Should I Upgrade Processor or MOBO First? ARMA III Optimisation

[conah10]

Specs:
GPU: ASUS GTX 750 Ti
CPU: AMD FX-4300 3.8GHz
PSU: Corsair VS 650
RAM: 8GB DDR3
MOBO: M5A78L M-USB3
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit SP1

I'm trying to improve ARMA III performance. Yes, I know that the game isn't very well optimised, and I know that the game is primarily Single-Core power intensive. Therefore i'm looking to upgrade the CPU both in cores, and in GHz. Alas, I have hit some problems...
I've had some problems with the current setup, which feels like the CPU is being bottlenecked.

However, this is only when playing rather intensive games anyway, but from reviews the FX 4300 is quite a good model. But other peers with the same CPU have also been advised to change the CPU for ARMA III specifically.

I have been looking at a few upgrades for a while, and have centered on either the FX 8350, or the 8370, both with a significant increase in all around performance, and within my price range of ~£160 or less.
But I also know that the motherboard is crappy, and I want an upgrade which is: AM3+, like the processors. And DDR3 for the RAM. And i also want OC capabilities, which the current one doesn't have, I could only spend <£100 on a MOBO upgrade. I haven't chosen which one to get.
What's your recommendations? CPU or MOBO? I could probably spend up to £200-£250 to get both, but only if the current MOBO is too weak for any better specs.

 

[core0]

Hey man, so before I upgraded to Ryzen 7, I used to run an 8350 with a decent $75 mobo (sry im using USD). So, the 8350 is a great CPU. I got all cores to run at a steady 4.7 GHz with that mobo. Even better, I had a 980 Ti SC paired with that CPU, and I felt no bottlenecking at all, so your 750 Ti should be fine. If you are overclocking, go with the 8350 + cheap AM3 board over the 8370. Pretty sure the boards support DDR4, just depends if you have the budget for it. If u have any questions, just ask me. I am in class so I couldn't read your whole post, but hope this helps.

 

[imsqam]

I actually advise against putting any significant amount of money into an AM3+ setup when for the same money you can get a new platform capable of OC with better performance at stock speeds. Here is what I would get with a comparison of the Ryzen 3 1200 vs the FX 8370 for CPU performance. By doing this you can upgrade to a faster CPU later if desired and your RAM will be much faster. For the RAM you will need to setup the XMP profile in the BIOS.
http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/AMD-FX-8370-vs-AMD-Ryzen-3-1200/2983vs3931

PCPartPicker part list: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/rYj4LD
Price breakdown by merchant: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/rYj4LD/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (£82.50 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (£69.88 @ Novatech)
Memory: Kingston - FURY 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2666 Memory (£84.36 @ More Computers)
Total: £236.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-02-01 14:00 GMT+0000

 

[conah10]

I actually advise against putting any significant amount of money into an AM3+ setup when for the same money you can get a new platform capable of OC with better performance at stock speeds. Here is what I would get with a comparison of the Ryzen 3 1200 vs the FX 8370 for CPU performance. By doing this you can upgrade to a faster CPU later if desired and your RAM will be much faster. For the RAM you will need to setup the XMP profile in the BIOS.
http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/AMD-FX-8370-vs-AMD-Ryzen-3-1200/2983vs3931

PCPartPicker part list: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/rYj4LD
Price breakdown by merchant: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/rYj4LD/by_merchant/

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 3 1200 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor (£82.50 @ Aria PC)
Motherboard: ASRock - AB350M Pro4 Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard (£69.88 @ Novatech)
Memory: Kingston - FURY 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2666 Memory (£84.36 @ More Computers)
Total: £236.74
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-02-01 14:00 GMT+0000

You've changed my mind; probably a good investment to upgrade the entire system to AM4/DDR4, as research seems to show it's better in every way. I'm also looking to get a good SSD to replace my old WB Blue 1TB. Ah well, I'll just have to manage for now, and start saving! Any suggestions on good value SSDs?

 

[imsqam]

Yeah, I think this is the best thing to do.

For storage what you want is SSD plus HDD. OS, programs and frequently accessed files on the SSD and larger files on the HDD. Just a warning too, once SSD's get past 75% full they start to slow down and will become slower than an HDD past 95% full. You do not need an enthusiast SSD, a mainstream one will be fast enough for you. Here are four suggestions, I often recommend the Crucial for its extra space and decent speeds. The price on m.2 version is pretty darn good but just make sure your mobo will support the m.2 interface. The PRO4 does support it.
https://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/AB350M%20Pro4/index.asp#Specification

The EVO is the fastest one in the bunch.
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/3kL7YJ,rrvZxr,KXkwrH,yVWrxr/