Looking for advice on upgrade path from my current PC

[Xangalore]

I have a computer that I built 3 1/2 years ago and I'm looking to see what incremental upgrades I could make to give me the best performance boost for gaming. Here is what I have now.

CASE:
Cooler Master HAF 922

Motherboard:
GIGABYTE GA-970A-UD3 AM3+ AMD 970 + SB950 6 x SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD

Graphics Card:
GIGABYTE Ultra Durable VGA Series Radeon HD 6850 GV-R685OC-1GD 1GB 256-Bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.1 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFireX Support Video Card with Eyefinity

Power Supply:
CORSAIR Enthusiast Series TX750 V2 750W ATX12V v2.31/ EPS12V v2.92 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC High Performance Power Supply

CPU:
AMD Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition Callisto Dual-Core 3.2GHz Socket AM3 80W HDZ555WFGMBOX Desktop Processor - C3 Revision

RAM:
HyperX Blu 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600

 

[bootcher]

First the ram and CPU, for example to this:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($89.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Team Dark 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $124.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-09-02 13:47 EDT-0400

You could opt for a higher priced 8-core, the 8320, 8350 or even 8370. The higher end FX CPU's are not supported, I guess due to the thermal limitations on the motherboard, but I would not recommend those anyway.

Next your GPU of course, though this depends on your budget. For a bit over $300 you can get a GTX970 which is a very nice upgrade. A good upgrade from the HD6850 would at least a R9 270x, or a GTX 960, otherwise I don't think the difference over your old card would be enough to justify an upgrade.

Your PSU is not the best out there, but it will be able to provide enough power for any of these options.

 

[Xangalore]

Awesome, thanks! I appreciate the advice. I'll check into those upgrades.

 

[bootcher]

Before you upgrade make sure you update your motherboard BIOS to the latest version.

 

[Xangalore]

Thanks again. I made the suggested upgrades, and everything runs well. Quick question: when it comes time for a GPU upgrade down the line, the motherboard can work with either AMD or NVIDIA cards then?

 

[logainofhades]

I have a TX750 myself. At the time I bought it, it was one of the best you could buy. It is on the old side, but still works well. An FX 8320, with a GTX 950, 960, or 970 would show considerable improvement.

 

[bootcher]

Yes, either AMD or Nvidia cards work well.

To add what Logain mentioned above, the Nvida 950/960 are a bit entry level and the 970 being a better performing card. Comparable AMD cards would be R9 270x/370 being entry level, better performing being the 280, 280x and the around the same as a GTX 970 would be the 290/290x/390/390x.