$800 budget on UPGRADING a computer

[jjamesonUB]

CPU: Intel i5 2500k 3.3GHz
GPU: EVGA GTX560 Ti 1GB VRAM
Mobo: ASUS P8Z68-V LX
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (4GBx2)
PSU: Corsair GS800
HDD: 1 TB standard
Tower: Mid tower standard

So I picked this up the other day and I am looking to get it running at a high performance (running any game on full settings) for my son for his 21st birthday. I am not that computer savvy but from what I have read this are some of the obvious flaws.

The mobo does not allow SLI, the GPU is only 1GB vram, the CPU can only support up to PCIE 2.0 and not the new 3.0. I would like to know if I could spend (~$800) and get this thing going in the right direction. I already own a new copy of windows 7 ultimate and windows office so I do not need to spend the extra money on them. Please all feedback would be terrific!

 

[luciferano]

You could get something such as a Radoen 7950 or a GTX 670 for the graphics upgrade. The CPU doesn't need an upgrade and the motherboard would only need an upgrade if you want SLI support (it already supports Crossfire). You could use a CPU cooler such as a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo so that that CPU can get a good overclock.

You could also use a decent SSD such as a Plextor MS5 128GB or a Vertex 4 128GB.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jEQd
That's $400 with the 7950, Vertex 4, and Evo. I don't think that you'd need to spend any more than this.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

The biggest upgrade you could get right now would probably be an SSD, as it will make the whole system generally more responsive and faster to load.. There is no point in replacing the CPU as PCIe2.0 isn't going to bottleneck anything.

Other than an SSD, you could get an SLi capable board and second 560Ti.

Do you know what resolution he is gaming at?

 

[jjamesonUB]

You could get something such as a Radoen 7950 or a GTX 670 for the graphics upgrade. The CPU doesn't need an upgrade and the motherboard would only need an upgrade if you want SLI support (it already supports Crossfire). You could use a CPU cooler such as a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo so that that CPU can get a good overclock.

You could also use a decent SSD such as a Plextor MS5 128GB or a Vertex 4 128GB.
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jEQd
That's $400 with the 7950, Vertex 4, and Evo. I don't think that you'd need to spend any more than this.

With the GTX 670 wouldn't I need a mobo that would support PCIe-3.0? Also, What is crossfire? I am sorry that I do not know much about computers.

 

[jjamesonUB]

The biggest upgrade you could get right now would probably be an SSD, as it will make the whole system generally more responsive and faster to load.. There is no point in replacing the CPU as PCIe2.0 isn't going to bottleneck anything.

Other than an SSD, you could get an SLi capable board and second 560Ti.

Do you know what resolution he is gaming at?

If I was to get a SSD would I need to reload Windows 7 and everything?

 

[luciferano]

With the GTX 670 wouldn't I need a mobo that would support PCIe-3.0? Also, What is crossfire? I am sorry that I do not know much about computers.

PCIe is backwards compatible and there isn't much of a performance hindrance by going down to PCIe 2.0 x16 from PCIe 3.0 x16 (roughly 1% drop, you won't notice it).

Crossfire is the multi-GPU technology used by Ati/AMD or more accurately, CrossfireX.

 

[luciferano]

If I was to get a SSD would I need to reload Windows 7 and everything?

Yes. The Vertex 4 is an SSD and if you got it, you'd have to re-install Windows onto it or if you really want to, transfer Windows over to it, but that is not recommended.

 

[jjamesonUB]

PCIe is backwards compatible and there isn't much of a performance hindrance by going down to PCIe 2.0 x16 from PCIe 3.0 x16 (roughly 1% drop, you won't notice it).

Crossfire is the multi-GPU technology used by Ati/AMD or more accurately, CrossfireX.

So if I was to buy a 670 I would not need to buy anything else? Would I need to buy liquid cooling or something?

 

[luciferano]

So if I was to buy a 670 I would not need to buy anything else? Would I need to buy liquid cooling or something?

Not at all. It is not a very power-hungry card, it's just incredibly fast. Just keep in mind that it's generally not much better than a Radeon 7950 and the 7950 is actually usually better when overclocking is considered, but the 670 is considerably more expensive.

 

[jjamesonUB]

Not at all. It is not a very power-hungry card, it's just incredibly fast. Just keep in mind that it's generally not much better than a Radeon 7950 and the 7950 is actually usually better when overclocking is considered, but the 670 is considerably more expensive.

Would I be able to buy 2 Radeon 7950's and use it right away on the set up I have now?

 

[luciferano]

Would I be able to buy 2 Radeon 7950's and use it right away on the set up I have now?

You could, but having a motherboard that has dual PCIe 2.0 x8 or dual PCIe 3.0 x8 slots would be somewhat better than using a PCIe 2.0 x16 and a PCIe 2.0 x4 slot like your current board has.

 

[jjamesonUB]

Best answer selected by jjamesonUB.