Budget 21-30k Partial PC Upgrade Budget 22K

axis.meister

axis.meister

Disciple
Happy New Year guys!!. Here is my query.


Q: What is your budget?

~22K


Q: What is your existing hardware configuration (component name - component brand and model)

CPU - Intel Core 2 Duo E4500
Motherboard - Abit IP-35-E
GPU - Palit 8400GS
RAM - Corsair Value 2X1GB DDR2
Monitor - Samsung 2233 -22" LCD
SMPS - CoolerMaster 600W
Cabinet - NZXT Gamma
HDD - 2TB WD Green + 500GB WD Caviar
Keyboard+Mouse - Logitech

Q: Which hardware will you be keeping (component name - component brand and model)

Monitor - Samsung 2233 -22" LCD (Works fine)
SMPS - CoolerMaster extreme power 600W
Cabinet - NZXT Gamma
HDD - 2TB WD Green + 500GB WD Caviar
Keyboard+Mouse - Logitech
Speakers+Headphones+DVD-RW


Q: Which hardware component are you looking to buy (component name). If you have already decided on a configuration then please mention the (component brand and model) as well, this will help us in fine tuning your requirement.

AMD Trinity if available/feasible


Q: Is this going to be your final configuration or you would be adding/upgrading a component in near future. If yes then please mention when and which component

Won't be upgrading in the near future, may add a SSD and replace the HDDs with a single high capacity HDD in the future.


Q: Where will you buy this hardware? (Online/City/TE Dealer)

Mumbai / Navi Mumbai
Open to online purchase


Q: Would you consider buying a second hand hardware from the TE market

Yes


Q: What is your intended use for this PC/hardware

1. Browsing/Downloading (not 24x7 operation probably like 8hrx7)
2. Light Gaming (Low-Mid res on new titles is fine)




Q: Do you have any brand preference or dislike? Please name them and the reason for your preference/dislike.

No specific dislikes really. Would prefer an AMD trinity based setup without a separate graphics card if it can be good for light gaming.


Q: If you will be playing games then which type of games will you be playing?

mostly RTS games but haven't played any new RTSs in a while.
COD MW series
NFS
GTA

I haven't played any new games for quite a while, only have occasional binges of AOE/C&C/Rise of Nations/Counterstrike/Crysis; but want to have a system that can play newer games at mid/decent detail level (If I would get the time to do that is another question :sad:)


Q: What is your preferred monitor resolution for gaming and normal usage

Desktop - 1920x1080
Gaming - Low/Mid level resolution- 1280x728 / 1920x1080 if possible


Q: Are you looking to overclock?

No


Q: Which operating system do you intend to use with this configuration?

Linux - OpenSUSE 12.2 64bit / Ubuntu Studio 64bit
Windows 7 64 bit



This partial upgrade is long overdue; have been actually planning to do this for around a year now. I don't intend to experiment with overclocking, and one of my concerns is actually the power consumption of the PC which I would like to keep low. This machine will be used for basic computing/browsing/ movies and occasional light gaming. I may replace the HDDs in the future when higher capacity drives(read 3TB) are back to reasonable price levels and also an SSD in the Future. Thanking all the recommendations/comments in advance.

aX.
 
axis.meister Go with this-
Intel i3 3220-7k
Gigabyte B75M D3H-4.5k
Gskill Ripjaws 2X2GB 1600mhz-1.6k
Sapphire HD7750-7k
Corsair CX430V2-2.4k
If you want AMD Trinity then-
AMD A10 5800K-8.4k
MSI FM2-A55M-E33-3.7k OR Any other FM2 Mobo
Everything else as above.
Many AMD Trinity processors are still to be launched in india.You can wait if you want another trinity processor.
 
Jakob said:
axis.meister Go with this-
Intel i3 3220-7k
Gigabyte B75M D3H-4.5k
Gskill Ripjaws 2X2GB 1600mhz-1.6k
Sapphire HD7750-7k
Corsair CX430V2-2.4k
If you want AMD Trinity then-
AMD A10 5800K-8.4k
MSI FM2-A55M-E33-3.7k OR Any other FM2 Mobo
Everything else as above.
Many AMD Trinity processors are still to be launched in india.You can wait if you want another trinity processor.
Click to expand...

Thanks @Jakob

Should I get a Sapphire HD7750 even in the AMD A10 5800K config? I was under the impression that the inbuilt GPU in the 5800K would suffice for low-mid level gaming; If not, than it doesn't really make much sense going with the A10 at all, I guess the i3-IB would be a better bet than.

What do you think about going for an i3/i5-SB and a 7850 2GB. I guess that IB is at its product-lifecycle peak right now; and SB is closer to discontinuation so it must be in a sweeter price spot.

Also you have suggested going for a Corsair 430W PSU; I currently have a 600W CM Extreme Power PSU. Yes I have read that the CM Extreme Power series is not the best, and I guess the CX430V2 has bronze rating. But is it really a necessary upgrade over my CM EP600W?
 
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You won't have to get HD7750 if you're going for AMD A10 5800K,It has HD76XX series gpu inbuilt which will give you mid level gaming performance.Although intel IB is at peak right now,The prices of SB Quad core processors haven't been reduced that much and even SB dual core processor is at 6.5k minimum so it's better to go with the Intel IB dual core i3 3220 which is priced at 7k.If you want to go for HD7850 2GB then you'd have to spend 14.5k over it which will eat more than half of your budget.The CM Extreme power plus psu is risky to keep,It can blow anytime if you add HD7XXX series gpu with it,So it's best to get a safe Corsair CX430V2 OR Seasonic S12ii 520W psu for HD7750 or HD7850 respectively.
axis.meister said:
Thanks

Should I get a Sapphire HD7750 even in the AMD A10 5800K config? I was under the impression that the inbuilt GPU in the 5800K would suffice for low-mid level gaming; If not, than it doesn't really make much sense going with the A10 at all, I guess the i3-IB would be a better bet than.

What do you think about going for an i3/i5-SB and a 7850 2GB. I guess that IB is at its product-lifecycle peak right now; and SB is closer to discontinuation so it must be in a sweeter price spot.

Also you have suggested going for a Corsair 430W PSU; I currently have a 600W CM Extreme Power PSU. Yes I have read that the CM Extreme Power series is not the best, and I guess the CX430V2 has bronze rating. But is it really a necessary upgrade over my CM EP600W?
Click to expand...
 
Jakob said:
You won't have to get HD7750 if you're going for AMD A10 5800K,It has HD76XX series gpu inbuilt which will give you mid level gaming performance.Although intel IB is at peak right now,The prices of SB Quad core processors haven't been reduced that much and even SB dual core processor is at 6.5k minimum so it's better to go with the Intel IB dual core i3 3220 which is priced at 7k.If you want to go for HD7850 2GB then you'd have to spend 14.5k over it which will eat more than half of your budget.The CM Extreme power plus psu is risky to keep,It can blow anytime if you add HD7XXX series gpu with it,So it's best to get a safe Corsair CX430V2 OR Seasonic S12ii 520W psu for HD7750 or HD7850 respectively.
Click to expand...

Wow, didn't know the CM EP series was that bad. I think I will go for the Seasonic 520W if you think that is a better option than CX430V2. My budget is quite flexible, I will prefer to go for a higher rated/more future-proof PSU even if that costs more right now.

What do you think about the power consumption of the two setups?
i3-3220+HD7770 will have higher consumption than A10 5800K without ext GPU?

I am leaning more towards the Sapphire 7850, I can stretch my budget to fit it, but my concern again is the power consumption. Of late my power bill has been shooting up(even without the AC/Cooler), and everybody seems to blame my PC for it. :annoyed:
 
Seasonic S12ii 520W would run i3 3220+HD7850 quite easily,The HD7850 only consumes 100-120W so no need to worry about that.You'll get better performance from HD7850 than A10 5800K so if you can get that then go for it.Besides even if the bill comes less,They'll blame quarter of it on you.:p
axis.meister said:
Wow, didn't know the CM EP series was that bad. I think I will go for the Seasonic 520W if you think that is a better option than CX430V2. My budget is quite flexible, I will prefer to go for a higher rated/more future-proof PSU even if that costs more right now.

What do you think about the power consumption of the two setups?
i3-3220+HD7770 will have higher consumption than A10 5800K without ext GPU?

I am leaning more towards the Sapphire 7850, I can stretch my budget to fit it, but my concern again is the power consumption. Of late my power bill has been shooting up(even without the AC/Cooler), and everybody seems to blame my PC for it. :annoyed:
Click to expand...
 
Yeah that is true, I would get blamed in any case.

Thanks for all your comments @Jakob, I think I will start off the upgrading process by getting the PSU changed to Seasonic 520W and then by getting the HD7850.
 
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Guys what do you think about the Seasonic ECO 600(600W PSU, 85%Eff) almost the same price as the Seasonic S12-II 520W @4.3K. It is 600W, so I would have a little more expansion room in terms of power(for additional HDDs + SSD), but I cant seem to find any review of the ECO series on the internet.

Which variant of 7850 should I go for? Flipkart has a bunch of them all around 15K(2 Gig variant). Also, how about Nvidia alternatives to the HD7850 around the same price point (GTX 660 maybe)?
 
axis.meister said:
Guys what do you think about the Seasonic ECO 600(600W PSU, 85%Eff) almost the same price as the Seasonic S12-II 520W @4.3K. It is 600W, so I would have a little more expansion room in terms of power(for additional HDDs + SSD), but I cant seem to find any review of the ECO series on the internet.

Which variant of 7850 should I go for? Flipkart has a bunch of them all around 15K(2 Gig variant). Also, how about Nvidia alternatives to the HD7850 around the same price point (GTX 660 maybe)?
Click to expand...

Read carefully, the Seasonic S12II 520W and the ECO 600W carry the same number of cables. So you are getting nothing extra save a sticker that reads 600W instead of 520W.

In-case you doubt the veracity of the former SMPS to properly power your setup, I suggest you Google for -- Johnny Guru Seasonic S12II 520W review and take a look at this write up -- Seasonic S12II Bronze 520 W Power Supply Review | Hardware Secrets.

For a graphic card I suggest you can pick any one in the following order (dependent on budget) -- nVidia GTX650Ti < AMD HD7850 1GB < nVidia GTX660 2GB.

Their relative performance to each other is illustrated in the following benchmark run(s) --
nVidia GTX650Ti vs. AMD HD7850 2GB
nVidia GTX660 2GB vs. AMD HD7850 2GB

Hope this helps, Cheerio!
 
ALPHA17 said:
Read carefully, the Seasonic S12II 520W and the ECO 600W carry the same number of cables. So you are getting nothing extra save a sticker that reads 600W instead of 520W.

In-case you doubt the veracity of the former SMPS to properly power your setup, I suggest you Google for -- Johnny Guru Seasonic S12II 520W review and take a look at this write up -- Seasonic S12II Bronze 520 W Power Supply Review | Hardware Secrets.

For a graphic card I suggest you can pick any one in the following order (dependent on budget) -- nVidia GTX650Ti < AMD HD7850 1GB < nVidia GTX660 2GB.

Their relative performance to each other is illustrated in the following benchmark run(s) --
nVidia GTX650Ti vs. AMD HD7850 2GB
nVidia GTX660 2GB vs. AMD HD7850 2GB

Hope this helps, Cheerio!
Click to expand...

Yes I had seen you mention Johnny Guru reviews on some other thread, so I went through the S12-II 520W review(I can see why it is highly recommended) and quite a lot of other PSU reviews on the site. I was just wondering if the ECO 600 is just as good, and 80W extra capacity at the same price tag would be sweeter.

As for the Graphics Card,
MSI HD7850 PE 2GB 950MHz(Twin Frozr) = 15.4K
Gigabyte HD7850 OC 975MHz 2GB = 14.6K
Sapphire HD7850 OC 920MHz 2GB = 16.2K
Sapphire HD7850 860MHz 1GB = 14K

Gigabyte GTX660 OC 980MHz 2GB = 15.8K
(all prices from FlipKart)

The 650Ti is around 9-10K for the different variants/brands; so which brand would you suggest?
 
axis.meister said:
Yes I had seen you mention Johnny Guru reviews on some other thread, so I went through the S12-II 520W review(I can see why it is highly recommended) and quite a lot of other PSU reviews on the site. I was just wondering if the ECO 600 is just as good, and 80W extra capacity at the same price tag would be sweeter.
Click to expand...

No I sincerely doubt that the ECO series SMPS is of similar build OR production values as the S12II Bronze line. And for that matter you can draw ~590W of power from the latter unit still maintaining over 80% Bronze efficiency.

As for the graphic card go for the GIGABYTE GTX660 2GB over all else.

Hope this helps, Cheerio!
 
Finally ordered the AMD A10-5800K @8.5K and Gskill 4GBx2 1600Mhz kit @3.9K from Flipkart. Holding off on the GPU for now to check if the integrated 7660D can suffice my current gaming needs.

Still cant find the Seasonic S12-II 520W at a suitable price, it is listed at ~4.6K on Flipkart and around the same price with shipping on theitdepot. Last month(also checked again last week) when I inquired with Prime, they didn't have it, said they could arrange in 2-3 days but I didn't follow up. So my question is if my current CM Extreme Plus 600W PSU can safely power this system?
Possible alternatives
Corsair CXV2 500W - 3.3K+150 shipping via prime or 3.9K via Flipkart.
Corsair CXV2 600W - 4.2K+150 shipping via prime or 4.4K via Flipkart.
I had my mind set on Seasonic, but I really don't want to go down to Lamington and search around for it in this weather.
 
You need only 3 components which are as follows:

CPU - AMD A10-5800k -8500,
MB -Asus F2A55-M-LE -4800,
RAM - Corsair Vengeance 4GB 1600MHz -2200,
GPU - Gigabyte HD7770 1GB -7800.
TOTAL -23,300.

You also need to change your PSU. Cooler master is a failure PSU. So you can buy this:
Corsair CX430 V2 -2400.
 
bssunil said:
You need only 3 components which are as follows:

CPU - AMD A10-5800k -8500,
MB -Asus F2A55-M-LE -4800,
RAM - Corsair Vengeance 4GB 1600MHz -2200,
GPU - Gigabyte HD7770 1GB -7800.
TOTAL -23,300.

You also need to change your PSU. Cooler master is a failure PSU. So you can buy this:
Corsair CX430 V2 -2400.
Click to expand...

Already got the following 2 weeks ago

CPU - AMD A10 5800K @8.5K
MB - Asrock FM2A85X Extreme6 @6.5K via trade(is @8.3K on Flipkart)
RAM - G.skill Ripjaws X 8GB dual channel kit(2x4GB) 1600Mhz @3.9K

Holding off on the GPU for now; apparently the APU is good enough for my gaming needs. Tried CoD Black Ops and GTA vice city, both run at pretty decent settings without a stutter on the APU. Don't remember the exact settings, but I think all settings were on high at least in CoD. Next up is MW2, if this APU can handle it at decent settings, I wouldn't need a discrete GPU at least for now.

As for the PSU, will 430W be enough for this setup (with say 2HDDs + 1SSD + maybe a discrete GPU in future)? I was thinking more like Seasonic S12-2 520W.

Next up on the upgrade path is a decent CPU cooler and SSD. I have a total of 3 cabinet fans(2 x CM Silent + NZXT cabinet fan) + stock heatsink fan, and the CPU temps are quite okay even after a long bout of CoD (about 53-54 DegC), but it is not summer yet. So I want to get a CPU cooler, just to keep the CPU running cool - No overclocking intended. Any suggestions?
 
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