Upgrading PC, not very experienced

[sethicles]

I built a PC about 4 years ago with some help. My motherboard went bad so I'm looking to upgrade my MOBO, CPU, GPU and RAM. I'm only fairly knowledgeable on this stuff, and I'm a little worried about picking the right parts for my money. I'm also concerned about compatibility between components, and I'd appreciate some advice.

I was using:
Gigabyte EP45-UD3P (which is now bad)

Core 2 Duo 3GHz

Geforce GTX 260

2x Adata DDR2 800 2gx16

I'd like to use the same hard drive to avoid redoing my OS and settings, if possible. It's a Hitachi 1TB 7200rpm.

I'd be able to spend around $700, maybe a bit more. Any help or advice here is greatly appreciated.

 

[Deemo13]

You are probably going to have to re-install Windows, but sometimes you can get away with not reinstallijng it.

I'm not sure if you have a case or not. But I will include one anyway.

Here's how I would build it (in the essence of saving some buck):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3450 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor ($186.97 @ CompUSA)
Motherboard: ASRock H77 Pro4/MVP ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 2GB Video Card ($234.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Thermaltake Commander MS/I Snow Edition (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($52.22 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply ($49.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $634.15
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)

If you want to spend all of your money, then you can go for a 7950 or something.

 

[morgilroka]

Deemo's build is great for the price!

 

[sethicles]

Thanks for the build advice, I hope to be building it this weekend.

Regarding the windows reinstall, why would I need to reinstall everything if I'm reusing the same hard drive? I was hoping since it's already set up I'd be able to boot up and just download whatever drivers I needed and be good to go. This isn't exactly my area of expertise, obviously.

 

[Deemo13]

Because the computer won't boot, as it is trying to use the old drivers to boot. Sometimes you get lucky, and others you don't.

 

[sethicles]

Best answer selected by sethicles.