Upgrade for Multimedia/Gaming PC

[Imported]

Looking to upgrade my current PC and harvesting as many parts as I can from it. Here's what I have that right now:

Q6600
Sapphire 6850 1GB
Antec P182 case
Corsair 520HX
DVDRW, HDDs (1TB Spinpoint F3, WD Black 640GB)

Looking at upgrading to an i5 2500k. Suggestions on a motherboard (I've been out of the loop for a while, but it seems the Asus Z68 seems like a good choice from what I've read)? Would my old PS work for the i5? Should I upgrade the GPU or possibly get a second and crossfire?

I can spend $500-700. This rig mostly be used for gaming (BF3, Witcher2, FFXIV, SC2) and light Photoshop work.

Thanks!

 

[Zap]

Asus Z68 sound okay. I've been pleased with my Asus P67 boards. I just used an ASRock Z68 yesterday and was pretty pleased with it too.

Yes, PSU will work.

Upgrade GPU only if you need higher framerates. Performance will go up a tad with the CPU upgrade, depending on the games you play. BF3 will benefit the most from a GPU upgrade. I would suggest upgrading to a single, faster GPU than going dual. Look into a 6950.

BTW right now you can get a Core i5-2500K for around $150 if you're lucky. Check this thread.

 

[Ken g6]

Are you overclocking, now or in the future? If you keep this GPU, the 520 is probably still OK. Can you wait until January to upgrade the GPU? (The 7000 series should be out by then.)

 

[Imported]

I'm not against overclocking. My Q6600 was up to 3.2GHz for a while before the motherboard started to lose stability a few months in.

I don't mind waiting for the GPU either - its been doing pretty well for what I have used it for.

The nearby Microcenter is OOS on the $150 2500K but I'm going to try PMing with a local Fry's.

 

[lehtv]

$220 i5 2500K
$25 CM 212+ unless you already have an lga1155 compatible aftermarket cooler
$130 Asus p8z68-v LE
$45 G.skill 2x4gb 1333mhz CAS9

Total = $420 from newegg + shipping/tax

PSU is perfect even with 2500K @ 4.5. It would also handle a GPU upgrade to something that uses 200W, but it'd be recommended to stay around 150-175W for the GPU if you OC the 2500K. Thankfully, 28nm GPUs will probably use less power than current ones, despite performing better.

 

[Imported]

Awesome. Got the 2500K. Next up, motherboard, cooler and memory!

 

[Imported]

$220 i5 2500K
$25 CM 212+ unless you already have an lga1155 compatible aftermarket cooler
$130 Asus p8z68-v LE
$45 G.skill 2x4gb 1333mhz CAS9

Total = $420 from newegg + shipping/tax

PSU is perfect even with 2500K @ 4.5. It would also handle a GPU upgrade to something that uses 200W, but it'd be recommended to stay around 150-175W for the GPU if you OC the 2500K. Thankfully, 28nm GPUs will probably use less power than current ones, despite performing better.

Any thoughts on the Gigabye Z68X-UD3H? I like that it has eSATA while the Asus LE doesn't.. There's also the ASUS P8Z68-V and ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 I'm considering.

 

[Ken g6]

Motherboard depends on whether you want front-panel USB 3.0 ports. If not, the ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 has everything else I imagine you'd want: eSATA, SLI capability, and heat sinks on the CPU's VRMs. (Helps with high overclocks.) The Gigabyte has everything but a graphical BIOS, for a few bucks more.

 

[lehtv]

I didn't realize people actually use eSATA in this age of front-panel USB3.

 

[Imported]

I have a couple things that are eSATA. 🙁

 

[mfenn]

Motherboard depends on whether you want front-panel USB 3.0 ports. If not, the ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 has everything else I imagine you'd want: eSATA, SLI capability, and heat sinks on the CPU's VRMs. (Helps with high overclocks.) The Gigabyte has everything but a graphical BIOS, for a few bucks more.

Since the OP has a P182 (great case by the way), he probably doesn't need the front panel USB 3.0 ports. Given that, I agree that the ASRock would be a better choice.