Can I upgrade this system?

[mmassey]

I built this computer in May, 2007 and upgraded the cpu, gpu and doubled the RAM around 2010 or 2011. I built it for gaming and it was wonderful but parts of it are over 8 yrs old and the above-mentioned upgrade is at least 4 1/2 yrs old. It still runs great and is the best PC I've ever had by far. Anyway, I want to be able to run COD BO III and Fallout 4. Here is my current PC setup:

Case: Gigabyte 3DAurora 570 - thing is huge!
O/S: Win 7 Pro 64 bit (will upgrade to Win 10)
CPU: Intel Core 2 Quad 8400 @ 2.66GHz (Socket 775 LGA)
RAM: 4GB dual channel DDR2@ 400MHz (5-5-5-18)
MB: EVGA NForce 680i LT SLI (socket 775) Ver 2;
PSU: 650W ATX 12V 2.2 120mm fan
GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 460 by Gigabyte w/1GB GDDR memory

What I want to know is the following:

1. Is this system too old to upgrade to enable it to run the newest games like Fallout 4?
2. If it is not too old, what is the most efficient upgrade process to get it there?
3. If deemed upgradable to current gaming standards, specific recommendations on hardware will be appreciated. Exactly what model of GPU and/or CPU to upgrade to that will work with my existing MB for example. What RAM and how much? Is my PSU large enough to handle upgraded hardware?

Thanks very much for any and all answers and suggestions.

 

[lodders]

Time for a new computer methinks.
With SATA 3, you will be able to enjoy the enormous benefits of an SSD...

 

[geofelt]

It is not clear to me if your proposed games depend on fast cores or on good graphics.
I suspect graphics.

Your easiest course of action is to upgrade graphics on your current system and see how you do.

A GTX960 or GTX970 would be a nice jump.

Later, a cpu/motherboard/ram upgrade might be to a i3-6100 which would double your cpu capability, or for more future resistance, to a 6600K.

 

[mmassey]

It is not clear to me if your proposed games depend on fast cores or on good graphics.
I suspect graphics.

Your easiest course of action is to upgrade graphics on your current system and see how you do.

A GTX960 or GTX970 would be a nice jump.

Later, a cpu/motherboard/ram upgrade might be to a i3-6100 which would double your cpu capability, or for more future resistance, to a 6600K.

If I go ahead and jump to total upgrade rather than just the the gpu, what mb would u suggest that will fit in my current case? Or, would u get a different case? Smaller would be nicer...this case is so huge and heavy. Thanks.

 

[Karadjgne]

There comes a time in every pc's life when retirement comes knocking, and sad to say, but your old friend is about there. For a workstation, it'd be good for many more years, but the younger crowd is running circles around it in games. I'd be giving serious consideration to saving up some cash, a new pc with the relative performance yours had when new aren't cheap, or easy to throw together. There's so much new and cutting edge stuff, high resolution monitor demands, game minimum requirements, performance boosts etc. SSDs have made a considerable impact in pc speeds and the new M2's boast read/write speeds @2x as fast as a standard SSD.

A fresh start is almost a given, the real question is just how far you want to go.

 

[geofelt]

With Skylake now available, there is absolutely no question in my mind that a new build should be Skylake.
a. Prices for cpu, z170 motherboard and ddr4 ram are almost precisely the same.
b. 6600K has an estimated 5-10% performance improvement per clock over haswell.
c. 14nm runs cooler, you get a decent overclock without the need for exotic cooling.
d. The Z170 chipset permits the use of much faster ssd devices on the horizon. Samsung 950 pro for example:
http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/minisite/SSD/global/html/ssd950pro/overview.html

Most any Z170 based motherboard will do.
You can fit any motherboard you want in the case.
It will hold a standard ATX motherboard as well as M-ATX and even ITX which are subsets.

You will want 1.2v ddr4 ram kit, 2133 speed. 2 x4gb is usually fine for gaming, but with ram so cheap, buy 2 x 8gb.
No need for fancy, expensive heat spreaders.

I5-6600K does not come with a standard cooler(that most would not use anyway)
A simple tower cooler with a 120mm fan will do the job. skylake 14nm runs cool.

Plan on a ssd for windows, M.2 Samsung 950 pro would be the best. 240 or 500gb.

I see no compelling need for windows 10 at the moment. I suggest deferring that until the kinks get worked out.

 

[Karadjgne]

With Microsoft pitching free Windows 10 upgrade from 7/8/8.1 and doing so for 1 solid year, you can bet there'll be an SP1 before that year is up, so no rush on 10.
Few years ago, everyone knew 2Gb gpus were good, 4Gb unnecessary waste. Yeah, that didn't last long. 8Gb is good for gaming now, tomorrow is a different story, so a higher Gb gpu and 16Gb ddr4 would be the best bet, even if not used today, you'll have it tomorrow.
Relatively few use M.2 ssds today, that's gonna change in a hurry as speed demand and time sitting become premium, be a good idea to get in on the ground floor there.
Cases are very personal, you'll just need to hit pcpartpicker.com (list view is good) and take a look to see what fits your aesthetics, pick 3-4 or more, then check for what good and what's crap. You gotta look at it every day, I don't.

Happy hunting.

 

[mmassey]

There comes a time in every pc's life when retirement comes knocking, and sad to say, but your old friend is about there. For a workstation, it'd be good for many more years, but the younger crowd is running circles around it in games. I'd be giving serious consideration to saving up some cash, a new pc with the relative performance yours had when new aren't cheap, or easy to throw together. There's so much new and cutting edge stuff, high resolution monitor demands, game minimum requirements, performance boosts etc. SSDs have made a considerable impact in pc speeds and the new M2's boast read/write speeds @2x as fast as a standard SSD.

A fresh start is almost a given, the real question is just how far you want to go.

Ok, this is a good answer. Thank you for the response. I will start down this path soon...after first of the year. I am so out of the loop I do not know what M2 is so I have some learning to do.

I still have the receipts and records from building my system. It was awesome in May of 2007 and cost $1450, not including 24" Dell monitor.

 

[mmassey]

With Skylake now available, there is absolutely no question in my mind that a new build should be Skylake.
a. Prices for cpu, z170 motherboard and ddr4 ram are almost precisely the same.
b. 6600K has an estimated 5-10% performance improvement per clock over haswell.
c. 14nm runs cooler, you get a decent overclock without the need for exotic cooling.
d. The Z170 chipset permits the use of much faster ssd devices on the horizon. Samsung 950 pro for example:
http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/minisite/SSD/global/html/ssd950pro/overview.html

Most any Z170 based motherboard will do.
You can fit any motherboard you want in the case.
It will hold a standard ATX motherboard as well as M-ATX and even ITX which are subsets.

You will want 1.2v ddr4 ram kit, 2133 speed. 2 x4gb is usually fine for gaming, but with ram so cheap, buy 2 x 8gb.
No need for fancy, expensive heat spreaders.

I5-6600K does not come with a standard cooler(that most would not use anyway)
A simple tower cooler with a 120mm fan will do the job. skylake 14nm runs cool.

Plan on a ssd for windows, M.2 Samsung 950 pro would be the best. 240 or 500gb.

I see no compelling need for windows 10 at the moment. I suggest deferring that until the kinks get worked out.

Thank you mucho. Great info. As I said, I have a ton of learning to do. I stopped looking at hardware after I built my pc in '07.

 

[mmassey]

With Microsoft pitching free Windows 10 upgrade from 7/8/8.1 and doing so for 1 solid year, you can bet there'll be an SP1 before that year is up, so no rush on 10.
Few years ago, everyone knew 2Gb gpus were good, 4Gb unnecessary waste. Yeah, that didn't last long. 8Gb is good for gaming now, tomorrow is a different story, so a higher Gb gpu and 16Gb ddr4 would be the best bet, even if not used today, you'll have it tomorrow.
Relatively few use M.2 ssds today, that's gonna change in a hurry as speed demand and time sitting become premium, be a good idea to get in on the ground floor there.
Cases are very personal, you'll just need to hit pcpartpicker.com (list view is good) and take a look to see what fits your aesthetics, pick 3-4 or more, then check for what good and what's crap. You gotta look at it every day, I don't.

Happy hunting.

Thank you for this info. Was not aware of pcpartpicker.com. Very helpful.