Will these components work together? (Apologies if in wrong section!)

[OldWorld]

Hey guys, I'm new to Tom's Hardware so I apologize if this is in the wrong section. It's payday today, and to celebrate I want to upgrade my PC. I want to get a GTX 780 TI, and an i7 4820k (unless you guys can recommend better for a similiar price, I'm not very familiar with CPU's).

780:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00GJLUC8E/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

i7:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00EONU086/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

As you can see, fairly expensive! Before I spend that much, I was hoping you guys could give me some advice on whether my current build would be able to accompany the components (obviously replacing the old with the new).

My current specs are:
AMD 7950 3GB
i5 2550k 3.4GHz (OC'd to 4.1)
8GB RAM DDR3
Gigabyte Z68MA-D2H-B3 Motherboard
My PC case is only a mid, but if I've got my measurements right, the 780 is around the same size as my 7950.

Am I missing anything? Are there other components that would stop this build from working properly? I was hoping to order the parts before 6 o'clock today so they come tomorrow!

Thanks in advance.

 

[VincentP]

The CPU has a different socket type and is not compatible with your motherboard.
Your CPU is still really good anyway.
You will get a significant benefit from upgrading the graphics card, but not much from upgrading the CPU (which will also require a new motherboard).

 

[OldWorld]

Thanks for the quick reply. Could you recommend me a motherboard that would work alongside the components?

 

[VincentP]

Thanks for the quick reply. Could you recommend me a motherboard that would work alongside the components?

Haswell CPUs require a socket 1150 motherboard (yours in socket 1155).
For an overclockable CPU, you will need a board with a Z87 or Z97 chipset.
The Z97 also supports the upcoming Haswell refresh CPUs.
The Asus Z97M-PLUS would be one example.
This board is Micro-ATX like your current motherboard so will fit in your case too.

 

[OldWorld]

Thanks again for the quick response, I'm a little worried because I have an aftermarket heat sink (forgot the name, it's cream and brown, Noctua I think) and it only JUST fits in my tower. I actually had to take out two RAM sticks because of this (had 12GB in total). Would buying a Micro-ATX motherboard physically be smaller than the board I have right now? I'm not very familiar with this so forgive my ignorance, but would my components be compressed tighter? Could this potentially affect the layout of my computer to such an extent that the fan would interfere with it?

Could you recommend me cheaper motherboard, preferably around the £30-£60 mark? I really can't afford to spend any more than that. I found this one:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/H81M-E-Motherboard-Socket-Intel-Express/dp/B00EIGWTIS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1401450271&sr=8-2&keywords=socket+1150
Would this be suitable?

Would a cheaper motherboard affect game performance also?

Thanks again!

Edit:
I found this motherboard also:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gigabyte-Motherboard-4thGeneration-IntelCore-Processors/dp/B00D5FA94Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1401450893&sr=8-1&keywords=socket+1150

Is my current motherboard Micro-ATX? I've checked the measurements and the one linked above is actually smaller than my current one. Would I 'have' to get a Micro-ATX? Thanks.

 

[VincentP]

Your current motherboard is Micro-ATX.
The board you have linked is also Micro-ATX.
The model number gives this away when you see "H81M". H81 is the chipset and M means Micro-ATX.
ATX boards typically have more expansion slots.
An ATX board is fine as long as your case will support it.

There is no point in buying an expensive CPU with an unlocked multiplier and then a cheap motherboard that will prevent you from overclocking it.
If you buy a "K" series CPU, you want a Z87 or Z97 chipset to go with it.

I have just realised that the CPU you have linked is actually socket 2011. You will find these motherboards very expensive.
Some better CPU choices:

Core i7 4770K - Socket 1150, unlocked multiplier, pair it with a Z87 or Z97 motherboard.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-Core-4770K-LGA1150-Cache/dp/B00D13RA9M/ref=sr_1_6?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1401451493&sr=1-6&keywords=i7+4770k

Core i7 4770 - Socket 1150, locked multiplier, and good socket 1150 motherboard will do.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-Graphics-BX80646I74770-Generation-Technology/dp/B00CLD9URS/ref=sr_1_1?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1401451493&sr=1-1&keywords=i7+4770k

Core i5 4670K - Socket 1150, unlocked multiplier, no hyper-threading like the above CPUs but faster in games than the 4770 after overclocking, pair it with a good Z87 or Z97 motherboard.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Intel-Graphics-BX80646I74770-Generation-Technology/dp/B00CO8TBOW/ref=sr_1_3?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1401451493&sr=1-3&keywords=i7+4770k

 

[OldWorld]

If I was to buy a graphics card this month, and an i7 + motherboard bundle next month (and potentially a case), would the graphics card on it's own offer me a considerable performance increase over the AMD 7950 I have currently? And just to double-check, the 780 ti I linked in the first post should definitely work in my current motherboard, right?

Thanks in advance, I appreciate all your help.

 

[VincentP]

The video card will make a big difference to performance.
It will work with your current motherboard.
I would really suggest you get the video card first. Start up a game and turn up the detail settings. Use perfmon in windows to measure your CPU utilization. I expect you will find all cores on your current CPU under 50% utilization, which will mean you really don't need a new CPU.

 

[OldWorld]

Thanks a ton, really. It's much appreciated!

Moderators, I'm not sure if an answered question gets deleted, so I won't pick a 'solution' yet, I'd like to look back at this thread for future reference if that's okay.

 

[VincentP]

Thanks a ton, really. It's much appreciated!

Moderators, I'm not sure if an answered question gets deleted, so I won't pick a 'solution' yet, I'd like to look back at this thread for future reference if that's okay.

Threads are only ever locked or removed if they contain anything against the forum rules. You can pick a solution and refer back any time you like.

 

[OldWorld]

Good to know, cheers.