Looking to upgrade my PC

[diabolical]

Hi I am pretty new to this so please guide me out step by step!

I am looking to upgrade my 3 year old pc and I am looking for some suggestions.

PC current specs
i5-2500 @ 3.3 ghz
750w power supply (cannot check the exact model now)
MSI H61M-P32/W8
Cooler master elite 335
2x8gb DDR3 1333 RAM (Have 2x4gb DDR3 1333 RAM, wondering if I can mix them up and have 24gb total after upgrading)
ZOTAC GTX 970 4G
And probably 2 random fans here and there.
Samsung EVO 840 256GB

I am looking to upgrade to i7-4790k as I want to use my computer to run multiple games at the same time, most likely going to overclock to 4.4ghz. I am currently always getting 100% cpu load and CPU temperatures reaching up to 90 degrees on my i5-2500.
I can see that my current mobo cannot accomodate the i7-4790k so I am looking at a new mobo, particularly ASROCK Z97M PRO4. Can you advise me on whats the best mobo out there for my coolermaster case? Is there an advantage of getting the mini-ITX rather than a microATX if I were to use the same case?

Also, can anyone tell me whats the deal with USB 3.0? I know its just faster but what equipment do I need to use USB 3.0? The ASROCK Z97M has USB 3.0 ports but my case is really old and it just says its USB 2.0, do I need to buy adapters for it?

Thanks in advance!

 

[AnimeMania]

Here is an answer to the USB part. If you get a new USB 3.0 motherboard and use your old case (no USB 3.0 ports on the front), you can still use the USB 3.0 ports that will be on the motherboard in the back along with USB 2.0 ports. You can plug USB 2.0 items into USB 3.0 ports, but you won't get any speed increase. USB 3.0 devices need USB 3.0 cables to run at faster speeds, but can be run at slower speeds with USB 2.0 cables.

As far as I can tell, you didn't mention what your CPU cooler was. Perhaps getting a better CPU cooler would allow you to overclock your current CPU so that you don't need the other upgrades.

 

[diabolical]

I have 3 fans in my cpu but they are all ordinary fans, my current cpu is i5-2500 so I don't think I can overclock that as far as I know.

As for USB3.0, I was wondering if I can somehow upgrade my case's USB2.0 ports to 3.0 or must I get a new csse?

 

[Mandrake4565]

Do you have a budget for the upgrade?

 

[diabolical]

About 500 USD to 700.

 

[Mandrake4565]

Are you in the US, if not where will you be shopping and do you live near a Microcenter, if in the US?

 

[diabolical]

I live in Singapore actually, my budget is about 800 SGD

 

[Mandrake4565]

If you can find something like this setup it would be a nice upgrade. I do not advise mixing and matching ram, especially something running at 1333 Mhz. Do you really need more then 16 g or ram? As far as using the 2.0 headers on the case, you can get a USB 2.0 to Usb 3.0 20 pin adapter such as this to use one of them at 3.0 speeds or you can get a bay hub like this

 

[diabolical]

Those look like a good setup. I have narrowed down my search and decided to get I7 4790K and asrock z97m pro 4. However, its time for me to get a new case and I was looking at either coolermaster silencio 652 or the Fractal design r5. Any recommendations and do I need extra fans for it? The coolermaster 212 looks like a cheap buy for more cooling

 

[Mandrake4565]

Those look like a good setup. I have narrowed down my search and decided to get I7 4790K and asrock z97m pro 4. However, its time for me to get a new case and I was looking at either coolermaster silencio 652 or the Fractal design r5. Any recommendations and do I need extra fans for it? The coolermaster 212 looks like a cheap buy for more cooling

Nothing wrong with the Asrock Z97m Pro 4, just take that into account when buying a case. Cases are a very personal choice, I have not owned either of those so it would be tough for me to give you an opinion. Yes the Cooler master 212 is a very good heatsink for the money, if you plan on overclocking though it should be good for a mild Oc. Needing extra fans will depend on the ambient temps and such. I don't see a need to but them now, you can just set it up and see. If you find components are running hot, jut add a fan or two.