Need upgrade advice :)

[Timbo-Baggins]

Hello everyone, I am considering some upgrades but am unsure if a new rig is the better option. To be honest, i'm not even sure what parts need replacing but assume it's the CPU and possibly the GPU. I would like to upgrade both and, if possible. avoid the need for additional ram, power etc.
Current specs:
Teamgroup elite black 8GB ram DDR3
Sapphire Radeon r7 260x OC 2048mb GPU
AMD piledriver FX-4350 Quad core 4.2GHz CPU (AM3+ socket)
Antec Neo c 520w bronze power supply
I also have a 1TB hard drive and windows 7

I am quite new to this and hope I have provided enough info. I would like to only upgrade the CPU and GPU, is a few hundred pounds and no other upgrades realistic? Thank you for reading my question, any general advice would be welcomed
Running Dark Souls 3 at max is roughly my aim, currently running at 30-40fps on low and 1600x900 resolution instead of 1080

 

[DonkeyOatie]

Exactly what motherboard model? That will tell us what the best CPU you can handle is.

Your CPU is well below recommended, but your GPU is at least OK, so it's the CPU we should focus on first. With a new game like this, there is always the challenge of patches, bugs, and driver issues at release that give an distorted impression of performance.

To get max is going to require a complete rebuild of your computer, with a new CPU, very probably motherboard, and a new GPU. The rest of your system is stout enough to run this.

If the budget will allow, I'd want to drop in a SSD for OS and applications too.

 

[Timbo-Baggins]

Thanks for your help, my motherboard is an Asus M5A97 EVO R2.0

I can run some new games without problems and others awfully, I often struggle with huge open areas and entering new areas. Thanks again

 

[DonkeyOatie]

You have a good motherboard, so upgrading your CPU to a FX 83xx of some sort and overclocking it for even more performance is a viable option and will certainly save money.

These parts would be the 'budget' solution to your upgrade.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8370E 3.3GHz 8-Core Processor (£128.66 @ Amazon UK)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler (£26.49 @ Ebuyer)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4GB Superclocked Video Card (£153.99 @ Ebuyer)
Total: £309.14
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-15 15:04 BST+0100

and is about as good as you can go on the AMD path.

In comparison, a budget Intel system would look like this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£150.00 @ Novatech)
Motherboard: ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard (£73.92 @ Amazon UK)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4GB Superclocked Video Card (£153.99 @ Ebuyer)
Total: £377.91
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-15 15:05 BST+0100

And a current generation Intel system

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor (£162.99 @ Amazon UK)
Motherboard: ASRock H170M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard (£77.92 @ More Computers)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory (£38.12 @ More Computers)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 4GB Superclocked Video Card (£153.99 @ Ebuyer)
Total: £433.02
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-04-15 15:08 BST+0100

 

[Timbo-Baggins]

That's extremely useful, i think i'll check out the AMD option Thanks a lot for taking the time to do that