CPU or GPU upgrade??

[rabbyx7]

I have saved up some money to do a upgrade but at this moment I can only do either my gpu or my cpu for gaming.

here's my spec:

Gigabyte GA-b75m-d3h rev 1.1
intel core i3 3220 3.3ghz
Sapphire Radeon 7870 ghz edition dual -x 2gb gddr5
Cooler Master V550 80+ Gold
A-data XPG 4x2gb ddr3 1600mhz 9-9-9-24

So i'm looking at either a Sapphire R9 280x (or a used 290) OR a 3rd gen core i5.

Im playing almost all the new games @medium-high settings at around 30-40 fps so want to improve my gaming experience...

thanks in advance guys

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

Tough one, but I would probably go for the GPU. That said, I'd first establish where the bottleneck lies, but my gut feeling is that it's with the GPU, which is mid-range.

If that's the case, I'd definitely look at a used R9 290 over a 280X. The 290 uses better architecture whilst the 280X is essentially a rehashed HD 7950. If you're only playing at 1920x1080 resolution, consider a GTX 960 as well.

 

[Jam88]

I would say GPU aswell, but, some games coming out these days require a minimum of a quad core, I think an i3 is only a dual core, if I'm right then the games you plan on playing should dictate your purchase.

 

[ngbeslhang]

It will be better if you can afford to upgrade both, but let's just listen to this guy:

Tough one, but I would probably go for the GPU. That said, I'd first establish where the bottleneck lies, but my gut feeling is that it's with the GPU, which is mid-range.

If that's the case, I'd definitely look at a used R9 290 over a 280X. The 290 uses better architecture whilst the 280X is essentially a rehashed HD 7950. If you're only playing at 1920x1080 resolution, consider a GTX 960 as well.