re: PC Discussion - Gaming, Performance and Enthusiasts

If it makes you feel any better i'm installing a XFX HD6450 right now. Seriously...

I'm fixing up my "Nanny" (God Mother's) BF's computer. It has an i3 550 Clarkdale(2C/4T) with 4GB 1333 RAM and 1TB 5400HDD.

Totally fixed him up with the following upgrades:

1. SSD 60GB - Vertex 3 (For Boot and Programs)
2. RAM 8GB - Ripjaw Z 1600 (2x4GB)
3. GPU HD6450 - XFX HD6459 1GB

It is a desktop he purchased almost 4yrs ago and simply just uses it for his business. So excel, word, pdf, email and some citrix app. He will freak out when using a SSD for the first time.

EDT: Shtt just finished installing driver 13.11 and now the HD6450 shows up as HD7450 in GPU-Z and CCleaner. Wtf? lol If you guys didn't know the 6450 is just a refreshed 5450. That makes it funny because the same silicon has transcended 3 generations.

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i'm looking for best bang for buck with the video card (300-400$)

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A $400 ceiling can buy you one hell of a GPU. You might be lucky enough to catch a 290 in stock somewheres. If not 2x760s or even spending $100 more to grab a GTX 780 wouldn't be too crazy.

Oh yeah I agree.

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Why did you ignore my question....

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I got your email but have been busy as hell. I will shoot you something back today.

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Why did you ignore my question....

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What question?

I could have missed it.

EDT: Sorry I see it now. My TD email is lsucoyote@gmail.com. I check it often for back channel purposes, so it is an active at.

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I'm looking to try to keep it around $1,000

I've been reading through your guide btw, very helpful and I'm about half way through.

my concern is about the spike in AMD card prices. was thinking about waiting for that to go back down

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This is what I came up with for that budget: LINK


CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($222.00 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z87 Extreme3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($114.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($52.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Kingston HyperX 3K 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk ($89.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($59.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 770 2GB Video Card ($329.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Source 210 Elite (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($46.16 @ Mwave)
Power Supply: XFX ProSeries 750W 80+ Silver Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $1021.07
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-13 15:00 EST-0500)

This build places a standard emphasis on graphics card power (a third of the budget), and still maintains day-to-day nongaming performance. We can put more back into the GPU by going with an AMD CPU/mobo and cutting out the SSD (which would be frowned upon by me and others).

A few flaws in my above configuration are:
- The case is an inexpensive, functional placeholder. Your preferences will vary, and likely require you to spend more money if looks/features are important.

- The GTX 770 is about 20% faster than the GTX 760, but the price is over 30% more, so the extra performance comes at a small premium. There's no telling when the AMD cards will be reasonably priced and in stock again. Even the retailers are gouging people now, and they are still out of stock. I would avoid buying an AMD card on principle alone at this point, unless you can find, brand new, a 280X for $300, a 290 for $400, or a 290X for $550.

I would use this build as the baseline for the type of overall performance to expect from a $1,000 machine. Find out what bluebarracuda is selling so you can get better bang for buck out of some of these components. Trust me, any parts he's selling are essentially brand new.

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if someone wants a $1000 build without an SSD, they are dead to us - period.

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Its the one component that you can actually "feel" when its not there. Just opening/closing/booting up, the simple stuff is so responsive and well worth it.

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I may altogether quit helping anyone who have a budget over a certain amount but don't want an SSD.

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I think we all support you on this.