Any advice on a spring build?

[Tuck]

I was planning on replacing my 4-year-old rig with a new one this spring, but after looking at prices, I'm not so sure. About half of the components outlined in Tech Report's Christmas 2011 System Builders Guide have gone up in price in just the last two months. And not just the HDDs.

Anyway, my plan was to spend about a grand putting together a mid-range gaming PC. I'd planned to wrap it around the i5-2500, a Z68 mobo and a 550Ti video card. But just those three components run $700. Unless I want to cannibalize my existing system for the PSU, the case, the RAM and the HDD, I'd still have to get those things.

So... any advice? Should I wait it out? Full steam ahead? It just seems like a bad time to build.

[Nilesjones]

I'll go ahead and place the product list I went with.
Newegg.com - Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge 3.3GHz LGA 1155 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 3000 BX80623I52500K

Newegg.com - Thermaltake Frio Overclocking-Ready Intel Core i7 AMD Universal CPU Cooler CLP0564

Newegg.com - CORSAIR Professional Series Gold AX850 EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Newegg.com - Western Digital Caviar Black WD7502AAEX 750GB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb Internal Hard Drive -Bare Drive (I don't remember paying that much for it!)

Newegg.com - LITE-ON 24X DVD Writer 24X DVDR DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 32X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM Black SATA Model iHAS-324-98B

Newegg.com - MSI P67A-GD55 s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

Newegg.com - NZXT Phantom PHAN-001WT White Steel Plastic Enthusiast ATX Full Tower Computer Case

Newegg.com - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9D-8GBXL

Grand total including shipping is $990.37

This is minus the video card. I couldn't really help there, but this would be your base. This is assuming that you don't have anything at the moment.

That's the cheapest I could go for a mid-range computer. And yes, this is a gaming rig! lol

[K PhaNTOM]

Wait for nVidia's next helping. 500 drops in prices, even if by a little or you can look into the next gen graphics from nvidia/AMD.

[ryanbatc]

Wait for nVidia's next helping. 500 drops in prices, even if by a little or you can look into the next gen graphics from nvidia/AMD.

Agreed, wait for Ivy Bridge (Intel CPU) and Kepler (nvidia GPU)...
IB should be coming within the next month or so...

kepler pricing rumors:

[SighKoPath]

Ivy Bridge is expected in April.

If you do go for one of these now, and you have a MicroCenter near you, buy the i5-2500k from them. Currently, MicroCenter's in-store pickup price is $40 cheaper than NewEgg.

Personally, I'm still debating between buying now or waiting for Ivy Bridge. I just don't really like the current motherboard offerings from the major manufacturers... I want a Z68 board, but none of 'em really have the features I want for under $200.


For a CPU cooler, this is pretty much the gold standard right now: Newegg.com - COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus RR-B10-212P-G1 Intel Core i7

[goldenfooler]

Ivy Bridge is expected in April.

If you do go for one of these now, and you have a MicroCenter near you, buy the i5-2500k from them. Currently, MicroCenter's in-store pickup price is $40 cheaper than NewEgg.

Personally, I'm still debating between buying now or waiting for Ivy Bridge. I just don't really like the current motherboard offerings from the major manufacturers... I want a Z68 board, but none of 'em really have the features I want for under $200.

I will be in boston this weekend and live near a microcenter. Driving up tomorrow. Want me to drop one off tomorrow?

[SighKoPath]

No need... we've got a local microcenter in Cambridge. I do appreciate the offer, though!

[NateTheBrewer]

I agree on the waiting for the new stuff... Buying the top tier of a previous generation of hardware is always more bang for your buck then buying the top or even mid tier of the newest generation of stuff... Especially because no matter what, in 6-9 months your stuff will be 'out of date' no matter what you buy.

[Dead...Again]

Well the nice thing about the Sandy Bridge Ivy Bridge transition is that if you buy a SB mobo you should be able to stick an IB in it once it comes out (probably need a BIOS update).

[Tuck]

How firm is that April Ivy Bridge release date?

If the SB i5-2500k costs $230 now, how much do you expect it to drop once the IB CPUs come out?

Same question with the 560Ti-448. If it runs $300 now, how much do you expect it to drop when the new GPUs surface?

I don't mind waiting a while to save significant money.

[Tuck]

BTW, what are your thoughts in upgrading my 4-year-old rig rather than going all new? I currently have:

* Antec full tower case
* 550w Antec PSU
* IP35 PRO LGA 775 mobo
* Core 2 Duo (Wolfdale) @ 3ghz
* nVidia GT8800
* 8GB of 800mhz RAM DDR2
* 750GB WD HDD @7200RPM

For a 4-year-old rig, it's actually hanging in there pretty good. It plays BF3 fairly well, but the load times are horrible.

By my reckoning, I could replace the mobo, the CPU, the video card and the RAM and have a pretty decent new rig. That would only save me a couple hundred, of course. And I'd still have an old PSU and old fans. Thoughts?

[Nilesjones]

550w PSU is honestly weak... It can handle the graphics card of a 560, but if you plan on going past the 560, you'll want a better PSU.

But that's a good low end gaming rig.

Also, don't think about the present either. With everything changing so rapidly, you want to check on the latest games and get the specs for them. That way if a game comes out that you really like, you'll have the right equipment to handle it if you only need to upgrade one part of the computer.

This is why I mentioned the PSU.

[SighKoPath]

How firm is that April Ivy Bridge release date?

If the SB i5-2500k costs $230 now, how much do you expect it to drop once the IB CPUs come out?

Same question with the 560Ti-448. If it runs $300 now, how much do you expect it to drop when the new GPUs surface?

I don't mind waiting a while to save significant money.

Well, rumors say the date is April 8, though the most Intel has said is they're targeting a March or April launch. By the end of April is a pretty solid bet, I think.

I don't really expect prices of current-gen chips to come down all that much. Maybe a $10-$20 drop, possibly more if major manufacturers offer their own discounts/clearance sales. The reason I'm considering waiting is that according to rumors, they are planning to release the Ivy Bridge chips at about the same prices as the current Sandy Bridge chips, essentially giving more performance for the same amount of money.

[NateTheBrewer]

550w PSU is honestly weak... It can handle the graphics card of a 560, but if you plan on going past the 560, you'll want a better PSU.

But that's a good low end gaming rig.

Also, don't think about the present either. With everything changing so rapidly, you want to check on the latest games and get the specs for them. That way if a game comes out that you really like, you'll have the right equipment to handle it if you only need to upgrade one part of the computer.

This is why I mentioned the PSU.

Agreed, invest in a 1000 W PSU and you won't have to get a new one for years. The PSU was the only thing keeping me from going SLI like 7 years ago (had an extra graphics card but only a 600 W power supply and the PC wouldn't boot). 5 years ago I got this one and it's still going strong. A good case is another investment you can carry through multiple builds, as long as you get a big enough one to plan for future expansion and graphics card width ridiculousness.

[Tuck]

550w PSU is honestly weak... It can handle the graphics card of a 560, but if you plan on going past the 560, you'll want a better PSU.

But that's a good low end gaming rig.

Also, don't think about the present either. With everything changing so rapidly, you want to check on the latest games and get the specs for them. That way if a game comes out that you really like, you'll have the right equipment to handle it if you only need to upgrade one part of the computer.

This is why I mentioned the PSU.

Yeah, I thought it was on the low end. I'll go for a new PSU. But I don't plan on running dual video cards or changing much of anything else with this machine. It will be used for light gaming, surfing, and DVD watching by the kids.

The only things I've changed in my existing rig since the day I built it is I upgraded to Windows 7 from Vista, and I doubled the RAM to 8GB.

Would a PSU in the 650-750 range meet my needs well?