Upgrade Most bang for the $$$$

[diplomat]

Okay, so I have done the reading in the forum but I still can't make up my mind. I have been meaning to upgrade for sometime now but other things were more important. Before the end of the year I plane to finally do so. All I really need is the cpu, mobo and ram, my other components are just fine unless I decide to go with a ssd or upgrade my gpu(currently NVIDIA GeForce GTX 460) I do want to get the most cost effective cpu but I wanna be as close to leading edge as possible so hopefully I don't have to worry about to much upgrading for the next 4-5 yrs.

My current cpu is a AMD Athlon X2 6400+ and I am running 6GB of ram. I am gamer(Civ4 primarily but on occasion BF3/MOH/Gost Recon type games) I currently use PS5 as well as 3ds Max 2010.

I was thinking of going with either the i7 2700K @ $229 or the i5 3570 @$189 using the ASUS SABERTOOTH Z77 LGA 1155 with 8GB DDR3

I have been a loyal AMD user but I can't seem to pin down an amd cpu that will do the trick for me...

Any suggestions about a different way to go is appreciated.

 

[manofchalk]

Where do you need more performance?

Video editing, gaming, general productivity?

If its just gaming, the 3570k will do nicely. Would advise on a different board than the Sabertooth, very expensive for what it offers. With the price decrease to something like an Extreme4 (very good mobo) you could probably get an SSD.

Video editing, the 2700k (or even 3770k) is the way to go.

General productivity, maybe a Phenom II x4 965 and an SSD will suffice.

 

[diplomat]

I Would say more performance for gaming and web development. But I want a more all around upgrade than performance specific. I keep thinking about the x4 965 but it just doesn't feel like an upgrade that will last...maybe I am just wrong about that.

Would be cheaper to go with the ASRock Z77 Extreme4 $134.99/ASRock Z77 Extreme6 $179.99
or even the
Gigabyte GA-Z77-DS3H LGA 1155 Z77$109.99

I just want a solid mobo going forward especially if I decided to add 2 gpu's which i doubt but I'd still like the option?

 

[manofchalk]

In that case, the 3570k and an SSD is what I recommend. You wont notice a great increase in performance from games like you would with a newer GPU, but its a better base to build from later. Wont need to worry about bottle-necking components for a while yet.
And the SSD will just make the whole machine seem faster. Its night and day compared to a HDD system.

Also be aware that unless you have a retail copy of Windows, you will likely need to purchase another copy with the new motherboard. Also DDR3 RAM as well, dont think your AM2 system would have that.

Yep, thats the board.

Well, the Gigabyte is cheaper, so that answers the question doesn't it?
Looking at the Gigabytes specs, it wont support Crossfire/SLI properly (2nd slot is Gen2 4x bandwidth). Has less SATA ports and USB connectivity.
In general just less features.

The Extreme4 has dual PCI-3 slots that run 8x/8x when you have two cards, enough for dual SLI/Crossfire. As well as being a pretty good mobo.

 

[jdwii]

I Would say more performance for gaming and web development. But I want a more all around upgrade than performance specific. I keep thinking about the x4 965 but it just doesn't feel like an upgrade that will last...maybe I am just wrong about that.

Would be cheaper to go with the ASRock Z77 Extreme4 $134.99/ASRock Z77 Extreme6 $179.99
or even the
Gigabyte GA-Z77-DS3H LGA 1155 Z77$109.99

I just want a solid mobo going forward especially if I decided to add 2 gpu's which i doubt but I'd still like the option?

Wait like a week for Piledriver if you want to go with Amd if not get a I7 for those prices.

 

[diplomat]

....but its a better base to build from later. Wont need to worry about bottle-necking components for a while yet.

Yeah that is exactly what I am looking for.

so this is what I will have

CM Storm Sniper
PC Power & Cooling 760
Core i5 3570K 3.4GHz
Hyper 212 Plus
ASRock Z77 Extreme4
Corsair XMS3 Series 8GB DDR3-1600
OCZ Vertex 4 128GB
Baracuda 1TB SATA
Currently running GeForce GTX 460 Superclocked (Will look to upgrade in 2013)
UltraSharp U2711 27"
Windows 7 64 Bit

 

[manofchalk]

Looks good, though change the 212+ to a 212 EVO.
It has wider contact heat-pipes, allowing better heat transfer to the heat-sink. Also think it comes with a better fan as well.

 

[diplomat]

I previously upgraded the fans(have 2 running) on the 212 when i bought it so I'll stick with that unless I have problems. Appreciate you input though!!

 

[diplomat]

Best answer selected by diplomat.