Major upgrade, advice needed...

[sexibanez]

Hi all,

I haven't been on this forum in a few years, so nice to be back! I built my first rig a few years ago after a lot of saving and people on this forum were really helpful.
Anyway, the specs currently:
680i sli mobo
8gb corsair dominator ram
Nvidia 295gtx
Creative fatal1ty soundblaster card
X6800 CPU
1kw power supply
Seagate 320gb ssd
Blu-ray rom
Dell 3008wfp
Creative 5.1 surround speakers.

I've been very happy for many years, think I put it together in 2008.

Issues: Getting slow with games, dead display, run out of space on hard drive, load times are slow in general.

I would like to upgrade so that I can get back to playing high end games on max quality using 2560x1600 settings. I used this primarily for games and movies, basically wanted the best of both worlds in terms of games and hd movies. It's become a bit obsolete as a web browser as I have iPad/smartphone so it's only good as a htpc/game rig.

I'm going to replace 3008wfp with the new u3014 - primarily because its a great display, has 2 hdmi ports for Ps3 and Apple TV, and supports my creative speakers as its one of the few monitors I've seen with the black, orange and green audio jack slots.

I need advice on whether to stick with the x6800 and overclock, or get one of the i5/i7 CPUs, which would mean a motherboard upgrade? Is it worth the switch? Will gaming performance increase dramatically?

Finally, deffo interested in a 690gtx as I assume this will be able to run most games at max settings, even at 2560x1600? Or would something cheaper do the same job? I don't know, as I say I've been out of the loop for a while! I want something that will keep me going for the next 4/5 years.

Finally, I need a solution for data storage, for hd movies should I buy internal or external storage? I would like quick transfer and response speeds if possible.

I apologise for any noobish qs! If you could let me know upgrade limitations with my current mobo, and advantages/performance difference in an upgrade, that would be great! I'd prefer to stick if enhancements will be similar as its less work! I have saved cash for this but after the monitor I'll have burned through half of it!

 

[Fooshnik]

That processor is much slower than a Celeron G1610 and won't work for 2560x1600. You're going to want a minimum i3-3220, [much] preferably an overclocked 3570. For video you'll need two cards if you don't want to upgrade for a while and want to play Crisis 3 class games. Minimum (2) 7870 Tahitis = Geforce 660ti < (2) 7950 = 670 < (2) 7970 = 680. You can get by with a single 7970 or 680 for now if you want to buy another one later and you're not going to play Crisis 3 or Tomb Raider or anything like it.

Minimum computer parts, 3570K + Motherboard + (2) 7870 Tahiti or 660ti = $800-900, and goes up from there.

Here's what Tomb Raider looks like on a single card.

If you're going with a 30" you want the best visual quality you can get which means 60fps min.

Also only you know if you need external or internal storage, 3TB drives come up for $100 every now and then.