PC Guts Upgrade

[cptwhite_uk]

I'm currently contemplating a bit of a refresh of my current rig to bring it up-to-date. My budget for argument's sake is £500, and I will be keeping a number of my existing components. My current spec is as follows:

Antec P182 case (will keep)
Intel X18-M 80Gb SSD (1st Gen - main boot drive)
Samsung F1 750Gb (Steam / Data Drive)
MSI GTX 460 1Gb
Asus P5K-E
Q6600 G0 at 3.3Ghz fitted with a Xigmatek HDT-S1283 cooler
Corsair VX550W
2x 2Gb Corsair bog standard DDR2

My main priorities for now are to upgrade the processor, motherboard and RAM so the guts of the system are future proof. I'm mightily tempted to just go for an i5 2500K, but should I be waiting for Bulldozer? I'm not in any particular rush.

If it's also within budget I'd also like to upgrade to a modular PSU around 650W

I'm happy with the GTX460 until the next round of graphic cards come out, at which point I'll probably upgrade then.

Would motherboards / Cooler would you recommend to hit 4.4Ghz on air, should I get the 2500K, thoughts on waiting for bulldozer also welcome

I'm a big Supreme Commander player, so high CPU overclocking is important for me. Finally I'm gaming at 1920 x 1200 (Dell 24")

Cheers all!

[scaryjim]

... thoughts on waiting for bulldozer also welcome ...

Wait for Bulldozer

You know it's coming in the next 2 - 3 months, the motherboards have already been released, and (barring anything startling happening with the exchange rate) Sandy Bridge processors are only likely to come down in price. Even if Bulldozer doesn't provide a performance or value revolution, you lose nothing by waiting, and you say yourself you're in no particular rush - so why rush?

See if Bulldozer changes anything; if it doesn't, get Sandy Bridge. Simples

[dfour]

IMHO if your in no hurry then definatly wait for BD to appear. Even if its not better it could put preasure on intels pricing on its SB chips and if its better even more so

[cptwhite_uk]

Guess I'll re-visit this proposition once the Bulldozer reviews come in

[qqfgt]

PC Components are always moving forward, nobody can ever keep up, what you invest now whether it be little or alot it will always change within the year, sucks

[TheMadness]

at this point the answer is pretty much, if you're looking to buy right now then sandy bridge, if you can wait then see what AM3+ brings unless the release gets pushed back yet again

[kingpotnoodle]

PC Components are always moving forward, nobody can ever keep up, what you invest now whether it be little or alot it will always change within the year, sucks

So true!

For a from scratch build I always put money into a good motherboard and case/PSU, that way I can upgrade CPU, graphics and RAM easily to keep it going longer, it's always such a pain to rip out and replace a motherboard etc.

Z68 boards should support the Ivy Bridge Intel CPUs IIRC, I doubt any bulldozer is going to be stomping over a 2500 or 2600 (especially an overclocked K) and making them look slow, Bulldozer might pull even and more likely continue AMDs usual trend of being competitive under <£150 though. Intel will be launching their high end 1366 replacement in Q1-12 as well (LGA 2011, 3xxx series).

[this_is_gav]

Unless you're struggling in a particular aspect, then I see no reason to upgrade at all at the moment. I've got a Q6600 at work and an overclocked 920 at home, and honestly, unless I gave them a juicy video to encode, I couldn't tell you which was which.

[Sputnik]

My main priorities for now are to upgrade the processor, motherboard and RAM so the guts of the system are future proof.

I've always found it to be a nonsense when people talk about future proofing and having an upgrade path for the future (unless the future means within the next 2 months).

Anyway, Back to the real subject. I think like the others have said. Your system is not that out of date so I'd wait for Bull dozer and a bit longer and see.