Advice on upgrading GPU, Mobo, Case & Cooling

[DoctaCarta]

Hey all!

 

I purchased Battlefield Hardline recently and came to conclude it is time for an upgrade! Ha. I came across Linus through Youtube and they always advertised to post in the forums for advice on builds etc so I figured why not?! It has been a long time coming. Lol

 

My budget is around $500. I would like to upgrade my GPU, Mobo, Cooling and Case. 

 

I used to do a lot of OC'in back in the day (circa 2000) so I am little out of touch when it comes to OC'in these FX 64 chips. I would like to overclock my FX-8320 on air. I hear 8320s can get 4.5 on air? I really don't have any requirements on the mobo except OC'able. I am going to try and avoid upgrading my ram as I have 2x4gb Adata PC3-10700. I have a beefy 750w corsair psu. I need to keep a Nvidia GTX series due to my Nvidia Shield tablet requirements. I would like a case that excels in cable management. I like NZXT & Fractal Design. 

 

Current setup:

- 2x4gb Adata PC3-10700

- AMD FX-8320

- GTX 660

- Asus M5A78L-M LX PLUS

 

 

What I want to upgrade:

- OC'able GPU 

- OC'able Mobo

- New case

- CPU & case cooling

 

 

On a side note, I would like this to be able to play Witcher 3 around High settings @ 1080p?

 

I would imagine a GTX 960? 

 

 

Let the discussion begin!

 

 

 

Thanks for your time!

[Overkilled]

Hmm do u want to upgrade or start fresh

[CoolaxGaming]

Hmm do u want to upgrade or start fresh

"Advice on Upgrade"

 

Carta, dont upgrade anything in the cpu/mobo buisness, gaining a few frames isint worth it. Whats your total budget?

$500 eh? I think there are some 980's at that price. You can then use the 660 as a dedicated physx card.

[Overkilled]

"Advice on Upgrade"

 

Carta, dont upgrade anything in the cpu/mobo buisness, gaining a few frames isint worth it. Whats your total budget?

If your throwing all the core components out the window then all your left with is rqm and hdd/ssd so its basically staring fresh anyway

[CoolaxGaming]

If your throwing all the core components out the window then all your left with is rqm and hdd/ssd so its basically staring fresh anyway

He isint throwing away his cpu... or the ram

[DoctaCarta]

I want to upgrade. I have SSDs in Raid, beefy PSU that will handle a strong OC with a big CPU and 8gb decent ram.

[techguru]

i5 4690k...$223

z97 motherboard ...130-140$

rest for the case and cooling

[DoctaCarta]

i5 4690k...$223

z97 motherboard ...130-140$

rest for the case and cooling

I am keeping my cpu...

[DoctaCarta]

Here is my first draft. I haven't gotten around to CPU cooler/heatsink yet.

 

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/jyMbD3

[techguru]

case is a bit expensive..id put more toward the gpu

and actually at the lower budget level..amd gpus are a much better deal in terms of power

you should probably be looking at a 280 or 280x

[DoctaCarta]

case is a bit expensive..id put more toward the gpu

and actually at the lower budget level..amd gpus are a much better deal in terms of power

you should probably be looking at a 280 or 280x

It needs to be a GTX due to my Nvidia Shield tablet requirements. 

[Imakuni]

Honestly, just get a Gtx 970 and a good case. If you don't have a CPU cooler, add that as well. That's around:

 

1. 340$ for the GPU
2. Less than 80$ or less for the case (maybe add some fans?)
3. 60$ or less on a good Air cooler.

This should get close to your 500$ budget, but you'll probably end up spending way less than that.

[DoctaCarta]

Honestly, just get a Gtx 970 and a good case. If you don't have a CPU cooler, add that as well. That's around:

 

1. 340$ for the GPU
2. Less than 80$ or less for the case (maybe add some fans?)
3. 60$ or less on a good Air cooler.

This should get close to your 500$ budget, but you'll probably end up spending way less than that.

So you think that I shouldn't OC my CPU? No need for a new mobo? Why do you like the 970 over the 960? Better value?

 

 

Thanks!

[Imakuni]

So you think that I shouldn't OC my CPU? No need for a new mobo? Why do you like the 970 over the 960? Better value?

 

 

Thanks!

The 970 has a lot more performance, as well as having much higher Vram. Some games (shadow of mordor.....) are starting to make use of all of those gbs. I really don't understand why nvidia released a 2gb card....

 

Also, you should OC the CPU. However, you'll regret getting the 960, so the GPU gets priority there.

[DoctaCarta]

You like the 970 even with the 4gb memory controversy? Which model do you like? eVGA Superclocked?

 

 

Latest build: http://pcpartpicker.com/user/doctacarta85/saved/LxDKHx

 

 

Thanks!

 

The 970 has a lot more performance, as well as having much higher Vram. Some games (shadow of mordor.....) are starting to make use of all of those gbs. I really don't understand why nvidia released a 2gb card....

 

Also, you should OC the CPU. However, you'll regret getting the 960, so the GPU gets priority there.

[DoctaCarta]

Here is what I ended up purchasing:

 

1x  ASUS M5A99FX PRO R2.0 AM3+ AMD 990FX 

5x x Fractal Design Silent Series R2 FD-FAN-SSR2-140 140mm

1 x Fractal Design Define R4 Black Pearl

1 x EVGA 04G-P4-2978-KR GeForce GTX 970 4GB

 

Thanks for everyone's help. I hope to post bechmark and OC results later.

 

 

The 970 has a lot more performance, as well as having much higher Vram. Some games (shadow of mordor.....) are starting to make use of all of those gbs. I really don't understand why nvidia released a 2gb card....

 

Also, you should OC the CPU. However, you'll regret getting the 960, so the GPU gets priority there.

[Fgtfv567]

I think that your CPU and mobo should be alright. If you have another 60 bucks lying around I'd go

-H100i, 100 bucks

-GTX 970, about 350 bucks

-Fractal Design Define R5, 109 bucks

560 dollar total