Upgrade path from LGA775/E8400?

In video games and general computing applications I find myself CPU and memory bound.
With games, my CPU is starting to feel its age. I bought ARMA 3 while it was on sale on STEAM and disappointed I could barely play it. I launch STEAM, Firefox, and a game and things get really bogged down (Kerbal Space Program, looking at Delta-V map for instance).

Current specifications:
CPU: E8400 "Wolfdale" (at a slightly unstable 3.8GHz)
CPU Cooler: Coolermaster TPC-812
RAM: 4GB DDR2 rated at 400MHz
GPU: MSI R9 270X 2GB
Monitor: Samsung BW266 Syncmaster (1680x1050)
Mobo: Asus P5K
HD0: WDC Black 700GB
HD1: Seagate 7200RPM 700GB
Case: Antec Three-Hundred
PSU: Antec Earthwatts 500w

As you can see, with the exception of the video card upgrade, these parts are quite old. Physically, I have USB, sound ports, and even PCI slots physically failing. That's to be expected from a machine 8 years old. I bought the E8400 because it was a great overclocker.

In terms of upgrade costs, willing to spend $200-$500; I think I intend on keeping the video card unless some people think it was a bad pick -- relative of mine just discarded two dualie 6750s? so might be interesting to run them in quad-xfire, but I'm looking to shrink my case -- something like the Silverstone Milo could be nice, but it limits usage of PCI slots.

I realize I could ride this processor out, I have spare parts for days: I believe there is a machine around with a Q9950, possibly the extreme edition but I would need a new LGA775 motherboard and RAM rated higher to push the FSB speed, with DDR2 being more expensive than DDR3, that doesn't seem like a logical upgrade path.

Ideally, I'd like a value processor that is double or triple current performance (eyes on the FX-8300 or the Core i3-6100 possibly) with overclocking and to also double or triple my RAM, with a modern motherboard supporting PCIe 3.0, SATA 3.0, et cetera...

I'd appreciate any thoughts, advice, builds, or any input at all. Just trying to stay [H]ard
Thanks in advance!

PC Hound Part List

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 880k ($91.1 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: MSI A68HI AC ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) Sniper Series (DDR3 2133, CAS Latency 11) ($32.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SILVERSTONE 450W ST45SF ($59.99 @ NCIX)
Case: SilverStone Milo Series ML08B-H ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $344.06
Wattage Estimate: 400W (this includes the re-used MSI R9 270x)
Price may include shipping, rebates, promotions, and tax
Generated by PC Hound

Seems like one is really paying a premium with this particular case for this particular form-factor. I saw the case on Anandtech and I was intrigued. The MSI R9 270x length and height are supposedly 10.24" x 5.08", which according to SilverStone, it would fit.

Keeping the old parts except for CPU, Mobo, and Memory would put me at ~$204.

Also possibly interested in the Intel Pentium G3258, but I hear it has problems with overclocking and certain games?

For a longer-term rig, you're probably looking at the ff:

i5 4460 ~ 180$
H81 LGA1150 ~ 50$
8GB DDR3 1600 ~ 30$
Your existing GPU (can upgrade later)
Some nice PSU for about 60-80$
Plus a new hard drive if you need one.
Can retain your case if tight on budget.

Don't even think about it.... just get this combo deal asap....



CPU: Intel i7-6700K
Mobo: MSI Z170A SLI
RAM: 16GB PC2400 DDR4

$469.99 - $40.00 rebate = $429.99 after rebate.

Yossarian22 said:

In terms of upgrade costs, willing to spend $200-$500; I think I intend on keeping the video card unless some people think it was a bad pick -- relative of mine just discarded two dualie 6750s? so might be interesting to run them in quad-xfire, but I'm looking to shrink my case -- something like the Silverstone Milo could be nice, but it limits usage of PCI slots.

I realize I could ride this processor out, I have spare parts for days: I believe there is a machine around with a Q9950, possibly the extreme edition but I would need a new LGA775 motherboard and RAM rated higher to push the FSB speed, with DDR2 being more expensive than DDR3, that doesn't seem like a logical upgrade path.

Ideally, I'd like a value processor that is double or triple current performance (eyes on the FX-8300 or the Core i3-6100 possibly) with overclocking and to also double or triple my RAM, with a modern motherboard supporting PCIe 3.0, SATA 3.0, et cetera...

I'd appreciate any thoughts, advice, builds, or any input at all. Just trying to stay [H]ard
Thanks in advance!

Click to expand...

$500 is not enough IMO. Your system is so old that you're looking at a new CPU, mobo, RAM, PSU, case (The Antec 300 was a bad case 8 years ago let alone by today's standards), and a SSD. Yes a SSD is really critical to a new system these days as it really lets the performance of the PC shine in everyday tasks. In addition, since DDR4 is already out, you might as well skip DDR3 and go straight for DDR4 for cheaper future RAM upgrades and greater RAM density. With that said, DDR3 is still viable if you absolutely cannot spend more than $500.

Yossarian22 said:

PC Hound Part List

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 880k ($91.1 @ NCIX)
Motherboard: MSI A68HI AC ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) Sniper Series (DDR3 2133, CAS Latency 11) ($32.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: SILVERSTONE 450W ST45SF ($59.99 @ NCIX)
Case: SilverStone Milo Series ML08B-H ($79.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $344.06
Wattage Estimate: 400W (this includes the re-used MSI R9 270x)
Price may include shipping, rebates, promotions, and tax
Generated by PC Hound

Seems like one is really paying a premium with this particular case for this particular form-factor. I saw the case on Anandtech and I was intrigued. The MSI R9 270x length and height are supposedly 10.24" x 5.08", which according to SilverStone, it would fit.

Keeping the old parts except for CPU, Mobo, and Memory would put me at ~$204.

Also possibly interested in the Intel Pentium G3258, but I hear it has problems with overclocking and certain games?

Click to expand...

Yes, mITX systems in general tend to cost more than their ATX counterparts. In this case, it's an absolutely terrible choice for the money due to the AMD CPU and motherboard. For gaming, just like 8 years ago, stick with Intel. If you cannot spend more than $500, just avoid mITX altogether and stick with mATX or ATX instead.

There are some games out there that won't run well with the G3258 since it does not have four CPU cores/threads. Overclocking is fine AFAIK.

Yossarian22 said:

I have USB, sound ports, and even PCI slots physically failing. That's to be expected from a machine 8 years old.

Click to expand...

Just to be clear, in no way, shape, or form is that "normal" even for an 8 year old machine. Despite all that, "sound ports" can be replaced by a PCI/PCI-E/USB sound solution. USB can be expanded via hubs so long as you have at least one remaining functional port, and a failing PCI slot only matters if you intend to use it for something. In your case, I would look for a cheap Q6600 or similar (many going for about $20 on ebay) and an SSD. Put those in your existing computer and save again until you can do a full CPU+Motherboard+RAM upgrade.