Hi guys, basically I'm looking at upgrading my PC but I really don't know a lot about this stuff so I figured I should get a bit of advise before I go spending my money. My PC is still pretty decent but I've got a bit of money saved up that I can spend and I wanna beef it up a bit before The Witcher 3 comes out.

Here's what my specs are now:

• ASUS PBZ77-m motherboard
• i5-3570K 3.40Ghz cpu
• 8GB ram
• 2TB HDD for my storage and a 120GB SSD with my windows and game installs
• 520W power supply
• GTX 670 graphics card

What I'm thinking of doing is just replacing the graphics card with a 980 (this one to be specific). As far as I can tell that card should be compatible with my motherboard and power supply, but again I don't know much.

I just wanna know if that card will work with my system and also if it's the best use of my money. Would I be better off getting a new cpu and a less powerful gpu? I have about $750 Australian (roughly $600 USD) to spend.

Thanks!

I think going with the 980 is a good idea. The rest of the system seems fine.

The 980 actually draws less power than the 670 and takes the same two 6-pin PCI-E power connectors that your existing card is already using. Should be a pretty straightforward upgrade.

@mb: Is the 980 DirectX 12 ready?

the 120 gig SSD is going to be a bit small for games; consider the average (AAA) game is between 30-50 gigs you'll be hurting for space quickly.

Yes, it is.

One of my systems has a 160gb SSD and I don't have a problem managing space on it. I keep a few games installed on it and move the rest to one of my HDDs with symlinks.

Just GPU, maybe double your memory if it's your primary machine to 16gb and drop another larger SSD in. I run a near identical machine as my loungeroom PC, there's no reason to change anything else.

While there are system reqs for W3, devs said it for mid-high graphics . So thing is we really do not know what kind of power will be needed for ultra/max settings at 1080p 60fps. I myself have 780 ti and still wondering . If you can you should just wait after W3 is released and read about it pc version. Hey maybe new gpus will come out at that time too. If you think it is time replace gpu because you want to play other games I say go for it. 980 is really great card

@face15: What resolution/frame rate are you intending to run games at? The 980 is in sort of an awkward position, where at 1080p/60fps, you're not going to see any real difference over a 970, and at anything more than that, you get much more use out of SLI 970s for not a lot more cash (see here for an in depth look at the difference).

That's the case here anyway, I know pricing might be different in other markets. Still worth considering though.

@pcorb: SLI can cause issues with certain games (and just in general at times) so I find it hard to recommend, especially for someone who stated in the OP that this is maybe not something they are super experienced with. If you want the best performance without having to deal with any (read: no more than PC components normally bring) hassle, the 980 is the way to go.

This is something to consider. If you only like having a game or two at a time then go for it, but games like battlefield 4 and the Rockstar games easily start to clock in close to 50gigs. GtA V is 65 according to steam. The Witcher 3 doesn't seem to have a spec's list on steam yet, but 2 was 25gigs and I'd imagine 3 will be at least a bit beefier.

My friend has a msi980 that is way cooler/quieter than either of us expected. He's got the same basic build you do minus the SSD and a slightly larger power supply.

Thanks everyone who responded. I've just ordered a 980 as planned. I looked at SLI but I really just want it to be as straight forward and simple as possible. As for the SSD, I really don't have a problem managing space on it, I just move games back and forth as I'm playing them and it works out alright.

Again, thanks everyone for the advice.