I've had the same hardware for five years now

[Deep Fried Pickles]

I've had the same hardware for five years now, and I'm wondering if I can get away with spending the least amount of money on upgrading this machine without having to buy all new everything. Keep in mind this computer is mainly for gaming.

My motherboard is the "Maximus III Formula (LGA1156)"
CPU: Intel Core i5 760
Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 6800 Series
RAM: 8 gigs DDR3


Can I get away with my current mobo/cpu and just upgrade my GFX?

 

[Whateverworks_19]

The CPU should be able to handle most new cards, like the 960/970 or 280x/290, and will reveal even better performance if you overclock your 760.

The biggest worry is the PSU, so what brand do you have?

 

[Deep Fried Pickles]

The CPU should be able to handle most new cards, like the 960/970 or 280x/290, and will reveal even better performance if you overclock your 760.

The biggest worry is the PSU, so what brand do you have?

XFX black edition, im not sure which,

 

[Whateverworks_19]

The CPU should be able to handle most new cards, like the 960/970 or 280x/290, and will reveal even better performance if you overclock your 760.

The biggest worry is the PSU, so what brand do you have?

XFX black edition, im not sure which,

Good brand. How much wattage? Also what is your budget? Then I will suggest a GPU. Your CPU and motherboard are completely fine.

 

[Deep Fried Pickles]

I believe it's a 850w, is that strong enough for the 760 gpu?

 

[Whateverworks_19]

I believe it's a 850w, is that strong enough for the 760 gpu?

Yes. If you're buying a 240ish dollar graphics cards I suggest this, this is on par with the 760, but have 3GB of VRAM.


PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2HNCZL
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2HNCZL/by_merchant/

Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280X 3GB Tri-X Video Card ($243.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $243.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-11 15:21 EDT-0400

If you wanna spent the money:

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6QTxNG
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6QTxNG/by_merchant/

Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB FTW+ ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($372.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $372.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-04-11 15:22 EDT-0400

 

[Deep Fried Pickles]

Okay, what about the 770? (330$)

 

[Whateverworks_19]

Okay, what about the 770? (330$)

If you want to spend that money, buy the 970.

 

[Deep Fried Pickles]

Okay, thanks so much, when I get the cash I'll buy 8 more gigs of ram, if my PSU can handle the 970 then I'll buy that too, if not I need a new PSU. If I wanted to make things even faster, I should get a SSD too right?

 

[Whateverworks_19]

Okay, thanks so much, when I get the cash I'll buy 8 more gigs of ram, if my PSU can handle the 970 then I'll buy that too, if not I need a new PSU. If I wanted to make things even faster, I should get a SSD too right?

My pleasure, Sir. Well, I do recommend not getting 16GB of RAM bur rather save that money for a new PSU. Your current one is good quality - but old - if you want to do your new GPU (970) justice, you ought to prioritize a good XFX 550W PSU over 16GB of RAM.

An SSD is also thoroughly recommendable as it will improve your boot-time, performance when using files and programs installed on that SSD and so on.

 

[Deep Fried Pickles]

Okay, thanks so much, when I get the cash I'll buy 8 more gigs of ram, if my PSU can handle the 970 then I'll buy that too, if not I need a new PSU. If I wanted to make things even faster, I should get a SSD too right?

My pleasure, Sir. Well, I do recommend not getting 16GB of RAM bur rather save that money for a new PSU. Your current one is good quality - but old - if you want to do your new GPU (970) justice, you ought to prioritize a good XFX 550W PSU over 16GB of RAM.

An SSD is also thoroughly recommendable as it will improve your boot-time, performance when using files and programs installed on that SSD and so on.

So 550w isn't too little for the PSU?

 

[Whateverworks_19]

Okay, thanks so much, when I get the cash I'll buy 8 more gigs of ram, if my PSU can handle the 970 then I'll buy that too, if not I need a new PSU. If I wanted to make things even faster, I should get a SSD too right?

My pleasure, Sir. Well, I do recommend not getting 16GB of RAM bur rather save that money for a new PSU. Your current one is good quality - but old - if you want to do your new GPU (970) justice, you ought to prioritize a good XFX 550W PSU over 16GB of RAM.

An SSD is also thoroughly recommendable as it will improve your boot-time, performance when using files and programs installed on that SSD and so on.

So 550w isn't too little for the PSU?

No its not. Also leaves room for overclocking. Regarding PSU's the most important thing is the topology used and the build quality. Seasonic, Super Flower and Delta are renowned in the business for their consistency in build quality. A 550W PSU of such quality will easily power your rig with a 970. I suggest the following:

https://pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-power-supply-p1550bbefx (made by Seasonic, really reliable and good quality PSU.)

or this

https://pcpartpicker.com/part/evga-power-supply-220gs0550v1 (made by Seasonic, completely new model)