Help Me "Jurrasic Park" My Rig!

[therianthrope]

Hey guys, so I built my rig over 5 years ago now, and - no surprise - it can't run the games coming out these days (specifically Dying Light and Witcher 3 are the objects of my desire at the moment, plus anticipating Fallout Next...). And while the rig is not dead (it boots just fine and I even use it ... occasionally), it's components are extinct - long ago dead under the trampling feet of the next stage of computer evolution - and it's gonna take some Jurassic Park-magnitude doctoring to bring this dinosaur back to it's former glory.

Problem is, my MOBO's a P7P55D-E Pro (LGA 1156)... yay for technological dead-ends!
The other pertinents =
Core i5-750 (2.7 GHz)
4GB Ripjaw G.Skill DDR3-1600 RAM
Radeon HD 5770 (5800 Series - 1GB)
750 Watt PSU

I'd like to squeeze some more life out of this mobo if I can and I have a lead on an i5-660 (3.33 GHz - crosses fingers and prays to the fickle craigslist gods), which systemrequirementslab tells me will get me over the hump for at least the 2 aforementioned games, OR if I could find an i5-680 (3.6GHz) for a not-ridiculous price, how long do you guys think those would last me?

Also, regarding the RAM could I slap a paired set of 4GB RAM sticks in my two empty slots and have it run along side the paired 2GBers, or do all 4 have to be the same? Sorry... I've been out of the game a while...

Regarding the video-card situation, should I just get another 5770 (cheapo!) and x-fire them to get my 2GB VRAM or get with the times on a bleeding edge GPU (or two)?

AAAAND, will any of these potential upgrades outstrip my PSU?

Thanks for your input, in advance!

 

[logainofhades]

I5 750 is better than the i5 660, as it is a true quad core. the i5 6xx chips are dual cores, with hyperthreading. Get a decent cooler, and overclock that i5 750. Only cpu's that I could suggest, for your motherboard, is an i7 8xx. Not knowing your case, it is hard to recommend which cooler to get. If it will fit, a coolermaster hyper 212, if not the TX3. Find another 4gb set of ram. Just try to get a the same kit. Less chances of any ram related issues that way. Ram doesn't double for CF or SLI. You would still only have 1gb of Vram. Upgrade to a more modern card. Even a GTX 750ti is a big boost over that old 5770. http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1078?vs=1130

 

[therianthrope]

Thanks for the input, loh.

Case is a HAF 922.

I have a water-block on the 750 presently (albeit an ancient one - Corsair Nautilus 500), should that be able to get it done - maybe if I refresh it's coolant (which I haven't done in literally YEARS)? Also of note, I have zero knowledge/experience overclocking, what can I hope to push this thing to without imploding it? Will it run today's games even given OCing?

For the memory, does the timing need to be identical as well (7-8-7s)? Or would I just be better off getting a 2x4 kit?

 

[logainofhades]

I used to have the 922, nice case. I think that cooler will work, with a coolant refresh. I had mine paired with an old 90mm Thermaltake copper air tower cooler. I am sure their are guides out there, for overclocking your CPU. I used to have an i5 750, @ 3.8ghz, but I couldn't begin to tell you what settings I used. :lol: Looking at your board, I would say yours would be a far better overclocker than the one I had back then. Your current ram should have a model number, on the sticker. Try and get a matching set of that, unless you can really afford a nice 2x4gb kit.

This kit would be good.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1866 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $64.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-23 17:36 EST-0500

 

[therianthrope]

Disregard; looks like PCIe 3.0 cards will work fine on 2.0...