Upgrade Computer

[StangMan04]

I figure it is about time to upgrade my computer. Is this possible for around $550? Below are the parts I am selling out of my gaming rig for $550. Graphics wise, I mainly play WoW, nothing too heavy. I would like to go Ivy bridge if I can afford it. Max I want to spend is $650 total.

Losing the following parts and need to replace them.

i7 920 Quad Core CPU
EVGA X58 3x SLI Motherboard
EVGA GTX 260 Core 216 Graphics Card
6GB (3x2GB) Triple Channel Memory
PC Power & Cooling 750W Power Supply



1) What will you be doing with this PC? Gaming? Photoshop? Web browsing? etc
-Gaming mainly WoW

2) What's your budget? Are tax and shipping included?
-$650

3) Which country do you live in? If the U.S, please tell us the state and city if possible.
-Richmond, Va

4) What exact parts do you need for that budget? CPU, RAM, case, etc. The word "Everything" is not a valid answer. Please list out all the parts you'll need.
CPU,Motherboard,RAM,Video card and possibly power supply

5) If reusing any parts, what parts will you be reusing? Please be especially specific about the power supply. List make and model.
-Hard drives, DVD Burner, Case

6) Will you be overclocking?
-No

7) What is the max resolution of your monitor? What size is it?
-Dell 2005FPW

8) When do you plan on building/buying the PC?
-In the near future

9) What features do you need in a motherboard? RAID? Firewire? Crossfire or SLI support? USB 3.0? SATA 6Gb/s? eSATA? Onboard video (as a backup or main GPU)? UEFI? etc.
-SATA 6gb/s and USB 3.0 would be nice

10) Do you already have a legit and reusable/transferable OS key/license? If yes, what OS? Is it 32bit or 64bit?
-Yes

 

[Dangman]

Please answer the stickied "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST!" so that we can help you better.

Though off the bat, you're looking at CPU upgrade for sure. Also what's the specific RAM model that you have?

 

[StangMan04]

Please answer the stickied "ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FIRST!" so that we can help you better.

Though off the bat, you're looking at CPU upgrade for sure. Also what's the specific RAM model that you have?

Sorry, I edited my main post.

G.SKILL 6GB (3 x 2GB) DDR3 1600 PC3-12800 is the RAM I am using now.

 

[Dangman]

Honeslty, all you need to do is just upgrade the GPU, add a SSD, and some more RAM for shits and giggles and you'll be set. Hold off on the CPU + mobo upgrade until Intel's Haswell CPUs hit next year. For now your i7 920 will suffice, especially if you start overclocking it.

GPU wise, you should be fine with the HD 7850 2GB card. SSD wise, I recommend at least a 128GB SSD from the Crucial M4, Plextor M3, Corsair Performance Pro, Intel 520, or Samsung 830 series SSDs. As for RAM, just grab this set and call it a day:
$46 - G.Skill Ripjaws Series F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL 2 x 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM

 

[StangMan04]

Honeslty, all you need to do is just upgrade the GPU, add a SSD, and some more RAM for shits and giggles and you'll be set. Hold off on the CPU + mobo upgrade until Intel's Haswell CPUs hit next year. For now your i7 920 will suffice, especially if you start overclocking it.

GPU wise, you should be fine with the HD 7850 2GB card. SSD wise, I recommend at least a 128GB SSD from the Crucial M4, Plextor M3, Corsair Performance Pro, Intel 520, or Samsung 830 series SSDs. As for RAM, just grab this set and call it a day:
$46 - G.Skill Ripjaws Series F3-12800CL9D-8GBRL 2 x 4GB DDR3 1600 RAM

Yeah I have a 128 Samsung 830 I got on sale off newegg. Reason for the "upgrade" is I have someone potentially buying those parts I listed for $550. I figure if I can get that for the parts, I could upgrade or do a hardware refresh. I know the biggest thing I need is a new GPU, rest I know is adequate for now if the sale doesn't go through.

 

[Dangman]

You would be able to do a hardware refresh but it wouldn't really be that much of a performance upgrade in terms of CPU power.

 

[StangMan04]

You would be able to do a hardware refresh but it wouldn't really be that much of a performance upgrade in terms of CPU power.

Yeah. Any preference in a nvidia card? Or are AMD better bang for your buck?

 

[Dangman]

Yeah. Any preference in a nvidia card? Or are AMD better bang for your buck?

Considering that you're only playing WoW, you'll be fine with the $250 HD 7850. Right now, Nvidia doesn't have a sub $400 video card worth buying for gaming from a price to performance standpoint. With that said, if early reviews of the soon to be released GTX 660 TI are to be believed, that card might be a far better buy than the HD 7850 if it's priced well.

 

[StangMan04]

Considering that you're only playing WoW, you'll be fine with the $250 HD 7850. Right now, Nvidia doesn't have a sub $400 video card worth buying for gaming from a price to performance standpoint. With that said, if early reviews of the soon to be released GTX 660 TI are to be believed, that card might be a far better buy than the HD 7850 if it's priced well.

I heard something about that. I also heard someone mention TI cards aren't that good for gaming? Is that different with the 660? When is it supposed to be released?

 

[Dangman]

I also heard someone mention TI cards aren't that good for gaming? Is that different with the 660?

You heard wrong. Some of the TI cards are good for gaming whereas some are bad for gaming.

When is it supposed to be released?

No idea.

EDIT: Apparently the GTX 660 TI is due out on August 16th and is priced at $300. However many of the early reviews have now been discounted as "bad". So I'd wait until August 16th for actual and proper reviews of the GTX 660 TI to come out to see if it's worth buying.