Question Should I upgrade my GPU or CPU?

[Sgt_Anarchy]

I have an XPS 8700 system that I rigged as a gaming computer with 32 GB of RAM, an Intel i7- 4770 3.40GHz processor, and an RX 570 4GB GPU. I like to play The Hunter: Call of the Wild, but it is only running at about 40 FPS on medium settings, so I figured I should upgrade some of my hardware. Both my GPU and CPU are running at 100% when I play this game, so I'm assuming that the GPU can't sufficiently do the job so it puts the rest of the load on the CPU, but I'm somewhat new to this kind of stuff including this forum so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[ELM2721]

The Gpu is the most important part in the pc when it comes to gaming performance . but that also depends on what GPU you planning to upgrade to . Your cpu is a bit old and it will be a bottleneck with some of the new powerful Gpus . for example I paired an outdated i5 7400 with rtx 2060 and it bottlenecked so hard . Are You thinking about a specific type of a gpu incase you want to upgrade?

 

[ConanLock]

What speed is the RAM, and are the sticks matched? This could actually be causing some of the problem if it is too slow and/or mismatched. GPU load doesn't typically get put onto the CPU, but rather the faster one would slow itself down to keep up with the slower one. In your case, with both at 100%, this suggests that they are both about equal, hence why I think it might be RAM. Other things to consider are: when was the last time your thermal paste was changed. Is your PSU enough for system (not just advertised watts, but amps, connectors etc too). Are the newest AMD graphics drivers installed.
As for what upgrade. I'd suggest the 1060 6GB, or RX 580 8GB. I doubt you'd be able to upgrade your CPU without a total new motherboard and RAM.

 

[TCA_ChinChin]

Agree with ConanLock, probably upgrade the GPU to something more powerful like an GTX-1060 or RX-580.

 

[TechyInAZ]

an RX 570 is quite close to a GTX 1060/RX580 so I don't understand why you'd upgrade to it.

OP, if you are experiencing literally 100% CPU load ALL the TIME in games, then you need to replace CPU, RAM, motherboard and GPU with a new stuff.

If not, then I'd say at least upgrade to a GTX 2060/Vega 56. Which should be a nice boost in gaming performance.

Or, if you can't afford everything all at once, upgrade the GPU first, then save money for a new Coffee Lake or Ryzen Matisse build.

 

[ELM2721]

If all what you eant is 1080P gaming. Then the gtx 1060 6GB will be a perfect card for you. Its powerful to run most games at 60 fps on very high-ultra settinga . And your cpu wouldnt bottleneck it that hard

 

[ELM2721]

I agree with Techyinaz . If you can upgrade all at once why not get a new Rtx 2060 with a new i7 or Ryzen