If I upgrade to Haswell, what other parts will I need to upgrade?

[sterlin22]

I5-2310 2.9ghz sandy bridge quad core
Sapphire 7850 OC edition - personally OC'd to 1100 Mhz
8GB DDR3 1333 Mhz
1TB 7200 RPM
Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit
Intel H61 Chipset
Corsair GS 700 Watt
H60 Liquid Cooler for CPU

So currently on my "list of things to upgrade", the first thing I'm planning on upgrading is the processor to the I5-4500k, or equivalent, when it is released. In doing so, I'll need a new motherboard. Will I need to also re-purchase my Operating System? Are there any other parts I may need to upgrade as well that I'm overlooking?

Side Question - If I upgraded my RAM from 8GB 1333 Mhz to 16GB 2400 Mhz, would I notice a huge difference (obviously I'd have to wait till I get that new motherboard, but still)?

 

[payturr]

CPU, Motherboard, and possibly your water cooler - PSU too if you decide to say "f it, might as well get a new GPU". RAM is good but you should opt for faster 1866 MHz DIMMs. The RAM makes a difference really just for your integrated graphics, it also may like, make something a split second faster, but faster RAM is you know, good RAM, and it's affordable.

 

[sterlin22]

CPU, Motherboard, and possibly your water cooler - PSU too if you decide to say "f it, might as well get a new GPU". RAM is good but you should opt for faster 1866 MHz DIMMs. The RAM makes a difference really just for your integrated graphics, it also may like, make something a split second faster, but faster RAM is you know, good RAM, and it's affordable.

So the Operating System will not be an issue if I upgrade the motherboard and CPU? How can I determine if I need to upgrade the water cooling system? Last question I have is, do you mean you recommend upgrading the PSU if I got an additional 7850? My current plans are to wait two generations (for the GTX 800 series) and get a GTX 880.

Thanks very much for your feedback thus far!

 

[payturr]

Operating system will continue to support it - its not like its totally different (IE 128 bit CPU). When Haswell releases, just look around to see if your water cooler has been confirmed to support socket LGA1150. I only recommend upgrading the PSU if you opt for a better and bigger card, or if you add another card. Otherwise, you're good. Only thing is I'd recommend you upgrade to Windows 8, its affordable & I've seen difference in game performance. But thats preference, you're good with WIndows 7!

 

[sterlin22]

Best answer selected by Sterlin22.

 

[mesab66]

If you are willing to wait 2 gens for a new GPU could you not hold on to your current base? This will then allow your to consider adding an SSD or faster CPU - if you think they'll benefit you. I think you've still got a lot of options with your current build. Wait till more info about Haswell surfaces - it might not be a huge tech leap from what you have in context with what you currently do with your pc.