Buy new or Upgrade

Budget:
3k+/- less being better of course

Expectations:
Up to date system I can expect another 5 to 10 years from. New to forum and not terribly skilled from a technical standpoint (compared to what I read on these forums)

Usage:
"Less" gaming then when originally steered toward DS (Life!), though the right release could always change that and for the right price being able to ultimately experience VR or other developing technologies would be a preference. General computing work/finance, music library and photo storage from travels, could easily see wanting to run full home entertainment and security from the system.

Special Needs:
Am perfectly happy with my HAF case and am looking for advice as to whether I should/can upgrade by plugging new components into it or simply start with a new build. Still running Windows 7 and necessary upgrade to 10 will overtax my 2012 build as best as I can tell. Also recognize that many components have lasted seven years and probably have an expected life.

Saved Ticket #: Initial effort at a new build

https://www.digitalstorm.com/configurator.asp?id=2614745

Specifications:
current rig:
System Configuration:
Chassis Model: Special Deal Hot Seller - Cooler Master 942 HAF X Exterior Finish: - Standard Factory Finish Trim Accents: - Standard Factory Finish
Processor: Intel Core i7 2600K 3.40GHz (Unlocked CPU for Extreme Overclocking) (Quad Core)
Motherboard: ASUS Maximus IV Extreme (Intel P67 Chipset) (New & Improved B3 Revision Without SATA 3G Issue) System Memory: 16GB DDR3 1600MHz Digital Storm Certified Performance Series (Highly Recommended) (Hand Tested) Power Supply: 1050W Corsair Pro Silver 1050HX (Dual/Triple/Quad SLI Compatible) Expansion Bay: Internal Digital Media Card Reader (Black) Hard Drive Set 1: Operating System: 1x (180GB Solid State (By: Intel) (Model: 520 Series) Set 1 Raid Options: - No Thanks Hard Drive Set 2: Multimedia\Data: 1x (1TB Western Digital Caviar (7200 RPM) (Model: Black Edition) Hard Drive Set 3: Backup\Misc.: - No Thanks Optical Drive 1: DVD-R/RW/CD-R/RW (DVD Writer 24x / CD-Writer 48x) Optical Drive 2: - No Thanks Internet Access: High Speed Network Port (Supports High-Speed Cable / DSL / Network Connections) Video Card(s): 1x NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB (Includes PhysX) Add-on Card: - No Thanks Sound Card: Integrated Motherboard Audio Extreme Cooling: AIR: Stage 2: Phanteks PH-TC14PE Extreme Performance
H20 Tube Color: - Not Applicable, I do not have a FrostChill or Sub-Zero LCS Cooling System Selected Chassis Airflow: Standard Factory Chassis Fans Internal Lighting: - No Thanks
Enhancements: - No Thanks
Chassis Mods: - No Thanks
Noise Reduction: - No Thanks
LaserMark: - No Thanks
CPU Boost: Stage 2: Overclock CPU 4.5GHz to 4.8GHz (Requires Pro or Deluxe Series Motherboard) Graphics Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my video card(s) Memory Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not overclock my memory OS Boost: - No Thanks, Please do not tweak the services on the operating system Windows OS: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium (64-Bit Edition) Recovery Tools: Windows Recovery Toolkit (Bundled with Windows 7 CD) Virus Protection: - No Thanks
Office: Microsoft Office 2010 Office Home and Business (PC Attach Key PKC)
2614745

Any assistance or useful thoughts greatly appreciated

Well Reagan....I have had 4 DS rigs since 2011 and I can tell you that it is definitely time for you to build a new 2019 rig if you wish to experience VR and all the latest performance improvements.   Your old P67 rig has done well but it’s memory, board, and processor are all bottlenecks to current levels of performance.    I am confident you can get a great new build for that budget that should again serve you well for another 7-8 yrs.   Here are a couple suggested builds for you...both use the exact same components...just in 2 different cases. The Lumos uses the excellent tempered glass Corsair 570X case...while the Velox uses a DS designed case which puts the door on the opposite (right) side and the motherboard is upside down. Both builds top $3k and with the DS Sale that gets you $300 off the price.     Shipping is free.

Both builds use the excellent Intel i7-9700K CPU fully Overclocked for top end performance.    I used the ASUS Z390 ROG Strix H ATX motherboard, but the ASUS Z390 ROG Maximus XI Hero would be a comparable level mobo to what you have had before and it also has built in WI-FI if you need it for +$190.    

One big performance advance is the M.2 NVME SSD Drive1 that is 5 times faster than normal SATA III speed drives, as it uses the faster PCIE bus on the motherboard.   Your mobo will have 2 drive slots for M.2 NVME SSD’s that are about the size of a pocket comb.    

Both builds would be very strong for gaming and the RTX 2080 Super video card would allow you to have great gaming performance on fast refresh rate 1080P, 1440P or even 4K displays...and would also allow you to try out VR.    Moving up to the industry best RTX 2080 Ti 11 GB GPU would cost an additional +$573 and you don’t sound like you will need that level of performance.    As RAM is quite inexpensive right now I used 32 GB RAM in both builds with the future in mind...but for gaming 16 GB is still all that is actually required.

Lumos Build1. Config # 2616288. $3362 - DS Sale $300 off = $3062

Corsair Crystal Series 570X Mid Tower ATX case
Intel i7-9700K 8 core / 8 thread CPU ...DS Overclocked to Stage 2
Corsair H115i sealed no maintenance 280 mm CPU cooler
ASUS Z390 ROG Strix H ATX motherboard
32 GB Corsair DDR4 RGB RAM (RAM is very cheap now)
Drive1 - 500 GB Samsung Evo Plus M.2 NVME SSD
Drive2 - 3 TB Toshiba-Hitachi HHD
NVidia RTX 2080 Super 8 GB VRAM GPU
Corsair LL Series Case Fans


Velox build1. Config # 2616291.   $3496 - DS Sale $300 off = $3196

Digital Storm Velox Mid Tower ATX case
Intel i7-9700K 8 core / 8 thread CPU ...DS Overclocked to Stage 2
Corsair H115i sealed no maintenance 280 mm CPU cooler
ASUS Z390 ROG Strix H ATX motherboard
32 GB Corsair DDR4 RGB RAM (RAM is very cheap now)
Drive1 - 500 GB Samsung Evo Plus M.2 NVME SSD
Drive2 - 3 TB Toshiba-Hitachi HHD
NVidia RTX 2080 Super 8 GB VRAM GPU
Corsair LL Series Case Fans

See what you think.   Tinker with the components as needed...
Hope this gets you going in the right direction for a brand new DS rig!     

Thank you for the feedback   I'll definitely take a look at your suggestions against what I had initially built out. Not sure what I'll do with the gigantic HAF case, but I sort of had a feeling I would be starting from scratch.

One last inquiry - is there typically a better time than not to take the dive relative to extra benefits or perks (free software, discounts, etc.) I noticed an older e-mail that came during vacation that had all of the current discounts plus $200+ in software but it ended September 1...i.e. dive in now or wait for black Friday type promotions?

Again thank you so much, and my apologies to the gentleman that misread the question...maybe should have posted the "draft build" I was working on also, but was trying to keep the length of post reasonable and wanted a veteran like yourself to see what I was currently working from in case an upgrade of existing made sense.

Excellent info to know...thanks again!

Haha...No wheels...I’m afraid that feature was always kind of unique to the old huge heavy HalfX.    Besides, these beautiful cases today with RGB LED and visible interiors via glass sides deserve your very best desktop placement as high tech works of pc art...lol...less dust there too.    I placed my rig on a desktop riser behind my monitors where I can see it...lots of ways to show it off!   

Edited by HockeyBuck - 12 Oct 2019 at 11:45am

Sure.   There are lots of choices in desktop risers out there, but this product is extremely solid & stable...and also has lots of space to utilize underneath.   I have two DS rigs using this exact Safeco riser setup behind the monitors.

Safco Products 3602BL Wood Desk Riser, 30"W, Black
by Safco Products...currently $95 on amazon...also newegg.com and Walmart...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0015ZWBUQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The riser specs: 30"W x 12 1/4"D X 8 1/4" high
                    Rated up to 100 lb. weight capacity




Edited by HockeyBuck - 12 Oct 2019 at 5:25pm

Thanks! Always thought the HAF wheels were an unusual addition.

Been trying to convince the wife these are things of beauty and should be displayed not hidden. No luck yet convincing her that a lighted rig will fold seamlessly into the background of photography and art from our travels

Love the set-up with the riser! Unfortunately my desk set-up would not allow for that. May have given me an idea or two.

Appreciate the feedback. Now I just need to pull the trigger on this thing and maybe I'll have it in time for Thanksgiving to make my visiting brother and college age nephew envious

Cool!    The suggested Velox build only uses an AIO cooler on the Overclocked CPU.    On air cooling alone we don’t usually advise folks to worry about Overclocking the GPU as it adds more heat and stress to the video card compared with little performance gain.     If you bump the build up to use the best HydroLux Pro cooling on CPU & GPU you would then get lower temps on both and could then Overclock the GPU safely as well.   My 2012 DS rig has HydroLux Pro cooling and I have only had to top off my coolant about once a year...that’s been all I have had to do.   Eventually I will change out for fresh coolant, but 7 years of trouble free use is what I have enjoyed with HydroLux Pro cooling.

Velox Build2. Config # 2625969.   $4,253 minus DS Sale $400 off = $3,853 Total
With HydroLux Pro cooling on CPU & GPU...Flex Clear Tubing/Clear Coolant

Lower temps and higher more stable OC are well worth the added $697 expense in my opinion.. but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea...lol.    Let us know what you end up going with!   

Edited by HockeyBuck - 13 Oct 2019 at 12:59pm

Cool!   Be sure to grab a NVidia GSync tested and approved monitor from NVidia websites monitor lists.... they update the list regularly...

https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/geforce/products/g-sync-monitors/specs/


* I know this excellent Alienware 34” curved IPS WQHD panel is top of a lot of gaming monitor lists... ASUS and LG also make pretty good IPS panels as well.

Alienware (Dell) AW3418DW ...1900R Curved IPS G-Sync WQHD 3440 X 1440P 21:9. 4ms 120 Hz ...around $770 on amazon...Newegg....Dell

Enjoy the search. 

I have seen two models...
PG279Q is the (IPS 1440P G-Sync 144-165 Hz 4ms) well established local dimming LED back-lit model panel. Even back-lighting from local LED behind panel. Still fetching 10$-$20 more as the fav panel.

PG279QZ is the new model (IPS 1440P G-Sync 144-165 Hz 4ms) and as I understand it, this version has edge lit LED back-lighting.




Edited by HockeyBuck - 09 Nov 2019 at 2:31pm

Just like with tv panels....some backlight locally...with lots of leds right in behind the scene mid panel....while others take a more simple less expensive route of backlights only around the perimeter at the panel edges....attempting to backlight zones of the panel from led in the edges...    Most folks find local backlighting preferable, and that’s likely why the older Q model can hold its price a little higher.
That’s the one I think you will want....