[SOLVED] Should i upgrade my Graphics card or just buy new computer

Mar 12, 2019
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Hey so i bet this question has been asked so many times but i was wondering if i should upgrade my graphics card, or just save to buy a new pc which i will have to save for a bit might be worth in the long run? my computer specs are below.

Gigabyte GA-797X-Gaming 3 Intel Z97
Intel Devil's Canyon Core i5 4690k
Noctua NH-U9S CPU Cooler
Corsair Vengeance 4gb x4
Evga gtx970 SC
Corsair Rm Series 750w


I play fps games mostly and a bit of wow ever now and then(ish). I have been playing a lot of rust recently but have terrible fps(40-50) and that's all the settings on low too. I would like to have the graphics higher and better fps while having semi decent computer for the future if possible. Iv had this computer for 4 years now and am not a super computer wizz on upgrading so any help on this would be appreciated.

Thanks Tay
 
Solution
It is safe to OC if it's not the original cooler - the original is a bit trash.
The cheapest thing is to buy a half decent cooler and OC it
Then if that is not enough to keep you up to date with games, consider a bigger upgrade like GPU, but remember, that this is an aging system and the only real upgrade is a new CPU/Mobo/RAM - but still you may need the new GPU as well.

My order of upgrade would be
OC with new heatsink
New GPU
If thats not enough, then its new computer plus the GPU you bought :)

maziech

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Feb 18, 2019
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If You upgrade to GTX 1070/1660ti You should notice a difference.

Next thing You can do is overclock CPU (if You haven't yet).

4cores/4threads on CPU might be an issue here, but it should keep up to 1660ti. I think this is as far as this setup goes.
 
It is safe to OC if it's not the original cooler - the original is a bit trash.
The cheapest thing is to buy a half decent cooler and OC it
Then if that is not enough to keep you up to date with games, consider a bigger upgrade like GPU, but remember, that this is an aging system and the only real upgrade is a new CPU/Mobo/RAM - but still you may need the new GPU as well.

My order of upgrade would be
OC with new heatsink
New GPU
If thats not enough, then its new computer plus the GPU you bought :)
 
Solution

maziech

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K series intel's are made for overclocking. Not overclocking it is a crime ;-)

All You need is:
  • Good CPU cooling (stock won't work).
  • Reasonable motherboard, which will allow You to overclock. I assume if You bought 4690K, You didn't pick the cheapest one. What's the model?
 

maziech

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Feb 18, 2019
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Yup, You're good to go.

Try to OC Your CPU first. Don't know how 4690K performs, but i think You should be good at 4.2-4.4 ghz.

You could use some presets in BIOS for that (i believe Your mobo has some) or You just need to read about how to do it (takes few hours to read and understand how to do stable OC).
What's important is to monitor the CPU stability and temps to check if it's not too hot on full load.

After CPU OC maybe You could achieve something like 60 fps instead of 50, without changing the card, i don't know.. You have to try it out.

also was going to pick up a gtx 1070 8gb Ftw for 430 which is 2nd hand but still under warranty for 2 years
Sounds reasonable.
 

maziech

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Humm... yes, it is pretty, it's a good brand. And that's basically all. Besides, it'a s bullsh@t.

It's Your money, but i wouldn't buy premade pc. Usually they are 20-70% more expensive than the parts they are made of. This thing at Your link is a great example of that...
There's ton of people at this forum, that will tell You what components to buy, to get the best PC for the budget. All You need to do is ask ;-)
 
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Mar 12, 2019
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so apply some new thermal paste and oc the cpu then install the graphics card. so after i do all this how long do you think it will be before the computer become irrelevant again roughly if you have a idea.

Thanks alot for all this help im pretty scrubby at IT so i appreciate this.
 

maziech

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Feb 18, 2019
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so apply some new thermal paste and oc the cpu then install the graphics card. so after i do all this how long do you think it will be before the computer become irrelevant again roughly if you have a idea.

Not for long. I'd say CPU will hold max 2-3 years. It already have problems with AAA titles.
Well, the most important thing is if it bothers You or not? If You notice, that the gameplay/detail levels are unacceptable for You, then it's the time to switch.
I'd wait for new Ryzens that will come up at the end of the year.
 
Last edited:

maziech

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Np, just remember about monitoring the temps 75C, max 80C should be OK. Get some 'hardware monitor' or other program to check and make sure You don't overheat it.
And use the forum if You need a new PC ;-)

Good luck.
 
Mar 12, 2019
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so update. I over clocked my cpu to 4.5ghz at 1.225 Vcore with restings temps at 35-40 and 100% max temps at 70c . Also upgraded my graphics card to the gtx 1070 rust runs a lot better but i realized that game is has terrible optimization hahah but happy with what i got again thanks. i will turn back on my cstates now and wont synthetic stress test hopefully that helps with my resting temps.

Thank you
 
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