Should I upgrade my CPU or GPU first?

[wildjake4]

I can't imagine how many threads there are about this, but I was wondering what I should upgrade first, my GPU or CPU, I currently as of now have a GTX 750 Ti and an Intel i3 4170 at 3.70GHz

What I would preferably do is purchase a new GPU (I have one in mind and I am able to afford it)
the ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1060 AMP Edition 3GB, but then I'm worried that my processor will

1. explode and die
2. overheat too much (most likely)
3. bottleneck the gpu

So what's your guys' opinions?

 

[AlternativeFactsForPresident]

I'd prefer the explode and die option...

 

[AlternativeFactsForPresident]

Jokes aside, installing a new gpu is probably not going to change your cpu temps in most game.
The 750ti is still a very viable option for gaming, but the 4170 is very outdated.
I would recommend you upgrading your cpu first, but depending on your mobo chipset this might get expensive, if your mobo doesn't support 6th gen cpu's then i would recommend upgrading your mobo, cpu and ram all at once. This is the expensive solution, but it will give you way better options for upgrading in the future and also a significant performance boost. the cheapest solution would be to get a better cpu that supports your current mobo.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

if you want the biggest improvement right now, without updating the whole system, then the GPU is the place to start.

At 1080P your current CPU at 3.7 2c/4t will not bottleneck that GPU, unless it's really CPU intensive.: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Q7lIYRK5T0ABLvAkgbM_2jJGvbhlep27mR-eRcCy4FA/edit?usp=sharing

Getting a new CPU will have practically zero effect on your gaming FPS. You could also look at a 1050ti, which would be a great match with your current CPU.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Jokes aside, installing a new gpu is probably not going to change your cpu temps in most game.
The 750ti is still a very viable option for gaming, but the 4170 is very outdated.
I would recommend you upgrading your cpu first, but depending on your mobo chipset this might get expensive, if your mobo doesn't support 6th gen cpu's then i would recommend upgrading your mobo, cpu and ram all at once. This is the expensive solution, but it will give you way better options for upgrading in the future and also a significant performance boost. the cheapest solution would be to get a better cpu that supports your current mobo.

if the OP is upgrading to game, then there is no point upgrading the CPU. The FPS will remain roughly the same. The I3 4170 is very capable at 1080p with a decent GPU. The GPU is the key here, not the CPU.

 

[wildjake4]

Just letting everyone know that I do want gaming more than performance but I’m just not sure how many games are cpu bound nowadays, but yes I am mainly looking for higher frames and better quality

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Just letting everyone know that I do want gaming more than performance but I’m just not sure how many games are cpu bound nowadays, but yes I am mainly looking for higher frames and better quality

there are a few CPU intensive games. BF1, PUBG and newer AAA games. You may have to dial some setting back to maintain FPS. Things like AA, AF, post processing etc.

But for most other games, you will do fine. The 3gb 1060 will be much better than the 750ti. But in a year or two it will also have trouble with just 3gb vram. BF1 uses 3.1gbs @ 1080p @60hz with Ultra settings. So keep that in mind. The 3gb version works as well as the 6gb version, but is slightly a cut-down version with less CUDA cores and less vram obviously.

 

[wildjake4]

Alright that seems okay, and hopefully in a year or 2 I’ll be able to get a new processor too, such as an i5 or something, but thank you so much for the help

(I don’t know how to quote on my iPad because I’m new, sorry)

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Alright that seems okay, and hopefully in a year or 2 I’ll be able to get a new processor too, such as an i5 or something, but thank you so much for the help

(I don’t know how to quote on my iPad because I’m new, sorry)

Glad to have helped Happy gaming