I need help choosing my upgrades.

[JustOneAndDone]

My current PC Specs:

-Intel Core i5-4460 Processor
-Stock Intel CPU Cooler
-MSI H81M-E35 V2 (MS-7817)
-4,096 MB G.Skill DDR3 @ 1,598 MHz (2 Ram Stick) (8GB Total)
-1TB Hard Drive
-500GB Hard Drive
-Sapphire TOXIC AMD Radeon R9 280X
-Corsair 750 Watt CS750M 80+ Modular Power Supply
-DIYPC Zondda-O Black/Orange Mid-Tower


I was planning on getting a better motherboard
-MSI B150 PC Mate LGA 1151

More memory
-G.SKILL TridentZ RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 (I know there's cheaper memory but I can't help myself)

and an GeForce GTX 1060.

So my question is, what CPU should I choose, like a higher i5 or a lower i7? Also, should I choose a different motherboard or graphics card or any other components I should also upgrade? Thank you for you time.

EDIT:
The reason I want to upgrade is to be able to run games like The Witcher 3 and especially Ark: Survival Evolved since I can only run them at medium/high settings.

 

[Redmonster]

Look for youtube reviews or different forums comparing different i7s or i5s on 4th vs 6th vs7th gen. And choose whether is it worth it to upgrade. i5-4460 is powerful enough to play games (not sure about AAA games though). But if you really are that eager to upgrade, go for i7-7700k and a 7th gen mobo that can OC, and pair it with 2 1080s(SLI).

 

[genthug]

IMO, grab more RAM and a 1070 instead of updating your platform by a single generation. Your 4460 isn't the best i5 in the Haswell generation but Haswell still ain't a slouch.

Edit: @Redmonster, if a 7700k and SLI 1080s was in the budget, I don't think a 1060 and a B150 board would be on the table...

 

[red2481]

A few things.
1. Right now is a really bad time to buy a cpu. With ryzen right around the corner, you should wait and get one of those. The lower end one is rumored to be around 199.
2. If you can't wait, I would go with an i5 6500. Why are you even upgrading your cpu? It is an amazing cpu that can still do better then most. It is better then the i5 6400.
3. My suggestion is forget all of this. You pc is perfect except the graphics card. No offense, but the 280x won't cut it that much anymore. Look into getting an rx480.
https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814150773&cm_re=rx480_gtr-_-14-150-773-_-Product is currently one of the best right now.
4. Get 16gb ddr3 ram.
5. RX480 and GTX 1060 is very controversial. Ultimately there is not really a big difference, but the Rx480 is a bit more future proofed.

 

[Unboundstorm]

If you're going to be putting a GTX 1060 into the new build, I would recommend an i5 that leans toward the upper end. I've been using the same i5 for the past 3 years and haven't had any issues with processing power being too low. (i have the i5-4670). There's no point throwing as much money into an i7 as you would have to in order to get the "i7" label when you could spend significantly less on the i5 and save that money for something else in your computer. The i5-7600k (https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117728) has a benchmark just below the i7-4790k which (from what I saw) was just about the standard gaming PC processor. It's got a decently fair price and should do more than enough for you.

 

[Redmonster]

Well I was only suggesting something hypothetical if OP would really like a powerful build considering he wants to upgrade his i5-4460. And I also forgot to consider the Ryzen thats coming out soon, Better wait for Ryzen because they said it will change the landscape of processors.

 

[aquielisunari]

My current PC Specs:

-Intel Core i5-4460 Processor
-Stock Intel CPU Cooler
-MSI H81M-E35 V2 (MS-7817)
-4,096 MB G.Skill DDR3 @ 1,598 MHz (2 Ram Stick) (8GB Total)
-1TB Hard Drive
-500GB Hard Drive
-Sapphire TOXIC AMD Radeon R9 280X
-Corsair 750 Watt CS750M 80+ Modular Power Supply
-DIYPC Zondda-O Black/Orange Mid-Tower


I was planning on getting a better motherboard
-MSI B150 PC Mate LGA 1151

More memory
-G.SKILL TridentZ RGB 16GB (2 x 8GB) 288-Pin DDR4 (I know there's cheaper memory but I can't help myself)

and an GeForce GTX 1060.

So my question is, what CPU should I choose, like a higher i5 or a lower i7? Also, should I choose a different motherboard or graphics card or any other components I should also upgrade? Thank you for you time.

EDIT:
The reason I want to upgrade is to be able to run games like The Witcher 3 and especially Ark: Survival Evolved since I can only run them at medium/high settings.

This is not really the best time to be upgrading imo. Ryzen should be out at the end of this month or in the beginning of march. Vega GPUs are also going to have SIGNIFICANT changes. I have a Nvidia GPU and an Intel CPU so that's not a fanboy talking. Vega could very well be a shocker. Something like we haven't seen since Sandy Bridge.

Nothing less than the 6600 if you have to upgrade. The K option can add some longevity.

500GB HDD or SSD? HDD? Add a 500GB SSD.

I own the 4th generation PC Mate board. Z97. I like it. MANY OC options. The B150 board? Nope. BCLK only and that's not really advisable. I'd instead choose https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130892 .

Best upgrade on the page so far is ONLY the 1070. JUST the card. That can easily transfer over to your new build and will be a worthwhile investment. Then again Vega is on the far horizon. Patience.......

 

[JustOneAndDone]

This is not really the best time to be upgrading imo. Ryzen should be out at the end of this month or in the beginning of march. Vega GPUs are also going to have SIGNIFICANT changes. I have a Nvidia GPU and an Intel CPU so that's not a fanboy talking. Vega could very well be a shocker. Something like we haven't seen since Sandy Bridge.

Nothing less than the 6600 if you have to upgrade. The K option can add some longevity.

500GB HDD or SSD? HDD? Add a 500GB SSD.

I own the 4th generation PC Mate board. Z97. I like it. MANY OC options. The B150 board? Nope. BCLK only and that's not really advisable. I'd instead choose https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130892 .

Best upgrade on the page so far is ONLY the 1070. JUST the card. That can easily transfer over to your new build and will be a worthwhile investment. Then again Vega is on the far horizon. Patience.......

Thank you for the advice and I'll probably hold off on the upgrading, I've started to read up on Ryzen and will preferably wait. I also want to thank anyone else that gave me advise on this post.

 

[aquielisunari]

This is not really the best time to be upgrading imo. Ryzen should be out at the end of this month or in the beginning of march. Vega GPUs are also going to have SIGNIFICANT changes. I have a Nvidia GPU and an Intel CPU so that's not a fanboy talking. Vega could very well be a shocker. Something like we haven't seen since Sandy Bridge.

Nothing less than the 6600 if you have to upgrade. The K option can add some longevity.

500GB HDD or SSD? HDD? Add a 500GB SSD.

I own the 4th generation PC Mate board. Z97. I like it. MANY OC options. The B150 board? Nope. BCLK only and that's not really advisable. I'd instead choose https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813130892 .

Best upgrade on the page so far is ONLY the 1070. JUST the card. That can easily transfer over to your new build and will be a worthwhile investment. Then again Vega is on the far horizon. Patience.......

Thank you for the advice and I'll probably hold off on the upgrading, I've started to read up on Ryzen and will preferably wait. I also want to thank anyone else that gave me advise on this post.

Thanks for that

Consider this http://wccftech.com/amds-vega-doubles-usable-graphics-memory/ As a bonus it is relevant to your needs.