Upgrading Help

[RedLegion]

Hey there everyone. Just got some grad money and am looking to do some future proofing and upgrades for my build.

Current Setup:
CPU: Intel i7 3820 @ 3.6GHz
GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD 7950 FLeX Edition
Mobo: asus p9x79 pro
SSD: Samsung 840 pro 120gb
HDD: Assorted drives ~ 1.5TB
PSU: Rosewill LIGHTNING-1300
RAM: Gskill Sniper 4gb x2 @ 1600
Monitor 1: Qnix 27 inch 2560x1440 IPS @ 120hz
Monitor 2: Asus VW246H
Monitor 3: Old ass gateway 20"
Keyboard: Logitech G510
Mouse: Proteus Core
Headset: Logitech G35
Gamepad: Razer Nostromo
Speakers: Klipsch Promedia 2.1

I'm considering maybe a better GPU or 2 (780 Ti?) and looking into overclocking my i7 if need be. Are there any other upgrades you guys can think of? I have a budget of around 2-2.5k depending on the need. I've always thought the idea of a Surround setup would be cool but that seems like a much pricier investment especially to step up from 1440p 120hz gaming.

Primary use is gaming. Do the occasional video/photo editting but it's nothing I do for a living.I'm going to be bringing my entire desktop to college in the fall

 

[rastaban]

Your core components look fine, I wouldn't upgrade the GPU unless it's really struggling with your current games.

They may be a bit wasteful but here are some other suggestions:
- larger SSD because games are so large nowadays
- condense your HDDs to fewer larger capacity units

Surround sound is overrated imo, it's not worth the mess of cables.

 

[RedLegion]

Your core components look fine, I wouldn't upgrade the GPU unless it's really struggling with your current games.

They may be a bit wasteful but here are some other suggestions:
- larger SSD because games are so large nowadays
- condense your HDDs to fewer larger capacity units

Surround sound is overrated imo, it's not worth the mess of cables.

Surround as in Nvidia Surround for triple monitors. I use my SSD as a boot drive and have a couple of games on it so it's not a big deal.

 

[cyclone3d]

I would get 2 more sticks of RAM. Your setup supports quad channel and you are only running dual channel.

You probably don't "need" to overclock.. but it is fun.

 

[RedLegion]

What's the benefit? I thought it was dual-dual channels?

 

[techtechie]

lets get the cpu thing straighten out. intel 4th gen cpus model # goes like this: 4xxx you have written 4th gen 3xxx.

 

[rastaban]

Sandy Bridge E does run quad channel. The benefit will be negligible in games.

 

[Dangman]

As the others have said, your main setup is fine as is and the main upgrade for you is a GPU upgrade if that 7950 isn't enough.

Though more RAM can't hurt:
$70 - Kingston HyperX Blu KHX1600C10D3B1/8G 8GB DDR3 1600 RAM

 

[RedLegion]

I just don't see where more RAM would be beneficial as it never gets fully used at 8.

I'm thinking about the 780 ti (possibly SLI) for a surround setup in the future.

 

[Dangman]

I just don't see where more RAM would be beneficial as it never gets fully used at 8.

For now. You might use the PC more heavily in the future. Not to mention that DDR3 RAM pricing are rising so might as well upgrade the RAM now before it gets too expensive.

I'm thinking about the 780 ti (possibly SLI) for a surround setup in the future.

What case do you have?

 

[Tvgenius]

Yea with that system, ssd the boot, raid your data drives or SSD data drives, look at uninstalling all un needed services, unless your getting graphics issues I wouldn't spend too much on that, water cool the CPU and over clock it a tiny bit, you may find that should work for ya

 

[RedLegion]

For now. You might use the PC more heavily in the future. Not to mention that DDR3 RAM pricing are rising so might as well upgrade the RAM now before it gets too expensive.


What case do you have?

CM Storm Stryker. It's a full tower so I have plenty of room as it was my main concern when thinking about future proofing.