CPU or GPU

[kanarigaming]

So help me out here. Friend has a computer running the FX-4300 paired with Geforce GT 730. I want to be able to upgrade both, but with the budget I am on and circumstances, I am having trouble on upgrading which one because they both definitely need upgrading. She already has the power supply to handle one or the other or both upgrades. I plan to upgrade the cpu to FX-8350 and the GPU to my old card, which is the GTX 970. My current dilemma and circumstance is if I can get away with doing the CPU upgrade first and then the GPU upgrade later. I prefer this choice because the FX-8350 is the cheaper option, whereas if I give her my GTX 970 depends solely on if I get myself the 1080ti.
My other question is if I get her the FX-8350, will it be a substantial upgrade than the FX-4300 as far as gaming? Streaming?

 

[SkyNetRising]

if I get her the FX-8350, will it be a substantial upgrade than the FX-4300 as far as gaming? Streaming?

No. Weak upgrade. Not worth it.

 

[kanarigaming]

if I get her the FX-8350, will it be a substantial upgrade than the FX-4300 as far as gaming? Streaming?

No. Weak upgrade. Not worth it.

And can you dive deeper as to why that is? From what I saw on forums (even here) it still better to upgrade from 4300 to the 8350. If its a weak upgrade, then take the GPU route, or will the 4300 bottleneck. The 8350 was the best option since it is what is compatible with her current motherboard and the current 730/future 970

 

[SkyNetRising]

AMD FX line is weak in terms of gaming performance. Even low end Intel cpus perform better in games.
Go with GPU upgrade. It will have more impact.
Though this will also introduce bottlenecking, but you can't avoid this without full platform upgrade (cpu,motherboard,ram).

 

[kanarigaming]

AMD FX line is weak in terms of gaming performance. Even low end Intel cpus perform better in games.
Go with GPU upgrade. It will have more impact.
Though this will also introduce bottlenecking, but you can't avoid this without full platform upgrade (cpu,motherboard,ram).

I've already updated her ram. Honestly trying to avoid updating her completely. The money I put in so far could of honestly built a better computer like mine, but we are stuck with the computer she has. So trying to make due with what we have. If it helps, she has a Gigabyte - GA-78LMT-USB3 Micro for a MOBO.

 

[SkyNetRising]

The money I put in so far could of honestly built a better computer like mine

Obviously - this would be the right thing to do.
With current pc of your friend - invest only to parts you can carry over to next build.

 

[Rdslw]

you can try to OC. FX-4300 will hold more less if you can OC it to 4.5. it should not be a problem and will get you a bit of time. You may buy aftermarket cooler that will also work on AM4.
http://www.overclock.net/forum/10-amd-cpus/1382278-need-help-overclocking-amd-fx-4300-a.html
but don't invest $ into this build. Any resonable CPU upgrade is to ryzen, and you need cpu, mobo, ram.
If you cannot get her the card:

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2400G 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($158.90 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Newegg Business)
Memory: Team - Dark 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($150.98 @ Newegg Business)
Total: $369.87
it will perform better than her current, and should be good base for further work.

 

[kanarigaming]

you can try to OC. FX-4300 will hold more less if you can OC it to 4.5. it should not be a problem and will get you a bit of time. You may buy aftermarket cooler that will also work on AM4.
http://www.overclock.net/forum/10-amd-cpus/1382278-need-help-overclocking-amd-fx-4300-a.html
but don't invest $ into this build. Any resonable CPU upgrade is to ryzen, and you need cpu, mobo, ram.
If you cannot get her the card:

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2400G 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($158.90 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Newegg Business)
Memory: Team - Dark 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($150.98 @ Newegg Business)
Total: $369.87
it will perform better than her current, and should be good base for further work.

ty. this is better info tbh. Although another big issue is if i do a full upgrade, I would have to build it myself since she doesnt know squatt. She has only done simple task like adding ram. Having her do the motherboard and put everything back together is gonna be a pain for her. Also we live nowhere close to each other, since we are long distance gaming friends