Where should I upgrade?

[GhoXen]

It's crazy to think that this computer of mine is already 2 years old, minus the GPU! Earlier, I was all excited looking up new parts and big numbers. I mean, surely one would expect an i5-4670K to be miles ahead of my i5-2500K! Then the cruel reality of marginal improvement hit me. Now I am lost as to where I should even bother upgrading.

Here's my current build:

CPU: i5 2500K
Cooler Cooler Master Hyper 212+
GPU: GTX 680
MB: Asus P8Z68-V, a slot 1155 ATX.
RAM: 8GB Corsair Dominator GT CL7 (full on mem sticks)
SSD: OCZ Vertex 3
HDD: WD Black 1TB
Power: Corsair HX850W
Case: HAF 932 with magical dust filters

It only has one resource-intensive job - gaming.

I really wanted to try some of the new stuff, but it's probably all just shiny big numbers with more hype and less substance. Where should I focus on my upgrade? I suppose a new HDD may be in order, or maybe a new CPU cooler, or maybe a second card.

I'm gaming on 2560x1440, so perhaps a second card wouldn't exactly be a waste. However, I had terrible experiences with compatibility last gen when I used a pair of HD5870.

 

[tom_mili]

They still look pretty adequate for another year of service to me. I would definitely upgrade the GPU when Maxwell or Pirate Islands come and whichever is better.
You may also try to get a cheap 2600K to be prepared if we ever need more CPU power with the announced DX12. Better cooling system is also a nice upgrade and even better if you go full custom WC.
I wouldn't bother upgrading the HDD/SSD unless you need more space or they badly need a replacement really soon.

Multi-GPU solutions aren't that broken any more so if you really need more power to drive your 1440p monitor then go for it since 680 can be had for a much cheaper price now than when you bought yours.
I suppose we have to wait at least for 6 months for the next GPU series.

 

[Kaynar]

Well you have a good system right now and since you alrdy have a 1440p I don't have much to recommend you. Maybe a nicer sleek keyboard or mouse?

The thing is, I went from a i7 930 to a i7 4930k and I didn't find a difference in games so I wouldn't recommend you upgrade your CPU yet, but you could put a much better cooler and get it to 4.5ghz.

From your current system it would make sense to upgrade to a 2nd gen platform with ddr4 (I'm talking 2016 here?), next gen Sata express SSD when you will have a next gen motherboard and high end Maxwell in terms of GPU.

How about you save some money now to treat yourself with some really high end gear in 2 years from now (oh maybe the oculus rift next year?) You could certainly get a 2nd gtx680 for when SLi works.

 

[BarbaricSoul]

I agree with what's already been said. Only upgrade that might yield any benefit would be the GPU. Add a 2nd 680, or sell your 680 and buy a 780, 780ti, or R9 290x. Everything else about your system is current in terms of performance.

Oh, and OC that 2500k, it's just begging for a +4.5ghz OC.

 

[AsRock]

No real upgrade needed be just throwing money away although i would get a nice SSD as it's nice to see a system response fast and all makes it feel new again.

 

[eidairaman1]

Either upgrade the motherboard or grab another 680

 

[Hood]

A 780 Ti, nice custom loop and OCing the 2500K to 4.5+ will effectively allow you to wait for a platform worth upgrading to. Since your CPU will clock higher under water, it would be pointless to go with Haswell. Waiting sucks but it's worth it for an upgrade you can appreciate.

 

[eidairaman1]

A 780 Ti, nice custom loop and OCing the 2500K to 4.5+ will effectively allow you to wait for a platform worth upgrading to. Since your CPU will clock higher under water, it would be pointless to go with Haswell. Waiting sucks but it's worth it for an upgrade you can appreciate.

Not enough of a level in haswell to switch to it. It be better to go to skt 2011after haswell e

 

[Fourstaff]

Probably more graphics and more ram, but only if you feel lacking

 

[rtwjunkie]

You've still got a great system!! You've got no reason to upgrade, other than desire, and that's up to you. Your cpu os a heck of an overclocker, and if you're not already doing it, it will net you SOME (i.e. not a whole lot) improvement and extended life by overclocking it.

Is that Z68 one of the Gen 3 (most are, either coming that way or getting BIOS revisions)? You're limited to PCIe 2.0 with a Sandy Bridge cpu, but it doesn't make a huge difference at 1080P. Since you are on 1440 tho, you MAY want to sidegrade to a cheap/used Ivy Bridge for PCIe 3.0, since it might make a difference, but in all likelihood it's not very economical, and the gain would likely be minimal.

So, all in all though, no real reason for you to upgrade. If you're really itching to do something, maybe jump to 780Ti or double your RAM, and even the RAM is dubious. As far as I can tell, you appear just to be hit by the upgrade bug.

 

[rooivalk]

no need to upgrade, except if you went 4k, 120/144hz, run out of HDD space or when your GPU is already lacking.

how about invest in a really good chair instead xD

 

[Aquinus]

Are you content with your rig? That should be the first question anyone upgrading should ask themselves. If you're upgrading for the sake of upgrading, it's really almost a waste, but if you were to upgrade anything a faster GPU or another GPU would probably yield the best results for gaming. As many have already said, the 680 is a decent GPU so it's not like your rig is truly suffering, but if you don't get a second 680, I would only consider a 780, 780ti, or a R9 290X. Any upgrades beyond that probably won't result in much gain however I personally think that the extra money you need to invest might not be worth the performance you get out of it, but that's me.

 

[BarbaricSoul]

Are you content with your rig? That should be the first question anyone upgrading should ask themselves. If you're upgrading for the sake of upgrading, it's really almost a waste, but if you were to upgrade anything a faster GPU or another GPU would probably yield the best results for gaming. As many have already said, the 680 is a decent GPU so it's not like your rig is truly suffering, but if you don't get a second 680, I would only consider a 780, 780ti, or a R9 290X. Any upgrades beyond that probably won't result in much gain however I personally think that the extra money you need to invest might not be worth the performance you get out of it, but that's me.

I agree 100%. If it was not for my high-resolution monitor(meaning if I was gaming at 1200p or lower), I'd still be rocking my old HD7970 OC'ed to 1100/1400 (GTX 680 performance neighborhood) instead of the GTX 780ti