Should I upgrade, or wait? (current PC specs inside)

[Discostew]

This is my current desktop setup + monitors
 
CPU - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 2.4Ghz (OC'ed to 3.0Ghz)
RAM - 4GB DDR2 (800Mhz/PC6400)
MB - Gigabyte GA-G41M-ES2L (rev 1.0)
CPU Cooler - XIGMATEK HDT-S1283 CPU Cooler
GPU - EVGA Geforce GTX 560 Ti Superclocked 1GB
HDD - 1TB WD Blue HDD, SATA III, 64MB Cache
PSU - Corsair TX750

SyncMaster 943BWX (19")

ViewSonic VP2030b (20")
 
As you can see, my CPU/MB/RAM are rather archaic, which I purchased back in 2007 (OC'ed to 3.0Ghz a number of years later after getting that CPU cooler). GPU/PSU were purchased early 2012, and just got that HDD after my last one crash-n-burned. This setup has done me well for its time. I ran 3DMark recently, and this is the results I got

http://www.3dmark.com/3dm/2386097

Icestorm was a cakewalk to run. Cloudgate handled well at 720p and about 120fps (though my GPU was reaching close to 80 Celsius, and the physics test crapped out). Firestrike is what you would expect with that setup: a slideshow. The 3 smaller tests (not combined) were about 15fps on average.

Now, I'm looking to have about a $600 budget towards upgrades. The CPU/MB/RAM were my first guess to upgrade (based on time), followed by the GPU. Don't think I need to upgrade the PSU. The question is: Should I upgrade now? I know I need to upgrade at some point, but is now the time to do so? Haswell Refresh is coming soon, but I hear it's not much of an improvement over the current Haswells/Ivy Bridge (though they're definitely is better than what I have). Then it follows with Broadwell (supposedly still not much better), then Skylake (which is likely to be the next true jump). Then there is also Nvidia revealing a new card in March, launching in May.

I'm not expecting to upgrade to the latest/best stuff, but mainly getting upgrades that are of good value for the price that will last me a good half a decade at least. I'd likely need to get a new case the moment I upgrade the MB, so that would need to be factored in. I'm just assuming the CPU/MB/RAM need to be upgraded first, but it could very well be that you all think the GPU should be upgraded, so I'll let you answer that question.

So again, should I upgrade now, or should I wait? If I should upgrade, what should I upgrade, and what would be a good upgrade to take its place? I do some decent gaming, but I also do programming/development, and may be doing some video editing in the future.

 

[Motoki]

The first thing I would say is are you actually having games and other software you regularly use running too slowly? If so can you maybe turn some setting down and live with it? If you're finding games and programs you actually use are running sluggish even with moderate settings then it may be time to upgrade.

I think that 560ti may still have some life out of it so I'd go for cpu/mb first. If you don't upgrade the video card then you shouldn't need a new PSU.

I recently built a Haswell based pc and it's being doing well for me so far. 

The thing is there's always going to be something better around the corner but if the computer's age and performance is negatively impacting the way you use it and the programs you use then it's probably a good time to upgrade.

 

[CarnivalMadness]

The first thing I would say is are you actually having games and other software you regularly use running too slowly? If so can you maybe turn some setting down and live with it? If you're finding games and programs you actually use are running sluggish even with moderate settings then it may be time to upgrade.

I think that 560ti may still have some life out of it so I'd go for cpu/mb first. If you don't upgrade the video card then you shouldn't need a new PSU.

I recently built a Haswell based pc and it's being doing well for me so far.

The thing is there's always going to be something better around the corner but if the computer's age and performance is negatively impacting the way you use it and the programs you use then it's probably a good time to upgrade.

Motoki, do you think upgrading piece by piece first would be a better way to proceed? Even if he does end up replacing his whole system he can reuse the new parts. I was thinking if he could try installing an SSD to boost overall system performance and responsiveness, and a GPU later for better gaming performance. If that does the trick, he can keep his system for a while longer and save money in the process. If not, he can proceed with a new system he had in mind, starting with the parts he bought. Just an idea.

 

[Motoki]

Motoki, do you think upgrading piece by piece first would be a better way to proceed? .

Yes that can definitely work, though I think one weak spot in his system is potentially the CPU so if you end up upgrading that then you need a new MB too and probably memory as well depending on what type and how much the old mb had vs what the new one uses.

SSD can help if he's running things intensively reading and writing to the HD but it won't help with slow down due to cpu, so I think it's important to identify the bottleneck if possible and then work from there.

 

[Discostew]

Yes that can definitely work, though I think one weak spot in his system is potentially the CPU so if you end up upgrading that then you need a new MB too and probably memory as well depending on what type and how much the old mb had vs what the new one uses.

SSD can help if he's running things intensively reading and writing to the HD but it won't help with slow down due to cpu, so I think it's important to identify the bottleneck if possible and then work from there.

Now, I consider myself a noob with newer hardware, but how much would an SSD help and in what areas? I can imagine boot times are drastically reduced, but what about games? Getting a large SSD would be costly, but having a small drive wouldn't allow a lot of games to be installed on it (if that's where they should be installed). Is it meant more for offloading OS-related programs/functions to get better use of a physical drive for specific tasks, or is it meant to be the "main drive"? I also hear about reduced number of writes for SSD, and that kinda deters me away from getting one.

Regarding bottlenecking, how should I go about finding this out? As shown already, I checked with 3DMark, but I think that's mainly for overall GPU benchmarking rather than finding a bottleneck among multiple components. I found this video that demonstrated using an OSD to display system stats while playing games to see which of the two (CPU/GPU) is having trouble. Most of my Steam games are based on the Source Engine, so they aren't exactly benchmark/bottleneck material. I do have DE:HR, Skyrim, and Just Cause 2. The one thing though with that method is that it doesn't say anything about whether my MB/RAM could affect the test.

Other than building a completely new system (which I did back in 2007), the times where I upgraded certain components was only when the existing components stopped working. This is the first time where the system still works (at least for now), but I feel it needs to be able to do more. Currently at work, so I can't do any tests with what I have on it.

 

[StickyWaffles]

That computer seems pretty solid, should be able to play most games. Upgrading this is so difficult, because there's not a glaring weak spot that can be easily addressed. Obviously, you want faster memory, but then you'd have to buy a new processor and motherboard as you said. And if you're going to upgrade everything but the GPU, you'll be very disappointed in game performance after sinking all that money into your rebuild.

If you have $500-600, my vote is to bring over the PSU and HDD, sell everything else, and basically build a new computer, it will be able to max out most games.

Or if you only want to spend $150-200, sell off your 560ti and buy a nice graphics card that you can carry over to your next build in 6-12 months. You'll be somewhat bottlenecked for the time being, but you will still get solid performance. 

 

[s0undwav3]

well if you ever want to do bit mining then get an ATI 7 series card before they are gone and replaced by the R9's.  I did that for my bit mining rig.  nvidia cards aren't optimized for those apps.

i've owned an i5 3570k cpu for nearly 2 years now and I love it.  you dn't need to upgrade to an 4th gen intel or latest gen amd.  u can always save money by finding great deals on parts at microcenter, or ebay or where-ever you can.

i love microcenter so if you have one near you, you should check them out.  they have the best prices on cpu and motherboards of anyone...newegg has never come close.

 

[Mooby]

Wait.  Save up more.  In a year or two just do a totally new build.  I bought a new build recently because my antiquated motherboard died and since the rest of the system was similarly antiquated (Nvidia 9500 GT graphics card, 3GB Ram, etc.) I didn't bother upgrading.  We're sort of in a no-mans-land as far as tech goes.  Haswell is fine but apparently the next generation might make a larger tech leap.  The same is definitely true for graphics cards.  The current AMD 270/280/290's are just rebrands with slight tweaks as is Nvidia's 700 series (a 760 being an upgraded 670, a 770 being an upgraded 680, etc).  A bigger leap in architecture will be made with the 800 series (and undoubtedly AMD's competing product).

Your current specs will be fine for the next year or so -- not on ultra/maxed settings but it's going to take a while before you start seeing 'nextgen' console games pushing the envelope.  The stuff being released during that time frame is stuff that's already been in the works for a few years now.

Re: SSD's, I think they're highly overrated.  There is no doubt they speed up loading times but we're talking a gain that is usually measured in under 5-10 seconds for programs.  The big argument is 'oh boot up is so much faster,' well... since finishing my system three weeks ago I have not once shut off my computer.  At night I just use sleep mode and at the press of a button I'm back to the desktop in two seconds.  The $100-200 you spend on an SSD can go towards a better GPU where you DEFINITELY WILL see a performance boost.

And, yes, like the transformer above says: if you live near a Microcenter, use it.  Their prices are insane and unbeatable during sales.  Newegg and Amazon's sales are pretty pedestrian.  Microcenter was seeling i7 4670k CPU's for $200 during Black Friday.  Cheaper if you bundled it with a mother board.  Only problem is: in-store only.  But yeah, you couldn't find an i5 for cheaper than $200 from the online retailers.