PC Upgrade Suggestions?

[DaTruPotato]

Hi i built my own PC Christmas of last year and this year i am looking to make some upgrades. The computer runs great but i would like to have better frame rates and be able to run my computer at higher quality in games. I have already upgraded my computer by adding an SSD drive but i am not sure which is more important tot upgrade next. I have roughly $400 for upgrades so any suggestions would be great. Thanks in advance.

PC Specs:
Motherboard- MSI Z97 PC Mate
CPU- Intel i5-4690k Devil's Canyon Quad Core 3.5 GHz
GPU- GIGABYTE Radeon R9 380 GDDR5 2Gb
Ram- G Skill x Series 8Gb(2x4)
HDD- Seadate Barracuda 1TB 7200rpm 64Mb Cache
SSD- King Dian 240Gb S400XT
Case- Thermaltake CA-1B1 SPCC ATX Midtower
CPU Cooler- Intel Core i3/i5/i7 Socket 1150/1155/1156 4-Pin Connector CPU Cooler With Aluminum Heatsink & 3.5" Fan For Desktop PC Computer
PSU- EVGA 500W

 

[misteriosly]

What is your PSU and CPU cooling ?

 

[FrEaKii]

The SSD already was a good choice it speeds up loading times.
For the rest of the system I would recommend a new graphics card e.g. GTX1070.
The CPU should still be capable of running even new games just fine.

 

[timeconsumer]

To increase your FPS you'll be best served by upgrading to a better GPU.

If you are playing at 1080p 60Hz I would opt for a GTX 1060 6gb or a RX 480. Either option will still leave a lot of money from your budget saved, perhaps put some towards another 8gb of memory.

If you are playing at 1440p or 144Hz 1080p then I would look to go big with a GTX 1070.

 

[DaTruPotato]

What is your PSU and CPU cooling ?

My CPU cooling came with my CPU. Its that cheap Intel one. My PSU is EVGA 500 W.

 

[DaTruPotato]

To increase your FPS you'll be best served by upgrading to a better GPU.

If you are playing at 1080p 60Hz I would opt for a GTX 1060 6gb or a RX 480. Either option will still leave a lot of money from your budget saved, perhaps put some towards another 8gb of memory.

If you are playing at 1440p or 144Hz 1080p then I would look to go big with a GTX 1070.

I usually play at 1080p but i have a 4k monitor so i will switch between both modes. Most of the time i am doing 1920x1080p.

 

[timeconsumer]

Yeah if you're mostly going to be playing in 1080p 60hz I would stick with a GTX 1060, put a little bit towards another 8gb of memory, and save the rest. a GTX 1070 won't be utilized a lot at that resolution, and will still not perform very well in 4k either.

 

[DaTruPotato]

Yeah if you're mostly going to be playing in 1080p 60hz I would stick with a GTX 1060, put a little bit towards another 8gb of memory, and save the rest. a GTX 1070 won't be utilized a lot at that resolution, and will still not perform very well in 4k either.

Which GTX 1060 should i get? i see there are multiple options

 

[game junky]

everyone above is giving good suggestions - FPS will only be impacted but a new video card. If you want to stick with AMD, you're looking at a 480 or a Fury unless you want to wait for next year's cards. I personally prefer Nvidia - I would recommend a 6GB 1060 or to wait for the 2000 series early next year. Significant different in performance without having to go overboard on something like a 1070.

If you can hold on, I would wait for the next series because you will get more bang for your buck regardless of whether you are looking at AMD or Nvidia.

 

[DaTruPotato]

Now i only have a few follow up questions.
1. if i got the GTX 1060 what other upgrades could i do with the extra money?
2. Should i do the GTX 1060 or could i aslo do MSI Radeon RX 480 Crossfire?
3. With my parts is their a big difference between the GTX 1060 versus the GTX 1070?

 

[misteriosly]

Now i only have a few follow up questions.
1. if i got the GTX 1060 what other upgrades could i do with the extra money?
2. Should i do the GTX 1060 or could i aslo do MSI Radeon RX 480 Crossfire?
3. With my parts is their a big difference between the GTX 1060 versus the GTX 1070?

Tbh, it would be better for now to save money and change the CPU cooling, since this will give you a stable temps on the long go.
Sooner or later when you start loading your CPU@70% and higher you'll start throttling, which will definitely decrease your performance.
Also the CPU cooler may be suitable with socket 1151, in case you decide to upgrade in future.
What model is your evga PSU ? Probably with 500W you cant Crossfire rx480.

 

[timeconsumer]

Now i only have a few follow up questions.
1. if i got the GTX 1060 what other upgrades could i do with the extra money?
2. Should i do the GTX 1060 or could i aslo do MSI Radeon RX 480 Crossfire?
3. With my parts is their a big difference between the GTX 1060 versus the GTX 1070?

1) Maybe upgrade to 16gb of memory, get a CPU cooler like a Cryorig if you want to overclock in the future. Save the rest.
2) Crossfire isnt that great. Better to get a single GPU.
3) Your system can run either GPU without issue. However if you are only gaming at 1080p 60Hz then a 1070 is really overkill and won't be fully utilized. If you want to play 1080p 144Hz or 1440p then a 1070 makes sense.

 

[DaTruPotato]

Now i only have a few follow up questions.
1. if i got the GTX 1060 what other upgrades could i do with the extra money?
2. Should i do the GTX 1060 or could i aslo do MSI Radeon RX 480 Crossfire?
3. With my parts is their a big difference between the GTX 1060 versus the GTX 1070?

1) Maybe upgrade to 16gb of memory, get a CPU cooler like a Cryorig if you want to overclock in the future. Save the rest.
2) Crossfire isnt that great. Better to get a single GPU.
3) Your system can run either GPU without issue. However if you are only gaming at 1080p 60Hz then a 1070 is really overkill and won't be fully utilized. If you want to play 1080p 144Hz or 1440p then a 1070 makes sense.

So which GTX 1060 do you suggest?

 

[timeconsumer]

They're all pretty good. I tend to buy the cheapest GPU that meets these criteria:
1) Full sized (not a shorty ITX card)
2) Aftermarket cooler (non-blower style)
3) Made by a major and reputable manufacturer (EVGA, Gigabyte, Asus, MSI, etc)
4) Clocked at or above reference clocks
5) Doesn't have a bunch of terrible reviews

So in the case of the GTX 1060 6gb I ended up with the Gigabyte Windforce OC which was around $245 at the time I told my wife it was what she could get me for Christmas.