Need a Little Build Help

[Suds]

1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
Gaming, web browsing, general usage.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
$300-$400 Shipping and tax included.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
US, Denver, Colorado. There is a microcenter close to me that I would prefer to get the parts from unless they are cheaper elsewhere.

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc.
CPU, RAM, Motherboard, and maybe graphics card if budget allows.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
Corsair AX750 PSU, 250GB Intel SSD, Antec P180 and AMD HD 6870(unless budget allows an upgrade)

6) Will you be overclocking?
Small to moderate overclocking, nothing extreme.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1680x1050 20.1" NEC 20WMGX2

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
As soon as possible.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
Nothing special, just s standard ATX motherboard maybe with moderate OCing ability.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
Yes, Windows 7 64bit.

I'm just looking to upgrade my CPU, MB, RAM, and GPU if the budget allows. I was also hoping to take advantage of Microcenter's CPU + MB deal if its cheaper than the alternative. Thanks for the help.

 

[HeavensCloud]

"I'm just looking to upgrade my CPU, MB, RAM,"

What are they now?

 

[Suds]

I'm currently running an Intel Q9550 on and old LGA 775 Motherboard with 4gb of RAM.

 

[tiraides]

$190 - Intel Core i5-4670K
$100 - Asus Z87-A (instant $40 discount when purchased alongside i5-4670K)
$31 - Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (price-match with Amazon)
$70 - Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB DDR3 1600 (price-match with Amazon)
======
$390 - Total before tax

Since the Devil's Canyon processors haven't been released yet, I went with the i5-4670K and the Asus Z87-A, which is known to be a good overclocker. I didn't see any mention of any CPU cooler, so I added the oft-lauded Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO. Eight gigabytes of RAM is more than enough for gaming and the DDR3 1600 speed is more than enough for overclocking. (You're using the unlocked CPU multiplier for overclocking, which doesn't require much tweaking of the RAM.)

The key to buying everything from Micro Center lies in your ability to price-match the RAM and CPU cooler. Call your store beforehand to see if they price-match with Amazon. Otherwise, buy those parts from Amazon.

 

[Suds]

Thanks for the response tiraides. I actually already have a CM Hyper 212 Evo so I'm good with CPU Cooling.

And the ASUS Z87-A is out of stock at the Micro Center near me, so will the ASUS Z97-A work just as well(It's $10 more)?

One other question: With an i5-4670K, will I be severely bottle-necked by my GPU?

 

[Dangman]

And the ASUS Z87-A is out of stock at the Micro Center near me, so will the ASUS Z97-A work just as well(It's $10 more)?

It's newer so it's not quite clear how reliable it is. But still worth a shot IMO.

One other question: With an i5-4670K, will I be severely bottle-necked by my GPU?

Yes, at that point, your GPU would be the issue, not the CPU.

 

[Suds]

It's newer so it's not quite clear how reliable it is. But still worth a shot IMO.


Yes, at that point, your GPU would be the issue, not the CPU.

Is there another motherboard that isn't as new that you would recommend(something in stock at the Denver Micro Center)?

And what would be a good upgrade route as far as GPU's go? Thanks for the responses too, I appreciate it.

 

[Dangman]

Is there another motherboard that isn't as new that you would recommend(something in stock at the Denver Micro Center)?

Hmm.. it looks like MC is dropping a lot of those older motherboards, including the ones I actually would recommend without a doubt.

At this point you're just going to have to gamble.

And what would be a good upgrade route as far as GPU's go? Thanks for the responses too, I appreciate it.

If you're planning on sticking with your current monitor for the next few years, the R9 270 at $160 to $165 is a good upgrade. If you're planning on getting a larger monitor with a resolution of 1920x1080 or higher within the next six months, I'd splurge for the R9 280 or the R9 280X,

 

[Suds]

Alright, thanks Dangman.

Also, I haven't read much about Devil's Canyon but is it something I should wait for if it's even in my price range?

 

[Dangman]

Alright, thanks Dangman.

Also, I haven't read much about Devil's Canyon but is it something I should wait for if it's even in my price range?

If you want low temps while overclocking, yes wait for Devil's Canyon.