I am looking to upgrade my PC. Advice?

[Arvid_1]

These are my current specs:
GPU: GTX 650 Ti Boost
CPU: Intel i5-3450 3.1 GHz
MB: Maximus 5 GENE
RAM: 8 GB

I game quite a lot and I'd like to play the next-gen games at high settings, for example I'm very excited to play The Witcher III, but my current gear just don't hold it.

So I was thinking of buying the GTX 970 or the 980, but I feel like the 980 is a bit expensive and the 970 is more in my range pricewise, but there are several different versions and I don't really know which one to buy or what to look after. Since the 970 is cheaper I think I can afford one of the best versions, any ideas which one to buy?.

I also guess upgrading to 16 GB RAM might be a good idea? If so, can I buy 8 gig more, or is it better to buy 16 GB straight off?

And I really lack the knowldge of processors. Don't really get the whole i5 vs i7 thing nor the naming system. So what processor would best fit the 970 (and the 1155 socket)?

(P.S. I'm not looking to overclock anything since I have no experience with it whatsoever.)

Feel free to tell me any other tips!

Thanks in advance!
/Arvid

 

[ak47jar3d]

The graphic card, as you stated, is the obvious need. I would take the gtx 970 or r9 390 as those cards are great performers for the price. The gtx 980 doesn't perform well enough to command such a large price tag. Verify that your power supply can deliver 500w for gtx 970. You won't gain much frames from getting more ram as even the most demanding one uses 6.5 gb.

 

[Arvid_1]

The graphic card, as you stated, is the obvious need. I would take the gtx 970 or r9 390 as those cards are great performers for the price. The gtx 980 doesn't perform well enough to command such a large price tag. Verify that your power supply can deliver 500w for gtx 970. You won't gain much frames from getting more ram as even the most demanding one uses 6.5 gb.

My PSU has 500W in total, is that enough? And for the different 970 versions, are there any big differences? And don't you think I need to upgrade my processor?

 

[ak47jar3d]

Assuming the power supply is of good quality, 500 w would be sufficient. You don't need a processor upgrade and the gtx 970s perform pretty similarly (I have tested 3 different ones). I would go for the Gigabyte g1 970 if available.

 

[Arvid_1]

Assuming the power supply is of good quality, 500 w would be sufficient. You don't need a processor upgrade and the gtx 970s perform pretty similarly (I have tested 3 different ones). I would go for the Gigabyte g1 970 if available.

Thanks so much for your answers. But do you have a motivation for the Gigabyte G1? Which ones did you test btw? It's between the Gigabyte and the MSI right now after some research. I've read that the MSI is quieter, but the G1 has more overclocking potential, which I'm not really interested in, although a bit cheaper.

 

[ak47jar3d]

I have tested the g1, Msi gold edition and Asus strix. The g1 was quieter, cooler and overclocked further than the other two making my recommendation moving forward. The difference isn't huge, but the g1 gets the edge. If it's poorly priced, the MSI cards will be second best and are great cards as well.

 

[Arvid_1]

I have tested the g1, Msi gold edition and Asus strix. The g1 was quieter, cooler and overclocked further than the other two making my recommendation moving forward. The difference isn't huge, but the g1 gets the edge. If it's poorly priced, the MSI cards will be second best and are great cards as well.

Ok, thanks for all the answers!