Desktop Upgrade - Need Adivce

[niv13]

I'm planning to do a CPU + Mobo + RAM upgrade within these two weeks to take advantage of the special sales, but I'm getting a lot of conflicting suggestions from friends and sales personnels. I figured that I should make a post here and have you guys critic my current selections before I put the money down.

The rig is meant to be a gaming desktop
Budget is around $400-$500
Intention: Gaming (Start Citizen, X Rebirth) & Live Online Streaming

Current parts intended for upgrade:
Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.4GHz (4CPUs)
P5QL/EPU
Dual OCZ Platinum Revision 2 2GB (PC2 6400)
Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive

Summarized suggested:
Intel i5 Quads
Mobo with model Z67 or ASUS P67 mobo
any DDR3 RAM set up for Dual Channel
SSD 120 GB

I've been reading up on the hardware and I have some experience building my own PC, but I'm at a complete loss for what I should consider for good upgrades within budget. Suggestions pls?

Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.4GHz (4CPUs)
Motherboard: P5QL/EPU
Cooling: Heatsink E97375-001
Memory: Dual OCZ Platinum Revision 2 2GB (PC2 6400)
Video Card(s): Radeon HD 6970
Hard Disk(s): Seagate Barracuda 7200.11 ST3500320AS 500GB 7200 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s Hard Drive
Case: Rosewill R6423-P BK ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Power Supply: COOLERMASER I 600W PSU
Software: Microsoft Windows XP Professional 32 bit

 

[ssddx]

[PCPartPicker part list](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2ppzB) / [Price breakdown by merchant](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2ppzB/by_merchant/) / [Benchmarks](http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2ppzB/benchmarks/)

Type|Item|Price
:----|:----|:----
**CPU** | [Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/intel-cpu-bx80646i54670k) | $219.99 @ Amazon
**Motherboard** | [Asus Z87-A ATX LGA1150 Motherboard](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-motherboard-z87a) | $139.99 @ TigerDirect
**Memory** | [G.Skill Ares Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-2400 Memory](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/gskill-memory-f32400c11d8gab) | $76.99 @ Newegg
**Storage** | [Samsung 840 EVO 120GB 2.5" Solid State Disk](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/samsung-internal-hard-drive-mz7te120bw) | $88.99 @ Amazon
**Operating System** | [Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium SP1 (OEM) (64-bit)](http://pcpartpicker.com/part/microsoft-os-gfc02050) | $88.98 @ OutletPC
| | **Total**
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | $614.94
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-12-24 19:16 EST-0500 |

--------------------

why?

i5-4670k ... k version so you can overclock. if you dont care about overclocking save some money and get a non k version of same cpu.
z87 motherboard ... so you can overclock. if you dont care go with a h87 motherboard.
2x4 2400mhz ram ... you want 8gb in 2 sticks for dual channel and it just so happens this 2400mhz is rather cheap (same price as 1600mhz)
840 ssd ... a ssd is going to speed up your system alot. faster boot, faster resume and windows will be snappier. samsung is the most reliable.
windows 7 ... not sure if windows xp can fully take advantage of the new hardware... it might be a good time to upgrade and its in budget!

why z87 (or h87 if you dont overclock) haswell? its the newest version and its not too much more in cost than the previous version for a bit more performance. basically its as future proof as you are going to get.

 

[niv13]

o.o wow that's detailed. Thanks!

 

[niv13]

will the set up work if I were to purchase this mobo instead?
Gigabyte Z87X-D3H

 

[ssddx]

looks fine. if you prefer gigabyte more than asus then go for it.

 

[niv13]

omg I just found out that these prices are only offered in USA. I'm in Canada, Vancouver.

 

[ssddx]

yeah... canada prices (ncix.ca i assume you are looking at?) are a bit high even though its just across the border.

if you tell me what retailer you want to use i can pick parts out using that site.

edit: which is why it helps to say where you are from in the first post. otherwise we normally assume usa.

 

[niv13]

Sites that I have checked that have shops or shipping available to Canada are:
Tigerdirect
NCIX
Generic Computers
Newegg
Amazon? (I haven't called yet to find out whether they do shipping and how much it would cost)
ATIC (really expensive, probably shouldn't bother)

Can you explain briefly what Haswell actually do?

 

[ssddx]

haswell is the codename for the 4th generation of intel processors. the 3rd gen was called ivy bridge, the 2nd was called sandy bridge

basically they have a bit more performance (over ivy bridge) and use socket 1150 (ivy was 1155, sandy was 2011). only a cpu meant for the socket type will fit in so cpu upgrades in the future are limited so its best to go for something half decent.

if you dont mind a little bit of a hit in terms of performance but want to save some cash you could always go amd with the FX processor lineup (comparing overclockable amd to intel board+cpu you save $100-150 on costs and sacrifice a little performance. you could always overclock though to make it up.

 

[ssddx]

also tell me what site you want to use. (or is using a combination of them... ie picking from pcpartspicker and having some from ncix, some from newegg, some from tigerdirect okay??). shipping costs from usa to ca can be a little pricey even though its not that far! (international rate)

 

[niv13]

The only reason I have avoided AMD is because ppl kept telling me that Intel chips go best with Nvidia Graphic cards, which I will be getting in the future. I know that right now I am using an ATI card, but I'm worried that the next time I upgrade my graphic card (probably months away next summer) I won't have to worry about compatibility issues with my mobo and CPU.

Does their advice make sense?

I will keep you suggestion in mind next time I upgrade my computer.

 

[niv13]

I've just tried your price checking website. I got this Memory Express that's not too far from where I live. They seem to have some good prices.

 

[ssddx]

you can use an intel cpu with an amd gpu. you can use an amd cpu with an nvidia gpu.

generally that statement is false. (the one about you needing to use an intel build for an nvidia card)