Please recommend an upgrade

[fpga123]

I am thinking of upgrading my SFF gaming rig which has the following specifications;
Core i3 2100
2x4GB G.Skill 2133Mhz
Gigabyte WindForce HD7950
120GB Kingston V300
2TB WD Red
ASRock Z77E-ITX
Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 550W
Corsair H80i
Cooler Master Elite 130

I am considering a CPU and/or GPU upgrade and have the following options for upgrade within my budget (~$200) in my country;
Core i5 (2nd / 3rd gen) ($50-100)
Core i7 (2nd / 3rd gen) ($100-150)
HD7970 ($50)
R9 290 ($110)

If you think, I should really upgrade something else too, please feel free to mention.

 

[ModernWarfare]

i would upgrade the cpu to a 4th gen (lga 1150) not a 2nd gen which is too old now. also the r9 290 is a good selection it would be the better choice the rest is fine.

 

[Joseph DeGarmo]

i would upgrade the cpu to a 4th gen (lga 1150) not a 2nd gen which is too old now. also the r9 290 is a good selection it would be the better choice the rest is fine.

A 4th gen CPU will require upgrading the motherboard.

To OP: An i5-3570k and R9-290 will be your best options.

 

[fpga123]

i would upgrade the cpu to a 4th gen (lga 1150) not a 2nd gen which is too old now. also the r9 290 is a good selection it would be the better choice the rest is fine.

I really don't have an option to change the motherboard as ITX form factor is not available here. To go 4th gen, I'll also have to buy a new casing, the motherboard and the CPU.

 

[fpga123]

A 4th gen CPU will require upgrading the motherboard.

To OP: An i5-3570k and R9-290 will be your best options.

Will that not require a higher capacity PSU?

 

[MuchResearch]

Is it just me, or does an r9 290 for $110 seem really low priced? Are you buying used?

 

[fpga123]

Is it just me, or does an r9 290 for $110 seem really low priced? Are you buying used?

No, its new. The $110 is the amount I'll be paying at the end of the day, its more like $300-350, I am factoring the current sell price of my 7950 in it ($190-240).

 

[Joseph DeGarmo]

For an R9-290, you need to either upgrade to a 750w or greater PSU or get a GTX 970 instead. Even an HD 7970 will need a PSU upgrade. The GTX 970 should be fine with your PSU, but with that PSU brand, I would not recommend overclocking.

 

[MuchResearch]

For an R9-290, you need to either upgrade to a 750w or greater PSU or get a GTX 970 instead. Even an HD 7970 will need a PSU upgrade. The GTX 970 should be fine with your PSU, but with that PSU brand, I would not recommend overclocking.

Yeah totally agree with getting a gtx 970, check out some reviews its a pretty great card

 

[ModernWarfare]

what? the r9 290 is 300watts. why the 750watts psu?

 

[fpga123]

what? the r9 290 is 300watts. why the 750watts psu?

They are considering the maximum peak power consumption which may exceed the envelope provided by the PSU in time. The R9 290 + i5 is definitely doable with 550W, if one doesn't do any overclocks but it is not a long term solution, as the PSU ages as does its capacity decreases. My PSU is couple months old so it may give a year with that card but definitely not more.