Upgrading 2009 i7 Build

[Kaytek]

Hey guys,

Got some solid advice here back in 2009 and I'm still rocking basically the same setup. I'm looking to upgrade some parts to keep the system fresh for another while. I'll list the build as it currently is and identify what I want to upgrade and why. But first the Sticky Gods must be satisfied:

1. What YOUR PC will be used for. That means what types of tasks you'll be performing.
Gaming, movies, internet, CAD and simulation work. When it comes to Gaming, I multi-box in EVE Online. I've run out of free RAM several times now...

2. What YOUR budget is. A price range is acceptable as long as it's not more than a 20% spread.
$500 or so. Can go more if I feel it's worth it in terms of future proofing (heh like that ever works!). Definitely looking at price/performance though and not just bling under the hood

3. What country YOU will be buying YOUR parts from.
Canada.

4. IF YOU have a brand preference. That means, are you an Intel-Fanboy, AMD-Fanboy, ATI-Fanboy, nVidia-Fanboy, Seagate-Fanboy, WD-Fanboy, etc, etc, etc, you get the picture.
Intel and Nvidia. It would take a lot of effort to convince me to go to ATI. The whole installing of different drivers is such a hassle. Though maybe I might upgrade to Win7 then lol.

5. If YOU intend on using any of YOUR current parts, and if so, what those parts are.
Everything except the GPU I think.

6. IF YOU have searched and/or read similar threads.
Read a few threads here. Read some GPU reviews here and on Tom's, Anandtech, etc.

7. IF YOU plan on overclocking or run the system at default speeds.
Default speeds. No joke this i7 920 still does really well. Probably the hard drive and GPU slow it down.

8. WHEN do you plan to build it?
I'd like to upgrade my RAM asap and wait for after Christmas sales for the GPU.

9. What resolution do you use?
2 x 22" monitors (1680 x 1050)

And here is the build currently:

i7 920
Asus P6T Deluxe
Noctua NH-U12P
WD Caviar Black 500GB
Old Antec Server Case - don't worry about it
G.Skill DDR3 1333 - 6GB (3x2GB) CL9
BFG GTX 280
Antec TruePower - 750W (old OCZ PSU died)
2 22" monitors (1680 x 1050)
Vista 64bit

I'm looking to add more RAM and swap the GPU. I'd like to keep power requirements within the capabilities of the Antec 750W PSU though so likely no SLI setups but I'm not sure.

Why I want more RAM is because I've been multi-boxing a fair bit in EVE Online recently and have actually run out of free RAM a few times...

As for the GPU, well she's been a workhorse but she's showing her age I think. She also runs pretty warm with her stock cooler so I've had to use some EVGA program to raise the fan speed. She ran Space Marine pretty well recently (I dropped the res down a bit but everything was at full blast short of AA or any of that other stuff, I never notice the difference... but the temps were crazy ) Naturally I wouldn't mind being able to multi-box in EVE Online with all the bells and whistles running but that many clients at full blast would toast the GPU I think :) Trying to be reasonable here, but running two clients on each monitor at full settings would be a nice compromise (the 280 runs 6 at lowest settings well enough except for the free RAM bit ). Also a little future proofing wouldn't hurt given how well my 280 has held up so far (another 2 years out of a GPU bought today doesn't seem unreasonable does it?).

So here are my current thoughts on the matter:

Double my RAM to 12GB (the max my mobo can support) by ordering another set of the exact same kind.
(NCIX.com - Buy G.SKILL F3-10666CL9T-6GBNQ 6GB DDR3 3X2GB DDR3-1333 CL 9-9-9-24 Triple Channel Memory Kit - G.Skill - F3-10666CL9T-6GBNQ - in Canada)

Grab a close to top of the line GPU like the new Gigabyte GTX 570 Super Overclock (is it actually close to top of the line-ish?).
(Newegg.ca - GIGABYTE Super Overclock Series GV-N570SO-13I GeForce GTX 570 (Fermi) 1280MB 320-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card)
This one should alleviate my concerns of running temperature and still have somewhat reasonable power consumption. It draws less than the GTX 580 according to the Hardware Canucks review and so it should be fine given how close the GTX 570 power consumption is compared to the GTX 280 as shown here.

So what else is there to say, I'm not 100% in the loop on how things have changed in the hardware market since I built my original rig; but I'm not still thinking the GTX 295 is king of the hill either A little sagely advice would be welcome.

Cheers,

Kaytek

P.S. Don't hate me for multi-boxing in EVE... it's bad enough I play the game as is

[Kaytek]

In retrospect I think I'm only really looking for a new GPU... I think posting in the Video Card section would have been the best thing

[JD]

Actually upgrading your RAM may net you a few FPS's as well since games are becoming more and more memory intensive of late. I have a friend who only had 4GB and saw noticeable gains by upgrading to 8GB. Mind you this is on a LGA775 (Q6600) and DDR2 system though with a HD5870. And well with RAM being so cheap these days, it's more of a "why not" than a "is it really worth it" question

At your resolution, I'd say a GTX560 Ti would be fine as well, unless you really want to spend the money.

[Kaytek]

Heh yeah, I figured why not also and ordered more RAM tonight already

I'm eyeing that GTX 560 Ti quite a bit right now. Decent performance and better power/temperature than my 280. But I'm thinking of a board with 2GB instead of the standard 1GB. It should handle games at highest settings at my 1650x1080 for a while longer than a 1GB board would no?

There is of course a 2.5GB GTX 570 out there... oh how it tempts me :/

[ZZLEE]

SSD is nice feature also to have.

[JD]

Really its up to what you can afford. Anything from the 1GB 560 Ti up to the GTX570 should suit your needs.

Honestly though, I'd wait until the RAM arrives and try that out. You may not need to upgrade the GPU after all, or at least prolong it until the next-generation cards come out.