Upgrading System

[Zhain]

Hello,
I am upgrading a 2 year old Dell XPS 8100
I want to replace everything eventually. So far I have upgraded the case, power supply, and Hard Drive.
I would like some opinions on what to keep/replace to make a decent gaming system.

Budget - $500 - $1000? Flexible
Resolution - at least 1080p
Games / Settings Desired - Would like to use it for games at high to maximum settings
Any other intensive software or special things you do (Frequent video encoding, 3D modeling, etc)
Country Not Really - Photoshop sometimes
Parts that can be reused:
Corsair TX 650w Power Supply
Corsair Force 3 120GB SSD
Corsair 600T White Graphite Case
Generic DVD/RW

Do you need an OS? I have both Windows 7 pro 64bit and Windows 8 Pro (currently running 8)
Do you need peripherals (e.g. monitor, mouse, keyboard, speakers, etc)? No, will eventually want a better monitor (currently HP 23" 1080p LCD

The rest of the system I would like to replace (my processor has been great, but I want to get away from the Dell Board):
CPU:
2.80 gigahertz Intel Core i7 860
64 kilobyte primary memory cache
256 kilobyte secondary memory cache
8192 kilobyte tertiary memory cache
64-bit ready
Multi-core (4 total)
Hyper-threaded (8 total)

Board:
Board: Dell Inc. 0T568R A00
Bus Clock: 133 megahertz
BIOS: Dell Inc. A05 07/08/2010

Need Hard Drive (Put my Dell Hard Drive in another computer)

GPU:
Radeon HD 5750 1GB

RAM:
8GB (2GB x 4) DDR3 PC3-10600 (non ECC)

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[chazus]

You can't upgrade the motherboard, or CPU, without doing the other, really. That said...

PCPartPicker part list
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ Outlet PC)
Motherboard: ASRock Z75 Pro3 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($76.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Crucial 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($42.03 @ NCIX US)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($69.99 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card ($234.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $673.97

[Zhain]

Yeah I know I will have to replace both the board and CPU. I like your suggestions and the price. Looks like the motherboard supports USB 3.0, which is cool because my tower has it, but my current board does not support it.

Thank you for your help!

[endersblade]

Chazus, why a Z75 and not a Z77? This is what I have. Absolutely great board. Costs more than the one you linked, but still well within his budget.

Also, I really wish people would stop linking that cooler. The thing is a fucking MONSTER in size, and not very many cases can actually handle it - nevermind the motherboards. Unless the OP plans on doing some extreme overclocking, he has no need for something like that. Waste of money, especially if he finds out it won't fit in his setup.

[chazus]

Chazus, why a Z75 and not a Z77? This is what I have. Absolutely great board. Costs more than the one you linked, but still well within his budget.

To me, 'within budget' isn't a good enough excuse to spend money with no benefit. So far, nobody has given me a good reason not to pick the cheapest board the supports the hardware, that comes from a good manufacturer. Why not a Z77? It's $60 more with... as far as I can see, zero benefit. I've asked people to convince me otherwise, and nobody has.

Also, I really wish people would stop linking that cooler. The thing is a fucking MONSTER in size, and not very many cases can actually handle it - nevermind the motherboards. Unless the OP plans on doing some extreme overclocking, he has no need for something like that. Waste of money, especially if he finds out it won't fit in his setup.

As far as I'm aware, the only thing it wont fit in is something smaller than a mid-atx. I'll likely be installing mine today, and I'll see what clearance it has.

And that cooler is fairly cheap, the only one worth its salt is only $10 cheaper, and is the difference between a noisy 3.8ghz, and a silent 4.4ghz. Price per performance, it's definitely worth it.

[Zhain]

Also, I really wish people would stop linking that cooler. The thing is a fucking MONSTER in size, and not very many cases can actually handle it - nevermind the motherboards. Unless the OP plans on doing some extreme overclocking, he has no need for something like that. Waste of money, especially if he finds out it won't fit in his setup.

I should have enough room right? I can't link anything yet,but I have a Corsair 600T Graphite - White ATX Mid
I'll check out the board linked. Thanks for all the input guys.

[Toffie]

It will fit fine. There is more than enough room for anything in that case.

[Zhain]

Thanks, I thought so, it looks huge lol


Is the Sapphire Radeon HD 78780 XT 2GB card discontinued?
What would be a good alternative if I can't get one? Sorry, I haven't kept up on the latest in a few years

[chazus]

Someone else just pointed that out

http://www.amazon.com/Sapphire-Radeo.../dp/B00AWKYB1M