Online bargains on good PS2 hardware.

[brucethemoose]

I thought I'd just share a few tips for those building/upgrading their rigs now to save everyone a little money.

- The i5 2500k is the best value gaming CPU on the market, bar none. It's also overpriced mostly everywhere, except for here.
http://www.microcenter.com/product/354589/Core_i5_2500K_33GHz_LGA_1155_Boxed_Processor

See if there's one near you.
http://www.microcenter.com/site/stores/default.aspx


-Game running slow? Want a bargain video card?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007709%204809&IsNodeId=1&bop=And&ShowDeactivatedMark=False&Order=PRICED&PageSize=20
Those are newegg's open box (read: like new) video cards. Awesome cards like the 7950, 660 TI, 7850, 560 TI 448 etc show up there every once in awhile for very low prices, and sell FAST.


-Awhile ago, someone (Me :D) basically threw $300 away and ordered a SHADY 2560x1440 monitor (which normally run for $600+) from some Korean ebay seller. Got it a few days later, and it was epic. It's basically an Apple Cinema display for 1/3 the $. A few others took the plunge, someone discovered some of the monitors could run at 120hz, threads on OCN and Hardforum EXPLODED, and boom, front page news.

http://techreport.com/review/23291/those-27-inch-ips-displays-from-korea-are-for-real
http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2012/07/the-ips-lcd-revolution.html

Anyway, my point is that your internal computer hardware isn't everything. Playing Planetside 2 with a i7/GTX 680 and a cheapo monitor is like racing an F1 car with crappy prius tires. If you want a nice experience, do a tiny bit of research, and get yourself one of these bad *** monitors. My 6850s handle it just fine. If you're looking for the ultimate edge, track down one of the 120hz variants.


- http://www.google.com/shopping is your friend.



EDIT: Best RAM on the market for an awesome price.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147096

Check here for good deals in general.
http://www.overclock.net/f/327/online-deals

[Goku]

MC deals are the best if you have one around you. Especially the combos.

New egg open box can be hit and miss. I was scouting out for a video card the whole week back in the summer. Never got anything as many people grabbed them before me. I found the time they stock a bunch is between 7:00 PM and 7:30 PM EST. I wouldn't be shocked if some people buy these cards with scripts maybe.

I hear AWESOME stuff about those Korean monitors. I would of bought one if I didn't get my 23 inch IPS late last year.

[brucethemoose]

Ya, my old monitor makes my eyes bleed now. I was afraid this one would break after a few months, but it's been going strong since early February.

[Vancha]

Tada. (http://www.reddit.com/r/buildapcsales/)

[Big Rage Dave]

Also, Newegg is having Black Friday deals all November. If anyone's thinking of upgrading any individual pieces of their rig, or even mass upgrading, it'd be a good idea to keep an eye on Newegg daily. They're having 24 hour sales each day of the month and also weekend sales throughout.