Advice on GPU vs CPU Upgrade

[aarondodd111]

Hello,

Here's my current setup
I5-3330
8GB Ram (DDR3)
Generic Mobo
R9 290 GPU (AMD's equivalent to the GTX 970)

Got around £600 to spend, and I think I know the answer but want to make sure.

Upgrade options CPU
Entire CPU bundle
£650
i7 8700K
16GB DDR4 Ram (3200mhz)
ASUS Z370-P MOBO

Upgrade options GPU
£400-£500
Probably the GTX 1080
I like Zotac's one for £439 on Amazon, maybe there is a better one.

 

[cookiemania66]

I would rather buy a new CPU
But thats because i love overclocking and your current I5 is not overclockable

 

[feelinfroggy777]

I would wait on the GPU for now. You don't have a bad GPU and I expect pricing to continue to go down. The 1080 and 2.5 years old and the pricing is still a little high. I think it will go down.

The 8700k is a great CPU for gaming, but the price is kinda steep. If it were me, I would go with a 2600 or 2600x and save some money while only losing a few fps.

The other option would be getting a used 3770, 8gb more of DDR3 RAM, and the 1080. You may be able to do that and stay under 650. It would give you the best performance upgrade today, but down the road you may wish you had grabbed a more modern CPU.

 

[aarondodd111]

I would rather buy a new CPU
But thats because i love overclocking and your current I5 is not overclockable

Yeah i'm not really an overclocker.. i had considered just getting the 8700 and not bothering with the k version for that reason.

 

[aarondodd111]

I would wait on the GPU for now. You don't have a bad GPU and I expect pricing to continue to go down. The 1080 and 2.5 years old and the pricing is still a little high. I think it will go down.

The 8700k is a great CPU for gaming, but the price is kinda steep. If it were me, I would go with a 2600 or 2600x and save some money while only losing a few fps.

The other option would be getting a used 3770, 8gb more of DDR3 RAM, and the 1080. You may be able to do that and stay under 650. It would give you the best performance upgrade today, but down the road you may wish you had grabbed a more modern CPU.

Definitely looking more long term. Hadn't considered the Ryzen, I've heard mixed reviews.

 

[feelinfroggy777]

I would wait on the GPU for now. You don't have a bad GPU and I expect pricing to continue to go down. The 1080 and 2.5 years old and the pricing is still a little high. I think it will go down.

The 8700k is a great CPU for gaming, but the price is kinda steep. If it were me, I would go with a 2600 or 2600x and save some money while only losing a few fps.

The other option would be getting a used 3770, 8gb more of DDR3 RAM, and the 1080. You may be able to do that and stay under 650. It would give you the best performance upgrade today, but down the road you may wish you had grabbed a more modern CPU.

Definitely looking more long term. Hadn't considered the Ryzen, I've heard mixed reviews.

The 2600 gets 9% fewer fps than the 8700k, but the 8700k cost more that twice as much.

https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/AMD/Ryzen_5_2600/13.html

So if you have the money and have to have the very best, then go with the 8700k. But if you want bang for your buck, then AMD's Ryzen chips are hard to pass up.