Looking to do some upgrading.

[Lolvanish]

Tax returns just came in, and since I'm in a stable financial position right now, I've decided i want to use most of the returns on upgrading my PC. Some of my specs are -

Processor- intel core i3-2120 CPU @ 3.3 ghz

Memory - 8g RAM

Graphics- Geforce GT 520

I'm kind of a scrub when it comes to computer parts so i asked a friend of mine what to replace and he said the processor and graphics card. But then another friend told me you can't upgrade the processor without buying a new motherboard? So then i just got confused and had no idea what to do. My max budget is $800 but i was looking to spend more like $600.

I play games such as WoW, LoL, D3, GW2 from time to time, and i will be mainly playing Wildstar when that releases.
Thanks for any help you guys can offer!

[Deleted]

Yes you'll have to update to an lga1150 to get new cpu sockets since yours is lga1155. Could you be more specific on your ram, is it 2x 4GB sticks DDR3 and mhz? Also what power supply you have?

[Deleted]

600$ build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i3-4130 3.4GHz Dual-Core Processor ($119.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H81M-H Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($44.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($32.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $619.91
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-06 15:21 EDT-0400)


however, with 800 u can go for a i5 4670k which (overclocked) will result in much better performance, especially in mmo´s:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($234.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G41 PC Mate ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($32.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $797.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-06 15:26 EDT-0400)

[chazus]

Use your old HD, and this setup ought to get you exactly where you want to be. I've been mucking around with Wildstar Beta, and my system plays it fantastically. This setup is virtually equivalent (3570K + 660). Lower wattage power supply seems fine considering 750ti lower power requirement.

Notably, you could probably squeeze $100-150 out of whats left of your old system.

PCPartPicker part list
CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($234.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G41 PC Mate ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 750 Ti 2GB Video Card ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($32.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: EVGA 430W 80+ Certified ATX Power Supply ($26.13 @ Newegg)
Total: $597.06

[Lolvanish]

Yes you'll have to update to an lga1150 to get new cpu sockets since yours is lga1155. Could you be more specific on your ram, is it 2x 4GB sticks DDR3 and mhz? Also what power supply you have?

Like i said, I'm a scrub so i dont know how to tell whether its 2x 4GB and what power supply . I'm just looking at my specs through dxdiag and all it says is Memory: 8192MB ram

- - - Updated - - -

however, with 800 u can go for a i5 4670k which (overclocked) will result in much better performance, especially in mmo´s:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($234.98 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($34.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI Z87-G41 PC Mate ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: A-Data XPG V1.0 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($64.99 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($56.98 @ OutletPC)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 760 2GB Video Card ($239.99 @ NCIX US)
Case: NZXT Source 210 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($32.99 @ Micro Center)
Power Supply: XFX 550W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $797.90
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-05-06 15:26 EDT-0400)

what you think about if i were to upgrade that motherboard you have in that one to- http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128606

[chazus]

I'm not sure why you'd want to. Considering it's A) Not an upgrade (a significant downgrade, wrong chipset for OC), and B) more expensive

[Lolvanish]

I'm not sure why you'd want to. Considering it's A) Not an upgrade (a significant downgrade, wrong chipset for OC), and B) more expensive

Good to know!