Upgrading Old Computer

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Bruski

Bruski

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I am looking to upgrade my old computer for gaming without breaking the bank (not more than $1,000-1,250). I'm guessing new GPU, CPU, motherboard, RAM, OS, (and SSD?). Any other components I should upgrade, and what parts do you recommend? Thank you.
 
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Math Geek
this is a solid build of new gen parts. will run anything at 1080p and high settings for a good bit to come. cpu is unlocked and i chose a basic cooler for it but your case may not fit it. this can be adjusted but this is basically what i would go for in that budget range other than better cooling if you wish to oc heavily the cpu.. went ahead and included a new psu since i don't know what you have now.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($249.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z170-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard...
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Barty1884

Barty1884

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At that point, you're building a new rig, not upgrading necessarily - unless you have a quality PSU you can reuse and some good ol' mechanical storage.

Good budget to build with though. I'll work on a couple of options, but first, can you tell us what games you're looking to play? And on what settings?
 
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Math Geek

Math Geek

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this is a solid build of new gen parts. will run anything at 1080p and high settings for a good bit to come. cpu is unlocked and i chose a basic cooler for it but your case may not fit it. this can be adjusted but this is basically what i would go for in that budget range other than better cooling if you wish to oc heavily the cpu.. went ahead and included a new psu since i don't know what you have now.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($249.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI Z170-A PRO ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($111.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($151.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card ($323.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: SeaSonic S12II 520W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($55.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($87.95 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1045.56
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-08 18:17 EST-0500
 
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Solution
Barty1884

Barty1884

Retired Moderator
Apr 16, 2015
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Math Geek has posted a pretty good build on Skylake, so I'm not going to reinvent the wheel and make minor changes there.

An alternative:

Pushes you to the top of your budget, but a Quad-Core Xeon (w/ HT) & a 980ti. Can't think of a single game this rig couldn't max out.
(I assume you have a reusable case & HDDs) If you have DDR3, you could reuse and save a little bit more. If you have a quality 600W PSU you could reuse that too.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1231 V3 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($244.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z97-HD3 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($90.88 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($32.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($84.89 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card ($609.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM (64-bit) ($87.95 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1211.68
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-09 10:37 EST-0500
 
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Barty1884

Barty1884

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Apr 16, 2015
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Dont worry too much about Bronze vs Gold. The SuperNOVA B2 is a quality unit, for a great price. Not as efficient as a G2 or GS, but quality components throughout. Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum efficiency rarely justify the price difference.
 
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Bruski

Bruski

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Thank you Barty! A much more detailed description of my situation is on this thread: http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2970332/upgrading-fx6800-e01-high-settings-1080p.html
You seem to know your stuff and I would appreciate if you looked at it and gave some feed back. I gave Math Geek best answer because both of you gave some good feedback, but you were asking for specifics. Anyway, the exact components are in that thread and I would be really grateful if you could take a look. Thank you!
 
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