I recently had the exciting experience of upgrading old hardware (~3 years old) and replacing much of it with near top of the line hardware. I was delightfully surprised to find this rather affordable - especially if you can reuse existing components. I could easily picture a similar build 5 years ago costing north of $2,000. Hopefully this guide can help save some time for those of you looking to build a VR ready machine.
Processor: Intel Core i5-6600K
Purchased: Jet.com using 15% off promo code 'SHOP15' and
United MileagePlus ShoppingWhy: For the price point nothing else beats this processor. With an unlocked multiplier I was able to notch up the core speed to 4.4Ghz with zero effort. I did not find it advantageous to jump to the Core i7 and pay over $100 more for basically the hyper-threading. The real-world results between the i5 and i7 will be nearly identical.
Price: $221.48 + 204 miles + 2% cash back (some people will owe local tax - I did and the total shown here was after tax)
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Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980TI GAMING 6G LE
Purchased: Newegg.com w/ free copy of the Divison, $30 MIR, and
United MileagePlus ShoppingWhy: This is an awesome video card and it may be the most critical component for a smooth VR experience. While a GTX 980 may suffice, I think the TI will be longer lasting and hold better resale value for when the next generation cards start shipping late this year or next. I was able to squeeze out 1.5Ghz on the core and 8Ghz (4Ghz * 2) on the memory without any additional cooling or voltage tweaks - all I used was MSI Afterburner. There are a lot of companies that make this card and sales come and go, this just happened to be a better than average. Also check out Jet.com and the coupon above if sales tax is waived in your state.
Price: $619.99 + 2% cash back - $30 MIR - $40 (sale of The Division on eBay) + 609 miles
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Motherboard: MSI Z170A SLI Plus
Purchased: Newegg.com and
United MileagePlus ShoppingWhy: Motherboard is a bit subjective but I have had good experiences with MSI boards and customer service. This board comes with standard features. PCIe 3.0 which means this version's 8x = 16x on the previous model of processors and board. Includes USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A ports and a USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C port. Basically Gen2 is faster and can draw more amps but you'll need an adapter to use it with a Type-A device. I would have liked to seen more ports on the back plate but there are plenty of internal sockets for additional front and back panels on you case.
Price: $119.99 + 2% cash back + 120 miles
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RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws V Series 16GB DDR4 2400 (PC4 19200)
Purchased: Newegg.com and
United MileagePlus ShoppingWhy: Gone are the days of $300+ RAM. This is a pretty basic pick. It's easy to clock at 2400 and has great performance.
Price: $62.99 + 2% cash back + 63 miles
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Everything Else: Already Owned
- Case
- 600watt PSU
- Cooler Master 212 Cooler (the best bang for the buck and keeps things cool!)
- ArcticSilver 5
- Blu-ray Drive
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Grand Total: $954.45 - $19.09 (cash back) = $935.36 + 996 milesI have also started selling my old hardware which I expect to make over $200 on bringing the total cost of the upgrade below $750.
(All purchases made with 2% back
Citi Double Cash Card)
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