Question Upgrading my ASUS motherboard / Intel CPU

[alecxm]

I am currently running an Asus Z87-K motherboard with an Intel i7-4770 CPU, 16gb RAM. It’s finally at the point where I need to upgrade, so I’d appreciate any advice on what to buy, as I’m really out of touch with tech developments. I’m not a gamer - I use my PC to run my life, which revolves around the usual web / email / social media stuff, MS Office apps, and streaming video to other devices, e.g. smart TVs. I also use it for music (listening and playing), and run a Synology NAS for backups.

I’d prefer to stick with Intel and Asus (who said brand loyalty was dead?), but have no clue as to the best bundle to buy for the upgrade. Any and all advice will be gratefully received, and much appreciated.

 

[Lutfij]

You're advised to stylize your thread with info asked of in this thread;

*How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice*

How to Ask for New Build or Upgrade Advice First off, respect where respect is due - this is an adaptation of the Animal's *How To Ask For New Build Advice* Sticky. I created this because there's a lot of posts nowadays asking for upgrade advice both on here and on the CPU forums, and I feel...

forums.tomshardware.com

and the community will chime in with worthwhile suggestions.

Please include your current system's specs like so:
CPU:
CPU cooler:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:
Monitor:
include the age of the PSU apart from it's make and model.

Moved thread from Components section to Systems section.

 

[Eximo]

PSU probably needs a change too.

Since you have DDR3, basically any upgrade will need to include RAM as well.

Case fans and CPU cooler fan wouldn't hurt to swap out. Heatsink is re-usable theoretically with the right motherboard, but CPU coolers are cheap enough that getting an LGA1700 Intel cooler, or using the stock one would be fine.

And you are likely to be running a SATA hard drive or SSD. Newer computers have M.2 NVMe drives. You could clone it over to a new drive, but you might not succeed. Doing a fresh install of Windows 11 is probably the best way to go.

Aside from the chassis, and re-using the old storage for extra space, I would say not a lot should be kept.

I daily drive an i3-12100 which is basically equivalent to what you have now but greatly updated and much faster/efficient. i3-13100 would be a little better still. If you want more than equivalent than i5-12400 /13400 will get you six cores instead of 4. You could go for another i7, the 12700K is pretty affordable.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i7-12700K 3.6 GHz 12-Core Processor ($219.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Phantom Spirit 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($35.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus TUF GAMING B760-PLUS WIFI ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Silicon Power Value Gaming 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-6000 CL30 Memory ($85.97 @ Newegg Sellers)
Storage: Western Digital Black SN770 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($72.98 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: ADATA XPG Core Reactor II 650 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Case Fan: Thermalright TL-C12C X3 66.17 CFM 120 mm Fans 3-Pack ($11.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $646.80
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-05-02 16:50 EDT-0400

 

[geofelt]

Do you have a budget?
List the make/model of all of your parts.

Perhaps some can be reused.