Best bang-for-the-buck upgrade on 3 year old gaming system?

[Tomer139]

Hello,
I am looking to upgrade a gaming system I built about 3 years ago (which was fairly "budget" at the time as well).
I am hoping that I can upgrade a few pieces and get something that will still serve me for a while rather than buying a whole new rig.

Current components:
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-G45 ATX LGA1155 Motherboard
Memory: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Seagate Barracuda 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 570 1.25GB Video Card
Case: BitFenix Raider ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair Professional 650W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
Optical Drive: Asus DRW-24B1ST/BLK/B/AS DVD/CD Writer
Monitor: Asus VH236H 23.0" Monitor

Any tips are appreciated, thanks.

 

[BadActor]

Overclock your CPU if you haven't already - free
Upgrade your video card
Get an SSD for the OS and programs and use the HDD for storage

 

[glamdringfh]

Hello Tomer139,

You still have a good CPU, so a GPU upgrade would be your best single upgrade. If at all possible I would recommend upgrading the PSU while you were at it, here's a strong choice for both that would see your gaming increase dramatically:

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Twin Frozr V Video Card ($319.99 @ B&H)
Power Supply: EVGA 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($44.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $364.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-15 22:05 EST-0500

If the GTX 970 is too dear, the 960 would also be a significant upgrade from your current GTX 570:

Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 960 4GB Video Card ($212.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $212.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-15 22:06 EST-0500

 

[Biscuit42]

When I upgraded an I5-2500k to an I5-6600K, I saw almost no improvement in actual games. Definitely go with a video card upgrade and you'll be set for another three years.