Question Upgrade GPU or CPU and Motherboard?

[BigPapaNate]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to upgrade certain components and seeking insight. My current system is:
CPU: Intel i7-7700k @4.20 GHz
Motherboard: MSI Z270-A PRO
GPU: GTX 1070
RAM: 16 gb 2133 MHz
PSU: Corsair RM850x

My budget is $500. I mainly use my system to game and I'm deciding to either upgrade my GPU or CPU and motherboard.

• Which component(s) do you think will result in a more noticeable impact in performance?
• With either upgrade, should I purchase new RAM?
• Considering that my current CPU cooler is a CyberPowerPC cooler from a pre-built, should I purchase a new CPU cooler if I choose to upgrade my CPU?
• What are good ways to benchmark and measure performance in games?
• Lastly, any recommendations for component upgrades?

If you need any additional information, please let me know. Thanks.

 

[Lafong]

If you choose to upgrade the GPU, how long would that delay your next upgrade of motherboard/CPU....which might cost another 500?

6 months? 3 years?

I doubt if I'd upgrade the RAM unless I upgraded the CPU/motherboard combination.

What games and at what settings?

 

[dark_globe]

if you want immediate increase in gaming performance gpu change will help you ,
however your processor is outdated and basically on par with 10th gen i3 in terms of overall performance .
it will bottleneck more powerful graphics cards .
maybe get second hand rtx 2060 super - they go really cheap these days .

second and better option (in a long term) would be to change your cpu , motherboard and buy faster RAM and upgrade your gpu down the road .
for 500 you can get 13600kf and Z790 chipset motherboard .

 

[ohio_buckeye]

I think I’d consider something like an i5 12400, b660 board and 16gb of ram. I’d guess that would leave about 180 for a card. You might be able to squeeze a used 5700xt out of what’s left. You could also pick up an i3 12100 and upgrade to a 13th gen cpu later.

 

[Ar558]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to upgrade certain components and seeking insight. My current system is:
CPU: Intel i7-7700k @4.20 GHz
Motherboard: MSI Z270-A PRO
GPU: GTX 1070
RAM: 16 gb 2133 MHz
PSU: Corsair RM850x

My budget is $500. I mainly use my system to game and I'm deciding to either upgrade my GPU or CPU and motherboard.

• Which component(s) do you think will result in a more noticeable impact in performance?
• With either upgrade, should I purchase new RAM?
• Considering that my current CPU cooler is a CyberPowerPC cooler from a pre-built, should I purchase a new CPU cooler if I choose to upgrade my CPU?
• What are good ways to benchmark and measure performance in games?
• Lastly, any recommendations for component upgrades?

If you need any additional information, please let me know. Thanks.

I would suggest that the GTX1070 is still pretty good if you are gaming at 1080p. I would probably spend my money on new CPU, Mobo and RAM. Here is a suggestion

PCPartPicker Part List: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/8Ghzfv

CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor ($244.98 @ Newegg)
Motherboard: Asus PRIME B660-PLUS D4 ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Force Vulcan Z 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3600 CL18 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $464.96
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2022-12-25 20:03 EST-0500

 

[BigPapaNate]

If you choose to upgrade the GPU, how long would that delay your next upgrade of motherboard/CPU....which might cost another 500?

6 months? 3 years?

I doubt if I'd upgrade the RAM unless I upgraded the CPU/motherboard combination.

What games and at what settings?

If I upgrade now, I may look to upgrade again within 6-9 months. I game at 1080p and play a variety of games, such as Tarkov, KSP, Hell Let Loose, Arma 3, Rust, and Deep Rock, to name a few.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

If I upgrade now, I may look to upgrade again within 6-9 months. I game at 1080p and play a variety of games, such as Tarkov, KSP, Hell Let Loose, Arma 3, Rust, and Deep Rock, to name a few.

In that case I would suggest to go ahead and upgrade the platform now. I would be inclined to look at the 13600k. You could pick up a a 6 series board but you’d need one with some kind of bios flashback option so you could update the bios without a 12th generation cpu.

You could also look at the amd side. If you are in the USA do you have a microcenter near you? If so, and you purchase a ryzen 7700x for 350, they will give you a 32gb kit of ddr5 6000 ram, at least that is the ad. I think they also knock 20 off a compatible board.

Between the 2 the Intel might be slightly faster today but traditionally amd platforms have better longevity. IE say in 2024 or 2025 you are more likely to be able to do a bios update and drop in a new cpu at that time vs Intel which will typically require you to upgrade the cpu and motherboard. For example I’m still on a b350 board from 2017-18 that I’ve installed 32gb ram on, and updated the bios and have a 5800x installed. I had enough to get an rtx 3080 so I’ll probably keep using this platform until next Christmas and see what new stuff is out then.

Anyway since you intend to update later in the year, your 1070 is equivalent to a a gtx 1660 super or ti. So you may save up your money and upgrade the gpu after 6-9 months like you mentioned. At least the advantage is you’re giving nvidia and amd time to release newer cards that are lower in the stack like the 4070 or maybe 4060 for example.

 

[dark_globe]

6-9 months is not a long time so as others already mentioned you should upgrade your platform first and change your graphics card after said time .
gtx 1070 is still decent card for 1080p gaming and will serve you for another few months .