What to upgrade?

[ghost19]

Hello,

I want to upgrade my desktop gaming pc (specs are in my signature) and I can't decide what to buy. I currently game at 1920x1080 and I'm playing metro 2033 (hopefully last light as well) and looking forward to Borderlands 2. I can't decide between getting a Geforce GTX 660 Ti (GPU upgrade) or the following (system upgrade):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3450 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($189.98 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H61MA-D3V Micro ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1333 Memory ($38.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $298.96
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-30 16:01 EDT-0400)

was wondering what option would get me more bang for the buck (leaning towards the system upgrade ATM)?.

Update: Here's my current system (provided by Speccy)
Operating System: MS Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit SP1
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 @ 2.83GHz
RAM: 4.00 GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 333MHz (5-5-5-15)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. P35-DS3L (Socket 775)
Graphics: 1024MB GeForce GTX 560 (MSI)
Hard Drive: 488GB SAMSUNG SAMSUNG HD501LJ ATA Device (SATA)
Power Supply (not provided by Speccy): SeaSonic 750 watts

 

[Wolfshadw]

Please detail your system specs. When editing a post, the signature is lost.

-Wolf sends

 

[cin19]

Get the HD7870 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102983

If you like Nvidia get the 660Ti, but check out the link for review and you can see HD7870 is better and cheaper too.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-660-ti-benchmark-review,3279.html

 

[ghost19]

-UPDATED post to include current desktop specs

 

[ghost19]

Get the HD7870 http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102983

If you like Nvidia get the 660Ti, but check out the link for review and you can see HD7870 is better and cheaper too.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/geforce-gtx-660-ti-benchmark-review,3279.html

I considered getting the HD7870 but wanted to stick with Nvidia due to Borderlands 2 using PhysX and would like to have that enabled. too bad the physics weren't done in OpenCL :-/

 

[Wolfshadw]

I really don't see either upgrade option as being worth the cost. Yes, your current CPU is showing it's age, but that doesn't mean it's not up to snuff. I just don't see spending $300 just to regain a 10% (guestimate) return in performance.

-Wolf sends

 

[ghost19]

I really don't see either upgrade option as being worth the cost. Yes, your current CPU is showing it's age, but that doesn't mean it's not up to snuff. I just don't see spending $300 just to regain a 10% (guestimate) return in performance.

-Wolf sends

Alright, Let's say "if" you saw it worth the cost , what option would you recommend?

 

[Wolfshadw]

*IF* I were to spend money on this system, I'd salvage the graphics card, power supply, optical drive and maybe the case (you didn't specify). For all else, go with new components (I5 3570, Z77 Motherboard, RAM, and SATA 6.0 SSD and HDD). However, that's going to cost a lot more than $300.

-Wolf sends

 

[ghost19]

*IF* I were to spend money on this system, I'd salvage the graphics card, power supply, optical drive and maybe the case (you didn't specify). For all else, go with new components (I5 3570, Z77 Motherboard, RAM, and SATA 6.0 SSD and HDD). However, that's going to cost a lot more than $300.

-Wolf sends

Hmm...I'm guessing you've recommended the Z77 chipset for future-proofing sake but why the i5-3570 over the i5-3450? seems like clock speed is the only difference (unless I'm missing something ).

 

[Wolfshadw]

No, you're not missing anything, but if I'm upgrading, I feel the extra $30 for the I5-3570K is worth it. To me, an upgrade of your current system should not be budget bound. If it is, then the upgrade is not worth it.

-Wolf sends

 

[ghost19]

No, you're not missing anything, but if I'm upgrading, I feel the extra $30 for the I5-3570K is worth it. To me, an upgrade of your current system should not be budget bound. If it is, then the upgrade is not worth it.

-Wolf sends

Good point, I'll probably go with the following then:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z77-DS3H ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $389.97
(Prices include shipping and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2012-08-31 11:49 EDT-0400)

what do you think?

 

[Wolfshadw]

As long as you're not looking to go with any dual-graphic options, then it all looks good. Otherwise, look for a Z77 motherboard that has at least two PCI-Ex16 3.0 slots.

-Wolf sends

 

[ghost19]

As long as you're not looking to go with any dual-graphic options, then it all looks good. Otherwise, look for a Z77 motherboard that has at least two PCI-Ex16 3.0 slots.

-Wolf sends

Nah, I'm going to stick with a single card setup. Thanks for the help man. much appreciated

 

[ghost19]

Best answer selected by ghost19.