Suggestions to upgrades

Akvavit

About 1 year ago I build myself a new pc - the only requirement was that it should be "suitcase size". The reason for this is that I am an expat here in Ireland, so I wanted to ensure that I could fit the entire computer in a regular size suitcase.

However - as things look now, I think I will stay in this here lovely country (+10 suck up points?) - so I have decided to get rid of those restrictions my old requirements caused.

Original Build:

Cpu: i5 2500k - stock cooler
Mobo: Asus P8P67-M PRO
Ram: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz CL9
Gfx: MSI N560GTX-Ti Hawk
PSU: Corsair TX v2 850w
Case: Inwin Dragon Slayer Micro ATX (ugly as a Wednesday, but see suitcase comment above)
HDD: Seagate Barraduda 750gb

Last week I got myself a OCZ Agility 3 240GB SSD and I have just ordered a new case, the Corsair Vengeance C70.

I am not sure where the most benefit can be found in terms of the next upgrade - I expect the bottleneck now would be with the MSI 560? Or should I be more concerned with the motherboard?

I am not much into overclocking - but I like a quite pc - but since I also enjoy the odd game, I know that passive cooling will not be the way to go about it. The scenarios I have in mind at the moment:

- GFX upgrade - likely a GTX 680 - or are we so close to the next cycle of chips/cards - that waiting would be best?

- New motherboard - here i am all blank on the new chipsets etc. Only must is that it should be useful for Intel cpus (I think the i5 2500k is still quite okay for my needs?)

- Case fans for the new case, and a better CPU fan (maybe even one of the Corsair Hydros?)

Any suggestions as to where my hard earned money would be best spent, and some thoughts on bottlenecks in my current seyup would be highly appreciated

Eboggles

Akvavit wrote: »

About 1 year ago I build myself a new pc - the only requirement was that it should be "suitcase size". The reason for this is that I am an expat here in Ireland, so I wanted to ensure that I could fit the entire computer in a regular size suitcase.

However - as things look now, I think I will stay in this here lovely country (+10 suck up points?) - so I have decided to get rid of those restrictions my old requirements caused.

Original Build:

Cpu: i5 2500k - stock cooler
Mobo: Asus P8P67-M PRO
Ram: Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600MHz CL9
Gfx: MSI N560GTX-Ti Hawk
PSU: Corsair TX v2 850w
Case: Inwin Dragon Slayer Micro ATX (ugly as a Wednesday, but see suitcase comment above)
HDD: Seagate Barraduda 750gb

Last week I got myself a OCZ Agility 3 240GB SSD and I have just ordered a new case, the Corsair Vengeance C70.

I am not sure where the most benefit can be found in terms of the next upgrade - I expect the bottleneck now would be with the MSI 560? Or should I be more concerned with the motherboard?

I am not much into overclocking - but I like a quite pc - but since I also enjoy the odd game, I know that passive cooling will not be the way to go about it. The scenarios I have in mind at the moment:

- GFX upgrade - likely a GTX 680 - or are we so close to the next cycle of chips/cards - that waiting would be best?

- New motherboard - here i am all blank on the new chipsets etc. Only must is that it should be useful for Intel cpus (I think the i5 2500k is still quite okay for my needs?)

- Case fans for the new case, and a better CPU fan (maybe even one of the Corsair Hydros?)

Any suggestions as to where my hard earned money would be best spent, and some thoughts on bottlenecks in my current seyup would be highly appreciated

The graphics card needs an upgrade, get a GTX 670 instead of a GTX 680. You get 95% of the performance for 75% of the price.

Procrastastudy

No point in upgrading anything but the GPU. I'd hang on until the 660ti comes out and see what that does. GTX680 is not worth the money - better with a 7970Ghz for higher resolutions or a SLI set up for higher frame rate.

Case - aesthetics so what ever you fancy really

P67 and sandy bridge - not worth upgrading - Ivybridge is just a tick (manufacturing process) upgrade. Hold on to what you have for another 12 months and get the new chips when the come out.

As for bottlenecks - loosen the memory timings stick 1.65v though it and get to 1866/2000 and OC the CPU to >4.5Ghz - buy cooling as needed.

Akvavit

Procrastastudy wrote: »

No point in upgrading anything but the GPU. I'd hang on until the 660ti comes out and see what that does. GTX680 is not worth the money - better with a 7970Ghz for higher resolutions or a SLI set up for higher frame rate.

Case - aesthetics so what ever you fancy really

P67 and sandy bridge - not worth upgrading - Ivybridge is just a tick (manufacturing process) upgrade. Hold on to what you have for another 12 months and get the new chips when the come out.

As for bottlenecks - loosen the memory timings stick 1.65v though it and get to 1866/2000 and OC the CPU to >4.5Ghz - buy cooling as needed.

Would you have any specific recommendations in regards to cooler here? Would something like the CM 212 Hyper do the trick - or would the Corsair Hydro be better suited for this?

Eboggles wrote: »

The graphics card needs an upgrade, get a GTX 670 instead of a GTX 680. You get 95% of the performance for 75% of the price.

Seems like the GFX is the point to start for me - I thought that that 680 was substatial better than the 670 - seems like I have a bit of reading to do


Edit: By the looks of things - this will be my next card: Asus GeForce GTX 670 DirectCU II - seems like it will cover all the things I need, including being quiet..