Should I upgrade my CPU or get a new mobo/cpu entirely?

[tsizzle98]

Recently, I upgraded my GPU from a 2 GB Radeon HD 7850 Turbo to a AMD Radeon R9 390.

My motherboard is a MSI B75A-G43. I currently have a i3 3220, and according to the following page, the best upgrade I could do is a i7 3770, without getting a new motherboard.

http://processormatch.intel.com/Processors/CompatibleProcessors?componentName=B75A-G43

I play Fallout 4 and GTA V at around 30 fps at medium/high settings on 1080p. Given the strength of my graphics card, this isn't acceptable for me. I'd like to push my fps higher without sacrificing settings too much.

My options are to spend ~$200 on a used i7 3770, or to flat out get a new motherboard and cpu. Would upgrading to the i7 3770 give me any measurable boost, or should I just bite the bullet and upgrade my board/cpu entirely to a 4th or 5th gen intel cpu? Given what the minimum/recommended requirements for Fallout 4 and GTA V are, I feel that the i7 3770 might not be enough.

I'm not rolling in cash at the moment. Come April/May, that will change. I'd like to have a PC that will be able to run games well into the future (2-4 years). I feel like an idiot buying the R9 390...compared to the 7850 HD, it felt like a marginal increase in performance. I have a bad-ass graphics card now, I want to take advantage of it.

I know I'll have to upgrade my motherboard/cpu at some point in the future - should I get the i7-3770, or should I make the big upgrade now, given what I want (higher fps in GTA, Fallout)?

 

[Tradesman1]

A 3770 or even 3570 would be a good upgrade, if in the budget I'd look to a Haswell (Z97 and 4670K)

 

[JQB45]

I agree with Tradesman1, the 3770 or 3570 are both good upgrades to your computer.

 

[CTurbo]

ANY 3rd gen i5, i7, or Xeon e3-1230v2 would be a good upgrade. I don't see any reason to get a new motherboard.

 

[tsizzle98]

ANY 3rd gen i5, i7, or Xeon e3-1230v2 would be a good upgrade. I don't see any reason to get a new motherboard.

When I bought my R9 390, I got it under the assumption that I would be able to play most games at medium/high settings at around 40-60 fps. I didn't think that was asking too much. That, however, hasn't quite been the reality. Can I assume you guys are saying the 3770 upgrade is a for-sure way to get a NOTICEABLE fps boost (+10, 20 fps) in all of my games? Or is talking about this in terms of "fps increases" asking too much?

Christ, I thought the i3 I bought 2 years ago would get me well into 2017...I thought GPUs were all that mattered. I was dead wrong.

I don't want to spend another $200 on a processor just to find out that I got a 5 fps boost in GTA. I'd really like to get comfortable in these games, and be able to play some future titles at acceptable levels.

I guess what I'm trying to ask is, what kind of performance boost can I expect with what you guys are suggesting?

Also, I don't mean to sound distrusting, cynical, or hostile. I really appreciate the advice and help you guys have given.

 

[JQB45]

Here is a benchmark comparison of the i3-3220, i5-3570 and i7-3770

=1472&cmp[]=827&cmp[]=896]http://cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=1472&cmp[]=827&cmp[]=896

*make sure you copy the entire link.

Pay close attention to the single threaded score, you can see that the i5 and i7 are close and the i3 is quite a bit slower.
Multithreading is important in games like GTA V and a few others that support it.

 

[CTurbo]

An i5 or i7 will only give you a small fps increase in games that run on 2 cores or less, but for multi threaded games, you'll see the 10-20fps increase you are looking for.

 

[CTurbo]

An i5 or i7 will only give you a small fps increase in games that run on 2 cores or less, but for multi threaded games, you'll see the 10-20fps increase you are looking for.

 

[tsizzle98]

Here is a benchmark comparison of the i3-3220, i5-3570 and i7-3770

=1472&cmp[]=827&cmp[]=896]http://cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=1472&cmp[]=827&cmp[]=896

*make sure you copy the entire link.

Pay close attention to the single threaded score, you can see that the i5 and i7 are close and the i3 is quite a bit slower.
Multithreading is important in games like GTA V and a few others that support it.

Thanks for the reply. I'll keep the thread open for the rest of the day to see if anyone else replies. Any other recommendations are welcome. I'd also like to know if getting an even better mobo/cpu would get me an even better result, like the 4670k Tradesman1 suggested.

 

[synphul]

According to this benchmark of fallout4 you should be able to reach 60fps avg with an r9 390 at 1080p (high). Ultra will drop the fps a good chunk.
http://www.maximumpc.com/benchmarked-fallout-4/#page-2

Another comparison showing what happens with the gpu is a gtx 980 at 1080p (placing all the difference on the cpu). 15-20fps improvement with an i5 over i3. An i7 does offer more performance over the i5 in fo4, provided you have a monitor running over 60hz (120hz, 144hz). You'd also need to modify the game files to get rid of the 60fps cap built in, but there can be side effects.
http://www.gamersnexus.net/game-bench/2182-fallout-4-cpu-benchmark-huge-performance-difference

i3's aren't bad cpu's, they handle most basic pc tasks and do fairly well at gaming. Although there's a reason they're around $100-120 while i5's are $200-230 and i7's are upwards of $300. AAA game titles aren't likely to run smooth as silk all the time on high/max settings on essentially a budget cpu.