[SOLVED] CPU or GPU upgrade?

[EliteGamer30]

Hello everyone! I am switching from console to PC gaming. I (with the help of a friend) built my PC gaming rig about 3 or 4 years ago and i am beginning to have issues playing things like Apex Legends. My setup is:

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4ghz 8 cores
GPU: GeForce GTX 960
MOBO: MSI 970 Gaming
Ram: G. Skill 16GB (2X8GB)
Monitor: ASUS VX248H 60Hz

I use to play on 60FPS but just the other week it dips to 30-45 fps when looking around or trying to loot. Im still learning some of the terminology that is associated with PC gaming and in trying to figure out what part of my PC needs updated or the whole thing i ran a benchmark test as i was playing.

GPU usage was around 60% max while playing
CPU was around 75-95% while playing.
All of this while getting around 35-45fps

Ive never overclocked, just looking for advice from some of you pros out there.

Thanks in advance!

 

[rgd1101]

budget?

 

[logainofhades]

Given those usages, and the fact that FX series were an utter failure, a new CPU is in order. Your budget matters most though.

 

[EliteGamer30]

whatever it takes. i thought at first i would have to get a different motherboard and cpu. around $500-600. but then i thought if im going to spend that much might as well start a new build?

 

[justin.m.beauvais]

The GTX 970 is MORE than capable of playing Apex at 1080p. On top of that, ANYTHING from AMD's Ryzen lineup will be faster than the old FX chip, but for a significant upgrade look for something like a Ryzen 5.

With a budget like that you'll have no problem getting a Ryzen 5 3600 and an X570 board with 16 GB of DDR4 3200 RAM.

Also consider a power supply and SSD. Getting all that for under $600 should be easily possible. That should have you set up well for a GPU upgrade in a year or so, at which point a good midrange GPU would slot in to give you a very powerful and modern gaming machine.

The GTX 970 isn't bad, it is going to give you good 1080p performance, but the video memory is going to be a constraining factor in the near future. Not so much on games like Apex, but on newer releases.

 

[logainofhades]

They have a GTX 960, not a 970. Motherboard is a 970 chipset.


Reusing case, and storage, this would get you a significant upgrade, at your budget.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($117.68 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B450 Steel Legend ATX AM4 Motherboard ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 6 GB XC BLACK GAMING Video Card ($209.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $567.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-24 16:46 EDT-0400

 

[EliteGamer30]

They have a GTX 960, not a 970. Motherboard is a 970 chipset.


Reusing case, and storage, this would get you a significant upgrade, at your budget.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($117.68 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B450 Steel Legend ATX AM4 Motherboard ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 6 GB XC BLACK GAMING Video Card ($209.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $567.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-24 16:46 EDT-0400

Thank you!

 

[EliteGamer30]

They have a GTX 960, not a 970. Motherboard is a 970 chipset.


Reusing case, and storage, this would get you a significant upgrade, at your budget.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($117.68 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock B450 Steel Legend ATX AM4 Motherboard ($94.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 6 GB XC BLACK GAMING Video Card ($209.99 @ Amazon)
Power Supply: Corsair CXM 650 W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($79.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $567.63
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-24 16:46 EDT-0400

I guess i do have a question. Why did you pick Ryzen 5 2600 over the Ryzen 5 3600? Due to price? performance?

 

[justin.m.beauvais]

I guess i do have a question. Why did you pick Ryzen 5 2600 over the Ryzen 5 3600? Due to price? performance?

At this point, price, and price of platform, and compatibility.

The R5 2600 is a drop in and run part with a B450 motherboard. On top of that they are stupid cheap for a lot of performance. While you can run an R5 3600 on a B450 motherboard, it requires a BIOS update to do so, and you can't count on a factory updated BIOS just yet. So, there is a bit of uncertainty in the compatibility arena, at least right out of the box. Also, an X570 motherboard, that is ready out of the box for the 3600, is quite a bit more expensive than a good B450 board and doesn't nab you many more bells and whistles.

EDIT: Also, sorry for the misread.

 

[Karadjgne]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($117.68 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B450 AORUS M Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($84.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: G.Skill Flare X 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($64.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Crucial P1 1 TB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($95.99 @ Amazon)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 1660 6 GB XC GAMING Video Card ($213.98 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair TXM Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $647.62
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-24 19:11 EDT-0400

I'd be looking at something more like this overall.

 

[Sandwich_OW]

I would upgrade the cpu because the fx chips are getting old but you might need a new mobo

 

[Flayed]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($117.59 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock B450M PRO4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($69.98 @ Amazon)
Memory: GeIL EVO SPEAR 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($62.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Sabrent Rocket 512 GB M.2-2280 NVME Solid State Drive ($59.98 @ Amazon)
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB VENTUS XS OC Video Card ($269.99 @ B&H)
Power Supply: Corsair TXM Gold 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-modular ATX Power Supply ($69.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $650.52
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-10-24 19:23 EDT-0400

 

[EliteGamer30]

At this point, price, and price of platform, and compatibility.

The R5 2600 is a drop in and run part with a B450 motherboard. On top of that they are stupid cheap for a lot of performance. While you can run an R5 3600 on a B450 motherboard, it requires a BIOS update to do so, and you can't count on a factory updated BIOS just yet. So, there is a bit of uncertainty in the compatibility arena, at least right out of the box. Also, an X570 motherboard, that is ready out of the box for the 3600, is quite a bit more expensive than a good B450 board and doesn't nab you many more bells and whistles.

EDIT: Also, sorry for the misread.

Not a problem! Thank you for the input and the added information. There is so much to learn.

 

[logainofhades]

I guess i do have a question. Why did you pick Ryzen 5 2600 over the Ryzen 5 3600? Due to price? performance?

Pricing given the budget. The 3600 is doable, but you would have to wait on a GPU upgrade. You are going to get more gaming performance, for the money, with a 2600 and a 1660, vs any faster cpu, and your GTX 960.