Gaming pc Upgrade

[Gilbert_pwns]

I think it's finally time for an upgrade. The pc being upgraded is in the sig below.

1) What will you be doing with this PC?
Gaming, word processing, converting video files, general web usage.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
I would love it if I only spent 350 or below.

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
I live in CA but I'm not going to travel to Microcenter or anything like that.

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget?
CPU, Mobo, SSD, Easy liquid cooler for cpu.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing?
The case, the ram (unless advised), PSU (unless advised), soundcard, hard disc drive (for more storage), GPU.

6) Will you be overclocking?
No.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
1600x900

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
one to three months

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support?
Definitely slots for my current gpu and soundcard. Capable of using an optical drive, ssd, and a few other drives right out of the box. Might as well be usb 3.0. 4 or more usb slots in the back. And I definitely need a mobo that's reliable and doesn't have a rep of overheating, failing, and catching on fire.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
Yes.

 

[Dangman]

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing?
The case, the ram (unless advised), PSU (unless advised), soundcard, hard disc drive (for more storage), GPU.

Is your sig up to date?

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
one to three months

Can you narrow down that timeframe any further?

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license?
Yes.

Which OS?

 

[Gilbert_pwns]

Is your sig up to date?

Yes it is.

Can you narrow down that timeframe any further?

No not really. To be honest I don't have the cash to throwdown right now and it's gonna take a few months.

Which OS?

Windows 7


Additionally I want the best bang out of my buck when it comes the to the processor. I want it to be worth the upgrade. I know 350 isn't much but I'll consider bumping it up to 400.

 

[tiraides]

Please be specific on the parts that you're reusing. Give us the brand, the model number, and the age of each part.

If you want the "best bang for your buck," you need to omit the liquid cooler. You should also forget about having the ability to overclock, especially if you're pursing Haswell.

When will you have all of the cash (I suggest increasing your budget to around $400) available? If it will take several months, none of the recommendations we make now may still be worthwhile then.

 

[Quartz-1]

If you check the performance tables, you'll see that you have a pretty decent rig, especially for gaming at 1600x900. Your most cost-effective performance upgrade will probably come from adding an extra 4 GB RAM (~$40 for 2x 2 GB). You will get a significant productivity boost from having a second (1080p) monitor (~$100+). For gaming, get yourself a Geforce 660Ti or Radeon HD 7950 after the next round of price cuts. They're currently ~$300 now. You could get a second-hand second Radeon HD 6870 and use cross-fire, but I think that'll be poorer bang for your buck in the longer term as they usually only have 1 GB VRAM, and the 660Ti and 7950 will handle 1440p.

 

[Gilbert_pwns]

If you check the performance tables, you'll see that you have a pretty decent rig, especially for gaming at 1600x900. Your most cost-effective performance upgrade will probably come from adding an extra 4 GB RAM (~$40 for 2x 2 GB). You will get a significant productivity boost from having a second (1080p) monitor (~$100+). For gaming, get yourself a Geforce 660Ti or Radeon HD 7950 after the next round of price cuts. They're currently ~$300 now. You could get a second-hand second Radeon HD 6870 and use cross-fire, but I think that'll be poorer bang for your buck in the longer term as they usually only have 1 GB VRAM, and the 660Ti and 7950 will handle 1440p.

This may be the route I take. I'll definitely try to upgrade my ram. I'll probably try just bumping it up to 8gb (4gbx2). I'm also looking into SSD's. As for the GPU, I'm not sure how much of a difference it is and if it is worth it.