[GhostLoad]

Hey everyone, it's been about 3 years since I last upgraded and after having to run Witcher 3: Wild Hunt on pretty low settings, I think I'm ready to upgrade again lol.  I'm looking for some suggestions & feedback about possible parts to put in.  The following are my specs;
 

• Case:  Thermaltake Armor+
• Motherboard:  ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3
• CPU:  Intel Core i5 - 2500k 3.3GHz
• GPU:  EVGA NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 Ti
• RAM:  G.SKILL Ripjaws X DDR3 1600, 16gb total (2 sets of 2 sticks, each 4gb)
• Power Supply:  OCZ ZX Series 850w, Full Modular
• Heatsink:  Cooler Master Hyper 212+
• HDDs:  2x 1TB internal HDDS (can't remember exactly what they are at the moment lol)

 

So, what I think I'd like to do is just replace the; motherboard, CPU, GPU, and RAM.  Maaaaaybe pick up an SSD for my OS and whatever game I'm currently playing with heavy loading screens (which at the moment would be Witcher 3).  Thoughts?  Should I be upgrading other components as well?  Thanks for any suggestions!  

Edited by GhostLoad, 27 June 2015 - 10:13 AM.

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Hello GhostLoad,

 

Your core components are still worth keeping and tbh I would only look at upgrading the video card + adding an SSD to speed up boot times and access to your favourite software, these two upgrades alone have the potential to cost you in excess of $500 if you go for a GTX 780Ti + an SSD and $600+ if you go for a GTX 980 + an SSD, until we have a definitive answer to whether or not you would prefer an almost complete new build we can't really suggest anything else atm Im afraid.

[phillpower2]

Hello GhostLoad,

 

Your core components are still worth keeping and tbh I would only look at upgrading the video card + adding an SSD to speed up boot times and access to your favourite software, these two upgrades alone have the potential to cost you in excess of $500 if you go for a GTX 780Ti + an SSD and $600+ if you go for a GTX 980 + an SSD, until we have a definitive answer to whether or not you would prefer an almost complete new build we can't really suggest anything else atm Im afraid.

[GhostLoad]

Well I'd like to be able to play the newest games on max settings of course.  Do you think a video card alone would be able to take me from minimum settings (on Witcher 3 for example) to completely max settings?

[phillpower2]

To obtain Ultra settings running Witcher 3 you would need an i7 or an AMD equivalent such as the FX 8350 CPU, is Ultra what you are aiming for.

 

Keep in mind that any upgrade or new build involves replacing the present GTX 560Ti in any event so you have nothing to lose by trying your choice of new video card with the present hardware, replacing everything apart from the case and PSU will cost you in excess of $1000

[GhostLoad]

Yeah I think I'd like to be at a point where I can run in Ultra settings.  When you say replacing everything except those 2 components, that's really only 4 parts correct?  Motherboard, CPU, GPU, RAM?

 

I looked around NewEgg a bit and noticed that the CPU alone looks like it'll run me about $300.  I don't think I really NEED an SSD, so I can really live without it for right now.  I'm suppose I'm curious about how much it'll run me (like would it be right at $1000?) to "full upgrade" versus just the video card.  If it's $400 vs $1000 I think I'd probably end up doing the "full upgrade" since I've got a friend who would want my major components if I do upgrade.

[phillpower2]

Example list of parts here

[GhostLoad]

Hmm thanks for the suggested components phil.  That video card is almost half the entire cost haha.  What made you go with Crucial RAM (I've no experience with them, personally) over other brands?

[phillpower2]

You are most welcome GL 

 

The items were only examples to give you an idea of what your financial outlay would need to be to obtain the settings that you are wanting 

 

Card comparisons here

 

The Crucial Ram was chosen for its known quality and performance, see reviews here

[GhostLoad]

Interesting to look over.  I'm gonna give it a bit more thought, eyeball some components, and then come back here afterwards.  

Edited by GhostLoad, 27 June 2015 - 12:49 PM.

[iammykyl]

Gday GhostLoad.

I agree with Phillpower2's take, your present main parts are pretty strong and a GPU upgrade would be my first choice.   Some thoughts.

You would be upgrading to a Z97 MB,Socket 1150 which would take the latest Intel Broadwell CPUs, last ones I think, and they get a thumbs down from all I have read about them.

i.e. > .http://www.rockpaper...ming-cpus-2015/

Reinforced, > http://www.tomshardw...clock,3106.html

 

With a new GPU you may bottleneck the 2500K a bit, but when used with the Skylake build, you would be set for the next 5 years at least.

 

[GhostLoad]

Thanks for the advice iammykyl.  I've never heard of "Skylake", I'm presuming (after skimming the Tom's Hardware link) that it's the nickname for the next generation of Intel chips?

So what you're suggesting is keep nearly everything, upgrade the GPU (to something like a 4GB GeForce GTX 980) and then wait a little while to upgrade the mobo/RAM/CPU until the new Skylake chips come out?  Just wanted to make sure I got the gist of what you were saying.  

 

EDIT:  If the above IS what you're talking about, then I was sort of looking at these 3 cards, all of which are between $499 and $509 so price is essentially negligible if there's an actual difference between them.  What do you guys think?  Is one outright better than the other two?  Did I overlook some other card that I may not have linked?

• GTX 980 FTW (ACX 2.0) - http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814487089
• GTX 980 (ACX 2.0) - http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814487079
• GTX 980 - http://www.newegg.co...N82E16814487087

Edited by GhostLoad, 27 June 2015 - 06:30 PM.

[iammykyl]

Yes, absolutely right.   You would be moving up to a completely new platform, skipping Haswell as I don't think the performance gain is worth the outlay.   I know that there is always something better in the pipeline, but in this case you won't be waiting a year+.

 

I would sort a new GPU and make do for a bit, then upgrade.

You would also need a new OS to go with a any MB upgrade.

Your existing MB, RAM, CPU, GPU and OS, must be worth a reasonable amount sold as a package, second hand, or split up. 

[GhostLoad]

Gotcha, what did you think of those 3 GPU options I linked previously?  Also, in your opinion, what would you value those parts at.  After Skylake comes out and I do the rest of my upgrade (Mobo, RAM, CPU).

Oh and one little question, why would I need to change my OS.  Windows 7 64-bit (which is what I currently use) isn't able to be used on the new hardware?  

[phillpower2]

Thanks for the additional input and nicely explained upgrade path iammykyl 

 

Close call as to which card but just shading it for better reported running temps is the card here

 

RE the OS, see my canned text below;

 

Unless your OS disk is the full retail type you cannot use it with a new MB as an OEM disk is tied to the original MB it was paired with, to use an OEM disk with a new MB is software piracy and therefore illegal.

Exceptions to the above are 1: If your MB is replaced under warranty and 2: If your MB is replaced out of warranty with an alternative type but same brand due to the original model no longer being available, an upgraded MB however will require the purchase of a new OS licence. 

If you have a full retail disk and a product key that is not in use on another computer the OEM restriction/s is/are not the same.

 

 

What you will receive for your hardware will depend on how it is sold (eg as a bundle) where it is advertised as in ebay etc and the market value at the time.

[GhostLoad]

Yeah the only difference I see between the three cards is that the two of them with "ACX 2.0" both have slightly higher core clock & boost clock.  Does that small difference amount to much though?  http://www.newegg.co...487-089:$$$$$$$