I upgraded to a EVGA GTX570 HD OC this week, replacing my Gainward GTX275.. I get a nice overclock from it that pushes it on par with 580 performance.. I also added 4GB extra DDR3 memory, total is now 8GB.. All to get ready for BF3.. My CPU, a Intel Q9550 is still good enough I think, especially overclocked well over 3Ghz.. Ohw, and I replaced my old 450W PSU aswell for a 600W one (budget Corsair builder does the job fine)..

This system will last me until new consoles come out and games start pushing PC hardware much more again aswell I think..

Final opinion, how does this setup sound?

Intel 10100i Configurator - Gaming System
Xigmatek Asgard Midi Tower Case - Black
Intel Core i5 2500 3.30GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor
Xigmatek Dark Knight CPU Cooler
Asus P8Z68-V LX -Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard
Kingston HyperX Genesis Grey 8GB 1600MHz CAS9 Memory Kit
Asus GeForce GTX 570 1280MB GDDR5 Graphics Card
Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB SATA 6Gb/s 32MB Cache - OEM (ST31000524AS)
LG CH10LS20 10x BluRay-ROM / 16x DVDRW Drive - Black
OCZ ZS Series 750W PSU
Windows 7 Home Premium 64-Bit

You guys are the best =)

Sounds like a nice setup right there matey. 750 Watt PSU should be ample for all of that gear plus more if you ever fancied upgrading etc. It`ll certainly run 99% of todays applications and games too. It can depend on your resolution that you run your games at, obviously), but even @ 1920 x 1200+ it`ll run smooth enough imo.

The extra money you`d need to spend on a rig in order to buy i7`s etc simply isn`t worth it. The bundles do tend to have a cheap-ish-looking case though. That case is ok, but I`d treat yourself for Christmas and go for a `looker` lol. I have an old Alienware Aurora case in black and I was doing some searching recently on cases. I have to admit that this bad-boy caught my eye:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EEKuwjCpns&feature...

It comes in a multitude of colour options and the nestest feature is that it incorporates it`s own fan speed controller for all internal fans.

Also, I would personally go for a smaller internal SSHD as opposed to a standard SATA old-skool one. I know that the price is expensive for the amount of storage you get, but there`s nothing stopping you using an internal SSHD for your OS and regular files, whilst leaving an external USB 2.0/3.0 HDD, (2TB available with USB-powering), for your `special files` etc.

I have always done things this way as by keeping my files on an external HDD, my OS becomes expendable and I never have to worry about viruses etc as I can simply nuke Windows for a freash copy every time ;0)

Either way, you`ll be fine with what you`ve listed so I hope it all works out for you :0)

That case does look pretty darn fine if I may say so =)

My only problem with external hardrives ( I have a 2TB one) is that they can also fail, leaving you with nothing.
The reason why I have it is because my system now suffers occasional BIOS problems and blue screens/instant crashes since I partitioned my hard drive in order to have the OS in one space, files in another and programs in the final compartment.

Hence thinking about getting a whole new (up to date) rig.

Does partitioning usually cause these problems or do you think it is because I'm running two screens and multiple tabs/windows at the same time?

If you`re concerned about your external HDD`s dying on you, then simply buy two and update the second one, (back-up), every week or so to keep on top of files etc. Partitioning a HDD shouldn`t cause errors or issues though matey.....not sure what`s going on there :0/

Anyone know when the next round of Nvidia's cards are rolling out? The 600 series I'm guessing it will be called.

Just wondering how long I need to wait for the 500's to go on clearance.

Higher end 600 series won't be out before 2nd half of 2012.. See: http://ic.tweakimg.net/ext/i/imagelarge/1322301587...

So I finally went all out and got the following:


Intel 10100i Configurator - Gaming System

Antec 300 Three Hundred Ultimate Gaming Case
Intel Core i3 2100 3.10GHz (Sandybridge) Socket LGA1155 Processor - NO OC AVAILABLE
Intel Stock Cooler (None overclocked systems)
Asus P8Z68-V GEN3 Intel Z68 (Socket 1155) DDR3 Motherboard
OCZ Platinum 4GB (2x2GB) DDR3 1333MHz CAS7 Memory Kit
ATI Radeon HD 5450 SILENT 512MB GDDR3 Graphics Card
Seagate Baracuda 7200.12 500GB SATA 6GB/s 16MB Cache
OcUK 22x DVD±RW SATA ReWriter (Black)
OnBoard Sound Card
OCZ ZS Series 650W PSU
Sharkoon 120mm 2000RPM Fan

With:

Corsair Enthusiast Series TX 750W V2 High Performance '80 Plus Bronze' Power Supply (CMPSU-750TXV2UK)
Scythe Ninja 3 High Performance CPU Cooler (Socket LGA775/LGA1155/LGA1156/LGA1366/AM3/AM2/AM2+/939/940)

Thoughts?