I've got the upgrade bug, need help & advice.

[PrometheuSBoxeR]

Dear readers,

I find myself using my computer more and more as of lately. It's something I enjoy and where I spend the majority of my free time (this is true for the past 15 years of my life). With that being said, it's one of the few places I like to indulge and treat myself. I consider it money well spent.
I've been a competitive gamer for the majority of my life. If I'm not at my computer gaming, I'm usually dabbling in Photoshop, surfing, or streaming. I also do a bit of Excel modeling for work and pleasure.

I am torn between throwing money at my existing computer, selling it and building new, or just driving it into the ground another year or two and then decide. I want to make a good financial/business decision, but at the same be able to spend money on myself on the things I love.

Here is my current specs:

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K Quad-Core Processor 3.3 GHz 6 MB Cache LGA 1155
CPU Heatsink/Fan: Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus
Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V Gen 3 LGA 1155 Intel P67 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0
Memory: G.SKILL Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333
HDD1: Samsung 840 Pro 128GB SSD (Operating System & Software)
HDD2: Crucial M4 128GB SSD (Applications)
HDD3: Seagate 1TB (Storage/Media)
Video Card: ASUS STRIX GTX970
Case: Corsair Carbide Series Black 500R Mid Tower
Power Supply: CORSAIR HX Series HX750 750W 80 PLUS GOLD Modular
Optical: Asus 24x DVD-RW DRW-24B1ST
Monitor: (2) QNIX QX2710 Evolution ll LED 2560x1440 QHD PLS DVI-D

With all that being said, if you were me - what would you do? I will note, that I would like to pick up a third monitor in the near future.

Thanks in advance.

 

[bob4933]

Really bad time to upgrade, and the 2500 is still decent. I'd say hold out for a bit and wait for new architectures of both gpu and cpus to come out.

 

[ATMINSIDE]

Biggest thing I see you could benefit from (mainly with Photoshop) would be to get some faster RAM.
That could be carried over to a new build (assuming you don't upgrade to a DDR4 platform), a 4x4GB kit of 1866MHz CL9 RAM would give a decent boost.

Other than that, maybe snag a used 3770K for a good deal. Overclock it, and you'll be set for a while longer since you'll pick up IPC and HyperThreading.

 

[bob4933]

Biggest thing I see you could benefit from (mainly with Photoshop) would be to get some faster RAM.
That could be carried over to a new build (assuming you don't upgrade to a DDR4 platform), a 4x4GB kit of 1866MHz CL9 RAM would give a decent boost.

Other than that, maybe snag a used 3770K for a good deal. Overclock it, and you'll be set for a while longer since you'll pick up IPC and HyperThreading.

Forgot the 2500 and 3770's shared socket. Great suggestion for a good boost.

 

[PrometheuSBoxeR]

Biggest thing I see you could benefit from (mainly with Photoshop) would be to get some faster RAM.
That could be carried over to a new build (assuming you don't upgrade to a DDR4 platform), a 4x4GB kit of 1866MHz CL9 RAM would give a decent boost.

Other than that, maybe snag a used 3770K for a good deal. Overclock it, and you'll be set for a while longer since you'll pick up IPC and HyperThreading.

Didn't even think of that processor, I think that might be exactly the upgrade I'm looking to hold me over for - great call.

In terms of RAM - would it be best to get (2)x8GB new DDR3 CL9 1600Mhz? I've read endless things saying 1600 CL9 is about as good as it gets before diminishing returns. I'm just not sure if 2x8 or 4x4 would be optimal?

 

[ATMINSIDE]

It's 6 of one, half a dozen of the other.
It can be easier to get lower prices on a 4x4GB kit though because the IC density is lower. This means it's easier to get sticks at higher speeds and lower timings than 2x8GB.