AMD Phenom II X6 1065t @ 2.90CPU bottleneck possibility with GPU upgrade?

[UnoDosTrace]

So I'm looking to upgrade my graphics card to get a little more oomph to get me through my transition from my old pc to my new one, which I'll build in about a year or so. I currently have a 7870 running with a AMD Phenom II X6 1065T at 2.9ghz. I was thinking of upgrading to something a little better like a Radeon R9 380 or a 960. Is it even worth upgrading right now, or should I wait until I build my new rig? Is my processor going to wash out any improvement I make with my GPU? I plan on overhauling my entire rig with a new MOBO, CPU, GPU, SSD, and HDD once I start work in the spring; should I just wait until then, or can I see improvements with cards now?

Thanks for any and all input.

 

[SinxarKnights]

My last PC had a a similar CPU. I bought the graphics card first, a R9 280 (7850). While it did give me better gaming results, it wasn't until I built the rest of the PC that I realized how big of a bottleneck the CPU actually was. With just a 280 it plays pretty much everything at high/very high @ 1080p at a very playable framerate. The old PC had a lot of stuttering and low FPS issues with the card.

Basically what I am saying is just wait until you build the new computer. Since the graphics card arena moves so quickly, there will likely be better options out by next year when you go to build it. A 7870 isn't bad really, that is what the R9 280x is. It would take something like a GTX 970 or R9 390 to be any real improvement over what you currently have, and then you likely won't see any improvement because of the slow CPU.

 

[Calculagator]

The 7850 is equivalent to an R9 270 not a 280. The R9 280 is like a 7950. That's a pretty big difference: the R9 380 or GTX 960 will double performance in a best case scenario. Even if your CPU holds you back some, you will be able to notice that improvement. If you can overclock your Phenom any more, it will keep pace in many games.

On the other hand, you will get the most for your money by doing everything at once and waiting until you can afford to do so.

 

[SinxarKnights]

The 7850 is equivalent to an R9 270 not a 280. The R9 280 is like a 7950.

My bad. Was trying to remember off the top of the head.