Maximum PC

Hi guys, I'm looking to upgrade my current machine in the near future in an effort to try and extend it's life. It's a perfectly good computer, and I can't really justify building a whole new rig while this one still runs really well.

What I have currently:
Mobo: MSI X58 Pro (not the X58 Pro-E, there is a difference)
CPU: i7 970
Ram: 6x2Gb of Corsair Dominator DDR31600
GPU: ATi 4850x2 2gb
Hdd: 1Tb WD black

The i7 970 was given to me a while back, because of that I have the original i7 920 that was a part of this machine sitting in the closet. Since I don't really want to let that CPU go to waste I could use any parts that get upgraded to build a lower end computer that I could then give to my parents.

Ideally, I'd love to upgrade my GPU and move to SSD for my boot drive. Going beyond that, it would be nice to have a motherboard that supports USB3 and SATA 6Gb/s, but I'd have to get it used and now we get to the point where I am basically building a new machine. On the plus side I would have all the parts I needed to put that i7 920 to work then...


So, any comments or thoughts on what I should do here? This machine gets used for casual gaming and heavy CAD work, so the upgrades would make a difference to me. This machine also has 3x 24" monitors on it (DVI) along with a 32" panel (HDMI), so any video card upgrades need to take this into account.

You are definitely on the right track. You have plenty of CPU, RAM and HDD.

For gaming the most significant upgrade would be a new GPU card. I assume with that current GPU you have plenty of PSU.

HD 7970, GTX 680 or slightly faster HD 7970 "GHz ed." without worrying about a new PSU. They actually use somewhat less max. power than the 4850 x2. But your old card is good enough I am not sure how much of an felt improvement you get for the money.

An SSD is fine as well. Unfortunately it cannot take advantage of a SATA III interface which will hamper things until you transfer it to a new system. But an SSD is so fast you won't notice until you transfer it to a new system; for now it will amaze you.

You can add a USB3 card/front panel. It will not be able to deliver complete USB3 performance as the PCIe x1 slot is incapable of it (especially as yours is not the newer rev. 2.0), and I could not find any rare x4 cards that are out there. But it will still be amazingly faster than USB2 with a USB3 device attached. While I linked to the one with a USB3 header on it, I suspect the case (with this card if you get it) will remain with your parents when the time comes.

MSI

Newegg

Forget the i920...might as well eBay it. That i970 is a dead end CPU and will remain on the MB when you give it to your parents.

Your current GPU will likely remain with the PC, and the PSU which is likely reaching EOL by then.