looking to upgrade my video card AND Processo, need ideas.

[deraged]

Right now i have:

intel core 2 duo e7500 @ 2.93 ghz

nVidia geforce 9800 gt

i'm also using a 500 watt power supply which limits it.

I'm just looking at opinions of others, looking to spend around 250 each,

[chazus]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-3470 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($188.79 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-G41 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard ($79.98 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Mushkin Blackline 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($35.57 @ NCIX US)
Video Card: Asus GeForce GTX 660 2GB Video Card ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $504.33
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)


500w power supply is not an issue at all. It might be worth considering getting an i5-3570K and down the road you can get a better cooler and OC it.

[deraged]

is upgrading my motherboard a neccesity, i plan on doing at some point but not till down the road.

[n0cturnal]

is upgrading my motherboard a neccesity, i plan on doing at some point but not till down the road.

Without upgrading the motherboard you don't have much choices when it comes to upgrading the CPU, hardly any that is worth the money.

[deraged]

okay, i should be okay to upgrade my video card now though however right?

[n0cturnal]

Yes, but you might not get the full performance of it.