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First upgrade

Last response: in Systems
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So its near 2 years since I built my first PC, the specs for it are:

CPU - AMD Athlon II X3 450
MB - Gigabyte GA-MA770T-UD3 MA770
GPU - MSI Geforce GTX 460 OC
RAM - 4GB (2x2GB)
HDD - 500GB Seagate Barracuda
PSU - 530W
Case - Cooler Master Elite 430 Midi tower

I feel it's time for an upgrade but I'm not too sure where to start or how to, so I may just build a new system. This is what I plan to have:

CPU - AMD (Piledriver) FX-4300
MB - Gigabyte GA-78LMT-USB3 AMD 760G
GPU - MSI Geforce 660Ti OC 2GB
RAM - 16GB (2x8GB)
HDD - 2TB Seagate Barracuda
PSU - 630W
Case - ARIAnet StealthX Black Midi Tower

I plan to upgrade some time early next year, I'm a 3D modeller so I will be using the rig for both gaming and for using demanding software.
I want to know if this is a worthy upgrade and whether I could use anything from the previous rig for the upgrade, all together the new rig will cost around £550 (~$890).

Thanks in advance

More about : upgrade

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Looks decent, for gaming Intel is the better choice. A 660ti is also a good card, but don't get a reference card, spend more and get a good non-reference cooler and overclock it a bit, or just get a 670. Lastly, what PSU would it be, DO NOT SKIMP on the PSU.

PSU looks like it has decent reviews, so I think you're good there.

This is an example of a reference card: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Here's a non-reference card. Better cooler, usually yeilding much better performance for around the same price: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168... <--- that one is a bit more expansive but it comes with free games so it's still a pretty good deal.
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Well, you could use your Hard Drive for sure, maybe grab an SSD if you want for booting, though that's kind of a waste of money if you're on a budget. Your GTX 460 would be a good dedicated PhysX card, though I'm not sure if your Mobo supports it, and the performance gains are minimal. Personally, I would reuse the hard drive and sell all the rest for as much as you can to pay for your new system.

The difference between a 660ti and a 670 are not huge, but a 670 is definitely a high end card whereas a 660ti is more mid range. This chart shows the difference in BF3, though some games perform differently: http://www.tomshardware.com/charts/2012-vga-gpgpu/13-Ba...

I would recommend getting an Asus GTX 670 DirectCUII card, it's a good price for a beastly card, or if you'd like, wait until March or April and get the next generation of graphics cards from either company. Your call, good luck, feel free to ask any more questions.

A friend of mine put forward this build to me instead of the one I posted, can I get some feedback on it; whether it's better then the one I previously posted, power wise and value for money wise. ~£650(~$1000)

CPU - Intel Core i5 3550,1155, Ivy Bridge, Quad Core
MB - ASRock Z77 Extreme 4
GPU - 2GB MSI GTX 660 Ti Power Edition OC
RAM - 8GB (2x4GB) Corsair DDR3 XMS3
HDD - 1TB Seagate ST31000524AS Barracuda 7200.12, SATA 6Gb/s
PSU - 520W Antec Neo Eco 0-761345-285209
Case - Aerocool VS-9 Advance Gaming Mid-Tower Case

Performance would be relatively similar for both builds, Intel is the better choice for gaming, but if you are not going to be using a 670 or 680, might as well just stick with the FX-4300 and save a few bucks. It's really down to personal preference at this point, as performance won't vary too much between the two builds, at least not for the amount of money you are paying for the Intel vs. AMD build. That case is ugly though, maybe this? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E168...

Sexy, clean case^
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