Tips and advice for upgrading an old PC

Hey everyone. Thanks in advance for any help you can throw my way. So, look, I picked up this PC exactly five years ago, and now it’s finally time to give it a massive overhaul with some fresh parts. Here’s what I’m currently rocking in my old rig:
1.) CPU Desktop Intel Pentium G6950 2.8 GHz (3072KB, Clarkdale, 73W, LGA 1156, Cooling Fan) box;
2.) Motherboard LGA 1156 ASUS P8Z77, P55, DDR3, ATX;
3.) Memory DDR3 1333 MHz 4GB (2X2GB) Kingston Non-ECC CL9 DIMM;
4.) HDD SATA II 1000 GB Seagate, 32 MB, 7200 rpm;
6.) Case Frontier Corsair Void Middle Tower 400W, ATX;
7.) Internal SATA Samsung SSD DVD burner, lightscribe, black, retail;
8.) Video Card GAINWARD PCI Express 2.0 x16 Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 GDDR5 SDR 768MB/192bit, HDMI.

Basically, I want to shove a brand new processor, a motherboard, and a graphics card into this case, plus beef up my RAM alongside the 4 GB I already have. I’ve already been browsing and put together a little wishlist, so I really want to hear what you guys think about these choices:
1.) Processor Intel Core i7-8700K, s. AM3+, 4.0 GHz, 16MB cache, Octa-core;
2.) Motherboard ASRock A88X, Intel B85, DDR3 ...
3.) Graphics card PCI-E XFX Nvidia GeForce GT 1030 DD, 4 GB DD35
4.) Memory PC-17000, 8 GB, Nvidia GeForce GT 1030, DDR4 2133 MHz Gamer series.
I'm really hoping someone jumps in here because I could seriously use the advice.

Are you planning on hammering the RAM and CPU into the motherboard with a hammer? 😬
That processor won't fit that board, and it doesn't support DDR4 anyway. Plus, you're probably going to need a new power supply. Is this build meant for gaming?

2 x DDR3 2048MB ( 2GB ) Kingston, 1333MHz, Value
1 x XFX R9-280X-TDFD, DD Radeon R9 280X 1000M Boost 3GB DDR5
1 x Intel Core i5-4460 (3.20GHz,1MB,6MB,84 W,1150) Box
1 x Fortron 500W, Hyper, PPA5005003, 12cm fan
1 x Asrock B85M Pro3, S 1150, Supports 4th Gen Intel Core i7 / i5

$1524 AMD

I was thinking about tossing an AMD processor and a motherboard into my old case, but I honestly had no clue if they’d actually play nice together, let alone find a graphics card that wouldn't throw a tantrum with them, so now I'm out here hunting for parts that actually fit. That was basically my whole dilemma—just trying to figure out if all this gear is even compatible or if I'm just wasting my time.

I've got a budget of $5,000.

Look, I get it, but honestly? I was just banking on getting an answer a whole lot faster than this.

Keep the HDD, RAM, optical drive, and the case. Sell off the CPU, motherboard, and GPU instead.

1 x XFX R9-280X-TDFD, DD Radeon R9 280X 1000M Boost 3GB DDR5
1 x AMD FX-Series X8 8300 Processor 3.3GHz, 16MB, 125W, AM3+ FD8300WMHK
1 x Gigabyte 970A-DS3P, AM3+, AMD 970 SB950, 4x DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866
1 x Spire Kepler Rev.2 Cooler, LGA 1156/775/FM1, 96.5×51×125 mm, 92mm
1 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Kingmax, 1600MHz, FLGF
1 x Fortron 600W Hyper Power Supply, PPA6003302, 12cm fan
1 x OCZ SSD ARC 100 240GB, OCZ Barefoot 3 M10 Controller
$1674

ADM

Over in my neck of the woods, you can find i5 processors for the LGA 1156 socket on sites like Newegg for about $100, and honestly, they hold their own against those AMD FX chips.

Hey, if you don't mind me asking, could you point me toward a motherboard that actually works with this Intel Core i7-8700K, s. LGA 1156, 4.0 GHz, 16MB cache, Octa-core setup? I'm looking to build this rig mostly for gaming, so if you happen to have any other killer configurations in mind for around $1667, please just lay them on me. My big goal is to have a machine that can crush newer titles without breaking a sweat for the next few years—I'm talking stuff like The Witcher III, Assassin's Creed Syndicate, Grand Theft Auto V, and things like that.

Grace Flores80 said:Hey, if you don't mind me asking, could you point me toward a motherboard that actually works with this Intel Core i7-8700K, s. LGA 1156, 4.0 GHz, 16MB cache, Octa-core setup? I'm looking to build this rig mostly for gaming, so if you happen to have any other killer configurations in mind for around $1667, please just lay them on me. My big goal is to have a machine that can crush newer titles without breaking a sweat for the next few years—I'm talking stuff like The Witcher III, Assassin's Creed Syndicate, Grand Theft Auto V, and things like that.

People like you aren't even here for advice; you just want to do things your own way without taking the time to actually read what's posted on the forum. You were given a suggestion for a CPU and a board, but you're insisting on your own path—that FX 8350 is just a waste of money.😵

Look, I’m not trying to push this specific setup on anyone—if you know a build that actually flows better together, just lay it on me. I basically just found this list online and threw it together because I was trying to stay under $1667, mostly because I have zero clue if these parts even play nice with each other. Seriously, tell me what you think the move should be. 🙂

Grace Flores80 said:Look, I’m not trying to push this specific setup on anyone—if you know a build that actually flows better together, just lay it on me. I basically just found this list online and threw it together because I was trying to stay under $1667, mostly because I have zero clue if these parts even play nice with each other. Seriously, tell me what you think the move should be. 🙂

this one from Kimberly Gomez34 in post 6.

Can this build actually handle all the heavy hitters out there right now, and more importantly, will it still hold its own a few years down the road? Also, what on earth is this technical jargon about (OCZ SSD ARC 100 240GB, OCZ Barefoot 3 M10 Controller)? I'm totally lost here, so if someone could break it down for me without using a bunch of gibberish, I'd really appreciate it.

If you’re gaming today, an SSD isn't even a choice—it's a necessity. In a year or two, hard drives will basically be obsolete because they're just too slow. Besides, this one is a total steal...

If Kimberly Gomez34 put this together, take their word for it. They build gaming rigs every single day and know exactly what's worth buying right now.

Yo, does anyone have any clue what kind of cash I could pull in if I offloaded my old motherboard, CPU, and GPU combo?
(CPU Desktop Intel Pentium G6950 2.8 GHz (3072KB, Clarkdale, 73W, LGA 1156, Cooling Fan) box; Motherboard LGA 1156 ASUS P8Z77, P55, DDR3, ATX;
Video Card GAINWARD PCI Express 2.0 x16 Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 GDDR5 SDR 768MB/192bit, HDMI)

Processor $50
Motherboard $83
Graphics Card 350-$133

Alright, thanks 🙂

Oh, and I totally blanked on asking—are all those parts you listed actually compatible with one another? Like, if I went out and grabbed that exact setup right now, would everything actually fit together and work, or am I just buying a pile of expensive paperweights?

It goes without saying... if someone had put this together incorrectly, they would have corrected it by now.

Kimberly Gomez34 said:Keep the HDD, RAM, optical drive, and the case. Sell off the CPU, motherboard, and GPU instead.

1 x XFX R9-280X-TDFD, DD Radeon R9 280X 1000M Boost 3GB DDR5
1 x AMD FX-Series X8 8300 Processor 3.3GHz, 16MB, 125W, AM3+ FD8300WMHK
1 x Gigabyte 970A-DS3P, AM3+, AMD 970 SB950, 4x DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866
1 x Spire Kepler Rev.2 Cooler, LGA 1156/775/FM1, 96.5×51×125 mm, 92mm
1 x DDR3 4GB (1x4GB) Kingmax, 1600MHz, FLGF
1 x Fortron 600W Hyper Power Supply, PPA6003302, 12cm fan
1 x OCZ SSD ARC 100 240GB, OCZ Barefoot 3 M10 Controller
$1674

ADM

Is what you told me back like three months ago still the absolute best way to go with this cash, or should we refresh the plan since I finally actually scraped together the funds?

Almost there...

Intel Core i7 motherboard desktop
GIGABYTE Main Board Desktop Intel Core i7 motherboard desktop
2x Adata DDR3 4GB 1333MHz, AD3U1333B2G9-B, bulk
NVIDIA GeForce RTX video card 4GB/256it, 980MHz/5700MHz, PCI-E 3.0 x16, DP, HD
SanDisk X300 256GB SSD, 2.5” 7mm, SATA 6 Gbit/s, Read/Write: 520 MB/s / 470 MB/s
EVGA 550W power supply
LC Power CPU Cooler LC-CC-95 - 90mm

Total: $5,043.45