Help on upgrading my Gaming Rig

TroyHopson · Jul 25, 2013

I'm going to be upgrading my PC soon and need some advice. Before I get started, here are its current specs:
Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz
500GB SATA II
Geforce GTX 650 1GB
400W No-Name
ASROCK H61M-HVS, uATX (Cannot SLI)

It's a pretty solid pre-built rig that I got about 5-6 months ago. Plays almost anything I want at high-ultra with nothing below 25-30fps. However, I just want more performance out of it that I know I could get with a better GPU, CPU, and PSU. So far, I pretty much have this PSU locked into place:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028

My budget is extremely workable (around 800$ after the PSU) which is about as much as I got the rig for. My question is... What are the best possibilities that I could upgrade to to max out my performance in this price range? I wanna stick to NVIDIA cards and Intel Processors.

Before, I was STRONGLY thinking about just getting a new GPU and have that be the end of it, but figured if I'm gonna drop some money on my computer now why not go the whole 9 yards and get a new PSU, so I don't have to do it later. I was looking at getting a 760 4GB and an i5-3570k, however the boost in performance from the 3550 to the 3570 (don't quote me on this, not an expert) wouldn't be a greatly noticeable step up without OC'ing which the 3550 isn't able to do. So, I'm starting to look at an i7-4770k (which also isn't able to OC, but with the reviews I have seen on its speed it wouldn't need to be OC'ed):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116900

The choice of GPU would be a EVGA Geforce GTX 670 4GB (which is able to SLI, but I probably wouldn't need to do that for awhile, mainly considering I'd need a new MOBO). I haven't seen many bad reviews on this card, and it definitely is a step up from the 760, and it goes Godzilla on the 650:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130824

So... down to it. Taking into consideration my $800 budget ( I can shell out maybe 30-40 extra for shipping or for leeway for a little bit better card) what are any other options? What about a 2GB 680 vs the 670 4GB? Would the 600W PSU be able to handle the i7-4770k and the GTX 670 4GB? Any other suggestions that remain within the 800$ budget that might be better? I don't plan on OC'ing for awhile, and games that I play like Arma II & III are very Processor intensive, so I'd like to keep the CPU a high grade one, no 3570k.

Thanks in advance, and sorry for the TL;DR.

The Q6660 Inside · Jul 25, 2013

TroyHopson :

I'm going to be upgrading my PC soon and need some advice. Before I get started, here are its current specs:
Intel Core i5-3350P 3.1GHz
500GB SATA II
Geforce GTX 650 1GB
400W No-Name
ASROCK H61M-HVS, uATX (Cannot SLI)

It's a pretty solid pre-built rig that I got about 5-6 months ago. Plays almost anything I want at high-ultra with nothing below 25-30fps. However, I just want more performance out of it that I know I could get with a better GPU, CPU, and PSU. So far, I pretty much have this PSU locked into place:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139028

My budget is extremely workable (around 800$ after the PSU) which is about as much as I got the rig for. My question is... What are the best possibilities that I could upgrade to to max out my performance in this price range? I wanna stick to NVIDIA cards and Intel Processors.

Before, I was STRONGLY thinking about just getting a new GPU and have that be the end of it, but figured if I'm gonna drop some money on my computer now why not go the whole 9 yards and get a new PSU, so I don't have to do it later. I was looking at getting a 760 4GB and an i5-3570k, however the boost in performance from the 3550 to the 3570 (don't quote me on this, not an expert) wouldn't be a greatly noticeable step up without OC'ing which the 3550 isn't able to do. So, I'm starting to look at an i7-4770k (which also isn't able to OC, but with the reviews I have seen on its speed it wouldn't need to be OC'ed):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819116900

The choice of GPU would be a EVGA Geforce GTX 670 4GB (which is able to SLI, but I probably wouldn't need to do that for awhile, mainly considering I'd need a new MOBO). I haven't seen many bad reviews on this card, and it definitely is a step up from the 760, and it goes Godzilla on the 650:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130824

So... down to it. Taking into consideration my $800 budget ( I can shell out maybe 30-40 extra for shipping or for leeway for a little bit better card) what are any other options? What about a 2GB 680 vs the 670 4GB? Would the 600W PSU be able to handle the i7-4770k and the GTX 670 4GB? Any other suggestions that remain within the 800$ budget that might be better? I don't plan on OC'ing for awhile, and games that I play like Arma II & III are very Processor intensive, so I'd like to keep the CPU a high grade one, no 3570k.

Thanks in advance, and sorry for the TL;DR.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1kCUq(Initial)
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1kD8j (Final upgrade)
or
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1kCYZ (Initial upgrade)
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1kCYB (Final upgrade)
I would honestly spend an extra $100 if you want to have a 3770K, your current motherboard is not suited to use the 3770K. A 2GB 680 will best a 4GB 670 on a single monitor for sure. It would be a good idea a 840 Pro later.

Eximo · Jul 25, 2013

If you are considering a GTX670 4GB, you should be looking into a GTX770, which is a rebranded/redesigned GTX680 overclocked for about the same price.

A 3570k would only be an improvement if you overclocked it quite high, which will require a decent heatsink, such as the Noctua DH-14 or similar.

And yes, a new powersupply is a great idea. For a single card, a XFX 550W would be good, if you plan to get a new motherboard, an 850W for SLI in the future.

4770k and 4670k are okay at overclocking, but run a lot hotter. The motherboards do have a few nice features such as 6 Sata III ports.

The Q6660 Inside · Jul 25, 2013

Eximo :

If you are considering a GTX670, you should be looking into a GTX770, which is a rebranded/redesigned GTX680 overclocked for about the same price.

A 3570k would only be an improvement if you overclocked it quite high, which will require a decent heatsink, such as the Noctua DH-14 or similar.

And yes, a new powersupply is a great idea. For a single card, a XFX 550W would be good, if you plan to get a new motherboard, an 850W for SLI in the future.

4770k and 4670k are okay at overclocking, but run a lot hotter. The motherboards do have a few nice features such as 6 Sata III ports.

At this time, the 670 is around $300.

TroyHopson · Jul 25, 2013

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1kCUq(Initial)
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1kD8j (Final upgrade)
or
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1kCYZ (Initial upgrade)
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1kCYB (Final upgrade)
I would honestly spend an extra $100 if you want to have a 3770K, your current motherboard is not suited to use the 3770K. A 2GB 680 will best a 4GB 670 on a single monitor for sure. It would be a good idea a 840 Pro later.

I just can't budge on the 800 max, it's a no go. But what you're saying is there is a compatibility issue with the 4770k? I will probably get the 680 considering what you have said though.

The Q6660 Inside · Jul 25, 2013

TroyHopson :

Get the GTX 770, a rebadged and overclocked GTX 680 instead. You need to upgrade your motherboard to something more capable of handling it along with the GTX 770 and XFX 750W PSU linked and and then get the Hyper 212 EVO, 3770K and 840 Pro SSD later.

TroyHopson · Jul 25, 2013

[/quotemsg]
Get the GTX 770, a rebadged and overclocked GTX 680 instead. You need to upgrade your motherboard to something more capable of handling it along with the GTX 770 and XFX 750W PSU linked and and then get the Hyper 212 EVO, 3770K and 840 Pro SSD later.
[/quotemsg]

Only thing is, is that this has to be a one time upgrade, I don't plan on dropping anymore $$$ for awhile. And I just plan on getting a GPU, CPU, and PSU, no new mobo or SSD. Everything has to be compatible with my current setup.

The Q6660 Inside · Jul 25, 2013

TroyHopson :

Get the GTX 770, a rebadged and overclocked GTX 680 instead. You need to upgrade your motherboard to something more capable of handling it along with the GTX 770 and XFX 750W PSU linked and and then get the Hyper 212 EVO, 3770K and 840 Pro SSD later.
[/quotemsg]

Only thing is, is that this has to be a one time upgrade, I don't plan on dropping anymore $$$ for awhile. And I just plan on getting a GPU, CPU, and PSU, no new mobo or SSD. Everything has to be compatible with my current setup.
[/quotemsg]
It would be a better idea to change out the motherboard, your current is not suited to use the 3770K you want. $800 is not really flexible when you want a 3770K.
I honestly would go for this http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1kCYZ , yes it is $50 over, but it is worth it.

TroyHopson · Jul 25, 2013

The Q6660 Inside :

Only thing is, is that this has to be a one time upgrade, I don't plan on dropping anymore $$$ for awhile. And I just plan on getting a GPU, CPU, and PSU, no new mobo or SSD. Everything has to be compatible with my current setup.
[/quotemsg]
It would be a better idea to change out the motherboard, your current is not suited to use the 3770K you want. $800 is not really flexible when you want a 3770K.
I honestly would go for this http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1kCYZ , yes it is $50 over, but it is worth it.[/quotemsg]

It may be possible to put out enough to upgrade the mobo and still afford that build. But I'd have to have it installed, I'm not gonna mess around with a Mobo, and if I can save up a bit from now till then, possibly get a 680.

The Q6660 Inside · Jul 25, 2013

TroyHopson :

It would be a better idea to change out the motherboard, your current is not suited to use the 3770K you want. $800 is not really flexible when you want a 3770K.
I honestly would go for this http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1kCYZ , yes it is $50 over, but it is worth it.[/quotemsg]

It may be possible to put out enough to upgrade the mobo and still afford that build. But I'd have to have it installed, I'm not gonna mess around with a Mobo, and if I can save up a bit from now till then, possibly get a 680.[/quotemsg]

Alright, until then, get a GTX 770 and hold off until you can replace the other parts.

TroyHopson · Jul 25, 2013

The Q6660 Inside :

It may be possible to put out enough to upgrade the mobo and still afford that build. But I'd have to have it installed, I'm not gonna mess around with a Mobo, and if I can save up a bit from now till then, possibly get a 680.[/quotemsg]

Alright, until then, get a GTX 770 and hold off until you can replace the other parts.[/quotemsg]

So, here is what I have thrown together: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1kE72
Quite a bit over, but I figured with any luck, I can convince my wife to allow me to bump it up a bit, lol.
This is the pre-built I'm having it installed in: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227443
If there are no remaining compatibility issues, then I should be A-okay, only part left to do would be slick talking (wish me luck, LOL)

The Q6660 Inside · Jul 25, 2013

TroyHopson :

Alright, until then, get a GTX 770 and hold off until you can replace the other parts.[/quotemsg]

So, here is what I have thrown together: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1kE72
Quite a bit over, but I figured with any luck, I can convince my wife to allow me to bump it up a bit, lol.
This is the pre-built I'm having it installed in: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227443
If there are no remaining compatibility issues, then I should be A-okay, only part left to do would be slick talking (wish me luck, LOL)[/quotemsg]

*Wishes you luck* I hope she can bump up the budget and you will have a fun time, building the PC is not as hard as many think

.

TroyHopson · Jul 25, 2013

The Q6660 Inside :

So, here is what I have thrown together: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1kE72
Quite a bit over, but I figured with any luck, I can convince my wife to allow me to bump it up a bit, lol.
This is the pre-built I'm having it installed in: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227443
If there are no remaining compatibility issues, then I should be A-okay, only part left to do would be slick talking (wish me luck, LOL)[/quotemsg]

*Wishes you luck* I hope she can bump up the budget and you will have a fun time, building the PC is not as hard as many think

.[/quotemsg]

Yeah, I have heard. I wouldn't have any problem messing with the GPU and PSU, but am not comfortable with handling any CPu or Mobo components, and honestly don't have the right kind of work area to. I'd rather spend an extra maybe... 110 tops to have it pt together by someone with much more experience than me. So, you see no compatibility issues with any of my current components then?

The Q6660 Inside · Jul 25, 2013

TroyHopson :

The Q6660 Inside :

So, here is what I have thrown together: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1kE72
Quite a bit over, but I figured with any luck, I can convince my wife to allow me to bump it up a bit, lol.
This is the pre-built I'm having it installed in: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16883227443
If there are no remaining compatibility issues, then I should be A-okay, only part left to do would be slick talking (wish me luck, LOL)

*Wishes you luck* I hope she can bump up the budget and you will have a fun time, building the PC is not as hard as many think

.[/quotemsg]

Yeah, I have heard. I wouldn't have any problem messing with the GPU and PSU, but am not comfortable with handling any CPu or Mobo components, and honestly don't have the right kind of work area to. I'd rather spend an extra maybe... 110 tops to have it pt together by someone with much more experience than me. So, you see no compatibility issues with any of my current components then?[/quotemsg]

I see an issue with the H61M and 3770K not really being suited to each other, I would upgrade to the parts linked, just find a guide on how to build your computer and you should be fine.

TroyHopson · Jul 25, 2013

The Q6660 Inside :

TroyHopson :

*Wishes you luck* I hope she can bump up the budget and you will have a fun time, building the PC is not as hard as many think

.

Yeah, I have heard. I wouldn't have any problem messing with the GPU and PSU, but am not comfortable with handling any CPu or Mobo components, and honestly don't have the right kind of work area to. I'd rather spend an extra maybe... 110 tops to have it pt together by someone with much more experience than me. So, you see no compatibility issues with any of my current components then?[/quotemsg]

I see an issue with the H61M and 3770K not really being suited to each other, I would upgrade to the parts linked, just find a guide on how to build your computer and you should be fine.

[/quotemsg]

So, basically I just get the H61M replaced with the Z77 and boom, no problem?

The Q6660 Inside · Jul 25, 2013

TroyHopson :

The Q6660 Inside :

Yeah, I have heard. I wouldn't have any problem messing with the GPU and PSU, but am not comfortable with handling any CPu or Mobo components, and honestly don't have the right kind of work area to. I'd rather spend an extra maybe... 110 tops to have it pt together by someone with much more experience than me. So, you see no compatibility issues with any of my current components then?

I see an issue with the H61M and 3770K not really being suited to each other, I would upgrade to the parts linked, just find a guide on how to build your computer and you should be fine.

[/quotemsg]

So, basically I just get the H61M replaced with the Z77 and boom, no problem?[/quotemsg]

Yep. Follow some guides in how to build a computer and you should be set.

TroyHopson · Jul 27, 2013

The Q6660 Inside :

TroyHopson :

The Q6660 Inside :

Yeah, I have heard. I wouldn't have any problem messing with the GPU and PSU, but am not comfortable with handling any CPu or Mobo components, and honestly don't have the right kind of work area to. I'd rather spend an extra maybe... 110 tops to have it pt together by someone with much more experience than me. So, you see no compatibility issues with any of my current components then?

I see an issue with the H61M and 3770K not really being suited to each other, I would upgrade to the parts linked, just find a guide on how to build your computer and you should be fine.

So, basically I just get the H61M replaced with the Z77 and boom, no problem?[/quotemsg]

Yep. Follow some guides in how to build a computer and you should be set.[/quotemsg]

One more quick question for you. I notice the ASRock Z77 has an onboard USB header, but my case doesn't have front ports for USB (this is according to pcpartpicker), will there be compatibility issues here, or can this be worked around?

The Q6660 Inside · Jul 27, 2013

TroyHopson :

The Q6660 Inside :

TroyHopson :

I see an issue with the H61M and 3770K not really being suited to each other, I would upgrade to the parts linked, just find a guide on how to build your computer and you should be fine.

So, basically I just get the H61M replaced with the Z77 and boom, no problem?

Yep. Follow some guides in how to build a computer and you should be set.[/quotemsg]

One more quick question for you. I notice the ASRock Z77 has an onboard USB header, but my case doesn't have front ports for USB (this is according to pcpartpicker), will there be compatibility issues here, or can this be worked around?[/quotemsg]

Don't worry, you can still use the back, after the CPU, the case should be your next upgrade option.

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