No POST means time to upgrade

[mayleth]

Intro:
Just this past weekend, my computer decided it didn't want to POST anymore. While I have not exhausted the possibilities for getting it back on (reset CMOS/etc), with one pair of memory slots already dead it's at best only a matter of time. It's also been so damn slow to load it's been driving me nuts.... so SSD will definitely be a part of the new system.


Standard Forum Questions:
1. Primary Use: Gaming
2. Budget: Up to $1200.. less is nice. Please exclude mail-in rebates, they're too unreliable. Typically I get my CPU for around $250-$350 and Video Card for around the same.
3. Country: US
4. Vendors: Amazon/NewEgg preferred.
5. Fanboy/girl: Intel CPU. Also longevity/reliability over benchmarks.
6. Reuse: Case, Monitors, Peripherals, PSU(if recommended), HDD(storage drive), Cool Master Hyper 212(if recommended)
7. No overclocking
8. Resolution: 1920x1080 - two monitors
9. When needed: ASAP/within a couple weeks
10.Software: Exclude from budget. Planning on windows 10, or seeing if I can reuse my key from my dearly departed system.


Current System (built in 2010 w/ old video card purchased in 2008)
Upgrading these:
CPU: Intel i5-750 (LGA 1156)
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-P55A-UD3 (DDR3)(Dead??)
Memory: G.SKILL 2x4GB (DDR3, 1600)
HDD (SSD): none
Video Card: SAPPHIRE Radeon HD 4870

Hoping to reuse these:
CPU Cooling: Cool Master Hyper 212 Plus (RR-B10-202P-G1)HDD (Storage): Samsung 500GB 7200RPM
Case: Lian Li ATX Mid Tower… forget which
PSU: SeaSonic X650 Gold (650W)
Optical Drive: generic DVD/CD drive I almost never use


Questions:
1. Is it strongly recommended that I replace any of the components I want to reuse? (PSU, CPU Heatsink, etc..)

2. Video Card - It looks like GTX 970 or save $100 for a 960. Is it really worth $100 more for the GTX 970?

3. CPU: i7 6700k vs i7-4790K or is this too much CPU for me?

4. Really not sure how to pick an SSD. Ideally a 480GB or 512GB would be nice.

Tentative list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/9nmJjX
(Didn't really look into the Mobo)

 

[UsandThem]

1. If they work and are in good condition, no.

2. It depends on what games you play and how high you set the settings for. A 970 GTX is much faster than a 960 in higher resolutions.

3. If you're not going to overclock, you really don't need to pay extra for the k version (although the 6700k runs faster than the 6700 at stock). If you are just gaming, a 6600 or even a 6600k (runs faster than base 6600) would be plenty.

4. Most people like the Samsung 850 EVO SSD drives, and they have a 5 year warranty.

You can also save a few bucks by getting slightly slower ram as there isn't that much of a difference between 2666 ram and the 3200 you have in your part link.

CPU gaming:

http://www.kitguru.net/components/cpu/luke-hill/intel-core-i7-6700k-i5-6600k-skylake-cpu-review/8/

DDR4 speed comparison:

http://www.legitreviews.com/ddr4-me...nding-the-best-ddr4-memory-kit-speed_170340/6

I forgot to add:

If you haven't shopped at Jet.com yet, they have this for $328.99:

https://jet.com/product/Asus-Strix-...phic-Card-11/5d54e09914804db0aedba7c52b990bad

However, they give you a 15% first order code on their website, which would bring the price to $279.64.

 

[Ken g6]

1. Is it strongly recommended that I replace any of the components I want to reuse? (PSU, CPU Heatsink, etc..)

How old is the SeaSonic? They're really good PSUs, but they can get worse as they get old.

2. Video Card - It looks like GTX 970 or save $100 for a 960. Is it really worth $100 more for the GTX 970?

Yes. I'd suggest considering a pre-OCed 970, such as this Gigabyte or this EVGA, or maybe an R9 390X. The 390X will be useful longer if it keeps working. I have no idea about its relative build quality, though.

This fits your budget:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($329.99 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z170XP-SLI ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($128.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: *G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2800 Memory ($84.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: *Samsung 850 EVO-Series 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive ($149.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: *PowerColor Radeon R9 390X 8GB DEVIL Video Card ($393.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $1072.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
*Lowest price parts chosen from parametric criteria
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-16 20:31 EST-0500

I tend not to like recommending 1.35V DDR4.

 

[mayleth]

Thank you both for the feedback!!

The Seasonic is from ~Febraury 2010.

 

[UsandThem]

Thank you both for the feedback!!

The Seasonic is from ~Febraury 2010.

You're kind of on the edge there years wise. It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to pick up a new one.

I know you don't like rebates, but Seasonic, EVGA, etc usually have good deals with rebates pretty often.

If you find a good deal on a potential power supply, you can see if it is a good unit by checking out JonnyGuru's website. He provides great reviews on them.

http://www.jonnyguru.com/

Although the easiest way is just Google the model number + jonnyguru.