TriniWyatt's Gaming PC

[TriniXaeno]

Put together something for the $500 Arc.

Lemme see what you recommending.

Slamming, when the upgrade is up and running, you'll get first dibs if the ram hits the trading grounds. no sweat.

[Arcmanov]

OK, if I had 500 US to upgrade your PC, this is what I would get:

Intel Core i5 2500K - 224.99
Corsair Vengeance 2 x 4 GB DDR3-1600 MHz - 104.99
Asus P8P67 - 159.99

Comes up to a hair under 490 US.

Serious bang for buck there.  Especially that RAM...oh god, how I want TWO sets of that for LGA 2011. 

[TriniXaeno]

That ram looks fantastic. 5 stars out of 75 reviews on newegg.

and only a few pennies more than the Gskill. Sold!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233144&Tpk=CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9

Still struggling with the motherboard though. I've read reviews till my eyes began to bleed. Still trying to find reasons to justify spending US$50 more.

Help me break that down. What is the highlight over the elcheapo gigabyte for you?

The only high end feature I could see that would be of interest is Dolby Digital Live and the Asus you pitched doesn't have that.

The gigabyte saxman recommended does though

You can see it compared against the GA-P67A-D3-B3 in the link below. (saxman's is the one in black)

Included a third with Dolby Digital Live that's around US$150 (same price range as the asus).

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/comparison/list.aspx?ck=2&pids=3800,3759,3815

[Arcmanov]

Asus' implementation of the P67 chipset just seems a lot more solid, and that's
not just me saying so.  The good folks at Anandtech said so.  Different price point,
but it tends to be the norm across the spectrum.

I was actually concerned more about price though.  If you're dead set on the Gigabyte,
then by all means, have at it.  Personally I'd choose the Asus, or even this MSI (being a
MSI man myself) before the Gigabyte.  My current MSI board has been in use since Q1 2008,
and I've OC'ed the F@#K out of it.  Study dat...and it cost 'only' 187 US at the time.

Remember, this is not an interim upgrade you're doing.  I'd suggest not cheaping out
on the component that's the hardest to replace at a moment's notice.  You could cheap-out
on RAM, no problem, but not motherboard.  You should really be looking at boards in the
150-190 US price point if it's for the 'long-term' (3+ yrs).

Again, that word to rule them all...budget...will ultimately be the overriding factor in your decision.

[TriniXaeno]

Thanks for the detailed response. Yeah, this board is probably going to stay in place for about two years (typical upgrade cycle).

I've never given the motherboard prime dollar. Despite it being difficult to change. If you look at my current rig, its also an elcheapo mobo. Rather put the paper into a better processor / graphics card. I think thats where there is more bang for the buck. (just my opinion of course)

Asus is a trusted brand. More than willing to give them a shot.

My preference is Gigabyte for the very reason you mentioned. Its been rock solid over the past two years.

Funny enough, I've had many bad experiences with MSI and Asrock.

Fully aware that Gopaul's luck is not Sepaul's luck so I do not doubt that MSI has served you well.

Was really hoping to hear about useful features that would distinguish the higher end board over the elcheapo.

Is there an Asus P67 with Dolby Digital Live perhaps? Cause I think that is a feature that would be worthwhile.

[firstchoicett]

Nice upgrade they man. i will have to put off any upgrades for a year. Anyways whats the good in GATT these days.

[TriniXaeno]

If only that were true.

The wife decided to ignore the sage advice in this thread and instead of fulfilling the newegg wishlist, she bought me a pair of Nvidia 3D Glasses.

Needless to say, that won't work with my ATI graphics card so brisk return for a credit note.

I was not impressed

[W1nTry]

This sounds like a "well it's the thought that counts" argument in the making or already occurred, accompanied by a "I spent alot of money on that, how yuh go just send it back so"....

[TriniXaeno]

hahahah, w1ntry boy, like you know the thing well.

Exactly that.

But I stuck to my guns, too much planning went into getting this birthday gift right for one "well intentioned but misguided" wife to derail.

Straight back to the store it went, the next business day.

Hope that serves as a lesson, lol