Need advice upgrading my PC

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madrerik

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Jun 25, 2013
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Approximate Purchase Date: By the end of July, beginning of August | ~July 31 - August 6

Budget Range: $640, can go up to $700 if needed.

System Usage from Most to Least Important: 1-5, 1 being most important

1-Gaming
2-Streaming (Games)
3-Movies
4-Music
5-Graphic Design (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator)

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: CPU, MOBO, RAM and if needed, Water Cooling system.

CPU - Current: i5 2500k - Upgrade to: i7 4770k quad-core LS1150
http://www.amazon.com/Intel-i7-4770K-Quad-Core-Processor-BX80646I74770K/dp/B00CO8TBQ0

MOBO - Current: Asus Sabertooth P67 B3 - Upgrade to: MSI Z87
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D12OBZ4

RAM - Current: x2 Corsair Vengeance 4GB DDR3 1600Mhz - Upgrade to: x2 8GB Corsair Vengeance PRO Series DDR 1600Mhz or x2 4GB Corsair Vengeance PRO Series DDR3 1600Mhz (to have 16GB RAM total)
http://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Vengeance-Series-Desktop-CMY8GX3M2A1866C9R/dp/B00D2LNLBY

x2 8GB: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233527

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: newegg.com, tigerdirect.com, frys.com, amazon.com - Open to suggestions on better websites -

Location: City, State/Region, Country - San Juan, P.R

Parts Preferences: by brand or type: Intel CPU, MSI MOBO, Corsair RAM sticks/Water Cooling - Also open for suggestions on better brands!

Overclocking: Maybe

SLI or Crossfire: No

Your Monitor Resolution: 1920x1080

Note: I always use x2 1920x1080 DVI Monitors as I multitask a lot and I also switch back and forth to a 24" 1080p 3D 60hz Monitor

Additional Comments: Not sure if relevant but, I have a Carbide 400R mid-tower case...

Current GPU: Geforce GTX 660Ti
HDD: Hitachi 2TB 7200RPM

as for the games and other software I use:

-Battlefield 3 (Ultra settings- 3D sometimes)
-World of Warcraft
-Xsplit (720p resolution, 25fps, super-fast CPU preset)
-OBS (1080p resolution, 30fps, super-fast CPU preset)
-Photoshop CS6
-InDesign CS6
-Illustrator CS6

-I have a 500w (Logitech Z906) 5.1 system set up too; a motherboard with on-board sound card would be nice since I'm looking forward for Optical SPDIF-OUT connection.

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I want a faster CPU/RAM for my programs as I'll start my animation classes soon and I'll be running 3D rendering programs, also to have a smoother, more powerful up-to-date PC. Last but not least, for the upcoming games, such as Battlefield 4.
 
Solution
geofelt
For a balanced game, I suggest you budget twice your cpu budget for the graphics card. It is that important.

The GTX660ti is a fine card, but ultimately will be the limiting factor for gaming.
But, I would defer upgrading it until you can make a big jump, perhaps to the level of a GTX780.

The 4770K is as good as it gets. But, mostly a 4670K will do the job equally well for gaming, and save you a bit.

No real need for an expensive X87 motherboard. Most any will do. Consider a M-ATX which might be cheaper.

Ram is cheap, I like 16gb for your apps. Buy a single 2 x 8gb kit.
Ram vendors do not support ram that is not all in one kit.
Do not pay extra for ram speeds greater than 1600, it will make littke difference in fps or real...
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Traciatim

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Nov 11, 2006
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I kind of agree with KrazyKap, you may notice a slight increase in speed while streaming games, but actual gaming you probably won't notice that huge of a difference. You may be better off just getting an SSD for your streaming disk and a nice video card, if you haven't overclocked yet, get a cooler and get the 2500K's speed up.

It really depends on what you are doing at the time, but I think after spending that much money on a CPU/MB/RAM you will probably be disappointed in the end that the upgrade wasn't worth the cost.
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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Oct 9, 2006
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For a balanced game, I suggest you budget twice your cpu budget for the graphics card. It is that important.

The GTX660ti is a fine card, but ultimately will be the limiting factor for gaming.
But, I would defer upgrading it until you can make a big jump, perhaps to the level of a GTX780.

The 4770K is as good as it gets. But, mostly a 4670K will do the job equally well for gaming, and save you a bit.

No real need for an expensive X87 motherboard. Most any will do. Consider a M-ATX which might be cheaper.

Ram is cheap, I like 16gb for your apps. Buy a single 2 x 8gb kit.
Ram vendors do not support ram that is not all in one kit.
Do not pay extra for ram speeds greater than 1600, it will make littke difference in fps or real app performance. Think 1%. Fancy heat spreaders are mostly marketing; buy a low profile kit.

See if you can't find space in your budget for a ssd. 120gb will hold the os and a handul of games. It will make everything you do feel quicker.

 
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