Further upgrades

[B-l593]

Hi everyone. Last year I upgraded my 5 year old desktop and this year I want to further upgrade it to make it more updated and to last a good number more years. This desktop will be used mostly for hardcore gaming for modern games at high settings (highest if possible). Last year I upgraded the graphics card from a Geforce 8800GT to a Radeon 6870, the memory from 2GB to 4GB, got a new power supply and a new cpu cooling fan.

Here's my current specs:
-abit AB9 QuadGT motherboard
- Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600
- Intel P965 Express Chipset
- 4GB of Dual DDR2 800Mhz RAM
- Sapphire 1GB HD6870
- 500W Cooler Master GX
- Cooler Master Hyper TX3 cpu cooling fan
- Windows 7 Home Premium 32-bit
- 1280x1080 resolution monitor

I was thinking about upgrading the CPU which would mean I need a new motherboard. I was also thinking about bumping up to 8GB of RAM but I would need a 64-bit OS to make use of the memory. What do you guys suggest/recommend? Thanks in advance and much appreciated.

 

[scragnoff]

I would suggest waiting and see what Haswell has to offer. But, if you're intent on upgrading now and can't wait, then here are my suggestions:

Without knowing your budget, I can recommend:
* CPU: i5-3570K
* Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V

For Ram, you can get another DDR2 stick, but I suggest going for a DDR3 instead, and since they're going really cheap nowadays, get 2 4GB sticks to make use of the performance increase from a dual channel.

For the OS, I would first suggest looking at videos of how Windows 8 looks like, and if you like the new look interface, then get one, otherwise stick to the Windows 7 64-bit OS.

 

[B-l593]

I would suggest waiting and see what Haswell has to offer. But, if you're intent on upgrading now and can't wait, then here are my suggestions:

Without knowing your budget, I can recommend:
* CPU: i5-3570K
* Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V

For Ram, you can get another DDR2 stick, but I suggest going for a DDR3 instead, and since they're going really cheap nowadays, get 2 4GB sticks to make use of the performance increase from a dual channel.

For the OS, I would first suggest looking at videos of how Windows 8 looks like, and if you like the new look interface, then get one, otherwise stick to the Windows 7 64-bit OS.

Thank you very much for your recommendations. Don't have to worry about the budget.

 

[B-l593]

Second opinions anyone?

 

[B-l593]

Best answer selected by B-l593.

 

[Brett928S2]

This topic has been closed by Brett928S2