Hi, have 1300 to spend , need advise please

 

 

Welcome to AVAForums, and I'm sorry to hear about your current computer problems! We'll help you to forget all about it, via the new system you plan to purchase.

 

Two very common uses in which I am well versed in, so I'll be happy to answer any questions you have pertaining to those uses, and beyond!

 

That really all depends on your budget; if you're looking for mid-rage gaming, then a GTX 560 Ti would be a great card to consider, something like this:

 

ASUS ENGTX560 Ti DCII/2DI/1GD5, GeForce® GTX 560 Ti ( ENGTX560 Ti DCII/2DI/1GD5 )

 

If you're looking for the next step up, but want to make sure it's anoticeablee difference in performance, then I highly recommend:

 

EVGA GeForce® GTX 670 Superclocked ( 02G-P4-2672-BR )

 

If you're "in it to win it" and want one of the fastest, single graphics cards on the market then this is your card:

 

EVGA GeForce® GTX 680 Superclocked ( 02G-P4-2682-KR )

Availability is limited at the moment, current ETA is about 2-3 weeks, if you're willing to wait for this beast-of-a-card.

 

There are other, more extravagant options available ( EVGA GeForce® GTX 690 ) , but that's just if you're looking to make all those around you cry; the performance it provides is no joke, and not intended for the meek.

 

Our quiet gaming computer configuration is considerably quiet over our other gaming computer configurations. Basically, we limit the amount of options based on noise levels and measured decibel levels to provide options that will keep the noise level limited to acceptable quiet operation. If that's something you're looking for, then definitely build your configuration within our quiet gaming computer configuration.

 

The 10K RPM Western Digital Velociraptor will make a difference over a 7.2K hard disk, but the added wear'n'tear, due to the increased speed, is almost not worth it. It would be more beneficial for yourself to consider a solid state disk over the Velociraptor, especially considering the comparable price points. I recommend the Crucial M4 series SSDs, or the Intel SSDs. They are both the most reliable brands we have used to date, compared to other manufacturers such as OCZ, Corsair, ADATA, etc...

 

When asking yourself the question of " Will overclocking reduce cpu life " the answer is " No ", as long as you make sure it has a proper cooling solution, such as a third-party CPU heatsink, like the Cooler Master Hyper 212 or the Noctua NH-D14. The next question is " will overclocking void your warranty " and that really all depends. If it's blatant abuse, and you ramp up voltages, without an adequate cooling solution, and BBQ your CPU, then yes. If the CPU just fails under normal use, and the overclock was carefully created and done by the proper, considerably safe measures, then the CPU manufacturer will most likely overlook the fact that the CPU was overclocked.

 

Our orders typically take between 10-14 business days, from the date we obtain payment, until they ship. This depends on the extent of the build, and complexity. If you purchase afairlyy simple build, the possibility does exist that it may ship sooner. We also offer RUSH processing services, if you're interested, which reduce the ETA to 5-7 business days. We're located in Twinsburg, Ohio so the closer you are to us, the more likely that RUSH processing will work out well for you, without having to upgrade the shipping method as well.

 

At your request, I have carefully configured a system to your liking.

 

INTEL Core™ i5-3550 Quad-Core 3.3 - 3.7GHz TB, HD Graphics 2500, LGA1155, 6MB L3 Cache, 22nm, 77W, EM64T EIST VT-d VT-x XD, Retail

COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 Plus CPU Cooler, Socket 1155/1156/1366/775/AM3/AM2, Copper/Aluminum, Retail

ARCTIC COOLING MX-4 All-Around Thermal Compound, Electrically Non-Conductive

ASUS P8Z77 WS, LGA1155, Intel® Z77, DDR3-2800 (O.C.) 32GB /4, PCIe x16 SLI CF /2+2*, SATA 6Gb/s RAID 5 /4, 3Gb/s /4, DVI, USB 3.0 /6, HDA, GbLAN /2, ATX, Retail

CRUCIAL 8GB (4 x 2GB) Ballistix Sport PC3-12800 DDR3 1600MHz CL10 (10-10-10-28) 1.5V SDRAM DIMM, Non-ECC

EVGA GeForce® GTX 560 Ti SuperClocked (KR) 900MHz, 1GB GDDR5 4212MHz, PCIe x16 SLI, 2x DVI+mini-HDMI, Retail

CRUCIAL 128GB M4 SSD, MLC Marvell 88SS9174, 500/175 MB/s, 2.5-Inch, SATA 6 Gb/s, Retail

RAID No RAID, Independent HDD Drives

SONY AD-7280S Black 24x DVD±R/RW Dual-Layer Burner, SATA, OEM

COOLER MASTER HAF 912 (RC-912-KKN1) Mid-Tower Case, ATX, No PSU, SECC/Plastic

CUSTOM WIRING Standard Wiring with Precision Cable Routing and Tie-Down

CORSAIR TX650 V2 Power Supply 650W, 80 PLUS® Bronze, 24-pin ATX12V v2.31 EPS12V 2.92, 2x 8/6-pin PCIe

MICROSOFT Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit Edition w/ SP1, OEM

GAMING PC Silver Warranty Package (3 Year Limited Parts, 3 Year Labor Warranty)

SERVICE Standard Shipping (UPS, DHL, or Fedex)

A bit over your budget, out the door, but definitely something to consider when it's a matter of spending a little extra and receiving an abundant difference in performance. I always recommend, when you're on the thin life of " should I upgrade, or should I not " that you wait it out. Save up your funds, and make sure the purchase is something you will enjoy all around, with a single components dragging down the potential performance of the machine.

 

 

 

 

You're very welcome, always a pleasure to lend a hand!

 

Yes, I did add the 128GB Crucial M4 series SSD for the sake of thought. Based on the performance increase, compared to a Western Digital Caviar Black drive, it's well worth the cost as they're justified simply by my own personal experience with the Crucial M4 series SSDs. You can read up about the Crucial M4 series SSD on numerous places that have done reviews, and they receive very high marks.

 

Solid state disks will show performance benefits toward functions in Windows, boot times, applications, and games. For games, specifically, you will notice short loading times, and may even increase frame rates based on what you play. Some games, like Grand Theft Auto 4, used a real-time rendering feature that would access the disk to load textures, kind of as a way to offload some work from the GPU. When using a solid state disk for games that use this feature, you can expect quite a performance impact.

 

Motherboard choices are not all that important. A motherboard will determine the type of ports available and expansion card slots that you can use to add additional expansion cards, like a Creative Sound Blaster Audio card, or a Linksys wireless card if need be. Bottom line, if you don't notice a difference between the ASUS P8Z77 WS motherboard and the ASUS P8Z77-V LK model then chances are you will not specifically require one or the other, so you can go with the cheapest option and still retain the same performance level, no matter your choice.

 

Sometimes, it takes building many different configurations before you can decide. My recommendation, would be to build three different types of configurations: low-end, mid-range, and high-end. This will allow you to look at price differences, component changes, and ultimately allow you to decide how much you're willing to spend for each configuration. Of course, you're always welcome to continue posting on our forum until you can make a decision.