Question Upgrade or New Build for 1440p Gaming Rig?

[MoiBoi]

Current PC, was built in 2014.
PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/qqJC3b

CPU: Intel - Core i5-4690K 3.5 GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Zalman - CNPS9900MAX-B CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Gigabyte - GA-Z97X-UD3H-BK ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill - Ripjaws X Series 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage: Kingston - SSDNow V300 Series 120 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Storage: Western Digital - BLACK SERIES 1 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: MSI - GeForce GTX 970 4 GB Twin Frozr V Video Card
Case: Cooler Master - Elite 431 Plus (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair - CX 600 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply
Optical Drive: Asus - DRW-24F1ST DVD/CD Writer
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 8 OEM 64-bit

Approximate Purchase Date: I have no time restrictions, if it is better to wait for new product releases or future sales, I would be open to waiting.

Budget Range: 2000-2500 (or less if possible 😁) After Rebates, After Shipping.

System Usage: Gaming

Are you buying a monitor: Yes

Do you need to buy OS: Yes

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: New Egg, Amazon but would be open to different sellers for price deals.

Location: Los Ángeles, California USA

Parts Preferences: All my gaming rigs have always been intel but from recent research AMD is worth considering!

Overclocking: Maybe, not expierenced with overclocking but would be open to it if it would facilitate future upgrade ability to 4K

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe again, not expierenced with overclocking but would be open to it if it would facilitate future upgrade ability to 4K

Your Monitor Resolution: currently 1080p, but I want to build a 1440p rig so purchasing a new monitor is a must.

Additional Comments: I built this pc five years ago before I started my studies to game with but now that I’m done and employed I would like to build a 1440p gaming rig. I play games like PUBG, Insurgency Sandstorm, Rising Storm, Hell Let Loose with occasion flight simulator And other AA titles. Given that I generally play slower paced games i would ideally want a monitor that has great 1440p picture quality and response times but if I would be open to a panel that had better color and contrast over fast response times since I don’t play CS:GO or fast paced competitive gaming. My goal is to build a solid 1440p gaming rig that can maintain good FPS given the games I play and possibly be upgrade to 4K once things become less expensive and more stable. Thanks for any and all help!

 

[ConanLock]

Well, seeming as your budget allows it, why not just go all out 4k right away?
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($329.00 @ B&H)
Motherboard: MSI - B450 TOMAHAWK ATX AM4 Motherboard ($149.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Elite 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Crucial - Ballistix Elite 8 GB (1 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Patriot - Scorch 512 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($57.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11 GB SEA HAWK X Video Card ($1089.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G1+ 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.39 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit ($139.89 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus - VP28UQG 28.0" 3840x2160 60 Hz Monitor ($299.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $2275.13
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-19 04:45 EDT-0400

I chose to leave out the case and a large hard drive, as these can be reused from your old build. I did however include a new SSD, it's much larger and will be so much more faster than your old 120GB SATA one. In addition to this, a new build is a good time to replace the PSU, so I went with a fully modular 80+ Gold.

 

[MoiBoi]

I was under the impression that my budget wasn't sufficient for a 4K rig. From what I’ve read it requires top hardware to run consistent FPS, and given that I do play a lot of early access games that aren’t optimized, I feel that it would be a better idea to build a proficient 1440p rig than a budget 4K one. If I did 4K I would want to do it right without sacrificing for budget.

 

[ConanLock]

You should be able to pull of at least 60FPS at 4k with the system I listed. It is basically top of the range, there isn't much to go any better here. Just look for the RTX 2080 Ti on YouTube ti see it's 4k performance. For any games that are still extremely unoptimised, just run them at 1440p.
Actually, I updated the list a little bit, now has 32GB RAM and a better motherboard.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 7 3700X 3.6 GHz 8-Core Processor ($329.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock - X570 Steel Legend ATX AM4 Motherboard ($189.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: Corsair - Vengeance RGB Pro 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3466 Memory ($239.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Patriot - Scorch 512 GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($57.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI - GeForce RTX 2080 Ti 11 GB SEA HAWK X Video Card ($1089.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: EVGA - SuperNOVA G1+ 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($89.39 @ OutletPC)
Operating System: Microsoft - Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit ($139.89 @ OutletPC)
Monitor: Asus - VP28UQG 28.0" 3840x2160 60 Hz Monitor ($299.00 @ Amazon)
Total: $2435.24
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-07-19 16:45 EDT-0400

 

[MoiBoi]

Thanks for the help. As far as 4K monitors goes I would prefer a IPS panel that would highlight colors over refresh rate and response time given the games that I play. Any other suggestions?

 

[ConanLock]

Thanks for the help. As far as 4K monitors goes I would prefer a IPS panel that would highlight colors over refresh rate and response time given the games that I play. Any other suggestions?

IPS 4k monitors will bring the build over-budget. You could get an IPS 1440p monitor now, and replace it with a IPS 4k monitor whenever you feel like it, or you could go over-budget and not need to spend anything more. Either way, I doubt you will need to upgrade hardware anytime soon. It'll last as long as your current one has, and much longer due to the still huge upgrade potential (future graphics cards, perhaps next gen CPU, more RAM etc).