New build recommendations needed!

[SirElghinn]

Hello everyone!

So, I'm currently running with this rig:

• 
  - EVGA 132-CK-NF79-A1 LGA 775 NVIDIA nForce 790i Ultra SLI ATX Intel Motherboard
  - EVGA 01G-P3-1280-AR GeForce GTX 280 1GB 512-Bit GDDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
  - Intel Core 2 Duo E8400 Wolfdale Dual-Core 3.0GHz LGA 775 65W BX80570E8400 Processor
  - Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 1300W Power Supply
  - G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-16GBXL
  - XCLIO Windtunnel Fully Black Finish 1.0 mm SECC Chassis ATX Full Tower Computer Case
  - Windows 7

So, I'm looking to upgrade my system because I originally built this rig back in August of 2008. Think has been with me doing great since then. However, my video card is now starting to go out and I'm having to reflow / bake it once every week just to keep the thing alive.

I'm 37 years old and having really been keeping up with the newer technologies coming out, and thought rather than stumble through learning the new stuff, and running the risk of buying incompatible components, I would ask the members of the forums here to recommend what I should get for an upgrade that will last me a good bit.

I primarily use my computer for gaming. With my current rig, I've been able to play recently released games at ultra or high settings without too much problem. Play Skyrim, Sid Meier's Beyond Earth, Cities Skyline XL, Space Engineers, Kerbal Space Program, Besiege, Empire Total War, Total War: Rome 2, etc, all on high or ultra settings. I'd like to be able to continue with that, while improving performance. I know any upgrade will more than likely be a huge improvement. But I'm also working on a tight budget, but willing to save up for really nice gear.

So, recommendations? I want to keep my old power supply and case, but wanting to switch out MOBO, Processor, GPU, RAM, and I need a recommendation for a good gaming disk drive, either SSD or HDD. I'm also not looking to seriously overclock or anything like that, I want stable and reliable.

I know some members love doing stuff like this, so I look forward to hearing your suggestions!

 

[Outlander_04]

The case and psu are the only components you can keep . Everything else will need to be updated . What is your budget?

 

[SirElghinn]

Well, when I initially built the rig I have now, I spent over $3,000 on it. I would like to keep it below $1,500 if possible. At the same time, I have no problem with investing the money into a machine.