Meaningful upgrade from 2600K build for $1,000?

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ryanjg11

Gawd
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Aug 16, 2002
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Here's my current system:
  • CPU: i7-2600K
  • Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon HD 6850, flashed to 6970, 2GB (GV-R695D5-2GD-B)
  • Motherboard: MSI P67A-GD65 (B3), LGA 1155, Intel P67, SATA 6Gb/s, USB 3.0
  • Memory: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
  • SSD: Samsung 840 Pro, 256gb

I'm quite surprised how well this build has held up, and from the little bit of research I've done lately, it doesn't seem like there are huge performance gains to be had, south of $1,000?

I have an opportunity to upgrade soon, and will obviously be keeping the SSD, so I'd only be looking to refresh the CPU/motherboard/videocard/memory. Wondering if this can be done around $1,000 will still offering noticeable performance gains. Also, I'd like to move away from AMD/ATI and to Nvidia for the video card (I hate AMD/ATI drivers). Here's how I'll be using it:

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1) What will you be doing with this PC? Mostly Photoshop and Premiere Pro video editing, but I'd like the flexibility of gaming on newer titles. I run a 30" Dell monitor, so I'd like to run games at 2560x1600 resolution.

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included? I'd like to keep the CPU/motherboard/memory around $750 if possible.

3) Which country do you live in? Seattle area.

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, motherboard, video card, memory.

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? I'll be re-using the Samsung 840 Pro SSD, and Corsair HX750 power supply.

6) Will you be overclocking? Probably not, but I might be open to an aftermarket cooler for the flexibility to OC in the future.

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it? It's a 30" display with a native resolution of 2560x1600.

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Next three months.

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID, SLI (Nvidia), USB 3.0, SATA 6Gb/s.

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit? Yes, Windows 7 Pro 64-bit.
 
You simply so not need to upgrade the cpu nor motherboard. What you should do is upgrade the video card to a 760 or 770. 4GB model of either one of those options with your resolution.

Then get a 4x8GB kit of RAM and/or another 2x4GB kit of RAM to add to your current RAM for either 32GB or 16GB total memory. It will help with Premiere Pro. I would probably go ahead and max it out at 4x8GB while the prices are still low enough.

You simply wont find much gains doing anything else. Even the RAM is a stretch depending on how extensive your work is.
 
If you really want to improve on the processor for the sake of Premiere Pro, then you need to go with a hex-core i7 processor (e.g. the i7-3930K or the i7-4930K) and a Socket 2011 motherboard (like the Asus Sabertooth X79). Those two parts alone could easily eat up your entire budget.

Photoshop, however, requires a different focus. Your current board and processor are fine, but you'll want to max out the RAM at 32GB and buy a second SSD to serve as a swap disk.

For gaming, two GTX 770s (around $800 to $900 depending on what you buy) are the best choice for your monitor's resolution.

You obviously can't buy everything (listed above) at once. Which task is your main priority?

When will you have the money to buy everything you need?
 
There are meager cpu gains to be had unless you spring for IB-E which as mentioned above is your whole budget right there.

Video card wise you could certainly see some improvement but it depends on how much you need it.

You might consider waiting for Haswell-E which will bring 8 cores and ddr4 into the mix. You could easily justify spending some cash on this for some real gains. Also nvidia Maxwell is scheduled for next year.
 
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