Upgrading existing build, need help!

[mookial]

Looking to upgrade my build from 2012. I currently have the following:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($70.94 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($139.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($61.88 @ OutletPC)
Storage: Crucial M4 128GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($100.49 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($89.39 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung Spinpoint F3 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 970 4GB G1 Gaming Video Card ($420.48 @ OutletPC)
Case: Corsair 500R Black ATX Mid Tower Case ($109.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair 850W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($151.98 @ Newegg)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer ($16.88 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit ($129.83 @ OutletPC)
Total: $1291.84


Looking to upgrade the majority of parts to be VR ready and future proof...I'm especially looking to upgrade my CPU, MoBo(if necessary, trying to go smaller), MoBo and GFX card. I also would look to get another case as the USB's on this one have broke and I've been becoming more interested in mini-itx/smaller builds for space/comofrtability. No budget here. Any suggestions on how to achieve my above goal? Been out of the PC building game for a while!! Thanks

 

[coozie7]

The 'future proof' bit makes things a little more complex, you already have a really good setup, especially if you're using a single 1080 or 1440 monitor

Moving up in the CPU stakes won't get too much of a advantage, a Skylake update will see, maybe, 20% extra performance overall, and adding an i7 might see another 10% or so over a i5.
Swapping to a Z170 MB opens up extra connectivity, like PCI-E M2 NVMe SSD drives and the goodness of DDR4, but it'll come at a significant cost-to get the best out of it you'll need to drop the current SATA drives and move up to those insanely fast PCI-E NVMe parts and, obviously, ditch the current DDR3 RAM for DDR4 modules not to mention the CPU. Also, be aware, it may not be possible to migrate to current OEM Windows licence, adding yet more cost.
Personally, I'd move to a new case first, if for no other reason than to get those USB connectors working then look long and hard at your requirements before dropping a lot of cash on a big upgrade that is, to my way of thinking, at best, borderline cost effective.

Suggestion: Swap cases and get a GTX1070 for the VR.
Additional suggestion: Go for a fast Gsync 1440 monitor or even a Freesync 1440 display and treat it as a standard high refresh monitor, the current system plus a GTX1070 is worthy of either.

 

[mookial]

The 'future proof' bit makes things a little more complex, you already have a really good setup, especially if you're using a single 1080 or 1440 monitor

Moving up in the CPU stakes won't get too much of a advantage, a Skylake update will see, maybe, 20% extra performance overall, and adding an i7 might see another 10% or so over a i5.
Swapping to a Z170 MB opens up extra connectivity, like PCI-E M2 NVMe SSD drives and the goodness of DDR4, but it'll come at a significant cost-to get the best out of it you'll need to drop the current SATA drives and move up to those insanely fast PCI-E NVMe parts and, obviously, ditch the current DDR3 RAM for DDR4 modules not to mention the CPU. Also, be aware, it may not be possible to migrate to current OEM Windows licence, adding yet more cost.
Personally, I'd move to a new case first, if for no other reason than to get those USB connectors working then look long and hard at your requirements before dropping a lot of cash on a big upgrade that is, to my way of thinking, at best, borderline cost effective.

Suggestion: Swap cases and get a GTX1070 for the VR.
Additional suggestion: Go for a fast Gsync 1440 monitor or even a Freesync 1440 display and treat it as a standard high refresh monitor, the current system plus a GTX1070 is worthy of either.

As for the VR ready, will my 970 suffice?

 

[coozie7]

Fairly well, hence the suggestion of the GTX1070.
If you're going to go VR, why not try the GTX970 first, then decide if a faster card is in order, like I said, the rest of the system isn't exactly slow.

 

[GraySilencer]

If I were in your situation I would keep a few parts, and upgrade the rest. I marked the parts I recommend re-using as "Purchased For $0.00"
Your Noctua cooler should fit, but just barely. I chose a Micro-ATX case and Micro-ATX Motherboard since you wanted to downsize. I chose the ASUS version of the GTX 1070 since it's the only one with two fans that will fit nicely without removing the HDD cage.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($308.67 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler (Purchased For $0.00)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170M Extreme4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($101.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2800 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($316.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Desktop HDD 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($116.44 @ B&H)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Dual Series Video Card ($429.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair 850W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer (Purchased For $0.00)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $1419.05
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-20 16:58 EDT-0400

 

[coozie7]

^ An excellent build.
One other suggestion: If the current rig doesn't meet your VR expectations, drop in the GTX1070 linked by GreySilencer and see how it goes.
If you wish to downsize then his build is an excellent one, but I'd look closely at storage, he's used over $400 for that you may not need either that big 3Tb HDD or the large 950 Pro SSD.

 

[mookial]

If I were in your situation I would keep a few parts, and upgrade the rest. I marked the parts I recommend re-using as "Purchased For $0.00"
Your Noctua cooler should fit, but just barely. I chose a Micro-ATX case and Micro-ATX Motherboard since you wanted to downsize. I chose the ASUS version of the GTX 1070 since it's the only one with two fans that will fit nicely without removing the HDD cage.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($308.67 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler (Purchased For $0.00)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170M Extreme4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($101.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2800 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($316.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Desktop HDD 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($116.44 @ B&H)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Dual Series Video Card ($429.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair 850W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer (Purchased For $0.00)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $1419.05
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-20 16:58 EDT-0400

Any suggestions for a keeping regular ATX size build? After looking at the micro I would like to see some alternatives

 

[GraySilencer]

If I were in your situation I would keep a few parts, and upgrade the rest. I marked the parts I recommend re-using as "Purchased For $0.00"
Your Noctua cooler should fit, but just barely. I chose a Micro-ATX case and Micro-ATX Motherboard since you wanted to downsize. I chose the ASUS version of the GTX 1070 since it's the only one with two fans that will fit nicely without removing the HDD cage.


PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($308.67 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler (Purchased For $0.00)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170M Extreme4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($101.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2800 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($316.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Desktop HDD 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($116.44 @ B&H)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 1070 8GB Dual Series Video Card ($429.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define Mini MicroATX Mini Tower Case ($74.99 @ NCIX US)
Power Supply: Corsair 850W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer (Purchased For $0.00)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $1419.05
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-20 16:58 EDT-0400

Any suggestions for a keeping regular ATX size build? After looking at the micro I would like to see some alternatives

Here's an ATX build with a Gigabyte GTX 1070:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($319.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D14 65.0 CFM CPU Cooler (Purchased For $0.00)
Motherboard: ASRock Z170 Extreme4 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($142.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2800 Memory ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive (Purchased For $0.00)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($316.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Storage: Seagate Desktop HDD 4TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive ($116.44 @ B&H)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 8GB G1 Gaming Video Card ($429.00 @ B&H)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Scout 2 Advanced ATX Mid Tower Case ($94.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Corsair 850W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply (Purchased For $0.00)
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer (Purchased For $0.00)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $1490.39
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-08-21 14:17 EDT-0400