4 yearly update time....

[Jolyonekenobi]

Hi guys

Been looking at various forums to try and get some help but this one seemed to have the most friendly approach to helping people out!

I live in the UK and am not a "HARDCORE" PC enthusiast but I do like to get the best I can out of my money. As such I do spend time on each build. I would really value some input from you chaps. I deliberately spent a long time on this initial post so that you get all the info you need straight off - hence it is very long

I've had my current system for ~4 years now and the only thing I upgraded was my GPU (see below.) Here are my current system specs:

Asus P5QL Pro
Intel E7300 Running at 3.5Ghz - Arctic HS - can't remember the model now!
Antec Earthwatts 650w
2x2Gb OCZ Platinum
Sapphire 4870 1Gb - This I upgraded about a year ago to a Radeon HD 6850 (I was poor and it was on offer )
1x Seagate 500Gb generic HD
Whole thing housed in an Antec Plusview 1000 AMG (best pic I could find)

My primary occupations are gaming and listening to music. Simple stuff

Case - I have fallen in love with Fractal Designs cases - specifically the R4 Titanium

I'm not going to link the following - no need:
Intel 2500K
G.Skill Ripjaws 2x4Gb

Here I get to the part where I need your help (bear in mind I am looking to get (an easily achievable) 4.5Ghz 24/7 OC, air cooled.)

I am looking for a Z77 mobo - this is what I had in mind Asus P8Z77-V LX - this is roughly my price point but I would welcome alternatives. I really liked the look of the BIOSTAR TZ77XE4 but I can't buy it from my preferred supplier

Is there any advantage to buying 1600/1866/2000Mhz memory given my needs?

Will my PSU continue to suffice - I am aware it is getting on a bit and will be looking to replace it in about a year or so.

I really need some help with CPU cooling - noise is an issue for me so quieter the better. I have read so many reviews that my head is starting to hurt.

So - tl;dr

Heatsink help - quiet is important but it has to keep my baby cool!
Need help with memory speeds - also welcome general advice around manufacturers
Z77 motherboard assistance (£80-£100 / $125 - $155)
PSU size enough for now?
Any other suggestions!

I'm sorry this is a massively long post but I tried to avoid the whole "what do you want it to do" - "what do you want to spend" rigmarole.

Thanks in advance if you managed to read it and can help me out!

 

[Knufire]

Current PSU is fine.

So you're just looking at a motherboard/RAM/CPU/case? What about getting a SSD?

6850 is more of a low-mid range gaming card, but no need to change it if it's meeting your needs.

Do you have a nice speaker setup, ever considered a discrete audio card? (Basically a nice DAC on cheap, and an amp too if you're using headphones)

 

[Jolyonekenobi]

Ah - you've hit on the bits that are at the tail of my upgrade!

I have been thinking that a 128Gb SSD would be worth investing in as a boot drive (plus a home for Eve online which I play quite a bit.)

As for a DAC and an amp - any suggestions on the cheap?

I know the 6850 is hardly a behemoth of a card but it's sat in such an old system I need to upgrade the core system first! Any thoughts on the HS / memory / mobo options?