Gaming PC upgrade help / performance issues

[richting]

I would like to upgrade my PC, which was built in 2012, but don't know how to go about it, so any advice / suggestions would be apprecitated.

It currently doesn't deliver the gaming performance I am after: it can have dips in frame rate and slow loading textures in newer games like fallout4, farcry 4 etc. I upgraded my graphics card last year, which improved performance, but it still isn't great. Ideally to a budget of £200, but I'm open to suggestions if it's worth the money.

Here is my current build:

CPU: Intel Core i5 2500K
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z68AP-D3, Intel Z68
Memory: 8GB (2x4GB) Kingston DDR3 HyperX Ge
Storage: 1TB Western Digital WD1002FBYS RE3
Case: Antec 300
Optical Drive: Sony AD-5280S-0B 24x DVD±R, 12xDVD±
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 7 (OEM) (64-bit)
PSU: 620W Antec Neo Eco Modular PSU 82%E
GPU: AMD Radeon HD 7970 x edition

 

[RazerZ]

Which 79xx card do you have? What graphic settings are you playing at, and at what resolution?

 

[richting]

Which 79xx card do you have? What graphic settings are you playing at, and at what resolution?

Resolution: 1920 X 1080
Graphics settings: have tried all settings, most played on high but frame rate still lost when some games played on low settings
Graphics card: vtx3d amd Radeon hd 7970 x edition

 

[matthoward85]

TIER 1 FIX: SSD would probably give you the most bang for your buck... putting the OS on it along with the most used games. 850 EVO is downright affordable here in the states, and would be my recommendation.
TIER 2 FIX: Beyond that, your mobo supports Crossfire which would probably give you the uptick you are looking for.
TIER 3 FIX: You are a little light on memory. Should double.

 

[RazerZ]

TIER 1 FIX: SSD would probably give you the most bang for your buck... putting the OS on it along with the most used games. 850 EVO is downright affordable here in the states, and would be my recommendation.
TIER 2 FIX: Beyond that, your mobo supports Crossfire which would probably give you the uptick you are looking for.
TIER 3 FIX: You are a little light on memory. Should double.

I doubt any of those options would fix his problem since a SSD will affect boot/load times and not frame rate, crossfire would have low performance since the second PCI-E slot runs at x4 speed, and 8GB of ram is plenty for those games.

 

[RazerZ]

Which 79xx card do you have? What graphic settings are you playing at, and at what resolution?

Resolution: 1920 X 1080
Graphics settings: have tried all settings, most played on high but frame rate still lost when some games played on low settings
Graphics card: vtx3d amd Radeon hd 7970 x edition

Have you tried overclocking your CPU before and do you have an aftermarket cooler? Overclocking to 4.4Ghz or so would help raise your min fps. Also make sure you have the latest driver for your 7970 and that the CPU and GPU aren't overheating while gaming.

 

[richting]

[

Which 79xx card do you have? What graphic settings are you playing at, and at what resolution?

Resolution: 1920 X 1080
Graphics settings: have tried all settings, most played on high but frame rate still lost when some games played on low settings
Graphics card: vtx3d amd Radeon hd 7970 x edition

Have you tried overclocking your CPU before and do you have an aftermarket cooler? Overclocking to 4.4Ghz or so would help raise your min fps. Also make sure you have the latest driver for your 7970 and that the CPU and GPU aren't overheating while gaming.

I've not tried overclocking the CPU before, will try in now. I don't have an aftermarket cooler, but haven't had any over heating issues & the latest driver is installed.