Must Make Important Hardware Decision-Speedy Help Appreciated

[liveastroman21]

About 2 years ago i purchased an Alienware desktop. For 13-14 year old me, It was the coolest thing ever (although now I realize I could have spent the money better elsewhere). I'm almost certain that the motherboard has crapped out on me and i'm looking to replace it. Thing is, I'm going to try to take this opportunity to try and upgrade several other components as well.

1.) I'm debating whether or not I should keep the regular R4 chassis and just insert new components or completely buy a new, lighter, and cheaper chassis (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811156293) and fill it with some salvaged and new parts.

2.) Since my motherboard crapped out i'm worried that my i7-3820 might have also been damaged. If so, I was planning to replace it with either an AMD FX-6300 or an FX-8350 which seem to have lower performance when compared to the 3820. Is there any way to check to see if the CPU is damaged? If i were to purchase an FX CPU, I would use this motherboard (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813128651). If I was able to salvage the 3820 should I purchase a replacement Alienware motherboard or would it be possible to buy another? If so, any ideas on what motherboard I should look into?

3.) Right now I have a GTX-555, which is in desperate need of an update anyway. I was thinking of purchasing a R9-270x (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127761), but I'm not sure if I should go with its Nvidia equivalent instead.

These are the 3 main questions I wanted to ask. I'm pretty sure that the PSU, hard-drive, and DVD drive are salvageable, so I don't think I need any help with those.

*note* I'm not in the market for super expensive components. My price-range for the above questions are anywhere from $400-$600 (though I might be able to deviate a bit).

thanks to anyone brave enough to help me with the problem (especially with all the questions I'm asking).

*optional question* would it be best to upgrade to 8.1 or can I stay with Windows 7?

 

[IndyAJD]

1) I'd stick with the Alienware chassis. They're generally pretty good as far as cooling and such.

2) Honestly, I don't know how to check if your CPU is damaged without putting it into a different mobo.

3) For your budget, this is what your upgrade should look like.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($74.78 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($339.98 @ NCIX US)
Total: $629.75
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-02 23:25 EST-0500

These components will crush any game you throw at them at 1080p Ultra settings, and will be excellent for years to come.

As for OS, I'd stick with Windows 7. I prefer it as for as UI goes, and theres very little performance difference for gaming.

 

[liveastroman21]

1) I'd stick with the Alienware chassis. They're generally pretty good as far as cooling and such.

2) Honestly, I don't know how to check if your CPU is damaged without putting it into a different mobo.

3) For your budget, this is what your upgrade should look like.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($74.78 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($339.98 @ NCIX US)
Total: $629.75
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-02 23:25 EST-0500

These components will crush any game you throw at them at 1080p Ultra settings, and will be excellent for years to come.

As for OS, I'd stick with Windows 7. I prefer it as for as UI goes, and theres very little performance difference for gaming.

I appreciate the help. I'm using this computer to not only game, but to record footage as well. I used fraps on my other computer, but I might use Nvidia shadowplay. Would the i5 you proposed be enough to flawlessly record and render gameplay?

 

[IndyAJD]

1) I'd stick with the Alienware chassis. They're generally pretty good as far as cooling and such.

2) Honestly, I don't know how to check if your CPU is damaged without putting it into a different mobo.

3) For your budget, this is what your upgrade should look like.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ NCIX US)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($74.78 @ Newegg)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 970 4GB Video Card ($339.98 @ NCIX US)
Total: $629.75
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-11-02 23:25 EST-0500

These components will crush any game you throw at them at 1080p Ultra settings, and will be excellent for years to come.

As for OS, I'd stick with Windows 7. I prefer it as for as UI goes, and theres very little performance difference for gaming.

I appreciate the help. I'm using this computer to not only game, but to record footage as well. I used fraps on my other computer, but I might use Nvidia shadowplay. Would the i5 you proposed be enough to flawlessly record and render gameplay?

Yes, it definitely should be able to handle it. Its the best available i5 as of now, and it really isn't worth it to spend an extra $100 for an equivolent i7.