no clue what I need with the latest processor. Would like to stick namebrand.

- RAM: Again, no clue.

- POWER SUPPLY: Yeah...clueless again but I need a new one. Would like Seasonic or a reliable brand.

So again, I would like a good, reliable computer to power a 27" monitor for media watching, internet and light gaming.

- BUDGET: Would LIKE to keep it between $600 -$900, $1,000 tops. I can do bargain shopping if I need to once I get the specks recommended by the community. Again, the budget does NOT include the price of the monitor, which is separate.

I've been out of it for a while so I REALLY DO appreciate your help and expertise in this.

Here are my CURRENT computer specs:

Graphics card: HD4870
RAM: G.Skill 4GB 240-pin DDR3 1600 PC3 12800
MOBO: Gigabyte GA-P55-UD3 LGA 1156 P55 SATA 6gb USB 3.0 ATX
Processor: Intel i5 750 @ 2.67 ghz from 2011

 

[PP Mguire]

You going with a 1080p 27" monitor or 1440p? That really makes a huge difference in the GPU because you'll need something quite beefy to run 1440p.

That being said, I still have an i5 750 myself and really it does fine. The most outdated piece figuratively is the GPU. If you had a GTX 760 and 8GB of RAM instead you'd do quite fine. You could actually get a few more years out of the old beast if you overclocked it to about 3.6GHz.

Anyways on to your upgrade. This maximizes your budget and gives you ehhhh about a million more times performance.

Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-4440 Haswell 3.1GHz (3.3GHz Turbo) LGA 1150 84W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4600 BX80646I54440
Newegg.com - ASRock B85 Pro4 LGA 1150 Intel B85 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
HyperX XMP Blu Red Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 Desktop Memory Model KHX16C9B1RK2/8X - Newegg.com
Newegg.com - EVGA SuperClocked w/ ACX Cooling 02G-P4-2774-KR GeForce GTX 770 2GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 SLI Support Video Card
SeaSonic S12II 620 Bronze 620W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply - Newegg.com
Newegg.com - SAMSUNG 840 EVO MZ-7TE120BW 2.5" 120GB SATA III TLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

You can add your current 4GB to make 12GB of RAM as well.

 

[zabak80]

On the ram, do I have to match latency, brands, etc., or does it just need to be DDR3 1600?

 

[PP Mguire]

Your current RAM is most likely cas 9 and the RAM I linked is also a set of 9s. Although you don't have to add your 4GB, I just figured I would let you know you could. The bios will take care of the rest for you.

 

[zabak80]

It's actually a CAS 7.

Would that matter as long as its DDR3 1600?

 

[PP Mguire]

The bios will default it to a set of 9s for the other set.

 

[Maverick Wolfe]

I would nix The intel and go with an AMD based system using a newer Vishera FX series processor, DO NOT buy ASRock or ASUS motherboards they tend to have major issues with BIOS problems arising. Buy an MSI Military Class Motherboard such as the FXA990-GD80 V2 or other high quality board. as far as a Power Supply you'd be a fool to go with anything below 850Watts and at least 90A across 1-4 +12V rails. Remember Video Cards require the amperage and not just wattage these days, and have since the introduction of the Nvidia 6XXX,7XXX, and early equivalent of the AMD/RADEON brands of that particular series of cards. Go with 8-16GB Gskill DDR3 1866, 2133 or higher ram and Punch it all out with an Nvidia GTX760 or Better graphics card. Even if you DO go intel Stick with MSI Motherboards. They are simply the best in class boards, and are very rock solid with very high Overclock ability. the 990FXAGD80 board holds the world record for overclocking an AMD Processor at 8GHz. SSD as a boot maybe... You think you'll need no more than 128GB but game installs these days are approaching 30+GB for some games, not to mention you'll use up that 128GB within 2-3 weeks with just your basics and favorite games. I would go with 2 Seagate 7200RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6gb/s 1 or 2 TB HD's in Raid 0 with a 4TB Backup, for simplicity and performance. Case, I highly recommend either a Coolermaster HAF 932, HAF935 or HAFX as an upgrade and immediately replace the stock fans with Bitfenix 140MM and 230MM Pro series fans if you go with the 932 or X.
If you must skimp somewhere Skimp on leaving out the 2TB or 4TB backup drive Sticking with the RAID0 2x1TB or 2x2TB Drives, and Go with an MSI GTX graphics instead of EVGA, they're both very good and perform about equal as per the comparisons I've read. You'll get top of the line performance per dollar if you go with more of a brand name parts system. Below I will list what I'm currently running.

"WOLFESS"
Case: Coolermaster HAF 932
Motherboard: MSI 990FXA-GD80 V1**
Processor: AMD FX-8350 Vishera 4.0GHz*!
RAM: 16GB Gskill Sniper DDR3 1866 2x8GB
PSU: TT Toughpower Black Widow 850W***
HD: 2x1TB Seagate 64MB Cache 7200RPM RAID0*+
VID: EVGA GTX550TI SC@x1 Have X2 For SLI****
*!Currently cooled with a coolermaster V10 Hybrid TEC, Will be upgrading to an all Koolance custom LCS.
**Needs Replacement due to newer version of the board having added features, I also had a mishap that was my fault with the USB3.0 header.
***Upgrading to a 1200W or better PSU
****Upgrading to a single and eventually dual 760TI Or better
With my system currently as is I can run Crysis 3 at a respectable 30-40FPS with a single GTX550 on Ultra and Farcry 3 at about the same. You shouldn't need any more than what I actually have in my system for anything and you'll be good to go for at least 4-6 years with the exception of maybe a processor upgrade and a Jump to 32GB of ram as well as a video card upgrade at the most. At the end of the 2-3 year mark I'd look at the current line of processors and drop a newer processor that went with the board I have, and maybe look at dropping a new GPU in there to refresh the system.
On a Seperate note, If you wish to Stick with an Intel system, Go with the Best MSI Intel Series Board you can get, Drop in the Best I5 or I7 you can buy. Upgrade the Graphics to EVGA or MSI GTX7X series, and Ram to 8-16GB with Gskil DDR3 and You'll be set. Just don't forget you'll need a new PSU that's 850W or better for all the gear you're wanting to toss into it. If you would like any Clarifications please do not hesitate to respond here or PM me on the board.

 

[PP Mguire]

I'm not even going to waste my time explaining why that whole post is wrong.

 

[bpm55]

I am pretty sure Maverick believes posting in Bold makes things more believable. I have noticed all of his post are in bold, which makes me ignore them instead of reading

 

[acerinpa]

Why would anybody pay for a 850 watt PSU if they are not ever going to buy 2 video cards for SLI? Please find gigabytes own website on link below suggesting a 600 watt PSU for their 770 gpu.

GIGABYTE - Graphics Card - NVIDIA - PCI Express Solution - GeForce 700 Series - GV-N770OC-2GD

Isn't the quality of the power unit more important that the total wattage? Many others have posted on various websites that a good 550-650 watt PSU is ample for most new setups. I guess if you are running a whole bunch of other peripherals, and other stuff that will require power then I could see it. But 850 watts seems a bit high and a waste of money for a single Video card setup...