It's 2016. I've had my current processor and motherboard since 2010. That processor and motherboard released in 2009. I feel like a total scrub, but I'm using SEVEN YEAR OLD HARDWARE. And you know what? It's actually not that bad. You can definitely feel a bit of a performance hit in modern games, but day to day usage isn't hindered by speed. If anything, I really want to upgrade for newer standards, like USB3, SATA3, and M.2. The SSD is still plenty fast, but 120GB of storage is feeling cramped. So, I've set out with a few requirements in mind, and I think I hit most of them with my choices.
I believe my final choices will be:
Intel Core i5 4690K: This processor is a 4th gen Intel Core i5, which is considerably faster than my first gen i5. I'm opting for a K series unlocked CPU in case I choose to overclock in the future. I'm currently running my processor stock, so even at stock clocks it should be leaps and bounds ahead. Another great advantage to 4th gen processors is they still support DDR3 fully. Although it would be nice to grab a Skylake CPU, I don't really want to drop the extra money for a RAM upgrade. The 16GB of Mushkin Blacklines I have now will be plenty of RAM for the time being, though I may see myself expand to 32GB over time.
Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H-BK: After a lot of searching, this seems to be the board of choice. It supports USB3 (4 USB3 and 4 USB2 ports on board), SATA3 and M.2 (6 SATA3 ports with 4 usable while the M.2 slot is in use), and has on board Intel Gigabit LAN, even though it's only a single port. rounding that out, it fully supports SLI with 2x PCIe x16 slots (Running at x8 with 2 cards installed) and a 3rd PCIe x16 slot that runs at x4. Reviews are favorable of the on board sound too, with custom capacitors, and a decently loud built in amp. I'll likely retire the HT Omega Striker in favor of the on board audio.
Samsung 850 EVO M.2 250GB SSD: Affordable, fast storage, in the M.2 2280 format. Should save space and be a bit quicker than regular storage, and let me have plenty of breathing room for games that benefit faster loading times. I may decide to go with a regular SATA3 SSD if it's priced any cheaper, but right now this M.2 drive is in a pretty sweet spot.
HP NC360T Dual Gigabit PCIe x4 NIC: Since I couldn't find an affordable Z97 board with dual gigabit Intel NICs, I think the NC360T is a great choice for an add in NIC. Not only is it basically an Intel Pro 1000 PT dual port, it's also freaking affordable, regularly selling on eBay in the 30-40 dollar range. This is due to them regularly being pulled from off lease/EOL servers. I'm very pleased with it's performance in my ESXI box, so I can't see it being disappointing in my regular box. I could go with a single port, but for 5-10 dollars more, it makes sense to just grab a dual port.
At the moment, all in this upgrade should roll for under 800 post taxes and shipping, and I'll be able to sell my existing gear for a bit of cash to offset. If this lasts for another 6-7 years, I think I'll be pretty happy. The only upgrades I can see occurring after this are video card related, and it may just end up with me grabbing another GTX670 for SLI, or migrating into something completely different once the performance gap between my card and something newer is a bit higher. For right now, I can run 3 EVE clients at max settings pretty easily, and I can max out any Source engine game at 2560x1080 pretty easily. There isn't much that I play that would benefit currently from a new video card. If there's any more hardware upgrades, it's gonna be more monitors!
Larger SSD
Core i5 or better
USB3/SATA3/M.2
Dual Intel Gigabit LAN
SLI Functionality
I believe my final choices will be:
Intel Core i5 4690K
Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H-BK
Samsung 850 EVO M.2 250GB SSD
HP NC360T Dual Gigabit PCIe x4 NIC
Intel Core i5 4690K: This processor is a 4th gen Intel Core i5, which is considerably faster than my first gen i5. I'm opting for a K series unlocked CPU in case I choose to overclock in the future. I'm currently running my processor stock, so even at stock clocks it should be leaps and bounds ahead. Another great advantage to 4th gen processors is they still support DDR3 fully. Although it would be nice to grab a Skylake CPU, I don't really want to drop the extra money for a RAM upgrade. The 16GB of Mushkin Blacklines I have now will be plenty of RAM for the time being, though I may see myself expand to 32GB over time.
Gigabyte Z97X-UD3H-BK: After a lot of searching, this seems to be the board of choice. It supports USB3 (4 USB3 and 4 USB2 ports on board), SATA3 and M.2 (6 SATA3 ports with 4 usable while the M.2 slot is in use), and has on board Intel Gigabit LAN, even though it's only a single port. rounding that out, it fully supports SLI with 2x PCIe x16 slots (Running at x8 with 2 cards installed) and a 3rd PCIe x16 slot that runs at x4. Reviews are favorable of the on board sound too, with custom capacitors, and a decently loud built in amp. I'll likely retire the HT Omega Striker in favor of the on board audio.
Samsung 850 EVO M.2 250GB SSD: Affordable, fast storage, in the M.2 2280 format. Should save space and be a bit quicker than regular storage, and let me have plenty of breathing room for games that benefit faster loading times. I may decide to go with a regular SATA3 SSD if it's priced any cheaper, but right now this M.2 drive is in a pretty sweet spot.
HP NC360T Dual Gigabit PCIe x4 NIC: Since I couldn't find an affordable Z97 board with dual gigabit Intel NICs, I think the NC360T is a great choice for an add in NIC. Not only is it basically an Intel Pro 1000 PT dual port, it's also freaking affordable, regularly selling on eBay in the 30-40 dollar range. This is due to them regularly being pulled from off lease/EOL servers. I'm very pleased with it's performance in my ESXI box, so I can't see it being disappointing in my regular box. I could go with a single port, but for 5-10 dollars more, it makes sense to just grab a dual port.
At the moment, all in this upgrade should roll for under 800 post taxes and shipping, and I'll be able to sell my existing gear for a bit of cash to offset. If this lasts for another 6-7 years, I think I'll be pretty happy. The only upgrades I can see occurring after this are video card related, and it may just end up with me grabbing another GTX670 for SLI, or migrating into something completely different once the performance gap between my card and something newer is a bit higher. For right now, I can run 3 EVE clients at max settings pretty easily, and I can max out any Source engine game at 2560x1080 pretty easily. There isn't much that I play that would benefit currently from a new video card. If there's any more hardware upgrades, it's gonna be more monitors!