Upgrade advice needed

[vortex19609]

I'd like some advice... it's time to upgrade and I can only afford either a cpu/motherboard combo or a graphics card. I have a core 2 duo 6600 based system now, and a GTX 295 video card. I've actually been pretty impressed that the GTX 295 has handled most of what I've thrown at it until recently, but I'd like to play DX11 titles in all their glory. That's not the most important thing to me though, I'm just wondering which would give me more of a performance boost. Better CPU, or better GPU.

Either way, I'll be getting both this year, just wondering which I should start with.

 

[Trave]

Well if your saying the GTX 295 is still fine with todays games and such,you should probably go with the MoBo & CPU,well if you going for the GPU upgrade you will likely get a bottleneck from the C2D 6600 which will not use the GPU's full potential, So go for cpu/motherboard combo!!

Like everybody says "gameplay before graphics" right?

 

[d1rtydeedz]

Start with the better CPU, it won't be limited by your GPU. Just make sure to buy a mobo which will handle sli or crossfire in the brand you want so you can run it down the road.

 

[TheUnknownPC]

Get A new CPU/MotherBoard Because if you buy a new GPU it will cause "bottleneck"
Whats your budget on the CPU/Motherboard

 

[vortex19609]

Since I've already picked out what I plan to buy, I might as well post it for review Any advice is much appreciated.

GIGABYTE G1.Sniper Z5S LGA 1150 Intel Z87 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX
Intel Core i5-4670K Haswell 3.4GHz LGA 1150 84W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics BX80646I54670K
G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model F3-1600C9D-16GXM

Plus an aftermarket CPU cooler. My price point is ~$600. I plan on budgeting as much for a decent video card in the near future.

 

[Trave]

Nice build!Don't have any complain about it

 

[alienworkshop]

what? i know a guy running a pentium d with a good graphics card and he can play all the games on highest settings. it's your gpu probably. i would start with that. i don't think you need to upgrade your cpu. waste of money, better off spending it fully on a nice graphics card. and then later down the line if you REALLY need it, which you probably won't, you have the option to upgrade the cpu.

also, that 295 isn't that strong of a card, i'm surprised nobody said that yet.

at theunknownpc, no it won't bottleneck his system.

to the other posters, no it won't "bottleneck" his system, it's the graphics card. it's not a good card.

the graphics card is bottlenecking your system. start with the gpu. you won't see THAT much of an improvement with a better cpu. it's going to be neglible and compared to the improvement you can get with upgrading your graphics card.

 

[d1rtydeedz]

Looks good to me, you've picked a mobo which can handle both sli and crossfire. A smart choice for someone who hasn't decided on the graphics card yet. Get yourself a good cooler and overclock that puppy to 4.2 safely. A little messing around and you'll get higher.

 

[TheUnknownPC]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($30.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($195.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($92.04 @ NCIX US)
Total: $549.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-08 19:05 EST-0500)

8GB is more than enough for gaming

 

[vortex19609]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($229.99 @ NCIX US)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($30.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus Maximus VI Hero ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($195.99 @ Amazon)
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Pro 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($92.04 @ NCIX US)
Total: $549.00
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-08 19:05 EST-0500)

8GB is more than enough for gaming

Yeah, I was wondering about the amount of memory actually... 8gb is fine on my current rig. And also is something I can add in the future if I need it. Great point, and saves me a few bucks. You also picked the CPU cooler I was considering as well.

 

[Trave]

To the guy saying to get the GPU first(forget to quote)

He has a e6600 core 2 duo which is worser than mine and of course there will be bottleneck,of course getting a new gpu will have an improvement but that improvement isn't the full potential of the gpu because the cpu is holding it back. and if you benchmark a game you will see that the max and minimum fps is so different(minimum fps 20,maximum fps is 65)
This bottleneck problem will be a problem with CPU intensive games,I bet your friend is playing a GPU instensive one,

See the link below to get more idea about BOTTLENECK and some other things.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TwnekGgpdQ%20
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0quvkEOMIXM

 

[vortex19609]

what? i know a guy running a pentium d with a good graphics card and he can play all the games on highest settings. it's your gpu probably. i would start with that. i don't think you need to upgrade your cpu. waste of money, better off spending it fully on a nice graphics card. and then later down the line if you REALLY need it, which you probably won't, you have the option to upgrade the cpu.

also, that 295 isn't that strong of a card, i'm surprised nobody said that yet.

at theunknownpc, no it won't bottleneck his system.

to the other posters, no it won't "bottleneck" his system, it's the graphics card. it's not a good card.

the graphics card is bottlenecking your system. start with the gpu. you won't see THAT much of an improvement with a better cpu. it's going to be neglible and compared to the improvement you can get with upgrading your graphics card.

I have been quite surprised at how well it's held up over the years. It was the top of the line card when I bought it, and hasn't had too many problems running just about everything well until recently when I bought Assassins' Creed Black Flag. That game has me stuttering all over the place. Played Witcher 2 extremely well, and that was a pretty demanding game. In comparison specs it's not too bad actually, other than not being able to run DX11. maybe you'll be as surprised as me if you check it out. I really appreciate your advice though.

 

[vortex19609]

To the guy saying to get the GPU first(forget to quote)

He has a e6600 core 2 duo which is worser than mine and of course there will be bottleneck,of course getting a new gpu will have an improvement but that improvement isn't the full potential of the gpu because the cpu is holding it back. and if you benchmark a game you will see that the max and minimum fps is so different(minimum fps 20,maximum fps is 65)
This bottleneck problem will be a problem with CPU intensive games,I bet your friend is playing a GPU instensive one,

See the link below to get more idea about BOTTLENECK and some other things.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TwnekGgpdQ%20
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0quvkEOMIXM

Wow, those are some fantastic videos, thanks so much for posting them. Really explains a lot.

 

[Trave]

what? i know a guy running a pentium d with a good graphics card and he can play all the games on highest settings. it's your gpu probably. i would start with that. i don't think you need to upgrade your cpu. waste of money, better off spending it fully on a nice graphics card. and then later down the line if you REALLY need it, which you probably won't, you have the option to upgrade the cpu.

also, that 295 isn't that strong of a card, i'm surprised nobody said that yet.

at theunknownpc, no it won't bottleneck his system.

to the other posters, no it won't "bottleneck" his system, it's the graphics card. it's not a good card.

the graphics card is bottlenecking your system. start with the gpu. you won't see THAT much of an improvement with a better cpu. it's going to be neglible and compared to the improvement you can get with upgrading your graphics card.

I have been quite surprised at how well it's held up over the years. It was the top of the line card when I bought it, and hasn't had too many problems running just about everything well until recently when I bought Assassins' Creed Black Flag. That game has me stuttering all over the place. Played Witcher 2 extremely well, and that was a pretty demanding game. In comparison specs it's not too bad actually, other than not being able to run DX11. maybe you'll be as surprised as me if you check it out. I really appreciate your advice though.

For the AC4 problem check this out http://hothardware.com/News/Assassins-Creed-4-Bogs-Down-On-The-PC-Heres-How-To-Fix-It/

 

[Trave]

To the guy saying to get the GPU first(forget to quote)

He has a e6600 core 2 duo which is worser than mine and of course there will be bottleneck,of course getting a new gpu will have an improvement but that improvement isn't the full potential of the gpu because the cpu is holding it back. and if you benchmark a game you will see that the max and minimum fps is so different(minimum fps 20,maximum fps is 65)
This bottleneck problem will be a problem with CPU intensive games,I bet your friend is playing a GPU instensive one,

See the link below to get more idea about BOTTLENECK and some other things.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TwnekGgpdQ%20
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0quvkEOMIXM

Wow, those are some fantastic videos, thanks so much for posting them. Really explains a lot.

No problem!

 

[alienworkshop]

it's really not, that's a myth. and that graphics card isn't even good, it's shitty. and your making me laugh, he's talking about upgrading GRAPHICS cards, your making my statement more true then it already is. and a 30 percent increase is worth it. you got to look though, he's using a crappy graphics card. you still will see a GOOD increase in performance with a better graphics card and it doesn't matter if it's cpu bound, graphics matter more.

 

[vortex19609]

it's really not, that's a myth. and that graphics card isn't even good, it's shitty. and your making me laugh, he's talking about upgrading GRAPHICS cards, your making my statement more true then it already is. and a 30 percent increase is worth it. you got to look though, he's using a crappy graphics card. you still will see a GOOD increase in performance with a better graphics card and it doesn't matter if it's cpu bound, graphics matter more.

Actually, the videos posted above are supporting your argument... they suggest graphics card first, because there is a notable performance improvement, even on a system as old and decrepit as mine

 

[vortex19609]

Thanks all for your advice, I guess I have something to chew on now.

 

[alienworkshop]

to the original poster, np. well, i just checked out the benchmarks for your card and it appears it's WAY behind graphics cards that are good. i would suggest a graphics card upgrade first. if anything, you can overclock your e6600 if you feel the need to. again, i know a guy running a pentium d with a really good graphics card and he can play all the games on high settings. we both agreed maybe people like to keep things updated with their cpu and mobo.


also, something interesting that i found. why are graphics cards backwards compatible? makes more sales that way in older systems that need an upgrade for graphics without having to buy a new platform. i personally will be taking advantage of an example like this. i'm sure they did this for a good reason.

 

[alienworkshop]

to the original poster, yeah, i was saying that it's a myth to upgrade the cpu and that you have to have the latest settings. so yeah, there you go, it's your graphics card. and np.

 

[vortex19609]

For the AC4 problem check this out http://hothardware.com/News/Assassins-Creed-4-Bogs-Down-On-The-PC-Heres-How-To-Fix-It/

I have actually tried just about every "fix" out there for this game, and none of them are working. I get incredibly choppy performance in just about every "cutscene" (I know most if not all are rendered in-game), and out on the water I occasionally run into something that makes my game slow to a crawl. And it seems to have nothing to do with the graphics quality settings. I've turned everything to high, and it happens (granted the game does run a bit slower). Everything turned off, same thing. I think I've tried every tweak in the book, and I've used every possible v-sync setting. Frankly, most of the game runs just fine, but those moments make me want to rip out clumps of my hair in frustration. I've vowed to not play it again until I've upgraded. Sad thing is it's a great game.

 

[vortex19609]

Well, from first hand experience, I can say it works... I upgraded my video card to a gtx 780 and I can play AC4 just fine now. So a new card does work in an old pc. Good to know.