I don't want to want to upgrade.

   My PC has been showing its age lately. Things are slowing down, games aren't running as smoothly, my components suck up power, and I want my compiles done faster. It has come to the point where defragging and deleting temp files isn't helping.

   Now, I'm still on my first install of Windows 7 from 2009 (provided you ignore the beta) which is pretty impressive. Back on XP, I was reformatting every couple years. That said, if I reinstalled 7, I'd probably see everything speed up again. I've had the Windows 8 Developer Preview and, now, the Consumer Preview dual booted via a virtual disk and on my primary drive (a 500GB Maxtor from around 2006) and both were really quick. Then again, they weren't bogged down by all the programs I have and the dozens of remnants from incomplete uninstalls.

   I'm having that problem of "But I have everything setup the way I want it" coupled with "It was a chore to even get this thing installed ONCE!"

My Specs:
Operating System
            MS Windows 7 64-bit SP1
        CPU
            AMD Phenom II X4 920
        RAM
            8.0GB Dual-Channel DDR2 @ 401MHz (5-5-5-12)
        Motherboard
            Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. GA-MA78GM-US2H
        Graphics
            ViewSonic VX2235wm (1680x1050@59Hz)
            512MB GeForce 9800 GT Eco-Intelligence (BFG Tech)
        Hard Drives
            488GB FUJITSU MAXTOR ATA Device (SATA)
            977GB Western Digital Caviar Green ATA Device (SATA)
        Optical Drives
            HP DVD Writer 1170d ATA Device
        Audio
            Realtek High Definition Audio
       PSU
            Antec Basiq 500w

As you can see, it is a modest PC I've been building up over the years. I started with a Emachines C2684 and gradually replaced parts along the way. The only remaining original part is my keyboard which, thanks to prolonged exposure to the original plastic covering, still has nearly all key labels completely intact.

   All I really want to do is upgrade my processor. However, I've been using AMD since my Emachine and want to give Intel a shot. So, I've had my eye on the 2500k; not so much for the overclocking, but the upgraded integrated graphics (in case my gpu dies on me). However, that means I'd have to upgrade my RAM and Motherboard for obvious reasons.

   I could stick with AMD and grab one of the Thuban hexacores or Zosma quads, but that only postpones a complete rebuild for perhaps a year. In the long run, I want an upgrade that'll hold its own for as long as what I have now and I'm not liking what I see with Bulldozer. Suffice it to say, I've reached the end of my upgrade path and have to branch into something new.

   My graphics card was a RMA from when my 8800gt died and produced artifacts at the desktop. It was just as powerful as my 8800gt and did not need external power, win-win. So far, it is keeping up with the times as I don't max out every single game. My most intensive game would probably be Skyrim and before that was Dragon Age 2. In both, I occasionally get 60fps (Vsync), but I mostly get 40 dropping to 14-15 in busy scenes (by busy, I mean the screen might as well turn white from all the particle effects going off).

   I've been looking at the GTX 560 TI because it is priced at what my 8800gt was and that lasted me quite a while. But getting it would require upgrading my PSU and if I did that, I'd want something at least 80+ Bronze. I'm quite happy with my monitor and probably won't go any higher than my current resolution for the foreseeable future.

   Now, the RAM. I've never actually used all of it at once. Lately, I've been more ambitious and have pushed 6GB by having 3ds Max, Hammer, Portal 2, a Linux VM, FireFox w/ 30 tabs, and a media player running at once, not including the system tray applications (AV/Firewall, Afterburner, Steam, etc). So, if I ever wanted to build a new machine, I'd have to have at least 6GB which, given how I'm looking at Dual-Channel CPUs and RAM in powers of 2, I might as well get 8GB.

   My harddrives are alright; I wouldn't mind keeping them. Sure, my 6+ year old Maxtor could probably be replaced, but it's working fine for me. All the junk I've accumulated over the years is the issue. My primary drive is just applications and OS, so it's at less than 50% capacity even with the Windows 8 Consumer Preview installed.On the other hand, my secondary drive is at nearly 80% capacity because of all the software install files, several VMs, games, and other files I keep around. It doesn't help that game saves go up to the hundreds of megabytes with Fallout 3 and New Vegas topping 1GB before I zipped them down (Skyrim is threatening the same, but I've been more vigilant after experiencing slowdowns when I have more than 8 saves).

   So, that's where I'm at. Reformatting is my best option right now because, well, I can't afford to upgrade anything. I'm still quite happy that what I have continues to hold its own but there's that little voice going "it's time to upgrade". I keep telling it to wait until Ivy Bridge and Kepler come out to either a) be a better value than what we have now or b) drive prices of current gen parts down. I need to be careful of falling into an infinite "I'll wait" loop.