big edit: read this first!
Quote:
Let's go with 600-700 that's counting the motherboard and processor, whatever is left would be for a case
then later on ill upgrade the gpu, and the ram
so the gpu is on a completely seperate budget along with the ram? if that is the case what would the budget be for them?
i must have breezed over that part as i thought it was all to be on a $700 budget total (which is what the below builds are based on). i saw that you said cpu and motherboard and that ram was seperate but my eyes must have glazed over on the rest.
you could have a look at the below options... however i think we can bump them up with the extra cash. just list a total budget (you can seperate it into the $600-700 now and than $xxx-$xxx future if you want).
sorry i missed that! i'll post some upgraded builds once i get a reply from you on your thoughts!
a few options.... i did throw the ram into these upgrades since honestly its not a whole lot of money and its alot faster than what you have now.
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[PCPartPicker part list](
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2tTLM) / [Price breakdown by merchant](
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2tTLM/by_merchant/) / [Benchmarks](
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2tTLM/benchmarks/)
Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor](
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd8320frhkbox) | $149.99 @ SuperBiiz
**CPU Cooler** | [Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus 76.8 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler](
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/cooler-master-cpu-cooler-r...) | $27.17 @ Amazon
**Motherboard** | [Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard](
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-m5a97ler2...) | $76.98 @ SuperBiiz
**Memory** | [G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory](
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f317000cl11d...) | $73.80 @ Newegg
**Video Card** | [Gigabyte GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card](
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvn760...) | $259.99 @ Amazon
**Case** | [Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case](
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-300r) | $59.99 @ Microcenter
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $647.92
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-01 16:29 EST-0500 |
why? 8320 is cheaper than an i5 and on a 970 board can be overclocked moderately to get i5 level performance. the ram is much better and isnt going to bottleneck your new parts. a gtx760 isnt a bad card for the budget however at just a bit over your budget the build listed below with a stronger card is a better choice. the 300r isnt a bad case and offers good airflow for a mid tower.
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[PCPartPicker part list](
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2tTQ4) / [Price breakdown by merchant](
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2tTQ4/by_merchant/) / [Benchmarks](
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2tTQ4/benchmarks/)
Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor](
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/amd-cpu-fd8320frhkbox) | $149.99 @ Amazon
**Motherboard** | [Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard](
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-m5a97ler2...) | $76.98 @ SuperBiiz
**Memory** | [G.Skill Sniper Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2133 Memory](
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f317000cl11d...) | $73.80 @ Newegg
**Video Card** | [Asus Radeon R9 280X 3GB Video Card](
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-r9280xdc2t...) | $339.99 @ B&H
**Case** | [Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case](
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-300r) | $59.99 @ Microcenter
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $700.75
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-01 16:31 EST-0500 |
why? same reasons above except: you would need to buy a cooler for when you plan to overclock the 8320 (or be over budget by $30). the 280x is a decent step up on the 760 (its at gtx770 level).
-------
[PCPartPicker part list](
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2tU0Z) / [Price breakdown by merchant](
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2tU0Z/by_merchant/) / [Benchmarks](
http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2tU0Z/benchmarks/)
Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor](
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54670k) | $233.99 @ SuperBiiz
**Motherboard** | [Asus Z87-K ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-z87k) | $112.99 @ NCIX US
**Video Card** | [Asus GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card](
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-gtx760dc2o...) | $239.99 @ Microcenter
**Case** | [Corsair 300R ATX Mid Tower Case](
http://pcpartpicker.com/part/corsair-case-300r) | $59.99 @ Microcenter
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $646.96
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-01-01 16:37 EST-0500 |
why? please note this build is without ram purchased! the 1333 ram you have currently will hold this build back a bit and i strongly suggest buying better ram (which is why the other builds included it). the i5-4670k is a stronger performing cpu than the 8320 (about on par with the 8350 though give or take) however it is also more expensive. the extra $100+ for the chip limits the other components you can buy (removed ram and downgraded the video card). you would get the most bang for your dollar with amd instead of intel though.
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final comments and thoughts?
if you want a more solid overclocker (something you can really push pretty good) then i'd go with an 8350 over the 8320 (higher binning means your chances for a better chip are greater) and a 990x or 990fx motherboard (990x is a bit cheaper so i'd go with that). you can likely clock an intel chip like the i5-4670k to a higher overclock easier however to get the chip you would need to enlarge the budget or sacrifice elsewhere in your upgrades. personally i dont feel its beneficial in this case but that is your call.
i would definitely go with some new ram for only $70-80+/- as it wouldnt limit the upgraded parts at all. what i picked is popular and is on sale.
in terms of peformance (and price) from low to high the graphics cards you are most likely looking at are:
hd 7870 ghz edition OR gtx 760 $250+/-
the 760 has a bit more performance so i'd go that route
hd 7970 OR r9-280x OR gtx 770 $300+/-
the 280x is basically a boosted 7970 so if you could get the original for a good deal cheaper you could use that but i dont see many for sale cheaper. the 770 and the 280x are about the same in terms of performance.
one last thing is to doublecheck your psu to make sure you have the correct cables/plugs for the new hardware. (motherboard power pins and gpu power pins)