Need the knowledge of forum for upgrades!

As always, I'm a wall-o-text sort of person. I like to be detailed.

Thus, as always, skip to the bold caps text for my TL;DR! However, reading my specs will be needed.

Firstly, my current rig.

2x 1080p monitors. Only run games across one monitor

Asus Z77-A

Intel i5 2500k Sandy Bridge

EVGA 770GTX SC

8GB DDR3 RAM (not sure what brand or speed, bought it way too long ago)

Seagate 1TB Hybrid HDD with 8GB SSD cache

Crucial 256GB MX100

 

So, what's the best way to go about upgrades? "That depends on what you want!" Why yes it is!

My first issue was loading times, so I got an SSD. Loading times are AMAZING now. I'm also somewhat considering RAID 0 for a second Crucial MX100. Is that wise? From the HDD to the SSD I got loading times like for windows (these are estimates, I didn't time anything) to go from 20 seconds to 5 seconds. Or games like GW2 from 30 seconds to 7 seconds. I assume RAID 0, at it's best, would half the load times. Which seems like a small jump compared to the HDD to SSD load time jump.

My second issue is in a few games, I can't do super/multi sampling well. As you can imagine with that build, it's not many games, but I would still like to smoothly max out things like AC4, and the Metro games. I tried Redux thinking it would help, but nope, with TXAA the game slows to a crawl. I also tried to force supersampling on GW2, and that slowed the PC up a bit during larger fights. 

I also, possibly one day, might want to play games across 3 monitors. 4k Monitors are still fairly pricey, and a while back someone warned me that SLIing 2 770s wouldn't help much with 4k, but WOULD help if I wanted to span games across 3 monitors. This isn't as important yet, as I just use my single 1080p monitor for games, but it can't help to prepare for the future. I just figure that the cheapest upgrade would be another 770, since any other upgrade for a GPU, would mean tossing my 770 (well selling it, making another rig, something like that) and spending a lot more for a better GPU, and the 770 is nothing to laugh at as is so I'd feel terrible giving it up so soon.

But then comes the other part....my Z77-A can't SLI, and there aren't many LG1155 Mobos out there, so the best bet would be going to Haswell.....but now I'm at a Mobo upgrade, AND a CPU upgrade, just so I can THEN upgrade my GPU. Would an upgrade to Haswell be worth it from my 2500k Sandy Bridge CPU? I still haven't even overclocked it, so I wonder if some liquid cooling + a new LG1155 Mobo that can SLI would be worth it, so that way I would just overclock my i5, and SLI a 770. These are just ideas I'm throwing out, because I'm really not technical enough to know what is the best way to go about upgrades, future proofing, and spending money wisely. 

Now, also comes the budget. Basically my budget = my patience and willingness to spend on my computer over other things, like fancy foods, movies, and beer (okay.....fine you caught me, I won't skimp on the beer. My computer can wait!). I realistically can save about $300/mo. I don't WANT to spend more than $300 really, but if saving up and doing a larger upgrade is the best and wisest option, I am more than willing to do it. So is just going and buying liquid cooling and a 780Ti the best solution? I really wouldn't want to, but it's technically do-able, and feel free to suggest it if that's seriously a viable solution. As it usually is, the cheaper the upgrade, the better for me, but I understand often you get what you pay for, and I don't want a fix to just max the Metro games, I want to head along a steady upgrade path for my PC.

HERE IS THE TL;DR GUYS! THANK YOU FOR READING, OR NOT, EITHER WAY, THANK YOU FOR THE POTENTIAL HELP!

I like videogames, and mostly purely video games. 

I use a 1080p monitor for these games. I may want to use 3 of these one day, or maybe just one 4k monitor.

What is the best way to future proof the PC? What's the best bang for my buck when it comes to upgrading the parts. SLI, new GPU, new CPU?

Basically the best upgrade path when thinking about the long term for my computer usage. The budget is around $300, but if worth it, could easily be more, up to a whole new build. I'm willing to do what it takes, but the bigger the cost, the longer I need to save up.

 

Thank you all so much in advance!

 

Thank you for the TL;DR!

It seems you have caught the upgrade bug. I wouldn't advise any upgrades. Your build is a perfectly capable, high-end gaming system.

When you acquire a new monitor configuration, throw some many at a GPU. That's a future consideration, not something you need to do now. Wait until you have your new monitor(s). At this current time, no single GPU can push a 4k resolution monitor with acceptable performance. It is not worth pursuing, presently.

Thank you for the heads up! I felt that too. I just had a random expense and lost some money for my month, but I realized I could save up if I wasn't careless some extra money, so I did get that upgrade bug itch once I realized I would start saving to upgrade. 

What is causing TXAA to beat up my PC so badly? Do I really need something beyond a 770 just to run stuff like Metro? I know AC4 isn't optimized, but with the Redux I figured the metro games would be as optimized as could be. I know Last Light ran better than 2033 did, but with the Redux 2033 runs just as poorly, and I still can't max Last Light.

Clearly, it's not the end of the world. It's a want, not a need. Those just seem to be the main games by PC can't fully handle, and maxing things like Far Cry 3 and such really push me to around 30-40 FPS which is fine but worries me that something like Far Cry 4 might be a bit much. Then again, ubisoft is known for not knowing how to optimize. 

Why do I always Wall-of-Text? Something must be wrong with me D:

monitors/gpu/ram? a big maybe depends on what your doing.

I would just buy a lliquid cooler and overclock your 2500k and move to a 780 or 780ti

Metro is a gaming series that destroys GPUs. The old metro 2033 gave my 780 a hard time. Upgrading to an expensive card to end up with the same predicament?

Seriously, you're better off turning AA down low, and keeping textures at maximum. Use a different kind of AA, or no AA at all. The 770 is perfectly balanced for 1080p, and replacing it would be extremely wasteful. You should wait until the 900 series, in all honesty. You'll get to utilise all the future tech that comes with the later Nvidia/ AMD releases.

Less is more!

Oh really? There goes even considering a 780. A 780Ti seems a bit silly at this point. I'd rather wait for the next round of cards at that point.

SLIing 770s almost seems nice, but that would mean a lot of other new parts. When I SLId my 560Tis a while back I got a nice performance boost.

Would forcing something like SSAA or MSAA work well with metro and look decent? I think I just might try that, and maybe to do something fun liquid cool the CPU and look into overclocking a bit. Solves an itch to spend, won't cost too much, and it's always fun to learn to do something new!

Watercooling would be pretty sweet. It's a nice little project, and it can certainly satisfy your spending itch.

SLI can provide a boost, but not across all games. It consumes more power, more heat. Not really worth it, in my opinion. It's better to upgrade GPUs every other series, rather than placing two older cards into a system. That way, you can take advantage of technology improvements and performance.

Consider placing the GPU in the loop.

Final point, since you have an EVGA card, you might be able to use their step-up program. You just pay the difference in price, between the 770 and 780. If you can do that, it's up to you. You could run Metro with a little more AA. If you think that will be a little more satisfying, then get the 780.

What you need to do, is provide EVGA with the invoice. There is a time limit, however. A matter of months. If you cannot use their step-up program, then I would advise sticking with he 770.

Aww that sounded really awesome, but I got the card a little over 90 days ago I think.

I mean, I didn't really feel the need to upgrade but the thought of $150 for a new card, versus $500....that sounded tempting.

It's off the table now though, so no worries, but that's good to know for the future! I've not yet been loyal with my cards but in general prefer EVGA, and now I know another benefit!

In response to the liquid cooling....you said adding the GPU to the loop, and I was just planning on getting a pre-made kit. That said, that notion seems silly. What's the fun in screwing in some stuff when I can build and design my own?

That said, is it fairly expensive compared to a closed loop, pre-made system? I guess if I go that route, I should probably make another forum post about peoples recommendations for cooling parts, where I can skimp, and where I should spend the good money. Eg, thermal paste, tubing, radiators....lot's to learn!

Also for the GPU....I'll be sad to lose the titan heatsink the SC EVGA one came with....but it gets HOT, and liquid cooling should help with that. Hot Cali weather and a gaming PC are not good friends.

Pretty much just gaming. I watch shows and browse the web of course, but gaming is the primary usage. 

With GPUs, you pay more for smaller increments in performance, after the $300-350 price point. The marginal cost benefit is not great. Many of these higher-tier cards are not much faster, but they cost $$$ more.

If you take a look at some of LinusTechTips' benchmarks, you will see that a 780ti will still struggle to max some games. Truthfully, if you struggle to run a game on a 770, you will likely struggle with a 780ti. That's just the way that it goes. The 770 has the better price/performance.

The Titan shroud is sexy. I'd just like to point out, that reference cards are desirable if you consider watercooling. You can find a waterblock for any reference card, but waterblocks for aftermarket coolers can be scarce. Universal blocks are not as adequate.

You will have to do plenty of reading. Ensure you have space in your tower. 35mm rads are usually recommended if you are short on space. Take a look at the RASA 750 XSPC RS240 kit. Comes with everything you need for a CPU loop. Though, you might want to consider other fixtures and fittings.

Rule of thumb is 120mm of radaitor space per component, and 120mm for thermal headroom. Custom loops are always better than pre-made all-in-one coolers.