Alright so I am looking to either upgrade my current PC, or sell it if I can go through with this buyer.

So I have 2 options/2 builds I could end up with.

If I sell my current PC

If I upgrade

My current PC is a prebuilt (ew, ikr) Lenovo PC my parents bought me 2 years ago(ish). It's got a pretty decent CPU, and that's really about it.

Current PC specs:

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor
GPU: nVidia GT 730 1GB (I think it's only 1GB vram)
RAM: 1x8 GB stick. Not sure the brand or anything, but it's DDR3.
HDD: 1TB
PSU: 250W (i think. either way, it's not very good if i recall correctly)
MOBO: Not sure, doesn't really matter in my situation though.

I could possibly sell this for around $400-450 (it's not worth that much) if the buyer i'm talking to takes it. If he doesn't, I have a backup plan. I'm going to transplant the CPU, RAM(maybe), and HDD out of my current one to put in a new case with new parts. I have already ordered a AMD Radeon Rx 480 4GB GPU, and it's on the way. Gonna spend around $200 of my own money either way.

So in the "finna get" saved parts list, not really sure what's the best way to approach it. $200 ish budget for all those parts. I already would have the i5, an rx 480, 8GB RAM, and a 1TB HDD. Not sure what mobo I should use. The case and PSU I think are fine. I chose a 600W for future upgrading purposes, and I just like the look and size of the case. Also not sure about which wireless network adapter to get if it even matters (wired connection isn't a possibility where my setup would be).

What are your thoughts on the "if i sell PC" saved parts list? Budget for that is around $500-$600 depending on how much i'd get for my pc. Keep in mind I already have a GPU selected. Also same scenario with this build, the PSU is for future upgrading purposes.

I also have a few questions. Can I put Windows 10 on a flashdrive if I end up going with the "if i sell PC" build so I don't have to buy an OS? And do I need an optical drive for these builds? Thanks.

Also feel free to ask any questions.

I use the same CPU right now and it is great. The 6500 is just about 10% faster overall so it is not worth buying. For the rest you won't get anything, GT 730 is a horrible office card getailing for about 30$ new and your PSU will go for a maximum of 10$ on Craigslist. I'd say buy another 8GB DDR3 Stick, a 400-450W PSU (EVGA 400B for example) and the RX 480. Mobo won't be required since you have 2 RAMSlots (I know because there are no boards with less than 2 Slots on Haswell) and can't overclock the 4460. At a maximum of 300$, maybe 350$ if you want to invest into a new case too, you will have a great performance.

Yeah so I was talking to the guy and he said he didn't have the money ot buy mine until the summer. So that's out of the question.

Anyways, I made some changes to the "finna get" build and I think that's what I'm going to go with. I am going to upgrade in the future so should I get a micro atx lga 1150 mobo now and invest more into a mobo when I upgrade to newer parts like DDR4 and lga 1151 mobo and a newer CPU?

Also I'm getting a new case because of personal preference and the 480 is going to be too big for it.

For the RAM, does it matter what brand I get? Like does it have to match the current 1x8 stick iI already have?

Also do you have answers for my wireless network adapter, OS, and optical drive questions?

For RAM, if I remember correctly you want the timings to be the same. Since this can be really annoying to check and RAM generally isn't extremely expensive, it's somewhat advisable to buy RAM in sets (or buy exactly the same model number at least), but it's not strictly necessary. If the timings don't match up correctly, you can underclock or (possibly) overclock them until they do match.

You can definitely install Windows 10 off a flash drive, but I don't know the specifics off the top of my head. A cheap wireless card will probably work fine, but if you know what specification the access point is capable of, you can look up what specifications you should ensure the card is capable of for best performance.

For the motherboard, I'd recommend going with whichever option is less expensive. At the budget you're looking at, and the budget you can probably expect in the near future, there's not really any point to trying to get in on the fanciest, latest technologies when you already have a decent CPU for a given socket. The performance benefits of increased RAM speed, for example, are usually pretty minimal. CPUs haven't changed much in the past few years either (besides possibly AMD's Zen).

If the 480 is too big and you want alternative recommendations, we'll want to know the case specs. The GTX 1060 is similar performance but a little bit shorter and a little bit less expensive. The GTX 1050 is quite a bit smaller, quite a bit cheaper, but still definitely a tremendous improvement over the GT 730. Alternatively, alter the case and use the 480.

Alright I was planning on getting new RAM.

I'll probably go with a micro atx mobo until It's necessary for newer components.

Thanks about the wire network adapter.

Already bought and ordered the 480 and the case I'm going with is on the parts list should be fine for it. I was thinking about going for a 1050 or 1060 nVidia alternative but from what I've researched, the 480 is equivalent. Oh and it came with Civilization VI so that's why I chose it over the others.

Do I even need to put Windows 10 on a flashdrive if I can just transfer my HDD over from my old PC? I'll clear out all the unimportant stuff.

What is the current list? I can help optimize it.

Since you're changing the motherboard, it'd probably be better to reinstall Windows, but it probably isn't actually necessary.

Most has already been said, but i want to address this minor thing - Wifi adapter. Do you really REALLY need it? Because for PC its objectively better to have an ethernet cable (even if it's like 15 meters long and goes throughout the house) than having a Wi-Fi adapter. You're losing a lot of potential internet speed just by choosing a wifi option.

suo: what does the mobo have to do with reinstalling windows?

merc: lists are in the OP..

smag: yes I know ethernet is the best option, but my setup is downstairs and the router is upstairs. also I really don't have good internet to begin with so i can't play online games that require a decent ping to play. so yeah, wireless is my only option there.

Windows has nothing to do with the mobo. You don't need to reinstall it.

Also, can't you just move the router closer to you and buy a long ethernet caple? I also have about 20m(65 feet) long ethernet caple connected to my pc from the router.