PC upgrade, or put money in savings?

Greysonj

Reputable
Feb 24, 2014
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Hey guys,

I've recently come across some extra cash after my 14th birthday. $540, to be exact. I'm torn as to what do with it. I have 2 main options; put it towards college, or upgrade my PC. I have just enough to upgrade to a 4790k and a new mobo, and I am a very avid programmer. The extra CPU power would be extremely beneficial to me. Anyways, I figured the best way to express my conflict would be to list the pros and cons of each (in my opinion).

Put Money Towards College

Pros:
-Greater benefit in the future
-Parents will double it
-Every bit of money helps

Cons:
-No instant benefit

Put Money Towards PC

Pros:
-Instant benefit
-Faster render times when rendering video and 3D scenes
-Technology/programming is what I'm passionate about right now

Cons:
-No future benefit
-Less important than college


So as you can see, they will both benefit me, just at different times. I know a lot of you will say "nothing is more important than education," and I get that. But the PC upgrade should set me up (and keep me entertained!) for the next 3-4 years. Also, please know that I am extremely grateful to have the money to have make this decision in the first place!
 
Solution
I'm guessing your system is the one in the signature. If that is true save it. Your system is plenty fast for those tasks and currently upgrading from the FX-8350 to the 4790K will not improve your performance enough to justify the $500 spent on doing so. With that type of system I would say wait till DDR4 boards are common till you upgrade (Intel Skylake/AMD Zen micro architectures). If you need extra performance you could always up the clockspeed a bit if you haven't.

EDIT: edited due to noticing the non stock cooler
I'm guessing your system is the one in the signature. If that is true save it. Your system is plenty fast for those tasks and currently upgrading from the FX-8350 to the 4790K will not improve your performance enough to justify the $500 spent on doing so. With that type of system I would say wait till DDR4 boards are common till you upgrade (Intel Skylake/AMD Zen micro architectures). If you need extra performance you could always up the clockspeed a bit if you haven't.

EDIT: edited due to noticing the non stock cooler
 
Solution
FX8350
GTX770
8GB RAM
hmmm...
Basically, your rig does not need urgent upgrade for gaming and rendering.
I can only think of optional upgrades for now.
The best upgrade is an SSD.
Getting another 8GB RAM is also nice.
Another good upgrade path is to go for E3-1231V3 and a new mobo, while selling your current proc and mobo. (I would rather wait for the next gen tho')
Another possibility is getting a GTX970 and sell your GTX770.