[SOLVED] Quick question upgrading from a gtx960

[bigiron14]

Howdy. I've very green to pc building. Built my 1st one quite a few yrs back with an amd fx 6300 (6core 3.5 ghz) cpu, 8gb ram, 500w bronze power supply & a gtx 960 gpu. It's worked great for years. Trying to get into some newer multiplayer stuff with friends & it's pretty rough. Is just upgrading the gpu feasible? I hear a lot about "bottlenecking" ...If I'm not looking for anything but decent/budget, can I just slap in a gtx 1660 and be fine for awhile longer? Or is it better to start a whole new rig due to the older cpu/mobo/etc? Thank you kindly.

 

[Dj0gany]

Howdy. I've very green to pc building. Built my 1st one quite a few yrs back with an amd fx 6300 (6core 3.5 ghz) cpu, 8gb ram, 500w bronze power supply & a gtx 960 gpu. It's worked great for years. Trying to get into some newer multiplayer stuff with friends & it's pretty rough. Is just upgrading the gpu feasible? I hear a lot about "bottlenecking" ...If I'm not looking for anything but decent/budget, can I just slap in a gtx 1660 and be fine for awhile longer? Or is it better to start a whole new rig due to the older cpu/mobo/etc? Thank you kindly.

i would say start a new build.
Check this out: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ZyrXGc
Change the case if u want,but i think this is a perfect 1000$ budget gaming rig.
If u just upgraded the GPU it would be such a increase in fps and you wouldnt be so satisfied.This new build offers you nice upgrades in the future also (not the next 3000 nvidia gpus series cuz tomahawk max doesnt have pcie 4.0)

 

[bigiron14]

i would say start a new build.
Check this out: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/ZyrXGc
Change the case if u want,but i think this is a perfect 1000$ budget gaming rig.
If u just upgraded the GPU it would be such a increase in fps and you wouldnt be so satisfied.This new build offers you nice upgrades in the future also (not the next 3000 nvidia gpus series cuz tomahawk max doesnt have pcie 4.0)

Thanks for the quick reply & parts picker list, but $1k is off the table right now as I'm a student for the next year or so. I understand the "go big or go home" attitude, but I'm just looking to hang on for a few more yrs or so.

 

[Dj0gany]

Thanks for the quick reply & parts picker list, but $1k is off the table right now as I'm a student for the next year or so. I understand the "go big or go home" attitude, but I'm just looking to hang on for a few more yrs or so.

i honestly dont think your build will "hold well" in the next 1-2 years if you only upgrade the gpu.By hold well i mean play on 60fps+ with some high settings.Also if you want to stick with your build consider buying the same exact stick of 8gb,cuz 16gb is the sweet spot for gaming.So lets say you now have fx6300,16gb of ram.You want a better gpu so i would recommend RX 570-580 with 8GB of VRAM.Anything above that will cause the cpu to be a serious bootleneck.Now that i look at my suggestions,i am starting to think your build is going to hold well.Im sorry if you are having problems with the order of recommendations.Im more of a do now think later person.
So FINALLY your build:
FX 6300
unknowm mobo
16gb of ram
RX 570/580 with 8gb of vram
Now for the psu i would recommend something with 600W and a 80+ efficiency.
Check this out:https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categ...Supply-Units/cx-series-config/p/CP-9020121-NA

 

[bigiron14]

i honestly dont think your build will "hold well" in the next 1-2 years if you only upgrade the gpu.By hold well i mean play on 60fps+ with some high settings.Also if you want to stick with your build consider buying the same exact stick of 8gb,cuz 16gb is the sweet spot for gaming.So lets say you now have fx6300,16gb of ram.You want a better gpu so i would recommend RX 570-580 with 8GB of VRAM.Anything above that will cause the cpu to be a serious bootleneck.Now that i look at my suggestions,i am starting to think your build is going to hold well.Im sorry if you are having problems with the order of recommendations.Im more of a do now think later person.
So FINALLY your build:
FX 6300
unknowm mobo
16gb of ram
RX 570/580 with 8gb of vram
Now for the psu i would recommend something with 600W and a 80+ efficiency.
Check this out:https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categ...Supply-Units/cx-series-config/p/CP-9020121-NA

Thank you kindly for your time & suggestions.

 

[Dj0gany]

Thank you kindly for your time & suggestions.

no problem

 

[JadeHarley]

I can only accept what Djoza said, RX570/580 best choice with FX6300, ALSO you can go for RX470 actually, compare to gtx960 you will have 10-15% more performance. Light update I might say, can just chill and save money for major update, as people usually do

 

[King_V]

The good thing about the GPU and the PSU is that whatever you get can be carried over to a new system when you upgrade to a more modern platform.

So, while getting a GTX 1660 might be slightly overkill now, it'll be able to work to its full potential when you update to a modern platform in the future.

That said, a good quality PSU is very important. Take a look at the first link in my sig for recommendations.

 

[bigiron14]

I can only accept what Djoza said, RX570/580 best choice with FX6300, ALSO you can go for RX470 actually, compare to gtx960 you will have 10-15% more performance. Light update I might say, can just chill and save money for major update, as people usually do

10-15% sounds barely noticeable. I built this thing like 7 years ago, so I guess that's a good run. I just didn't want to accept the truth - haha. Time to save for a "major update" ...ty for the reply

 

[bigiron14]

The good thing about the GPU and the PSU is that whatever you get can be carried over to a new system when you upgrade to a more modern platform.

So, while getting a GTX 1660 might be slightly overkill now, it'll be able to work to its full potential when you update to a modern platform in the future.

That said, a good quality PSU is very important. Take a look at the first link in my sig for recommendations.

Good advice. I appreciate it! Will check those links...

 

[punkncat]

I have to say that before I would spend $200+ on a GPU upgrade for an FX, I would take my chances on the 960 with newer equipment, particularly if the 4GB version. I feel that the moment you buy anything better GPU wise you are going to find it wasn't the whole of what was holding you back. a 960 should still be able to turn ok frames low/mid settings at 1080 and jam up some 720. Even a lowly R3 1200 build would do an exceptional job of outperforming your current.

 

[bigiron14]

I have to say that before I would spend $200+ on a GPU upgrade for an FX, I would take my chances on the 960 with newer equipment, particularly if the 4GB version. I feel that the moment you buy anything better GPU wise you are going to find it wasn't the whole of what was holding you back. a 960 should still be able to turn ok frames low/mid settings at 1080 and jam up some 720. Even a lowly R3 1200 build would do an exceptional job of outperforming your current.

ah, I'm sorry I didn't mention it's the 2gb gtx960. Some new games like trials of mana that just came out look great & run fine. I've had many good yrs with the card & I don't mind running stuff on low/720/etc. But recently trying to get into modern warfare- it looks terrible & borderlines on unplayable. Being a novice I don't think I realized the importance of the cpu. I hear nothing but great things about ryzen. I think I read some new ones are coming out soon? I really appreciate your reply and advice.