Upgrade advice: i7-920 & HD5870

[Vinsanity74]

I can't decide which upgrade route to go. I currently have an MSI X-58M running an i7-920, with an HD5870 video card. I am either going to upgrade the mb/cpu to an IB or SB board and chip....or I'm going to replace the video card with a GTX680.

Which would benefit me most? Pretty much just a gaming system.

Thanks!


1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming + Web
2) What's your budget? $500 or so
3) Which country do you live in? Ohio, USA
4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU + MB, or Video Card
5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Corsair 750w PSU, OCZ1600 - 2GB x 3
6) Will you be overclocking? Moderately
7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? 1920x1080
8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC? Next couple of weeks
9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID (running 2 SSD's in Raid-0)
10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? Windows 7 64-bit.

 

[Prav]

assuming you overclock your 920, a GPU would be the best upgrade

 

[metallicaband]

If upgrading to a sandy bridge won't allow you to get a GTX680, I say keep the 920 and get the 680 for it, 1st gen i7s are still very good processors specially when overclocked to 4Ghz or close to that, don't see it bottlenecking the GTX680 at all.

 

[Vinsanity74]

I'm currently overclocking it to 3.5ghz. I know, not a huge OC...but it's stable and safe and I don't like to play tweaker for hours on end to get it to 3.8 or above.

 

[Dangman]

For a single GPU setup, your OC'd Core i7 920 is still fine. Go for the 680.

 

[Vinsanity74]

OK, thanks guys! Any other opinions? Is this really a no-brainer to go with the 680 over a new mobo/cpu?

 

[MacLeod]

For a single GPU setup, your OC'd Core i7 920 is still fine. Go for the 680.

Agreed. GTX680. Its the best single video card on the market and right at your budget of $500. If you can't find one, you can go with a 7970 for $50 less. Not quite as fast but still plenty fast enough to easily shred any game at your resolution.

 

[drstk]

+1 for the 680. For gaming, I didnt see any reason to upgrade my 920 so i bit on the 680. worth it!