Help on upgrading my gaming PC.

[RoyalGreen]

Hi, I've a gaming PC from 2011. Recently I decided to buy the GTX 980. My other present specs (old) would be:
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V LX
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Quad-Core Processor 3.3 GHz
RAM: Kingston ValueRAM 8GB (2x4GB) 1333MHz DDR3

So what should I upgrade first for getting the best gaming performance with the GTX 980? And which Motherboard/CPU/RAM should I buy? Why? I can spend like $300-$600 for these. PSU won't be a problem.
I'm kinda new in these, still learning! Any help would be appreciated.
Also tell me if there's anything I should know.

 

[vrumor]

You dont need to upgrade your CPU, mobo or RAM. If ya dont have an SSD get one, if you got an SSD, buy a better monitor.

 

[RazerZ]

No need to upgrade your CPU or motherboard (edit) or ram the 2500k is still a solid performer today and will not bottleneck and graphics card(s).

What PSU do you have?

 

[clutchc]

+1^
You better be sure you have enough PSU for that card first.

 

[RoyalGreen]

Thanks everyone for the answers! I currently have a 480 Watt PSU, which I'll be replacing within a week. I've created another forum post for help with that here: http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2382498/quick-power-supply-suggestion-800-watt.html

 

[RoyalGreen]

You dont need to upgrade your CPU, mobo or RAM. If ya dont have an SSD get one, if you got an SSD, buy a better monitor.

Thanks! And why SSD? How will that help to increase my gaming performance?

 

[RazerZ]

You mentioned 980 sli in that thread, your motherboard does not support sli since it runs dual cards in x16/x4 speeds. X4 will cripple performance of the second card.

For one GTX 980 a quality 550W PSU would work great.

 

[clutchc]

Thanks everyone for the answers! I currently have a 480 Watt PSU, which I'll be replacing within a week. I've created another forum post for help with that here: http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id-2382498/quick-power-supply-suggestion-800-watt.html

There's nothing in that list that "needs" replacing. You may want to grab some faster memory. The MB should be able to handle up to 2133MHz. But realistically, look into some 1600 or 1866. My i5-2500K worked fine with 1600 and 1866 both.

 

[RoyalGreen]

You mentioned 980 sli in that thread, your motherboard does not support sli since it runs dual cards in x16/x4 speeds. X4 will cripple performance of the second card.

For one GTX 980 a quality 550W PSU would work great.

I do not have a SLI right now, but I'll buy another GTX 980 and make a SLI in a few years (after upgrading my motherboard of course). So I wanted a PSU I won't have to replace again.

 

[RazerZ]

The upgrade from 1333mhz ram won't be noticeable for gaming. Honestly I would just keep your set for now.

 

[RoyalGreen]

As clutchc and RazerZ have suggested different things (about upgrading the RAM with better MHz), may I ask how much will they effect/increase gaming performance?

 

[RazerZ]

As clutchc and RazerZ have suggested different things (about upgrading the RAM with better MHz), may I ask how much will they effect/increase gaming performance?

See for yourself:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/4503/sandy-bridge-memory-scaling-choosing-the-best-ddr3/6

As you can see there's almost no difference when it comes to gaming/graphics.

 

[RazerZ]

You mentioned 980 sli in that thread, your motherboard does not support sli since it runs dual cards in x16/x4 speeds. X4 will cripple performance of the second card.

For one GTX 980 a quality 550W PSU would work great.

I do not have a SLI right now, but I'll buy another GTX 980 and make a SLI in a few years (after upgrading my motherboard of course). So I wanted a PSU I won't have to replace again.

Take your pick:

http://pcpartpicker.com/parts/compare/evga-power-supply-220g20750xr%2Cocz-power-supply-oczzt750w%2Crosewill-power-supply-capstone750m%2Cxfx-power-supply-p1750bnlg9/