I'll take a stab at getting you started.
Before I say anything I need to know if your current setup is
shortchanging you or not - if it is, you need to provide more detail.
However, if as you say, you've come into some extra money, don't care
about paying your bills, the hell with funding retirement, and if the
kids need a college fund then let them make meth - if that's the
case, then I say go for it.
Here are some generalized recommendations:
CPU's - Intel seems to have the edge when it comes to heat
dissipation (watts) vs. processing power - less is better.
If you are running VM's then an I5 should be fine.
If you have the money then it should be noted that the i7 offers some
improved virtulization features.
CPU is less important for gaming - GPU is the key factor. Decide
what's most important to you.
In order to compare CPU processing power go to http://www.cpubenchmark.net/,
HSF - If you don't plan to overclock then the stock HSF is probably OK,
For moderate OC look at the Cooler Master Hyper 212+ or the Cooler
Master Hyper 212 EVO - both are excellent, Relatively quiet , Pretty
good air flow and cooling, price is not bad.
If you going to really try and boost the OC then consider liquid cooling.
If you're trying to set a record, try liquid nitrogen or even liquid
helium (haha) - let me know how it works out - LOL,
Right now I'm running a CM Hyper 212+ on an i7 cpu with a moderate OC.
Motherboards - I've been using ASUS MBs for quite a while without
any problems.
I've been hearing good things about Gigabyte too.
As for specific models, figure out what you want/need (e.g.,
USB2/USB3 - how many ports each; eSATA - yes/no/how many; overclock -
yes/no/how much, etc.).
Go to NewEgg and use their selection/comparison tools.
Right now I'm running an ASUS Z87-A with no issues.
As I've said, I tend to favor ASUS big time.
PSU - look at Seasonic, PC Power and Cooling, Cosair (higher end),
and Antec (higher end),
I favor a single 12+ volt rail, active PFC, and 80+ certification of
Bronze or better,
Jonney Guru (http://www.jonnyguru.com/) is a pretty good PSU review site.
For most builds a 600w-650w PSU should be sufficient even if your
running an Intel i7 overclocked and have multiple HDD and are running
a single GPU.
If you're running a top of the line GTX Titan, or GTX690 (goes for
about $1000 and is currently OOS at NewEgg), the HD 7990 or decide to
run multiple GPU's (SLI or Crossfire) then you will have to bump your
power requirements.
Right now I'm running a PC Power and Cooling Silencer Mk III Series
600W Modular Power Supply.
Case - What's most important to you - form or function?
What size - full tower/mini tower/SFF/other, what front ports to you
want, how many fans do you want, how many internal HDD mounts
3.5"/5.25", how many external HDD mounts, etc.
Right now I'm running a Fractal Design Define R4 Black Pearl w/ USB
3.0 ATX Mid Tower Silent PC Computer Case.
It's nice and quiet with the option of adding many more fans for
cooling if necessary.
Memory - Look for 1.5v (or less) memory sticks, CAS Latency of 9 (or
less), dual channel sticks and memory speeds of DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800),
The lower the latency, the faster the memory (although in practice
there will probably be no discernable difference).
Memory speeds faster than DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) will probably provide
no noticeable improvement.
If you are running a lot of VMs you might want to bump your memory
from 16GB to 32GB.
If you are satisfied with the 16GB you have now then leave well enough alone.
Memory voltage less then 1.5v, CAS latency less than 9 and memory
speeds greater then DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) will all increase the price
and unless you are into extreme overclocking will provide no apparent benefit.
Memory brands I favor are Crucial, Cosair, and G.Skill.
I'm running G.Skill DDR3-1600 in one machine and Crucial Ballistix
16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) on my new machine, No memory
problems on either.
GPU - I don't do any gaming so I'll just offer that for most games,
the GPU is more important than the CPU.
To compare different GPUs take a look at
http://www.gpureview.com/show_cards.php
I'm not a gamer, so right now I'm just running the i7's integrated
HD4000 graphics processor.
HDD - I tend to favor WD Black 7200rpm 2TB models.
If fast access isn't critical then perhaps the WD Red models.
Right now I'm running a mix of WD and Hitachi 2TB 7200 rpm models
SSD - I would go for the Samsung 840EVO or 840PRO models at either
128GB or 250GB-256GB depending on your needs.
Backup - last but not least review your backup requirements.
Do you want/need a NAS or will external HDDs meet your needs.
I was running eSata for backup - multiple WD Black 2TB units, but
recently added multiple 4TB USB3 Hitachi units.
Will probably start looking at NAS solutions in the near future.
I hope this is enough to get you started.
I'll leave it to others to correct or expand on what I've said.
Enjoy your new setup.
Regards,
Mike
At 08:09 PM 11/10/2013, Anthony A Riederer wrote:
I turn to the list for some recommendations on a new system build. I am
currently running an AMD Phenom II X4 965 overclocked to 3.92 on an Asus
Crosshair IV Formula MB. The rest of the system has a Radeon HD5670, and 16
GB DDR3. This system has done well for me the last couple years.
I have come into some extra $ and am going to put something new together.
The extra $ does not make me rich in any way but is enough that I can build
a nice system. My wife will also keep me in check on this build to a point.
My last system was put together based on the best of what I could afford at
the time.
I'm sure I will get some biased answers but AMD or Intel? I work with
virtual machines and do some occasional gaming, Battlefield etc. along with
the rest of the day to stuff. I am looking for some CPU & MB
recommendations, power supply, and video card choices?
TIA,
Tony
__________________________________________
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little
temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." (Benjamin
Franklin, 1755)
