Upgrade ideas?

I’m looking for some solid recommendations for a new motherboard and CPU—my current rig is a relic from 2011, so we’re talking ancient history here. Most of my time is spent surfing the web, streaming movies, and handling some light productivity work, though I do jump into occasional video editing projects when the mood strikes. Every once in a while, I might fire up a game just to see if it still runs. My main priority is longevity—I really want something that won't feel obsolete in a couple of years, as I’d rather buy it once and be done with it. For the most part, I plan on recycling most of my existing components. Budget-wise, I’m aiming to stay under $667 max, though I’m certainly open to more affordable options if they make sense.

Before anyone gives you advice, tell us what your current setup looks like. If you're running hardware from 2011, you definitely won't find any DDR4 RAM that fits, which means you'll likely be forced to buy a new motherboard and processor too.
Beyond that, we need to know if you're using an SSD and how reliable your power supply actually is. 😉

Everything else is pretty much squared away—I’m just stuck on the CPU and motherboard. My main priority here is finding high-end components that won't quit on me anytime soon, all while staying within the budget I've set for $667 max
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so, you actually have the RAM?

wiredotter14 said:So, you actually have some RAM?

Yes, I have RAM.

1 * Intel Core i7-8700K, Wraith Spire RGB
SKU: 0400512 - $407

1 * GIGABYTE B450 GAMING X, ATX, 4xDDR4, AM4
SKU: B450_GAMING_X - $285

Total: $692
Discounted Total: $623 Best Buy

8C/16T CPU, I think this will serve you well for quite a while regardless of what you're using it for. For $367 I don't think you can find a better deal than this.
I hope you have at least a 500W certified power supply if you're pairing this with a power-hungry graphics card. Same goes for an SSD—an Intel Xeon won't mean much if you're still booting your OS from an old HDD.

driftingwalker17 said:Yeah, I have RAM.

Are we talking about modern DDR4, or are you thinking of some old DDR3 pulled from a rig back in 2011?

Timothy Kim60 said:Are you talking about modern DDR4, or are we going back in time to some DDR3 sticks from a 2011-era build?

DDR4