Need advice about computer upgrades.

How longs do you anticipate running this machine before your next upgrade? Sounds like you ran the last one until the wheels came off. Ivy Bridge is 6 months out. Unless you're looking to upgrade your processor in half a year, forward compatibility doesn't matter much. Your next upgrade, if you run this one out to death, will be Skylake or beyond.

Are you sure your talking about me? I didnt say anything about what I ran in the past
 
I just got the i7-2600 for $279 free shipping. Unless you're going cheap like i3, I don't think it's worth it to get an i5 and then lose $100 or whatever it is on a resale if you want to trade up. Best of luck.
That looks like an attractive price for an i7. Is that the latest version of the iX line?
How much do want spend? Thats really the question for mb's.
I really don't care. I want to go with a reputable company that looks promising, and won't go bankrupt in 5 years. I bought my motherboard somewhere in 2002. The manufacturer went bankrupt in 2009, so I could not reach any BIOS upgrades. Back in 2010, I was thinking about upgrading the BIOS until I saw the website go down. Diving deeper, I found out the company went bankrupt, this made me pretty un-easy.

The max I would go for would be somewhere around $300.
You really should specify the price range you're looking for and any specific features unless you don't really use anything like SATA 3, onboard graphics, SLI/Crossfire, etc. and would just need a regular mobo.
  • It would be nice to have some on-board graphics.
  • SATA3 is a must, especially the next generation SSD's.
  • SLI/Crossfire doesn't really interest me.
Let us know how much you can or are willing to spend and we can help you from there.
$300 isn't an ideal price, but that's my budget. Anything over is pretty much overkill.
 
The max I would go for would be somewhere around $300.
  • It would be nice to have some on-board graphics.
  • SATA3 is a must, especially the next generation SSD's.
  • SLI/Crossfire doesn't really interest me.
$300 isn't an ideal price, but that's my budget. Anything over is pretty much overkill.
Unless you have components that are reusable, you're not getting anything worthwhile for $300. You can barely squeeze in a decent upgrade with a $104 motherboard

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157252
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157251

An i3-2100 for $125

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819115078

and RAM for $45

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820231311
Don't forget that you also need to buy a CPU fan, which will cost at least $25, and that's the minimum, assuming you can keep everything else. I opted out of the on-board video for a variety of reasons although it doesn't seem to save much.
 
I was able to pick up a nice used dual quad core dell with a 750gig HD and decent graphics card for 300$ even.
I guess it depends on what deals are around you, might check out tiger direct or new egg.
 
As per advice I gave in a similar thread to someone else, I'd get as cheap an i3 as you can go (it'll still no doubt be an improvement over your current cpu) and get the basics nailed.

SSD Boot / Apps drive (64gb is fine for this, you can always move your docs / music / pics off onto slower & bigger storage if you need to). Get a sold Mobo that you can upgrade to an i7 and get some decent ram.

Then save up over the next few months and upgrade the CPU later - its far easier to upgrade the CPU than replace the hard drive, which is why I'd prioritise an SSD over a faster CPU right now.

Having a super fast CPU now and having to cut the spec of the Ram or Hard drive is pointless, imo.
 
As per advice I gave in a similar thread to someone else, I'd get as cheap an i3 as you can go (it'll still no doubt be an improvement over your current cpu) and get the basics nailed.

SSD Boot / Apps drive (64gb is fine for this, you can always move your docs / music / pics off onto slower & bigger storage if you need to). Get a sold Mobo that you can upgrade to an i7 and get some decent ram.

Then save up over the next few months and upgrade the CPU later - its far easier to upgrade the CPU than replace the hard drive, which is why I'd prioritise an SSD over a faster CPU right now.

Having a super fast CPU now and having to cut the spec of the Ram or Hard drive is pointless, imo.

Or you simply could overclock that i3 :p
 
Unless you have components that are reusable, you're not getting anything worthwhile for $300. You can barely squeeze in a decent upgrade with a $104 motherboard.
Wow. That sounds bad.

I'm more concerned about the motherboard at the moment. So, the $300 cap is for that. But if I have to go over that cap, just for a good motherboard for the next 5-10 years... I'll do it.
 
again, go for a z68 chipset intel board :)
Agreed. If you want anything for the future, go with the z68. Even if you buy the cheapest processor, it will still be close enough to what you'd have with a quad core -- and I am moving from a Q9550. Benefits are:

(1) Ability to significantly increase your speed from the i3 when you have the money
(2) USB3 support
(3) Built in video in some of them so you can save money on a video card

While I can appreciate and respect the SSD hard dive suggestion I'd in no way suggest that if you're on a budget. I'd say stick with the mechanical hard drive and do the best you can for the core components. When SSD drives drop, you'll be able to get a 64 or 128 GB drive for well under $100. Right now, spend the money on the best mobo you can that provides flex going forward and on the RAM so you won't have to but it again either even if you upgrade the processor.
 
As per advice I gave in a similar thread to someone else, I'd get as cheap an i3 as you can go (it'll still no doubt be an improvement over your current cpu) and get the basics nailed.

SSD Boot / Apps drive (64gb is fine for this, you can always move your docs / music / pics off onto slower & bigger storage if you need to). Get a sold Mobo that you can upgrade to an i7 and get some decent ram.

Then save up over the next few months and upgrade the CPU later - its far easier to upgrade the CPU than replace the hard drive, which is why I'd prioritise an SSD over a faster CPU right now.

Having a super fast CPU now and having to cut the spec of the Ram or Hard drive is pointless, imo.
Agree completely. Its basic queueing theory. Increasing memory and improving I/O response increases the efficiency of the CPU to service the operating system. For gaming systems, video response is best addressed by getting the best possible GPU, so for that, don't bother with onboard video. Get a good video card.
 
Agree completely. Its basic queueing theory. Increasing memory and improving I/O response increases the efficiency of the CPU to service the operating system. For gaming systems, video response is best addressed by getting the best possible GPU, so for that, don't bother with onboard video. Get a good video card.
I don't disagree but gaming PCs are luxuries. A $300 upgrade for all your components won't cut it. IMHO you might as well stick with your HD (as long as it is SATA) and just buy the items that provide noticeable performance boost until you can add on the extra components with no price/performance loss. It's why I think the budget calls for a flexible mobo, low cost i3 and RAM. Any other items your'e buying, e.g. video card, SSD will all be poor compromises that you'll have to replace if you want to see a true difference.
 
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