I believe they’ll be able to put it together if you just drop it off. You should check with Magazine, Futura, Centro, and likely ADM too—just shoot them an email to confirm. Just make sure someone pulls those components out of your current build first.
Regarding the Intel setup, you’re definitely going to need a different cooler. You won't survive the noise level of the stock cooler on a Core i7-3770, and honestly, it isn't going to keep things cool enough anyway—whether you want it to or not.
1 x Intel Core i7-4770K Processor 3.5GHz,16MB,125W,LGA1150, FD8320FRHK 1 x Gigabyte 970A-DS3P, AM3+, AMD 970 SB950, 4x DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866 1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11 1 x MS PHOENIX Case without PSU, Midi tower ATX, mATX 1 x Spire Kepler Rev.2 Cooler, 1156/775/FM1, 96.5×51×125 mm, 92mm
$825 Message the admin for cash prices; if you're financing, expect an 8-10% markup. You should check specific store rates. Also, you really ought to pick a case with better airflow—this one is basically a brick. Selecting cheaper motherboards while skipping the cooler is just masochism; nobody sane would suggest that configuration.
With Intel, you could go the route of a budget motherboard without a cooler, but the total cost ends up being identical:
1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11 1 x AMD Ryzen 5 2600 Processor (3.20GHz,1MB,6MB,84 W,1150) Box 1 x ASUS H81M-E, 1150, AMD A520, DDR3, 2 Slots, 1333,1600 MHz 1 x MS PHOENIX Case without PSU, Midi tower ATX, mATX
$823 (You'll need a BIOS update)
So, if that’s too much for your budget, here is my advice: either drop down to 4GB of RAM, or if you insist on having 8GB right away, switch to an AMD FX-Series X4 6300 and grab a better case and cooler:
1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11 1 x Gigabyte 970A-DS3P, AM3+, AMD 970 SB950, 4x DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866 1 x AMD FX-Series X6 6300 Processor 3.5GHz,14MB,95W,AM3+, FD6300WMHK 1 x Zalman Z1 Mid Tower Case. 199(W)x432(H)x457(D)mm. Standard MB support
$714 Admin (price for cash payment)
+ links LC-CC-120 (cash and financing prices are the same there) = $0.77
EDIT - There was no need to start 5 different threads🤣. You could have just asked everything in one single post.
Ryan Martin70 said:Can someone recommend a good power supply? I just sold my old Corsair CX500, so I'm looking for a replacement. I'd prefer to order from an American online retailer or a local shop that ships within the US. Ideally, I want something fully modular, at least 600W, and preferably with an 80 Plus Gold certification... my budget is around $80-$90.
Fully modular (not semi-modular), Gold rated, and 600W? Honestly, there is no way you'll find that for that price—not even here in the States.
The only realistic option near that range is this semi-modular one for $257 Seasonic 550G
Basically, you should follow Amy Vaughn12's advice here. If you can't find a Gigabyte graphics card, just grab the XFX R9 280 instead. For the rest of the build, you might want to opt for a more expensive, feature-rich motherboard, such as
1 x Samsung LS24D590PLX, 23.6" LED, 16:9 (AD-PLS), 1920x1080, D-Sub 1 x Intel Core i5-4460 (3.20GHz,1MB,6MB,84 W,1150) Box 1 x Asrock B85M Pro3, S 1150, Supports 4th Gen Intel ® Core 1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11 1 x XFX R9-280A-TDFD, Double Dissipation Edition Radeon R9 280 933M 1 x Fortron 500W Power Supply, Hyper, PPA5005003, 12cm fan 1 x Zalman Z3 mid tower case. 192(W)x465(H)x430(D)mm. ATX standard 1 x LG GH24NS DVD Writer, DVD±RW, 24x DVD±R ,8x DL , 40x CD-R 1 x Seagate 1TB HDD, Serial ATA III, 7200 rpm, ST1000DM003
And did you install the correct ones afterward? Check right here — select GeForce, then the 7 series (not the 700 series), and make sure to pick your specific OS
By the way, I suspect once the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 700 series stock runs out, the newer models will just step in at that same price point—since they’re technically the direct replacements anyway.
Go ahead and put it on that board—but honestly, is it really the right move? No. I’d say an MSI is the bare minimum that both you and I should be looking at. The real kicker is that it isn't even much more expensive, yet it's a drastically better motherboard. It offers incredible value for $167 +/- .
With the sapphire GTX 750 Ti, you're looking at just over $650
If you go with the AMD FX X6 6300, the GIGABYTE GA-970A-DS3P, the cheapest GTX 750 Ti, and 4GB of RAM (keeping everything else constant), it’ll run about $550 plus tax. That setup would leave room to upgrade to 4+2GB of RAM later on. If you aren't planning on jumping straight into those heavy titles from yesterday—for 99% of games, 4GB of RAM is perfectly fine. You can always just pick up another 4GB down the road.
I wouldn't recommend just hacking away at it. You’d be better off having someone professionally trim it with a grinder and sand down the edges so it isn't sharp... While they're at it, make sure they clear out enough space for long graphics cards, maybe around 312mm, just in case you decide to upgrade later.
btw, whose GTX 750 Ti is that—is it the Gigabyte Windforce? That one should be the longest of the bunch.
It’s also possible that a specific component—like your GPU, CPU, or even the power supply—is overheating. First, get a clear picture of your actual hardware specs using a tool like Speccy. Once you have that, start monitoring your CPU and GPU temperatures using software such as MSI Afterburner or PlayStation 3.
Jonathan Hill4 said:Hey there. Here is my current setup: AMD Athlon 64 X2 3600 1 GB M2N68-AM SE2 FEEL II 400 ATX Modecom And my old GPU, a GeForce 7600 GS, just burned out...
First off, I have to admit I don't know the first thing about computer components, but I am aware this build is pretty terrible. I don't need this machine for gaming or heavy workloads; I just want to modernize it enough so it lasts maybe another year or two for basic daily tasks. What kind of graphics card would you recommend for under $200? After that, I might invest more into the processor, but I'm not sure. Thanks 😉
If you aren't using this for games, you're essentially throwing money away by upgrading a rig like this. Even if you did care about gaming, any card priced around $200 would be massively bottlenecked by that CPU.
Grab something for up to $33 if you can find it—apparently, an HD5450 goes for about 70-$33. Also, try to add another 1-2 GB of RAM to give the PC some breathing room (for Windows 7, web browsing, etc.). You can usually find used RAM for 50-$20 per GB.
You’re going to need a SATA power to 6-pin adapter click, or maybe a 2x Molex to 6-pin one click. But honestly, if you want to play it safe and avoid any headaches, just swap out the power supply entirely.
You really need to keep this in mind—Intertech Energon is a hard pass. The same goes for Linkworld, Naviatec, Spire, EVC, and any other random junk that happens to have "Office" in its name... It’s like buying a cheap, generic power supply that’s basically just a brick of concrete inside.👍
Look, if you want to do this right, just grab a legitimate 400W 80+ rated unit that's actually available right now—like the Fortron Hexagon from $100 +/-
If I were in your shoes, I’d swap out that power supply immediately. That thing is total junk—that 650W rating is nothing more than wishful thinking on a sticker.
Unfortunately, that leaves me with a question—which one is actually the better choice? 🤣
It would be much more helpful if you could clarify what you plan to use the PC for. If gaming is the goal, what specific titles are we talking about? Are you running heavy design software? Also, do you have any intention of overclocking the CPU or anything like that?
