ToastedPotatoe :
So I have a i5-2500k with a GTX 960 right now and I have been looking for an upgrade for a while now.
I'm wondering if it's better to upgrade my cpu or graphics if I have a budget of ~$400 CAD. I've heard the best thing to do is to upgrade is the graphics card first for gaming but the 2500k is kinda old and I'm afraid it will bottleneck a better graphics card.
Also, what parts do you recommend for my current budget Graphics/CPU? (Playing on 1080p)
Thanks
I'd keep the i5-2500K and upgrade only the GPU - to a GTX 1060 6GB for less than $400, such as any of these examples:
MSI - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB GAMING X Video Card ($373.75 @ Vuugo)
Asus - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB Dual Video Card ($365.99 @ PC Canada)
Zotac - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB AMP! Edition Video Card ($359.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Your CPU can still cope with such powerful graphics card, esp. when the CPU is OC'd. Just an example, an i5-2500 (the less powerful non-K/non-OC'able version of your CPU), will perform like this with a GTX 1060 6GB on 1080p Ultra gaming:
[video="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DVC1O1OD3Y"][/video]
*Notice that in some games (Mordor, ROTR, et. al.) the non-K 2nd-gen i5 CPU can handle the GPU. However, in some games (BF1, COD, et. al.) the non-K i5 CPU reaches 100% before the GPU reaches its max. This will not be the case with your more powerful i5-2500K (which you can resolve by overclocking *or* decreasing slightly the in-game graphics settings).
Here's another example, this time your exact CPU i5-2500K (OC'd to 4.6GHz) + the GTX 1060 6GB on 1080p Ultra, playing Witcher 3:
[video="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA4wffI-sv0"][/video]
*Notice that both CPU and GPU are closing in at 100% at that setting.