Unsure of what to upgrade (CPU vs GPU/alternatives) based on my budget & current specs.

[LandauTST]

Hello, all. First I hope this is the right place to post this, but I'm in very much need of advice.

I've been saving money to upgrade my computer. I hope to have around $500, give or take, come December or January to do so. The purpose of the upgrade is gaming performance. Better resolution, FPS, etc. Before I go any farther, here are the relevant specs to my current PC:

• 
  Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-P55-UD3R
  CPU: Intel Core i5 750 @ 2.67GHz
  GPU: Radeon HD 7950 (MSI Twin Frozr III)
  PSU: Antec 650w

Originally, I just planned on upgrading my CPU and motherboard. Possible an i7 4790k, but even an AMD chip isn't out of the question.

But thoughts of getting a new GPU instead have also crossed my mind. The GTX 970's are a very good price for the performance. But my question is, with an older CPU, would it "hold back" the GPU in some way to where I'd be pretty much wasting my money until I finally upgrade my CPU and mobo first?

I've pretty much figured these out as my options:

1) Go full CPU and motherboard upgrade. Still debating on AMD vs Intel. If the FX-9590 chip dropped to $219 like I saw it reported a month ago, that would be tempting.

2) Buy a new GPU and either get water cooling for my current CPU and try to OC it, or buy either a new mobo or CPU along with it and save up to get whichever of those I don't get first. If end up getting a new CPU in addition to a GPU, however, my options would now be limited to AMD chips for the affordability + performance factor (8350, 8370, 9590).

3) Same as above only, instead of getting a brand new GPU all together, get another Radeon HD 7950, 7970 or a r9 280x and Crossfire it with my current card. This would also require getting a new PSU, though, as well.

4) Possible not going to happen but, if I can save up enough, just go all-out on a GTX 980. But of course I might not be able to pull that off. And it might not be a viable option either way since my CPU and mobo are aging.

As I said, I'm unsure of what the best thing to do would be and, because of that, my mind is all over the place with options on how to use my budget. So sorry for the long post but any advice would be GREATLY appreciated! Thank you!

 

[LandauTST]

Anyone? Hate to just bump this. I know it's frowned upon and asked not to do. Not sure what else to do, though, when I'm not getting any help no matter where on the web I'm asking for it. :/ Even my computer friends aren't really sure what I should do.

If anyone needs a TL;DR - Currently using an i5 750 @ 2.67Ghz and a Radeon HD 7950. Should I absolutely upgrade the CPU first or would I still see a good improvement if I just bought a new graphics card?

 

[Rapajez]

Honestly, are you struggling to play any games right now? That build is still pretty solid, so I don't know if dropping $500 on slightly newer equipment is worth it yet. I'd say save the $500, and wait for the 14nm CPUs (Skylake) and 20nm GPUs releasing late 2015. Shrinking down the manufacturing process like that usually brings big leaps in performance, vs the small incremantal bumps we get now.

Do you own an SSD? If not, grab a 256GB Samsung 840 EVO. Throw Windows, Your Games, and Apps on that thing, and notice how much faster your system feels. It won't buy you any FPS, (except games that load assets while you play), but loading times disappear, apps start instantly, and the system just feels more responsive. As a bonus, you can carry it to your next system build.

2) Likewise, you could buy a nice CPU cooler, OC, and carry that to your next build as well. If your case can fit it, I'd recommend a big quiet air cooler over a noisy CLC. The Noctua N14 is most people's go-to, whisper quiet and only 1 or 2 degrees hotter than a $100 noisy CLC. Or if you don't need as much, the CM Hyper 212 EVO is only $20-ish.

 

[logainofhades]

Given the time frame you are looking to buy, broadwell may be out by then. I would go with a new CPU/MB/ and maybe GPU and reuse everything else. Your GPU really isn't all that bad, but your CPU could start showing its age in newer titles.

 

[LandauTST]

Honestly, are you struggling to play any games right now? That build is still pretty solid, so I don't know if dropping $500 on slightly newer equipment is worth it yet. I'd say save the $500, and wait for the 14nm CPUs (Skylake) and 20nm GPUs releasing late 2015. Shrinking down the manufacturing process like that usually brings big leaps in performance, vs the small incremantal bumps we get now.

Do you own an SSD? If not, grab a 256GB Samsung 840 EVO. Throw Windows, Your Games, and Apps on that thing, and notice how much faster your system feels. It won't buy you any FPS, (except games that load assets while you play), but loading times disappear, apps start instantly, and the system just feels more responsive. As a bonus, you can carry it to your next system build.

2) Likewise, you could buy a nice CPU cooler, OC, and carry that to your next build as well. If your case can fit it, I'd recommend a big quiet air cooler over a noisy CLC. The Noctua N14 is most people's go-to, whisper quiet and only 1 or 2 degrees hotter than a $100 noisy CLC. Or if you don't need as much, the CM Hyper 212 EVO is only $20-ish.

First, thank you for all the advice!

I'm not struggling, no. Just wish the frames were a bit higher, though. In my opinion, the parts I'm looking into aren't exactly a "slight bump" higher, though.

And I steered clear of SSDs for a while, but everyone's telling me to get one now. Even if just to put the OS on one. But are they safe to actually play games on now? I know before people warned me doing that would kill a SSD off fast.

 

[Rapajez]

Absolutely they're safe. The days of worrying about SSD overuse are long gone. Unless you're an enterprise writting 100's of GB of logs to a drive every hour, you don't have much to worry about.

256 is a good target, as it gets you Windows, Your Apps and 10-15 AAA games or a ton of smaller/indy games. Anything lower is good for Windows, Apps, and a few choice games, but gets to be a pain to manage. That and larger capacity SSDs are inherently faster.

Samsung has some of the fastest, most reliable, and easiest to use software when it comes to SSDs right now. The 840 EVO series is a good bang for the buck, and the 850 Pro is the bleeding edge (not worth it for consumers IMHO).

I'm not saying a 7950 to a GTX 980 isn't a big leap, but it may not be worth your money. I'd OC what you have now and wait it out. Definately check out a SSD. You'll never go back.

Another out of the box suggestion: Check out a solid well-reviewed mechanical keyboard. Another PC essential that you can carry to a new build, and you'll never want to go back from.

 

[Rapajez]

You know what, I was thinking HD 7970. If you really want to drop the money now, and you're not happy with your FPS or detail level, a GTX 970 or 980 may be worth it for you. They're roughly double the performance at 1440p, but might not make as big of a difference at 1080p gaming:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1355?vs=1033

You definitely should go that route over the 2nd card CF. That would mean more heat, and a new PSU, as you mentioned, while the GTX 980 almost uses less power than the 7950.

The CPU may bottle-neck you in more CPU-bound games, but you can plan to upgrade that next.

On those notes, what games are you playing, and what resolution is your monitor?

 

[LandauTST]

You know what, I was thinking HD 7970. If you really want to drop the money now, and you're not happy with your FPS or detail level, a GTX 970 or 980 may be worth it for you. They're roughly double the performance at 1440p, but might not make as big of a difference at 1080p gaming:

http://www.anandtech.com/bench/product/1355?vs=1033

You definitely should go that route over the 2nd card CF. That would mean more heat, and a new PSU, as you mentioned, while the GTX 980 almost uses less power than the 7950.

The CPU may bottle-neck you in more CPU-bound games, but you can plan to upgrade that next.

On those notes, what games are you playing, and what resolution is your monitor?

My monitor is 1080p @ 60Hz.

Mainly Skyrim and some other games like the Bioshock series, Battlefield series, Dark Souls I & II, random horror games, etc. Being a fan of horror games, that's what started getting me anxious. They're saying The Evil Within will require an i7. Though I'm not entirely sure I'll be picking that up right away either way. Too many games that go ignored in my Steam library because I can't stop getting new games before trying the ones I already have. lol

 

[Rapajez]

I have the same problem with Steam. FYI, Steam will let you pick multiple install locations, so you can set one up on your SSD, for longer-loading or more-often-played games (Skyrim), and one up on your HDD for everything else. If you do get an SSD, you can also go through the Steam menu to do a backup of all your games/saves to your HDD. Then, when you install Windows & Steam on the SSD, you can restore that backup from the HDD.

I think you'll see the most bang-for-your-buck from the GPU jump. Especially from the games you listed. Battlefield and apparently this Evil Within are more CPU bound, but you can save up and deal with it then. You can also OC your CPU.