ZeroDamage

Everything is running great so far. Crazy seeing 8 threads available even though there are only 4 cores. I will say that Windows is amazingly responsive. I boot up from cold to login screen in 8 seconds or so. The audio quality from the onboard audio is better than the Creative card I had which was only a couple of years old. Since I have my PS3 next to my PC and no way to get audio from it, I use the Audio digital input on the motherboard / sound card as an input to the speakers. I haven't figured that out yet on the new system.

Only concern I have over DOA is the motherboard which I got open box.

Picked up the CPU at Micro Center today. Look forward to building this thing out.

Yeah. I have everything I need for my rig except the CPU which I will be picking up tomorrow. My son's GPU should be showing up tomorrow but if not then Monday. I am excited about the upgrade. The amazing deal on the motherboard is what did it for me.

I grabbed the Arctic Cooling Freezer 13 from Amazon for about $35 today. HardOCP rated it really good cost for performance. Comparing it to the stock cooler and I realize I really really should get an aftermarket cooler.

Grabbed this Video Card deal for my son's rig. Pretty good deal if you ask me. http://slickdeals.net/forums/showpost.php?p=57233816&postcount=1

Apparently the latest version from the last day or two is infected with a virus. Read more about it here: http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic483431.html

And that deal on Slickdeals today ruins my PSU purchase. Damn.

I did grab that Seasonic PSU from the Bewildered upgrade thread which will go in my Son's build. All I need now is the CPU (waiting to contact Preacher) and a decent video card for my son. Open to suggestions on the Video card.

I've been doing this for more years than I can remember and can tell you from professional and personal experience that buying a PSU that just gives you as much wattage as you need will come back to bite you in the arse later when you start having problems with your stability and performance. Most people do not buy and build a gaming rig for their minimum load. Also, 50-80% load is the sweet spot on a PSU when you are talking efficiency. At 100% load on the PSU, you will get less and also shorten the life of the PSU. This is why you get a PSU rated higher than what you need by 200 watts or so. Then when your system is at full load in gaming, you are only running the PSU at the 50-80% load and benefiting most from the efficiency of the PSU. At the same time you are not maxing the PSU at 100% which shortens the life of the PSU and also gives a much greater chance for stability problems. It is that simple. This is the advice I've been giving out for PSUs for years and regardless of the efficiency ratings and technical terms, that advice still holds true, even now.

Send me!

I may take you up on this offer Preach. Let me know how you want to do it. Cannot beat that price for the 3770k anywhere else online right now. 100 or so cheaper all around. Edit: The member Preacher cannot receive any new messages

Yeah I may just go 8Gb for the cost. I do not think I need more than 8GB right now anyway.

Recommendations on RAM 2x 8GB?

Yes, the key words there are "should put out." A good rule of thumb is to always get a little more than you think you need when it comes to a PSU. And never skimp on the PSU as it is one of the most important parts of the computer. Edit: Let me add that the more load you put on a PSU, the less efficient it becomes. It loses efficiency the warmer it gets. Also, as a PSU ages, the capacitors and the other components age and lose efficiency. These are the reasons I recommend a 150-200 watts more than your components add up to. Over time that 550 watt 80% efficient PSU becomes 75% and 70% and runs warmer and warmer.

Marking forums as read then going back and clicking on "View New Content" shows everything that should now be marked as read. Basically the button at the bottom left to mark everything as read isn't working (with regards to forum content).

Man, that ASRock Extreme 4 is $85 open box on Newegg right now. That makes picking up the i7 3770K a no brainer at this point. I ordered the ASROCK Extreme 4. Most of the reviews show it as being a really great board for the price.

/sigh Been looking and reading for a week and still do not know what I should get if anything right now. My son is using my laptop because he wasn't into PC gaming until now. I want it back and think it may be better to upgrade my existing system and pass along my current system to him. I am torn as to whether i should go with another AMD build (not that great in gaming performance) that is much cheaper than an Intel but the Intels blow AMD out of the water in most game performance. But the Intels are just so expensive from the motherboard all the way to the CPU. What i will pay for a motherboard alone can be the cost of both the CPU and motherboard for AMD. I am looking and waiting for some good deals on Intel but they are few and far between and there are too many choices as to what to get. Either I go Intel or the cost for an almost parallel upgrade to another AMD just isn't worth it. The best value for the money apparently for Intel would be this i7 CPU (not necessarily from Amazon). http://www.amazon.com/Intel-i7-3770K-Quad-Core-Processor-Cache/dp/B007SZ0EOW/ref=zg_bs_229189_2 It is the K-version meaning it is unlocked multi but lacks some of the features of the none-k. This one is of course cheaper. It may be the best value in what I am looking for. http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Core-i7-3770-Quad-Core-Processor/dp/B007SZ0EHE/ref=zg_bs_229189_3 I am reading a lot of good things about the ASRock Z77 Extreme4 motherboard. Cheap price too but it isn't too flashy. Going to read up on it more. If the motherboard reviews pan out, that may be the route I take.

I supposed I should update my client and play again. I just stopped playing because no one else was playing and the server kept getting updated and my hard work destroyed.

Keep in mind efficiency of the PSUs when considering Amertrash's list above. You may find that you are only using 400 watts and decide on a 450 watt PSU but most PSUs are around the 80% efficiency mark so you are not getting the full 450 watts for example. When I last did my testing guide back in 2007 or 2008, there were only a few affordable PSU that hit that mark and I think Corsair was one of them. I think a 750 or 850 watt brand name high quality PSU is a safe bet for most people and will give you some headroom for upgrades later.

Mine at the time of release was the top of the line 6-core meaning it was unlocked. I of course have the best motherboard for the generation but I just do not think I am going to sell. I am looking for a good Intel deal right now and will probably go that route when I get paid in two weeks. it's one of the two paychecks I get a year that I do not owe any bills.

Never could get into the SC2 story line. The cinematic are always amazing from Blizzard though. They should make a movie in that style.

Not sure if this is happening now. Let me think on it. I am planning on using the parts to build my son a gaming system so I can have my laptop back.

One of the best practices in security is if you do not use it, lose it. Uninstall it if you do not use it. Otherwise, disconnect it from your browser. If you do use it, update it. But most websites do not use Java the application; they use Javascript which is completely different. The problem with these current vulnerabilities with Java is that they are being injected on legitimate websites without your knowledge and if you happen to visit that site, you can be infected and not even know it. http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2013/01/15/disable-java-browsers-homeland-security/