Looking to upgrade my system[CPU, Graphics Card, Mobo]

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Axe08

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Hello all! I was here a while ago and got amazing help from the community with buying parts for my first build.
Thread here

Anyway its about 3 years later and I am looking to upgrade. I haven't really been in the loop as far as parts go so I am kind of lost. Here are my current specs now.

-Intel i5 3570
-ASRock z77 Extreme 4 Mobo
-16gb RAM (8 gb G.Skill Ripjaw and 8 of some corsair)
-Gigabyte HD 7950 graphics card
-Seasonic 750 Watt PSU(80 plus gold)

I think I am good on memory so we don't need to worry about that.

I guess some of my questions would be involving the possibility of a new mobo, graphics card or processor. Am I correct in saying that my mobo wouldn't be able to handle those new i7s that are out(excuse my noobness).

My system is primarily used for gaming and I really haven't set any price ranges because I am not sure really what I am looking for.
I really appreciate any input.

Thanks

Additional info
I live in St.Louis so luckily I have a microcenter nearby. Open to using any online retailers as well.
 
Solution
Sensei Gamer
Woah!!! That system is very capable of playing any games. Don't change the mobo, CPU, RAM, and anything else. Change the GPU to something like an R9 390 or R9 390X. But putting the HD 7950 in crossfire would be awesome. But I suggest on getting a single R9 390, Cause the performance of 2x HD 7950 is not that far ahead of the R9 390.

Oh by the way when applying crossfire to a card it does not have to be the same brand. any brand works as long as both are HD 7950s
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Gabeman6007

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Nice build!l Just one question - what do you want the upgrade to speed up? Do you want to get more frames per second in games, faster in opening and moving large files, etc?

If you want more fps in games, I would find an r9 290/r9 290x on ebay. They're going really cheap right now - just make sure you don't get the "reference" cooler for the card. It tends to be really loud.

If you want faster speed in opening and moving large files, I would invest in an SSD.
 
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Axe08

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Sorry I didn't add this in the original post but I already have a SSD for my operating system. I guess I am looking for better gaming performance and any input as to maybe what I should start with would be nice.
I will look into the r9 290s though. Other than the 7950 having 3 gb ddr5 ram and the r9 290 having 4gb are there any other differences or advantages?
I plan on using my pc a lot more when fallout comes out.:)

 
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Gabeman6007

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Actually, do you have space for another 7950? Two 7950s in crossfire would utterly destroy a single r9 290. Going to 4gb from 3gb really shouldn't make any difference.

:) Yup, fallout's gonna be awesome.
 
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Gabeman6007

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Yeah, you've got room. I would get another 7950 and go for the crossfire route.
 
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Axe08

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Okay so this might be a dumb question but do they have to be the same cards or clock speed to crossfire? Because the gigabyte one I have is $325 and 900MHz on Amazon while the Sapphire one is $279.98 and 850MHz clock speed.
[Edit] Never mind I found the answer, looks like both would run at 850 MHz.

I suppose I am also looking at the HIS 7950 as well

Link
 
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Sensei Gamer

Sensei Gamer

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Woah!!! That system is very capable of playing any games. Don't change the mobo, CPU, RAM, and anything else. Change the GPU to something like an R9 390 or R9 390X. But putting the HD 7950 in crossfire would be awesome. But I suggest on getting a single R9 390, Cause the performance of 2x HD 7950 is not that far ahead of the R9 390.

Oh by the way when applying crossfire to a card it does not have to be the same brand. any brand works as long as both are HD 7950s
 
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Solution
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Axe08

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Thanks for the suggestion. That MSI r9 390x sure looks sexy. Then it would be a question of R9 390 or the 390x and brand. Looks like MSI is popular and well rated choice.
 
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Sensei Gamer

Sensei Gamer

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I forgot to ask you something. What resolution are you playing your games at? for the brands I would personally stick with ASUS, MSI and Sapphire. Top 3 brands for AMD. As for the R9 390 or R9 390X, it depends. Do you really need an R9 390X? if playing on a 1080p monitor the R9 390 would do just fine.

 
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Axe08

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1080p right now.
also any idea what I should ask if trying to sell my current graphics card on craigslist?
 
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Axe08

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Never mind,
But thanks everyone I went ahead with the MSI R9 390. On Amazon I was able to get it for 299.99 after mail in rebate.
 
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