Long time LTT watcher and forum lurker... but my first post here, so I apologize in advance if I'm doing something wrong.
I built my first PC quite a few years ago. And while it's still pretty fast (especially since I finally added in an SSD), I could always do with a little something more. The desire to upgrade is real.
I got an Asus Z97-E ATX LGA1150 motherboard, an i5-4460 at 3.2ghz quad core, and an XFX Radeon R9 390 8GB.
It runs pretty well, plays most all of the games I want to play at an acceptable level of quality (my monitors are only 1080p and I don't intend to upgrade to 4k anytime soon). But I feel like I could be getting more out of my CPU. With the motherboard that I have I can only go up to a 4790K... which seems decent, but also pretty expensive when you consider that I could get one from a newer generation with better specs - but I'd have to upgrade my motherboard.
Is it worth buying a new motherboard to get a more modern CPU? Or should I stick with the motherboard I have and get the best CPU it will support?
What will give me the best upgrade path? And will a better CPU even improve my experience at all or would I be better off waiting until I can afford a better graphics card?
I'd almost prefer getting a new motherboard simply so I can downsize and get a smaller computer case (having a huge PC is inconvenient)... and at that point I wonder if I should just sell it all and start over fresh... Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.
