Need help on upgrading my PC.

[mikezomfg]

Hey, around 2-3 months ago I built this computer:

CPU: AMD FX-6300 3.5GHz 6-Core Processor (no OC)
CPU Cooler: Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo
Motherboard: Asus M5A99X EVO R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Sniper 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Storage 1: Kingston HyperX Fury 120GB Solid State Drive
Storage 2: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 280 3GB Dual-X Video Card
Case: Fractal Design Define R4 w/Window (Black Pearl) ATX Mid Tower Case
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 600W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply

I'm really enjoying the R9 280, it runs almost everything (except for ArmA 3) at Ultra with 60+ FPS. Despite that, i'm thinking of upgrading to an R9 290 because it has 4k and all that and i'd like to maximize my games and be safer for future generations of gaming.

My first question is, do I really need the upgrade yet? I mean, I play a lot of ArmA 3 and it runs fine at 60+ FPS on medium-high, which is fine by me, but I feel I could get a better experience out of the R9 290. Also, if newer games are coming out, I don't know if my 280 can run them with new graphics technology.

Secondly, will I need an upgrade on my CPU if I do decide to go with the 290? I've read various reviews that the FX-6300 won't bottleneck if I overclock it - but at the same time I read reviews that say I will need to upgrade to an 8350 - while at the same time other places read that the 8350 won't make a difference because of single core clock speed and all that. I've also read that Intel is the safest way but I already have the AM3+ mobo and I really don't have the money to switch CPU's and mobo's and basically I feel that I kind of screwed up. So, do I need to OC, or do I need a totally new CPU?


TL;DR:
1) Do I need to upgrade from 280 to 290 for future gaming?
2) Will the 6300 bottleneck a 290 with my build? If so, do I need overclocking or a whole new CPU?
3) Did I screw up by buying AM3+?

Thanks so much in advance.

 

[ninja85a]

lots of people will say you screwed up buying AM3+ i admit it wont get any new products so there for it is dead but they are still decent so i would check if you can overclock with that mobo if you can get the cooler master hyper evo 212 for around £30 and oc the fx 6300 and get the r9 290 its a great card and you wont be disappointed by it

 

[mrt3]

1. you dont need to upgrade to R9 290
2. the 6300 wont bottleneck a 290
3. You arent screw up by buying AM3+

the word future proof is not applicable for now-a-days components or hardware or parts

add these to your build:
CM hyper 212 evo
SSD if budget allows, if not then buy seagate SSHD instead of Western Digital Caviar Blue for ssd like performance
Get a better PSu

 

[quilciri]

A 290 wouldn't be a major upgrade over your 280. Don't worry about "future proofing" it's not a very useful concept in gaming PC's. Buy what you need now and a little ways in the future. Prices of PC components fall as time goes by. It's better to leave the capacity to upgrade if you're comfortable with building PC's.

Having said that, the r9 390/390x is due out soon. I would wait for reviews to come in on those cards before making a decision. Even if you don't get one of those, their arrival will trigger price drops on all other video cards. I do recommend overclocking the 6300. AMD's chips are great value if you intend to overclock, but more niche if you don't.

Cheers!

 

[GObonzo]

have been running FX8350 for over a year and it was a huge improvement over the temporary FX6350 it replaced (6350 was @ 4.4GHz, 8350 is @ 4.8GHz). FPS rose from 10-20fps depending on the game. yours is a lower quality version 6000 so you should see even more improvement with a good overclocked 8350.
my 8350 with my 4GB 770 have been maxing out every new game's settings near 60fps @ 2160\1440>1080p DSR. being limited to only 4GB vram some games report "low video memory" errors using their highest settings at high DSR resolutions. am currently waiting on a 8GB 290X to eliminate this problem.

a R9 280 isn't the best card out there now but should be doing you okay for a short while longer. i would seriously wait for the 300 series to be released and see how the prices fluctuate. the X versions of the AMD R series are quite an improvement over the non-X. if you really can't wait for the 300s then go with a R9 290X. or maybe a Geforce 970 if you are gaming in =\<1080p. mixing CPU and GPU manufacturers has never lead to a problem for me.

 

[mikezomfg]

Yeah, I somehow forgot to add my other parts; I have a HyperX 120GB SSD with my OS on it.
Also, I have a Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo so overclocking shouldn't be a problem.

What I got from these answers are that I should wait for the 300 series until buying anything, and overclocking my 6300 regardless? It's doing fine now apart from ArmA 3 as mentioned so I don't know.

 

[GObonzo]

Yeah, I somehow forgot to add my other parts; I have a HyperX 120GB SSD with my OS on it.
Also, I have a Coolermaster Hyper 212 Evo so overclocking shouldn't be a problem.

What I got from these answers are that I should wait for the 300 series until buying anything, and overclocking my 6300 regardless? It's doing fine now apart from ArmA 3 as mentioned so I don't know.

i would turn off Turbo and go for ~4.0GHz.

 

[quilciri]

Your 6300 is well balanced with the video card you have. What we're saying is that once you get a card that's significantly more powerful than the 280, the 6300 will need overclocking to keep balance.

 

[quilciri]

I thought it might help if I elaborated on why I don't like buying PC's components based on "future proofing".

I usually don't buy the absolute newest or strongest components. The pieces that have come down in price already hold value better. I sell my "old" components long before they're obsolete. If you hang on to a system (or components) for 5 years, they've lost most of their value.

I spend about $200 net each year on PC upgrades. For that amount, I'm currently running an I5 3570k, 8gb RAM, SLI GTX 670's, 2x Sandisk Extreme 120gb SSD's in raid 0, and 3xWD Red 3TB in raid 5 on a potalion 2560x1440 monitor with overlord PCB (OC'd to 108 hz)

For instance, I upgraded from HD 7850's I paid $180 each for to the 670's I have now. The GTX 700 series debuted mid 2013 and pushed prices down for all other cards. There was a sale at microcenter on zotac 670's for $200 each. I bought a pair and then sold the 7850's for $120 each for a net cost of $160.

Hope this helps!

 

[mikezomfg]

Your 6300 is well balanced with the video card you have. What we're saying is that once you get a card that's significantly more powerful than the 280, the 6300 will need overclocking to keep balance.

Alright, now what about my AMD question? Will I need a new CPU and inturn a new mobo in the future? Sorry if i'm asking too much..

 

[quilciri]

You'll have to be more specific than "the future". What time frame are you talking about?

Based on the leaked performance numbers of the 390X, a strong overclock on the 6300 will do just fine.

 

[mikezomfg]

You'll have to be more specific than "the future". What time frame are you talking about?

Based on the leaked performance numbers of the 390X, a strong overclock on the 6300 will do just fine.

That's what I meant, thanks.

Thank everyone who took the time out to answer, you've all been a great help!