Upgrade recommendation needed.

[Leon Hart]

Hello guys! Thank you for coming to my thread and I hope y'all have great day.

I built my PC for awhile now, and I think it's time to upgrade it a little bit. I need recommendations on which parts should I replace and which parts should I keep. Below is my current rig and references:

Current Specs:


CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Sandy Bridge (not overlocked)
GPU: EVGA SuperClocked 02G-P4-2672-KR GeForce GTX 670 (not overclocked)
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8 GB ( 2 x 4 GB ) DDR3 1600 MHz
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V PRO/GEN3 LGA 1155 Intel Z68
SSD: Crucial m4 128GB Solid State Drive CT128M4SSD2
PSU: Corsair Enthusiast Series TX 750 Watt ATX/EPS Modular 80

Budget Range: $500-600

System Usage from Most to Least Important: Gaming, 3dsMax, other

Are you buying a monitor: Not needed

Parts to Upgrade: I'm looking to upgrade mostly the GPU and the CPU. But what do you think about my current motherboard? Should I upgrade that as well? As for the GPU, should I run SLI with the same current card?

Do you need to buy OS: No

Preferred Website(s) for Parts: NewEgg, Amazon

Location: Los Angeles, California, USA

Parts Preferences: Intel CPUs

Overclocking: Yes

SLI or Crossfire: Maybe.

Your Monitor Resolution: 1080p

Alright, that's about it, I think. Thanks again for reading. I'm looking forward to your advices and recommendations.

 

[Darkbreeze]

They need to be very, very similar. They don't have to always be exactly the same, but you don't mix like a 970 with a 780 for example. Two different 970's may or may not work together. In most cases they probably will but using identical cards is the best way to ensure compatibility and performance, very much like using matched memory modules for dual channel support.

Two 970's beat up on a 980, badly. BF4 marks here: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_970_SLI/6.html

Full article here: http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/NVIDIA/GeForce_GTX_970_SLI/1.html


If you go with an SLI setup and either of those cards, AND configure a big overclock, you might consider a bigger PSU as well. While that PSU is plenty for just a stock cpu clock and two 970's, it might have problems with a CPU overclock on top of it and if you end up overclocking the GPU's in addition to that, you'll likely be pushing the PSU at a very high percentage of it's total capacity. If you plan to keep the clocks all stock, it's probably fine as most review sites only list the required minimum be 700w.

 

[Leon Hart]

Do you have any recommendation on a new PSU in case I want to overclock both. Right now, maybe I will do the SLI setup and leave them at that, but I may overclock them in the future. Also, how do you calculate the amount of power needed in your system?

Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[Darkbreeze]

If you decide to upgrade, I'd probably go with this Antec unit made by Seasonic. It's the best combination of quality AND value, currently available at a capacity that will give you some headroom.

http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Antec/HCG-850M/11.html



PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Power Supply: Antec HCG M 850W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply ($59.99 @ NCIX US)
Total: $59.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-12-02 21:19 EST-0500