Hi guys. (Man this text editor is horrible on this site, no line breaks lol...)
I haven't been following any tech related stuff for the past 3 or so years really, and I've been trying hard to catch up.Let me start with my current system config:
- 965BE
- 5870 1GB
- 4GB OCZ (I think sticking a fork in the ram slot would work better than these OCZs)
- no SSD
- 850w Antec Quattro PSU
So as you can see, at least in my opinion first order of business is RAM and probably a SSD since they are so cheap now. My budget is around 400€-500€, I like some room for suggestions, but I was thinking in that range.
By the looks of it, I've narrowed my choice down to 2x8GB of either Mushkin or G.Skill ram since 4x4GB apparently loads the IMC too much and limits overclocking (which I will do). Those 2 brands seem to be very capable for overclocking, I'm leaning towards Mushkin for it's lower (1.35v) voltage, but I'm open for any suggestions.
For the SSD, I've decided to keep it aroud 100€, I was thinking about a Samsung 830 128GB, any thoughts on this SSD?
The RAM and the drive is around 200€ already, so that leaves me with 200€-300€ for other upgrades.
I don't really play anything at the moment, I play some GW2 and Dota 2, but nothing else for the moment, however that might change. I figured I'll leave the GPU upgrade, because I don't feel what's left is anywhere near enoguh for a worthy GPU upgrade, especially since I'm not really gaming any super demanding stuff. I was thinking CF 5870, but I can't find another card, at least not by Asus for a decent price here (there are a few for 150€ but I don't know if that's really worth the hassle).
I promised myself long ago to go Intel next time, and I've cheated myself 2 times already going AMD for price reasons, I was thinking about a CPU/Mobo upgrade as well, the FX-6300 is a really nice a cheap chip. Plus AMD is probably sticking with AM3+ for quite a while, so that might be an option.
Like I said, I wanted to go Intel long ago, and I thought this might be a good chance to go for a 2500k or 3570k, but with haswell and a new socket around the corner, I'm hesitating considering this option. I've always hated Intel for this socket hassle, forcing people to buy new motherboards more frequently than AMD users (plus AMD socket's usually are upgradeable to the "plus version", e.g. many AM3 boards can do AM3+ after a bios update).
I wouldn't mind haswell coming soon if it weren't for the socket. What do you guys think?
To be honest, I'm not really sure if I need a CPU or GPU upgrade, I just want something to do with my PC being a PC enthusiast or whatever you want to call it.
Which made me think, maybe I should just use the extra 200€-300€ for a nice mechanical keyboard and maybe water cooling? What do you think of water cooling. My thought was to get a good enough pump for a gpu/cpu loop, but only buy a CPU block for now (since 1155 blocks should fit 1150) and overclock the crap out of my 965 BE. But I'm not sure how long custom water cooling systems last, I thought if it lasts for at least 5 years, this might be a good idea. Next time I upgrade (probably haswell) I would have a custom water cooling loop capable of CPU and GPU, my whole system would need a complete overhaul at that point anyway so...
What do you think?
Sorry if it's a long read but I'd really appreciate any suggestions (on specific parts or general ideas on what to purchase)
Things I'm definitely not looking for are PSU and Case (I've got Antec 1200), but new silent fans would be cool if the water cooling option works out.