Upgrading,

Well, you didn't talk about money... So I'll i'll try to guide you in mid/high range.

Get a Z77 motherboard (overclocking friendly and needed for SLI/Crossefire). I don't know if all Z77 motherboards are SLI and Crossefire Certified (the chipset is capable of, but I do think they need Nvidia and AMD certification), so make sure it's clearly stated in the specs...

If you look in mid/high range Z77, look at MSI Z77A at least the GD45. I have the GD65 and it's a really nice motherboard. For a Gigabyte equivalent, look for UD4 or more. Asrock Extreme 4 is recommended by many forum users, so I suppose it's nice too. EVGA have only FTW edition which is, to me, overpriced.

For the CPU, if you can afford it, the 3570k is the best i5 CPU. Unlocked multi and performant.

With 8GB of DDR3 1600, 16GB if you can, this would be a nice upgrade.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($169.99 @ Microcenter)
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-GD65 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($160.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 16GB (4 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($79.98 @ Outlet PC)
Total: $410.96
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-01-11 18:53 EST-0500)


This would be my pick.

honestly even a Z68+ 2500k would be a huge step up for you

yea i was looking at that about 1 year ago but gave up on it, i researched all the chip sets and made my mind p, now theres a hole lot more chip sets.

seems dumb that brand new chip sets cant support sli( old as tech)

I don't think you would need to change the RAM, maybe add another stick if there's an open slot. Get a Z77 chipset if you're overclocking, I would recommend the AsRock Z77 Extreme3 if you're on a budget. I agree with the i5-3570k, should last quite a while before becoming outdated.

INTEL CORE I5 3570K IVY BRIDGE 3.40GHZ 6MB 77W LGA1155

ASROCK Z77 EXTREME4 INTEL Z77 MOTHERBOARD
or
GIGABYTE G1 SNIPER M3 INTEL Z77 IVY BRIDGE MOTHERBOARD

CORSAIR CML8GX3M2A1600C9 VENGEANCE LP 2X4GB DDR3-1600 CL9

is what i think i might go with, (my current ram is only ddr2)

does this look good? not sure on what mobo tho.

I prefer AsRock, just my opinion. Looks good.