Need Advice on Upgrade Components for Gaming Rig

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ingshtrom

Honorable
Apr 1, 2013
3
0
10,510
Hello, I currently have a pc that I want to upgrade. Over time I have done some minimal upgrades, but I think it is time for a good MOBO/GPU upgrade. First, here is my current build and following are the components I plan to upgrade to. Thanks in advance!!

CURRENT:
NVIDIA GTX 460 SE
AMD FS-4100 Quad-Core 4.2GHz (OC)
ZALMAN 110mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler
GIGABYTE GA-880GMA-USB3 AM3+ AMD 880G MOBO
Kingston HyperX DDR3 @ 1333 2x4GB
60GB SSD (OS)
128GB SSD (favorite games)
500GB 7200RPM HHD (Western Digital)
Antec TruePower 650W (+12V rails x4)
CM Storm Trooper ATX Full Tower Case (should have plenty of room for upgrades :D)

UPGRADE:
MOBO: ASUS Crosshair V Formula-Z AM3+ AMD 990FX SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX
GPU: SAPPHIRE 100352-3L Radeon HD 7950 3GB 384-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card
POWER:COUGAR CMX 1000 COUGAR-1000CMX 1000W ATX12V / EPS12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Yes, flexible cable ...

My current build has been my first pc build and it has lasted me for the past 2 years pretty well. I would add a CPU change in there, but I feel like my FX-4100 is too young (only 1yo since I got it) for me to upgrade it yet. Will my current CPU be my biggest bottleneck after the upgrade and how bad do you think it would be?

Any other advice on upgrade components are welcome! I don't have a set limit, but the ~$600 that the upgrade will cost now is a good target price.
 
Solution
ScrewySqrl
I wouldn't swap in the ridiculously expensive Asus Sabertooth motherboard. Instead, I'd see if you can swap to an FX 6300, also no reason to change that 650W PSU, which can crossfire two 7950s.

You could also go to an FX 8320 or 8350, but would have to change the motherboard (something like an ASRock 970 would be fine)
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bodeen2012

Distinguished
Feb 5, 2013
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0
19,160
i'd keep your psu and go with this
PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/NIDx
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/NIDx/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/NIDx/benchmarks/

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock 990FX Extreme4 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($289.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $574.97
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-01 14:48 EDT-0400)
 
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ScrewySqrl

ScrewySqrl

Champion
Aug 2, 2010
11,199
232
53,540
I wouldn't swap in the ridiculously expensive Asus Sabertooth motherboard. Instead, I'd see if you can swap to an FX 6300, also no reason to change that 650W PSU, which can crossfire two 7950s.

You could also go to an FX 8320 or 8350, but would have to change the motherboard (something like an ASRock 970 would be fine)
 
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Solution
g-unit1111

g-unit1111

Titan
Moderator
Jul 27, 2011
42,548
824
104,940
You do not need a motherboard that expensive, and that PSU is not from a reliable brand.

Get this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Motherboard: ASRock 990FX Extreme4 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 3GB Video Card ($315.38 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: PC Power & Cooling Silencer Mk II 750W 80 PLUS Silver Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($103.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $549.35
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-04-01 14:57 EDT-0400)
 
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ScrewySqrl

ScrewySqrl

Champion
Aug 2, 2010
11,199
232
53,540


why are you replacing a perfectly good Antec 650W 80+ Bronze PSU *at all*?

 
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I

ingshtrom

Honorable
Apr 1, 2013
3
0
10,510




Thank you for the responses. You guys have been most helpful!

I also did a little research and I think I will go with a CPU Upgrade after all. :p I am currently looking at getting the 6300 and then upgrading my GPU to a 7970.

I have two questions though:
1. I am not sure how to gauge motherboards. Could someone help me do that, or at least just tell me if I am good (considering the 6300 and 7970 upgrades)?
2. As for the 6300, that is about 6 months old, right? Should I just wait to upgrade my CPU until they release its successor later this year?

Thank you again everyone!
 
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