Upgrade Advice

[Epitome_Inc]

Hey there!

 

I've had my current rig for a number of years now (2009 I believe) and I'm getting an itch to upgrade. I used to be a pretty big gamer, but life/wife/kid kinda put the kibosh on that. I still game about 6 hours a week, and would like to get some input for upgrading my system. I work in the industry, but at a post-secondary institution, so cutting-edge isn't what I normally work with (plus enterprise tech tends to focus on different things). I don't want to spend more than $150 CAD. Here's a link to my CPU-Z results: http://valid.x86.fr/efucx7

 

• CPU: I've looked around a bit for better CPU than my i7 920, but for the cost I'm not convinced changing my CPU is worth it.
• Video Card: My EVGA GeForce GTX 260 might be the best option for a swap, but what do I get? I believe the PCI-E slots on my mobo (EVGA X58 SLI) are 16x. Or should I get a second, used GTX 260 and run SLI?
• RAM: At 6GB DDR3, I don't know that more would help much, although I could be wrong (which is why I'm asking).
• HDD/SSD: I've already done the SSD upgrade, and I don't think my mobo would be able to take advantage of any faster SSDs anyway.

Thanks in advance for the input guys!

[shadowbyte]

I'd go for the GPU upgrade.

maybe an R9 390?

Or you can wait for the EPIC NEXT GEN GPUS HAHAHAHAHA

[alexhelvetica]

What is your PSU?

What is your budget?

What is your SSD?

What is your Ram?

What is your CPU cooler and OC?

[alright_MEATBAGS]

I would go for the GPU upgrade, and I would not SLI the 260. You would get far better performance from something like the 750ti or 950.

[givegomezthegun]

I routinely look at kijiji just for the hell of it and quite often see fairly decent gpu's going for 150ish CAD.  Wouldn't hurt to keep an eye out on used video cards.  With a $150 budget that's going to be your best bet anyway.  If you're not too keen on used gear you MIGHT be able to find 750ti's for 150.. 

[alexhelvetica]

You might want to spend a bit more than $150.

You could get a 750ti, that is about it http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-video-card-02gp43751kr

or if you go used, a R9 280x.

[LegendDynasty]

You might want to raise your price range. These are the ones i found that are efficient but a bit above your price range. 
Nvidia Gtx 960
Nvidia Gtx 970
AMD Radeon r9 370
Be sure you research that these graphics card are compatible with your rig!
If you have a question, just ask! 

[Epitome_Inc]

10 minutes ago, Comic_Sans_MS said:

What is your PSU?

What is your budget?

What is your SSD?

What is your Ram?

What is your CPU cooler and OC?

PSU is a 700W ABS Tagan BZ Series

SSD is OCZ Agility4 256GB and a WD10EARX-00N0YB0 1TB

RAM is Corsair 2048 MB (DDR3-1337) - P/N: CM3X2G1333C9 x 3 (6GB total)

CPU Cooler is stock (yeah, I know...)

Most this info and more can be seen at the link to my CPU-Z info in my original post.

[Epitome_Inc]

Ok, thanks guys. I saw the GTX 750 TI in my research before posting this and wondered if that was the one. But having been out of the 'game' for a while I wasn't sure. Thanks again for all the help!

[alexhelvetica]

11 minutes ago, Epitome_Inc said:

PSU is a 700W ABS Tagan BZ Series

SSD is OCZ Agility4 256GB and a WD10EARX-00N0YB0 1TB

RAM is Corsair 2048 MB (DDR3-1337) - P/N: CM3X2G1333C9 x 3 (6GB total)

CPU Cooler is stock (yeah, I know...)

Most this info and more can be seen at the link to my CPU-Z info in my original post.

I'd get a R9 380 4GB which is about $250CAD

A new very good PSU like an EVGA G2 550W which is about $100CAD, or $60 for a decent PSU.

A decent CPU cooler such as a CM 212evo which is about $40CAD

 

Your PC is held a lot back by your current GPU and I wouldn't upgrade the GPU without upgrading the PSU as well.