10 Year old PC. Upgrade CPU or GPU?

[santan686]

I have a nearly decade old pc. Thats really showing its age.

Specs:
Intel E2160 dual core 1.8 overclocked to 2.99ghz
Gigabyte P35.DS3L mobo.
4 GB Corsair TwinX. 2x2 kit.
Gigabyte Gtx 550Ti 1gb
460W PSU Coolermaster.
Win7 x64.
IPS LG 1080P 60HZ

Uses: Web, Movies, Gaming. Mostly stuff like PRey, Deus Ex, Fallout 4. Always tweak settings Medium/high etc. Not much if any multiplayer, Dota, StarCraft2. etc.

My question is should I get new cpu/mb or GPU?

Looking at 1060 3gb or 1050Ti, maybe rx570 4gb. GPU prices are really high now.

Would it be better get a whole new system? And get gpu later..
Looking at G4560, H110M, 16gb 2400 ddr OR R3 1200/1300X, Asrock B350M, 16gb 3200 ram?
The G4560 system is a bit cheaper than AMD R3. Also the R5 1500X looks really good. i5 7500 is more expensive.

 

[blankcr8]

I'd go with the 1200 system, or if you can spare the extra cash the 1500x system

 

[geofelt]

Here is my stock approach:
Some games are graphics limited like fast action shooters.
Others are cpu core speed limited like strategy, sims, and mmo.
Multiplayer with many participants tend to like many threads.

You need to find out which.
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To help clarify your CPU/GPU options, run these two tests:

a) Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

b) Limit your cpu, either by reducing the OC, or, in windows power management, limit the maximum cpu% to something like 70%.
Go to control panel/power options/change plan settings/change advanced power settings/processor power management/maximum processor state/
This will simulate what a lack of cpu power will do.
Conversely what a 30% improvement in core speed might do.

You should also experiment with removing one or more cores/threads. You can do this in the windows msconfig boot advanced options option.
You will need to reboot for the change to take effect. Set the number of threads to less than you have.
This will tell you how sensitive your games are to the benefits of many threads.
If you see little difference, your game does not need all the threads you have.



It is possible that both tests are positive, indicating that you have a well balanced system,
and both cpu and gpu need to be upgraded to get better gaming FPS.
-------------------------------------------------------------

A graphics card upgrade is easy, and can be transported to a new build.
GTX1060 or GTX750ti would be an appropriate upgrade.
RX570 needs an 8 pin power connector which might be a bit much for your 460w psu:
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm

If you decide you need more cpu, go with modern tech, namely kaby lake or ryzen.

Your E2160 dual thread has a passmark rating of 1002 with a single thread rating of 656

I like the G4560 for a budget build. 4 threads with a rating of 5077/1992.
Most games can effectively use only 2-3 threads.
The H110 motherboard can support a future upgrade as good as a I7-7700K
A caveat... The H110 needs a bios update to run 7th gen processors. It should be present on new stock since the bios has been available since 12/2016.
If not present you need to get it updated with a6th gen cpu.
Alternatively, buy a B250 based motherboard and you are ok.
And... you could defer on the graphics card if you are budget constrained.
Included Integrated HD610 graphics is likely stronger than your 550ti.
G4560 is popular and commands a price premium.
You might find the G4600(5410/2070) for not much more. It comes with even stronger HD630 graphics.

If you run many threaded apps, then ryzen is good. The updates there essentially increase the number of threads available.
R3-1200(6910/1744) at 4 threads, 1500X at 8 and so on.

 

[Lucky_SLS]

^ Wow, this guy always comes with the most detailed and useful post every time I see. Kudos to you!

 

[santan686]

Hi, did some benchmarks..

Running CPU at default (1.8ghz). Slight decrease in performance. 5-10%. Metro Redux, Crysis. Tomb Raider.
Overclocking it to back to 2.4 - 3ghz the difference is very small. 5% or 2-7 fps. I usually just run it at 2.88/3ghz.

Biggest FPS difference was lowering resolution and graphics. Min FPS increased by 5-10. AVG FPS increase 20-30 FPS.
Also overclocking the GPU a bit also gave FPS increase. Again 10% or less.

So more GPU limited than CPU. Don't do much encoding, so dual/quad core pretty much all I need.
Still saw that CPU was running at 100% usage, so the system is pretty balanced.

Thanks for the help. Can see where the biggest performance boost is. Will look for EVGA 1050Ti 4gb or MSI 1060 3gb. Maybe in Nov/Dec.
After that I can upgrade CPU. G4560/i3 or Ryze1200/1300. 3.5-4ghz quad core looks just right.
Thanks again.

 

[santan686]

Remembered this old thread from 2 years ago, LOL. Using system for quite a while now.

Updated: PC Build

AMD Ryzen5 2600
Noctua NH12
Asrock Taichi X470
2x 8gb Corsair Vengeance 3466
EVGA GTX 1060 6gb

Working really great. Max settings and high FPS, very smooth. Ryzen OCed to 4.15 at 1.1375 + 0.2325 offset.
Ram at 14-14-14-28-1T.

Thanks again.