Upgrading and looking for suggestions

[Lominator]

My current build:

Windows 7 Ultimate x64
AMD FX-8120 (Zambezi) 3.1ghz stock, OCed to 3.9ghz w/ Corsair liquid cooling
8gb Kingston Hyper-X RAM
ASUS M5A97 R2.0 motherboard
ASUS GTX 660
Kingston V200+ 120gb SSD (OS drive)
Seagate ST500D 500gb (data drive)

So, here's what's up. My GPU is on it's way to the grave. I've been very pleased with the performance it has given me for the last 3 years, however I know it's on the path to death. Screen tearing and other graphical glitches on games are my indicator.

So the GPU has to be replaced for sure. I want to minimize bottle necking as much as possible. I would LOVE to upgrade to a GTX 970 4gb card, but I've read that there can be lots of issues with my CPU.

Would it be more wise to go with an r9 290x 4gb instead? I've seen a few bundles on Newegg that have an FX 6300 and an r9 290x that are within my price range.

Primary usage: World of Warcraft (20m Mythic Raiding) and HEAVILY modded Skyrim.

I have about $450 to spend. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Again, a new GPU is a must, and a 4gb card would be optimal.

 

[Iamsoda]

My current build:

Windows 7 Ultimate x64
AMD FX-8120 (Zambezi) 3.1ghz stock, OCed to 3.9ghz w/ Corsair liquid cooling
8gb Kingston Hyper-X RAM
ASUS M5A97 R2.0 motherboard
ASUS GTX 660
Kingston V200+ 120gb SSD (OS drive)
Seagate ST500D 500gb (data drive)

So, here's what's up. My GPU is on it's way to the grave. I've been very pleased with the performance it has given me for the last 3 years, however I know it's on the path to death. Screen tearing and other graphical glitches on games are my indicator.

So the GPU has to be replaced for sure. I want to minimize bottle necking as much as possible. I would LOVE to upgrade to a GTX 970 4gb card, but I've read that there can be lots of issues with my CPU.

Would it be more wise to go with an r9 290x 4gb instead? I've seen a few bundles on Newegg that have an FX 6300 and an r9 290x that are within my price range.

Primary usage: World of Warcraft (20m Mythic Raiding) and HEAVILY modded Skyrim.

I have about $450 to spend. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Again, a new GPU is a must, and a 4gb card would be optimal.

AMD r9 290x would work great, however you failed to mention your PSU. Otherwise a gtx 970 (Be sure to read into the stutter issues) or the gtx 980 for $540.

 

[Lominator]

My PSU is a 750w Corsair. I don't think I'll have any issues there.

And on my CPU OC, it's been stable for going on 3 years, thanks to the cooling unit. I'm fairly sure my next upgrade will be replacing my motherboard and CPU, with possibly an FX 9000 series. I've had good performance from this bulldozer, despite multiple reviews of how terrible they are.

 

[Iamsoda]

My PSU is a 750w Corsair. I don't think I'll have any issues there.

And on my CPU OC, it's been stable for going on 3 years, thanks to the cooling unit. I'm fairly sure my next upgrade will be replacing my motherboard and CPU, with possibly an FX 9000 series. I've had good performance from this bulldozer, despite multiple reviews of how terrible they are.

Then get the amd r9 290x.