Building a pc. Any tips?

[Shard]

I'm currently running an Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 @2.50GHz, a nvidia GTS 250(Basically a 9800), 4 gig DDR2 ram and some kind of motherboard that everything plugs into.

I am thinking of getting a GeForce 670, an i7 processor and 8 gig of DDR3 ram, new motherboard(old one wont fit new processors), want to buy it all in the next few weeks. What I'm asking is, any advice on specific 670's and i7's and a motherboard to fit them. Budget is around €600, €800 would be max. Just because I CAN spend that much doesn't mean I want to, saving money would be nice. I want to run my bf3 on high/max settings with a nice fps, thats my goal. I've never gone looking for pc parts before, which is why I'm asking for help.

[homerofgods]

4 gig DDR2, could be more maybe.
i5 processors can be cheaper then i7 with not much difference

[jrgp]

4 gig DDR2, could be more maybe.

I don't see why he wouldn't want to do 8GB DDR3. If I had to upgrade my desktop, I'd probably go with 16GB of DDR3 at least.

And Shard, if you want an accurate description of all the parts in your current computer (including motherboard), run Speccy

[Blue-ninja]

uhhh if you're going to use the new computer build for gaming, you could go for a i5 cpu. Not because it's cheaper but because it's really suited for gaming, whereas i7's multithreading capabilities are better put to use on programs like Photoshop and AfterEffects. Literally any program that uses multithreading, really. There's only a handful of games that needs that much power out of a i7.

my build information may be a bit outdated, but I know the ivy bridge i5 3570k and sandy bridge i5 2500k are really solid choices

any midtier gpus can run bf3 fairly well

8-16gb ram is more than enough

oh, do you have a power supply you can carry over into the new build?

[Shard]

uhhh if you're going to use the new computer build for gaming, you could go for a i5 cpu. Not because it's cheaper but because it's really suited for gaming, whereas i7's multithreading capabilities are better put to use on programs like Photoshop and AfterEffects. Literally any program that uses multithreading, really. There's only a handful of games that needs that much power out of a i7.

my build information may be a bit outdated, but I know the ivy bridge i5 3570k and sandy bridge i5 2500k are really solid choices

any midtier gpus can run bf3 fairly well

8-16gb ram is more than enough

oh, do you have a power supply you can carry over into the new build?

I'll be getting a new 750w psu to go with it.

[Blue-ninja]

I'll be getting a new 750w psu to go with it.

All good then

[L[0ne]R]

I built myself a new PC about a year ago, aiming specifically to be able to run BF3 on max settings. Hardware was around $1000 total, without the OS. If you're interested, here are the specs:

MoBo: ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3
CPU: Intel Core i5 2500k
GPU: EVGA GeForce GTX 570ti
PSU: COUGAR SX850
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X DDR3 1600 (2x 4GB)
HDD: SAMSUNG Spinpoint F3 HD103SJ 1TB
DVD: ASUS DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS
Case: Corsair 400R

So far it runs well, although BF3 can drop down to 40FPS on max settings at 1920x1080 (still runs quite smoothly though, and I didn't OC). Overall it's a good build, with SLI taken into account (should be able to run 2 GTX 570ti if the need arises). You might find bits of it useful. Just one thing: do install EVGA Precision program if you end up buying an EVGA GeForce card. 570ti overheats quite badly due to poor stock fan control, but EVGA Precision fixes the problem. Don't know if same problem is present in their other cards.

[Shard]

It looks likely that I'll be doing a lot more 3d modeling with 3ds max in the future because of college. So, from that point of view an i7 might be worth the extra cash I think?

[ds dude]

Yes if you want to do 3d graphic design and modeling and things of the sort then an i7 is definitely something you want to get.