Looking to upgrade my MSI R7870 HAWK and Intel i5-3470

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zulu317

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Feb 5, 2015
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Build:
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-GD55
Processor: Intel Core i5-3470 Ivy Bridge 3.2 GHz
GPU: MSI R7870 Hawk
PSU: Coolmax ZX-600 series 600w
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 1600 8gb

Budget is around the cost of products listed.

Thinking about replacing my GPU with this:
http://

Edit: How does this card compare the one above:
http://

Also, want to upgrade my CPU as well, would this be sufficient:
http://

Are there any reasons why I should or should not get these? Are there better products for the money?

Thank you in advance.
 
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RazerZ
A 4790k will be a waste. In most games it will have little to no benefit from your i5. Your PSU is a fire hazard and I'd replace it immediately.

The 970 will be a great upgrade from your 7870.

Here's the PSU I would choose to go along with it:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($50.40 @ Directron)
Total: $50.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-05 18:33 EST-0500

Keep in mind it is non modular and is 550W. If you plan to go 970sli later I would look into a 700+W decent PSU.
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amtseung

amtseung

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The HD7870 is honestly not a poor card, even by today's standards. You'd have to consider if the $350 for the shiny new GTX970 is worth $350 in performance increase from the 7870. I upgraded from an r7 240 (crap card, no one ever get this thing) to an HD7950 recently (newegg, $140), and to me, that was worth every penny. Whether that's worth it to you is your opinion, not mine; I'd think not, but it's entirely on your conscience.

The superclocked version of any gpu, as its name implies, is going to be a bit faster than its "standard" counterpart.

I have no comment on the 4790k. I wish I had one. Firefall is an absolute CPU hog. :3

Maybe using the money to get an overclock-capable motherboard like a z-87 or z-97 chipset board to go with your new K-unlocked CPU would be more valuable...
 
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RazerZ

RazerZ

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A 4790k will be a waste. In most games it will have little to no benefit from your i5. Your PSU is a fire hazard and I'd replace it immediately.

The 970 will be a great upgrade from your 7870.

Here's the PSU I would choose to go along with it:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Power Supply: Antec Neo Eco 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($50.40 @ Directron)
Total: $50.40
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-05 18:33 EST-0500

Keep in mind it is non modular and is 550W. If you plan to go 970sli later I would look into a 700+W decent PSU.
 
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amtseung

amtseung

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It really depends on what that computer is being used for. OP didn't mention anything.
For me, who plays a lot of mmo's like Firefall, Tera, etc., a CPU with strong single-threaded performance is more valuable than a strong GPU.
For someone who plays games more like Metro or Crysis, a strong GPU would be more valuable than a strong CPU.
For someone who does 3D modeling with something like Maya, you'd need as much raw horsepower as you can get.


 
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zulu317

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So if I do upgrade the PSU, and get the GPU and CPU I have listed, will all of this be compatible with everything else I have? I would check pcpartpicker.com but my motherboard isn't listed.

 
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RazerZ

RazerZ

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The GPU and PSU will be compatible, the 4790k would not. It uses a LGA 1150 socket compared to the MSI z77 board you currently have which uses LGA 1155. You would need a second or third generation i7.

Just to be sure, have you tried using the 3D modeling software and streaming with your current set up? The i7 may not be worth it.
 
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Z

zulu317

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I have not actually. I just talked to a buddy of mine who has been doing it for a while and he suggested upgrading. Not sure if it's a necessity or not. I will give it a shot and see how it goes before I decide to upgrade though.
 
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