Should I upgrade my GPU or my CPU + mobo + ram

[RamboKiller06]

Yo, so i've recently been looking to upgrade my pc. My issue is that I can't decide whether or not I should either; Upgrade my EVGA FTW 970 (which is only about 2 years old) to a gtx 1080, or whether I should upgrade my 4 year old i5 4570 to an i7 7700k - which would mean also upgrading my mobo to an asus prime z270-a , buying a new set of 16gb G skill. trident z rgb ram and purchasing a new dark rock 3 cpu cooler. If i do go the cpu route, I would also be able to purchase an m.2 ssd to replace by sata ssd. I want to buy all of them in the long run, but I will wait until next year (or perhaps before) to purchase the other part(s). The bottom line is that I don't know whether it'd be wise to purchase the new cpu/mobo/ram/cooler, only to see a marginal improvement in performance in games, bearing in mind the outdated-ness of the cpu etc... Or whether it'd be wiser to buy the 1080 now. Welp, thanks in advance anyhow.

 

[feelinfroggy777]

Have you considered getting a 4790k instead of going with a whole new CPU/RAM/Mobo? While the 7700k is the best gaming chip on the market, it is not that much better than a 4790k.

As for the GPU, what resolution do you play on? If you are playing at 1080p, the 1080 is overkill as your 970 is still a good card. Considering at 1080p the bottleneck moves to the CPU, getting a 1080 will not have as significant of an impact as you might think. If you are playing at 1440p or higher, then a 1080 really becomes a necessity.

So in the end, I would look for a good deal on a used 4790k and only consider the 1080 if you are playing at higher resolution.

 

[RamboKiller06]

Have you considered getting a 4790k instead of going with a whole new CPU/RAM/Mobo? While the 7700k is the best gaming chip on the market, it is not that much better than a 4790k.

As for the GPU, what resolution do you play on? If you are playing at 1080p, the 1080 is overkill as your 970 is still a good card. Considering at 1080p the bottleneck moves to the CPU, getting a 1080 will not have as significant of an impact as you might think. If you are playing at 1440p or higher, then a 1080 really becomes a necessity.

So in the end, I would look for a good deal on a used 4790k and only consider the 1080 if you are playing at higher resolution.

Yo, thanks for the reply. I have in the past actually looked at buying the 4790k, but the thing is, my mobo isn't particularly pleasing to the eye. I am going to buy a Phanteks Evolv tempered glass case as well, and I wanted parts that were more aesthetically pleasing, hence why I moved away from the idea of buying the 4790k. The new mobo would also mean I can use an m.2 ssd, because atm i feel like loading times of things like my os and browser etc are too slow.

But yes, i do only play games at 1080p, so if it is a better idea to upgrade my cpu, then that's probably what i'll do.

 

[feelinfroggy777]

I usually dont tell people to wait because something is always about to be released in the PC market. But this is a very interesting time for CPUs. Given Ryzen's success Intel is going to have to answer. The 8700k which will be released this year is looking like a very good chip and will be a nice jump compared to the 7700k as it is supposed to have 6 cores/12 threads. Intel is supposed to make an announcement on the 21st of August, so if I were you I would pay close attention to their announcement because I suspect the 8700k to be priced in the same area as the 7700k.

 

[RamboKiller06]

I usually dont tell people to wait because something is always about to be released in the PC market. But this is a very interesting time for CPUs. Given Ryzen's success Intel is going to have to answer. The 8700k which will be released this year is looking like a very good chip and will be a nice jump compared to the 7700k as it is supposed to have 6 cores/12 threads. Intel is supposed to make an announcement on the 21st of August, so if I were you I would pay close attention to their announcement because I suspect the 8700k to be priced in the same area as the 7700k.

Hmm ok that sounds pretty interesting. Luckily enough, I planned on buying stuff in a few weeks as well. Cheers for telling me.