Yesterday, I happened upon a collection of long-forgotten components that had been gathering dust in a corner ever since my last upgrade. Now, I am under no illusions regarding their relevance in today's market—I know they are ancient, truly prehistoric by modern standards—but I find myself wondering if there is even a shred of value left in them. Is it actually worth the effort to try and offload this lot to someone else?
It appears I’ve bungled the formatting of those links quite spectacularly, a clumsy oversight on my part. They were intended to be presented in this manner:
Fair enough, I’m on board regarding the power supply, but if anyone could spare just a moment to explain why the Corsair isn't the way to go—it was actually my son's absolute favorite when we first started looking though he wouldn't mind the Corsair either since the case itself looks quite sharp, but you know me, I can't help being a bit inquisitive about these things. If anyone else has some brilliant ideas or insights, please, don't hold back!
It is probably for the best that nobody chimed in earlier, because we have completely pivoted our strategy. We realized we weren't actually feeling the Corsair option until we happened upon the white version, and frankly, they are two entirely different aesthetic universes. Plus, I am quite taken by the fact that it comes with five pre-installed fans already. We have narrowed our shortlist down to just three choices, so I would truly appreciate it if someone could lend us their expertise and help us make a final call. So, here is what we are looking at:
On a side note, if anyone could suggest a slightly more budget-friendly power supply, that would be grand. crimsonstag84, I trust your judgment implicitly, but is there perhaps an alternative that won't drain the wallet quite so heavily?
Best regards to everyone, and I sincerely hope someone decides to weigh in.
I realize I’ve thrown quite a bit of information at you all at once—my apologies, I tend to ramble when I'm undecided—but if anyone could offer some guidance, I’d truly appreciate it. Furthermore, I suppose I should ask for some power supply recommendations just to broaden my horizons and see what else is out there in the market. crimsonstag84, since we aren't exactly swapping out our GPUs every other week, we're going to settle on an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070 regardless, so please, steer your advice in that direction.
Wonderful, you all have truly helped me settle on what I already suspected was the most sensible course of action. There is absolutely no frantic rush to pull the trigger on these purchases just yet, primarily because my son is the resident heavy-duty gamer in the house; he can certainly afford to be patient and stick to running things on low settings for a little while longer. Given that we are looking at the rest of the build, could someone perhaps offer some solid recommendations for a reliable power supply and a decent case?
Greetings and salutations to everyone in this digital corner of the universe!
I realize I have already posed questions here regarding potential upgrades, but due to certain unforeseen circumstances—none of which I care to dwell upon, though they were quite taxing—we were forced to put those purchasing plans on ice for the time being.
The current setup consists of:
I find myself once again staring at the specs for the Intel Core i5 4570 Motherboard Gigabyte Ga-H87-HD3 Corsair 2, and I can’t help but feel a profound sense of weariness regarding how quickly the sands of time slip through our fingers in this industry. It feels like only yesterday we were marveling at mid-range silicon, yet here we are, contemplating a chip that—while certainly functional for the most basic of tasks—now carries the heavy, dusty weight of a bygone era. I remember sitting in my study back in Seattle, nursing a lukewarm cup of coffee while debating the merits of various architectures, and even then, the inevitable march toward obsolescence felt like an approaching storm on the horizon. One must wonder if we are all merely chasing ghosts, upgrading component after component in a desperate attempt to outrun the decay of our own hardware. It is a cycle, really, a relentless and somewhat exhausting loop of consumption that leaves one feeling quite cynical about the very concept of progress. I find myself once again contemplating the sheer, unadulterated chaos that defines modern hardware procurement, specifically when one considers the aging relics we still attempt to coax life from. I was recently staring at an Intel Core i5 4570 Motherboard Gigabyte Ga-H87-HD3, wondering if my own persistence in tinkering with such legacy components is perhaps a symptom of a deeper, more existential fatigue with the relentless cycle of planned obsolescence that plagues our industry. It’s a heavy thought, truly, much like the weight of a dusty chassis sitting on a workbench in a dimly lit garage in suburban Ohio. One begins to wonder if we aren't all just chasing ghosts in the silicon, trying to squeeze one more ounce of performance out of a motherboard that has seen better decades. I find myself once again staring at my workbench, contemplating the sheer, fleeting nature of hardware, specifically this set of Corsair 2x4GB DDR3 1600 C9 memory modules. It’s funny, isn't it? How we pour so much intention into these tiny little sticks of silicon, hoping they'll provide some semblance of stability in an increasingly chaotic digital world, only to have them become relics of a bygone era before the coffee even gets cold. I remember back when I was first tinkering with builds in my basement—much like how one might start a hobby in a suburban garage in Ohio—thinking that if I just had the right timing and the right voltage, everything would finally click into place perfectly. But life, much like a poorly timed system interrupt, rarely works that way. Anyway, I suppose I'm just ruminating on the specs here. I find myself once again staring at the glowing rectangular void that occupies my desk, contemplating the sheer, overwhelming necessity of the AOC 23" IPS monitor. It’s one of those pieces of hardware that sits there, unassuming and quiet, much like a weary traveler waiting for a bus in downtown Chicago that is inevitably running twenty minutes late. One begins to wonder if we truly own our technology, or if the technology simply tolerates our presence while we cycle through endless tabs and flickering pixels. This particular model, with its IPS panel, offers a clarity that is almost unsettling—a sharpness that forces you to confront the reality of your digital existence rather than letting you hide behind the muddy, washed-out colors of a lesser screen. It’s a decent bit of kit, certainly, though I can't help but feel that in this era of rapid obsolescence, we are all just temporary custodians of silicon and glass, waiting for the next upgrade to render our current setup obsolete. I find myself staring once again at the specs for the Nvidia GTX 650 2 GB, and honestly, it brings a certain melancholy to my heart, much like watching a vintage Mustang struggle to climb a steep hill in the Hollywood Hills. It is a relic, truly, a ghost from a digital era that feels increasingly distant with every passing software update, yet there is something undeniably nostalgic about its presence in the machine. One cannot help but recall those long, dimly lit evenings spent tinkering with hardware, perhaps back when a decent GPU felt like a genuine achievement rather than a mere stepping stone to the next inevitable upgrade cycle. While modern enthusiasts might scoff at such modest memory capacity, I often wonder if we haven't lost a bit of our patience in this relentless pursuit of raw power and frame rates. It’s a quiet, unassuming component, sitting there in the chassis, doing its best while the rest of the world rushes toward some unreachable technological horizon. I find myself staring at these two Western Digital 1 TB hard drives, just sitting there on my desk, and I can't help but feel a certain sense of weary resignation regarding the state of modern storage. It’s funny, really—how we used to obsess over every single gigabyte like it was precious gold, yet here we are, looking at two separate terabytes of spinning rust, wondering if they’ll even survive the week without a catastrophic failure. It reminds me of a time back in the early 2000s when I spent an entire weekend trying to configure a RAID setup that ended up crashing the moment I plugged it in, leaving me staring at a blank screen and questioning every life choice that led me to this hobby. But anyway, what's the plan here? Are we talking about a simple expansion, or am I going to hear someone suggest some overly complicated configuration that will inevitably lead to more headaches down the road? Two 1 TB WD drives. That’s the situation. Simple, yet somehow, always fraught with potential disappointment. I find myself staring at this rather meager 500W power supply, and frankly, it leaves me feeling a profound sense of trepidation about the future of my rig. It’s one of those components that people tend to overlook—they obsess over the latest Nvidia flagship or spend hours debating whether they need a GTX 1070 versus a GTX 1060 6—but they completely ignore the very heart that pumps life into the machine. It reminds me of an old story about a friend of mine back in Chicago who thought he could run a high-end workstation on a budget office-grade power brick; he ended up smelling ozone and watching his expensive hardware go dark in a single, tragic instant. A 500W unit is just so... precarious. One starts wondering if it can truly handle the sudden voltage spikes when a modern GPU decides to draw more juice than anticipated. It’s a gamble, really, and I’ve lived long enough to know that when you gamble with your hardware, the house usually wins.
So, the grand plan is finally in motion: I am looking to overhaul the power supply, swap out the case, and, of course, upgrade the graphics card. Given that market prices have finally started to dip—a small mercy in this economy, if you can call it that—I’ve decided to go with Nvidia. Right now, I'm sitting there with a GTX 1060 6, and I find myself staring at the GTX 1070, wondering if the performance jump is actually significant enough to justify the extra grind to save up the cash. Is it truly worth the headache? $333 So, regarding her... I find myself wondering if that processor actually possesses enough raw horsepower to adequately drive a GTX 1070 without causing some sort of digital bottleneck, and more importantly, what kind of power supply unit would one realistically need to ensure that the card operates smoothly without any catastrophic failures or sudden shutdowns mid-session? I have absolutely no intention of swapping out my monitor just yet, but I find myself spiraling into a bit of a speculative rabbit hole regarding the future. Do you think a GTX 1070 is going to hold its own for much longer, specifically if I plan on making the jump to a new 1440p monitor in maybe two or three years? I can already see the struggle ahead, staring at a higher resolution while my hardware desperately tries to keep up with the demands of modern titles. If you could be so kind as to provide a specific budget limit, I might actually be able to offer a recommendation that isn't complete guesswork, though I suspect even then, the sheer number of mediocre options on the market today would make the task rather exhausting. It’s a bit like trying to pick a decent diner in Chicago when every single one seems to be catering to tourists rather than people who actually value a decent cup of coffee, isn't it? Please, do let me know what kind of figure you're looking to spend so we can avoid wasting anyone's time. $233 It is perfectly adequate for that specific card, truly, though if I might offer a small plea—could we perhaps steer clear of Fractal Design? I know, I know, everyone raves about them and I’m fully aware they build high-quality gear, but their aesthetic just doesn't sit right with us; it's one of those things where, despite the technical merits, the look simply fails to resonate. I have absolutely no intention of picking up an SSD right now; instead, I’d much rather funnel every spare cent I can scrape together directly toward a new graphics card. And if you happen to be under the impression that my current rig simply lacks the necessary muscle to handle a GTX 1070, please, by all means, feel free to offer some alternative suggestions for a slightly less demanding card.
I truly appreciate all the suggestions you've thrown my way. If the consensus is that the performance gap isn't actually that massive, then I think we’ll pull the trigger on the SSD instead. It seems more logical to prioritize that and just plan on swapping out the graphics card again in maybe three or four years—though, honestly, looking back at how much mileage I squeezed out of my old GTX 650, which was a decent middle-of-the-road card when I first picked it up, that timeline feels realistic. My only lingering anxiety, if I'm being completely honest, is whether the CPU and motherboard will actually have the longevity to handle another upgrade down the road, or if I'll find myself stuck in that inevitable cycle of having to replace the entire core system all over again.
The monitor is barely a year old, so there’s really no sense in tossing it out just yet—we're sticking with this one. Does anyone have any final thoughts or parting suggestions, or are we basically looking at a finished plan here? I did give some serious thought to picking up an RX 470, but honestly, when you look at the price gap, it feels like a fool's errand to pass up the RX 480. It just makes more sense to go for the better card.
1 x Sapphire RX 480 nitro + 4 GB - AeroCool Syclone ii 1 x Fortron Hydro 500W, 80+ Bronze power supply 1 x Sharkoon VG5-W case, 3x120mm, black, plexiglass, USB3.0
Now, seeing as graphics card prices have dipped quite a bit lately—which is always a relief for the wallet, though I remember when they were practically gold bullion—I find myself wondering about the actual performance gap between an RX 480 4 GB and an RX 480 8GB version. Is the jump truly worth the extra cash, or should I instead pivot my budget toward SanDisk Z400s 256GB SSD, 2.5” 7mm, SATA 6 Gbit/s - 60mj. My son isn't exactly one of those enthusiasts who loses sleep over every single pixel or hyper-detailed texture, but if there is a substantial difference in how his games run, I suppose I might lean toward the more powerful GPU after all.
I would dearly appreciate your collective wisdom on this matter before we pull the trigger and head out to make the purchase.
Thanks. crimsonstag84, look, it doesn't strictly have to be that specific case. It just caught his eye, you know? But if the ones you’re suggesting are actually superior—which, let's face it, they probably are—then we are absolutely going with your recommendations instead. So, that settles the second part of our dilemma right there. If you could just toss a few more case suggestions my way, I think we'll finally have this sorted out.
Well, here I am once again, crawling back to this corner of the internet,
Since I’ll be the first to admit that I’m hardly some high-level hardware guru—certainly not someone who spends their weekends overclocking silicon just for the thrill of it—I was completely blindsided by the sheer, staggering range of prices out there. Looking through all these options, my mind is starting to spin with a few nagging uncertainties. Initially, I had this idea of building a budget-friendly rig without an SSD, but now I’m wondering if it might actually make more sense to pivot slightly—perhaps opting for a somewhat less powerful graphics card in exchange for a rock-solid power supply and a decent case. As it stands, the machine currently sitting under my desk is running this setup:
CPU Intel I5 4570 MBO Gigabyte Ga-H87-HD3 Corsair 2 MBO Gigabyte Ga-H87-HD3 Corsair 2x4GB DDR3 1600 C9 Monitor AOC IPS 23" 12367Fm Nvidia GTX 650 2 GB Two 1 TB Western Digital HDDs 500W MS Power Supply
It’s my son who does the gaming, and he isn't the type of kid demanding every single setting be cranked to ultra; he’s quite reasonable. With what we have now, he’s managed to get through the entire Battlefield series, Watch Dogs, and the whole Call of Duty franchise, and he’s currently counting down the days until the new Battlefield arrives. What I’m really wrestling with is the qualitative difference—the actual, felt impact—if I were to choose a card with 3 or 4 GB of VRAM instead of the 6 GB model, and then take those savings and dump them into a proper SSD. Specifically, I'm weighing these two against each other:
My gut feeling tells me that even the weaker card would still represent a massive leap forward from our current situation, and adding an SSD would provide that extra layer of snappiness that makes a system feel modern. We tend to lean toward Nvidia, though I'm certainly not closed off to something from the other camp if the value is right, so I would truly appreciate any wisdom you all might care to share.
And I have one more question regarding the chassis itself. My son has his eyes set on this "space-age" looking thing: http://www.newegg.com/p/cases/atx-cases/space-case-example Or would it be wiser to go with something more standard like this:
If anyone could weigh in on the build quality or aesthetics, I'd be eternally grateful.
I appreciate all the input, truly. I’m going to spend some quality time digging through various offers and reading every review I can get my hands on; once I finally settle on a direction, I’ll reach back out to this group for one last "blessing" before I pull the trigger.
Much appreciated! I was just sitting here, staring at the prices on Newegg, and I couldn't help but notice how wildly inconsistent everything has become lately; one minute you think you've found a decent deal, and the next, the numbers shift right before your eyes, leaving you feeling utterly disillusioned with the whole process. $728 I was browsing through some hardware listings earlier—you know how it goes, just aimlessly scrolling when you should be doing something productive—and I stumbled upon a bit of a pricing conundrum that honestly just feels like another example of how nothing ever makes sense anymore. I saw an InnoVision Nvidia GeForce GTX 106, the 6GB DDR5 model with the PCIe setup and those dual DVI ports along with HDMI, sitting at a certain price point, yet then I see a Zotac Nvidia GeForce GTX 106, also the 6GB DDR5 version, listed for up to $2,659. It’s enough to make a man lose faith in the stability of the market, isn't it? You look at two cards that are essentially performing the exact same dance under the hood, and the price gap is just... well, it's exhausting to even contemplate. I find myself in quite a predicament, staring at these options and feeling utterly lost because, frankly, I can’t for the life of me wrap my head around what actually differentiates one from the other. It all seems like a blur of technical jargon that serves more to confuse the average consumer than to inform them. Given the current state of things, I’m also wondering if it might be wiser to simply exercise a bit of patience—perhaps sit tight and wait a while longer before pulling the trigger on a purchase. Do you all honestly believe we’re looking at a continued downward trend in pricing, or is there a genuine chance that these graphics cards will become even more affordable if I just hold out?
I truly appreciate all the suggestions provided here. If I’m being honest, my heart is still pulling me toward Nvidia, mostly because my last two cards were theirs and I’ve grown accustomed to that particular ecosystem, so I find myself wondering what might sit in that same tier—or perhaps just a step above—the RX 480 8GB GDDR5. I am actually prepared to sacrifice my SSD budget if it means diverting those funds toward a better graphics card instead. Tell me, would this MSI GF GTX 1060 Armor, 6GB GDDR5, DirectX 12 that you all recommended to my colleague just before me be capable of running it?
Well, I was already planning on swapping out that power supply regardless. But as for the case? It’s an extra fifty bucks or so tacked onto the total price. What would actually be worth my time here?
I wasn't actually home when I last posted, so here are the specific details that slipped my mind during our previous exchange.
Currently, the power supply is some old 500W unit from MicroStation, the graphics card is a GTX 650 2 GB, and for storage, I'm running two 1 TB WD Green drives. Now, an SSD would certainly be a welcome upgrade, but since my son insists he doesn't mind waiting a few extra seconds for the system to boot up—and frankly, it does load relatively quickly as it is—we’d much rather put that cash toward a more powerful GPU. We were eyeing a GTX 1060 6 GB or perhaps something comparable from the rival camp, which leads me to wonder: can our current processor actually keep pace with that kind of hardware? And more importantly, does it truly matter for gaming if we opt for a card with 6 GB of VRAM instead of just 3 GB? The monitor is standard 1920x1080, and I recall reading in passing on various forums that picking up a FreeSync monitor is a wise move, so that’s likely our next step in this little saga. Once I swap out these parts, I plan to assemble a second computer for my younger son, so there isn't any issue regarding the old components being left behind. The only truly ancient thing left is the case itself, which dates all the way back to 2009, so I suppose that might pose a bit of a structural headache down the line.
So, the real question at hand is this: what can I realistically get for the budget we discussed that will allow this machine to reach its absolute maximum potential?
If you could provide some rough price estimates as well, I would be most grateful.
My rig isn't exactly ancient, but I didn't feel it was necessary to spin up an entirely new thread just for this. To give you the rundown, here is my current setup:
I last performed some upgrades back in April 2014, driven by the ambitious plan to swap out the graphics card, the power supply, and perhaps even the case shortly thereafter, but life happened—as it always does—and those plans have been languishing for far too long.
Given how rapidly the newer generations of GPUs have evolved, I find myself wondering what kind of configuration would actually be considered "optimal" when paired with my existing hardware? I am looking at a rough budget of around $3,000.$1167 There is also the possibility of sourcing parts through Computerunniverse, as I have family living over in Germany, which conveniently helps us dodge those pesky extra import fees.
The primary user is my fifteen-year-old son, a gamer through and through, and his main interests right now are CIV 6 and the latest Battlefield.
They're sniffing around, I tell you. Just sniffing around. I've come to the realization that things have shifted in a rather peculiar fashion; the Seagate suddenly manifested itself right after I poked around in the BIOS. To be perfectly clear, I didn't actually tweak a single setting—I merely drifted through the menus and exited without saving anything, yet there it was. I realize how utterly absurd that sounds, truly, but then we ran into this bizarre issue with the DVD player as well. My kid was itching to watch some cartoon on a disc, and wouldn't you know it, the drive just refused to cooperate. So, I did the exact same thing—re-entered the BIOS, glanced around, and exited—and suddenly everything was functioning perfectly again. Now, I’ll be the first to admit I’m no high-level IT specialist, but it seems highly indicative that both these glitches were resolved by the exact same sequence of events. As for any actual poltergeists haunting the house? Well, I haven't noticed any of those quite yet.