$500 Budget Desktop Upgrade for Gaming

[Methunas]

I am looking forward to upgrading my desktop PC, but I do not have the knowledge to pick parts for myself. I currently have a PC bought off of cybertronpc.com, which is called the CybertronPC Trooper (the build of this PC that I currently have is no longer in stock.) I would like to upgrade most of the parts of this PC and keep the ones that I do not need to upgrade, or could be used with the new parts. I would like to get the best parts for the budget, and have parts for gaming. Below I have filled out the template from the "new build advice" sticky.

Approximate Purchase Date: Approx. Jan. or Feb. 2014

Budget Range: Approx. $500 total

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, Schoolwork

Are you buying a monitor: No

Parts to Upgrade: Mobo, CPU, GPU, PSU, RAM (If needed)

Do you need to buy OS: No (unless needed)

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: I have not purchased any parts before, so none preferred.

Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA

Parts Preferences: Preferrably AMD CPU, any brand is fine

Overclocking: No

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe

Your Monitor Resolution: 1440x900, 1920x1200

Additional Comments: Looks do not matter, parts have to fit into the case (duh!)

And Most Importantly, Why Are You Upgrading: I would like to run games with better graphical quality and more intensive games.

Here is a list of all of my computer parts (including Approx. PSU Wattage)

Motherboard: Foxconn A76ML-K 3.0
Power Supply: IN WIN IP-S350T1-0
Processor: AMD Athlon II X3 455, 3300 Mhz, 3 Cores, 3 Logical Processors
Hard Disk: Western Digital WDC WD5000AAKX-00ERMA0
Graphics Card: AMD Radeon HD 7450
CD-ROM: LG GH24NS95
Memory: 2x SPECTEK 4GB DDR3 CL9 UDIMM
PSU Wattage = Approx. 320 W
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
Cooling Fans: 1 92mm, 1 80mm
Case: APEVIA X-TROOPER Junior Series X-TRPJR-BK Black Steel Micro ATX Mid Tower Computer Case w/ Side Window

Any suggestions are appreciated.

 

[filippi]

This is a great upgrade for no-overclockes:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1Y6su
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1Y6su/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/1Y6su/benchmarks/

CPU: Intel Core i5-4430 3.0GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($139.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: PowerColor Radeon HD 7870 XT 2GB Video Card ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair CX 500W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $489.96
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-05 23:38 EST-0500)

 

[Deemo13]

Also depends on the games you are playing.

 

[Methunas]

Also depends on the games you are playing.

Well, I plan on playing games like Crysis 3, Battlefield 4, Starcraft 2, and TERA (and also Elder Scrolls Online when it comes out) on it. I would like to get as high FPS as I can on games like these.

 

[ScrewySqrl]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor ($117.97 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($29.98 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Asus M5A97 LE R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($69.99 @ Microcenter)
Memory: Team Vulcan 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($59.98 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 GHz Edition 2GB Video Card ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Rosewill REDBONE U3 ATX Mid Tower Case ($34.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX12V Power Supply ($19.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $502.89
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-11-06 15:34 EST-0500)

 

[Skylarz]

http://pcpartpicker.com/user/skylarz/saved/2KFk

The ram is $16 off if u buy with the cpu. The combo isn't showing up for some reason. The total would be around $495, I tried to get the best brands for you. Also, since you already have 4gb, you should just buy another 4gb and save around $20-$30 to add up to 8gb.

 

[Methunas]

Thank you all for your suggestions! I would like to say that I am looking towards building with the parts that ScrewySqrl and Skylarz have recommended, since they are both similar. I will most likely use the CPU, CPU Cooler, Mobo, and GPU that you two have recommended, use the case that ScrewySqrl had listed (since the Mobo won't fit into my current case,) and use the Memory and PSU that Skylarz had listed (the PSU is a little bit overkill, but it is fine since I plan on adding better parts onto this build later.)

 

[Deemo13]

For the build from Squirrel, the power supply is actually pretty much right on point. Any less and there might be problems in the future. Also, for that price on that pwoer supply, make sure there is a MicroCenter in the area.