So I'm finally getting around to building a new gaming rig. The one I've got is about 4 years old now, and is starting to show its age. I haven't been keeping super close track of the computer hardware world, so what's the good bang for the buck these days? I'm looking at spending around 1200 max. That's just the box though, I'll be reusing all my peripherals.
I did some research tonight and this is what I've got so far: I'm stuck on video cards though. There are SO MANY different choices there. At the moment I'm leaning towards a Crossfire/SLI setup with two lower end cards (R7 260x or GTX 650) or one higher-end card (GTX770) or maybe one GTX660 now and plan on buying another later.
https://forums.robertsspaceindustries.com/discussion/15249/new-guide-to-buying-pc-gaming-hardware/p1 not sure if you are interested in sc but this thread does great job of comparing most of currently available parts
I ended up going with an I5 4670K and GTX770 in a micro-ATX board and case. I'll never go back to a mid-tower. My new case is 3" shorter and shallower, and wasn't really even cramped on the inside. I could run an SLI or Xfire setup with ease. I got the 4670K because it's unlocked. I don't really need to overclock yet, but I figure I'll turn it up a bit when it starts to lag behind in a couple years. For now, I can run pretty much anything on max settings and get decent frames. Not bad for ~$900
Why no mid-size? I've got a full tower, love it. (Although a bit heavy at times if I need to lug it around for something)
It just takes up WAY less desk space. You wouldn't think 3" off the top and front would make a big difference but it really does. It's got 2 disk drive slots and 2 HDD slots, and you could probably hang another HDD in there somewhere if you wanted to. That's more than enough for most people. Why have a 4+4 monstrosity on your desk if your only going to run 1 disk drive and 2 HDD? Not to mention you can have the same or better cooling with less case fans (less dead area in the case to screw up your circulation)
I didn't even notice the fans spool up playing MWO, so apparently not too warm. I'll have to check out my temps next time I'm playing.
why have it on your desk at all? I know they -call- them desktop computers, but that's really just a misnomer carried over from the days of the old IBM PC where computers were built designed to have a monitor placed on top of them. I prefer my monstrosity parked conveniently under the desk where if needed it can provide a decent foot rest if I feel like stretching out XD
I've kept computers under desks before. They seem to pick up at least 3 times as much lint and dust down there. It's also more of a pain if you need to access the back panel.
