Hey there was wondering if I could get some help here. I based my build off the $700 Budge build https://teksyndicate.com/videos/build-best-pc-under-700 and here is what I ended up with:
Comment in the () are thought about the future of us of the items.
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 AM3 3.4Ghz 512KB 45NM 125W 4000MHZ(Stock cooler but looking at the Noctua NH-D14)
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-970A-D3 AM3+ AMD 970 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD
Memory: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (1 X 8GB) DDR3 PC3-12800 1600MHz BLS8G3D1609DS1S00(plan on getting a second stick of the same stuff)
Storage: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB SATA 6GB/S 7200RPM 64MB Cache 3.5IN Hard Drive(Eventually getting an SSD)
Video Card: GTX 460(Needs to upgraded, looking at the R9 280x)
Case: ULTRA something or another(Also needs updating)
Power Supply: CX600 600W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply(I got wath I could afford that would fit a desent GPU)
The question I have is obviously the GPU is way outdated and I am on a tight budget and was looking at upgrading to a MSI R9 280x. Is this a good buy for the build? My thoughts are that it will be over powered for the CPU but I do plan on getting a better cooler and over clocking a bit. Eventually I will replacing the CPU with hopefully an 8 core. Would I need to upgrade my MB at the same time as the CPU or will this one be decent for the time being? I do not plan running crossfire as it is hard enough to buy one card plus MB doesn't support. I am a moderate gamer so 1080 is fine but I would like to think I will slowly upgrade my system as time marches on and would eventually like to have the 2.4k and 4k capability, although by that time the card will be out dated lol.
Well, for starters that Heatsink is massive overkill for your setup, as you can not overclock on that motherboard. At stock clock, I would not recommend pairing a phenom with a 280, I strongly suggest that you at least upgrade to an M5A99FX PRO and overclock your CPU to it's limit before you consider upgrading your GPU.
What I read out of your comment is my GPU is not a bottle neck? I play a lot of Battle Field 4 and Team Fortress 2 plus some MInecraft and StarCraft 2. I notice my CPU is running at 100% capacity just about the entire time with the heat being some what of a problem only in the hot summer months. My thought was the GPU causing the CPU to use its capacity because the old GPU.
If the CPU is what is needing to be upgraded then I dont believe that the CPU you suggested is large enough of a step plus on bench marking the phenom is a better buy.