What should i upgrade on my computer??

[zurzz54]

Hey i would like to run games at higher fps on high settings these our my current pc specs ram:16gb Proc: AMD fx -4300 quad core video card : Amd r7 200 series

 

[okcnaline]

The CPU and GPU. Sell the 16GB kit, get 8 GB, then do the upgrades.

 

[Gam3r01]

What is your budget?
You have more ram than needed, as well as a weak processor and graphics card.

 

[zurzz54]

my budget isn't very much any graphics card you would recommend ? probably about 200-400 bucks is it even worth upgrading or should i buy a new pc

 

[okcnaline]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Pentium G3258 3.2GHz Dual-Core Processor ($62.99 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($71.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 270 2GB Dual-X Video Card ($139.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $274.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-02-25 22:09 EST-0500

 

[geofelt]

My stock answer for starters:
To help clarify your CPU/GPU options, run these two tests:

a) Run your games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

b) Limit your cpu, either by reducing the OC, or, in windows power management, limit the maximum cpu% to something like 70%.
Go to control panel/power options/change plan settings/change advanced power settings/processor power management/maximum processor state/
This will simulate what a lack of cpu power will do.
Conversely what a 30% improvement in core speed might do.

You could also experiment with removing one core. You can do this in the windows msconfig boot advanced options option. set the number of processors to less than you have.
This will tell you how sensitive your games are to the benefits of many cores.

If your FPS drops significantly, it is an indicator that your cpu is the limiting factor, and a cpu upgrade is in order.

It is possible that both tests are positive, indicating that you have a well balanced system, and both cpu and gpu need to be upgraded to get better gaming FPS.

My guess... you have a relatively balanced system needing both cpu and gpu .

 

[zurzz54]

i ran the tests geofelt posted and the fps stays about the same when i lower the cpu performance so i think im gonna buy a graphics card for now and just see what that does thank you very much for the help and replies so far any graphic cards yuou would recomend to give me the most bang for my buck ? is 2gb video card enough ?

 

[iam2thecrowe]

a better gpu will give the most increase in fps in games, i would just do that, and see how you like the performance. something like a r9 270x or gtx760 would be ok paired with that cpu, any higher and you wont see the gains without a cpu upgrade. The cpu isnt as bad as people are saying it is, its comparable to one of the lower end i3's, which are good enough to get you 40-60fps in all but the most demanding games. Some very demanding games might bog down to 25-30 at the worst of times.

 

[geofelt]

i ran the tests geofelt posted and the fps stays about the same when i lower the cpu performance so i think im gonna buy a graphics card for now and just see what that does thank you very much for the help and replies so far any graphic cards yuou would recomend to give me the most bang for my buck ? is 2gb video card enough ?

Your budget of $200-$400 will buy you a very strong graphics card.
One limitation might be the capability of your current power supply.
Here is a chart to help with that:
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm
The newer gen nvidia Maxwell cards are particularly low power.
I might think a GTX960 at $200 or a GTX970 at $330 would be very good.
Similarly performing AMD cards may cost a bit less, but will need more power and cooling.
Do not be concerned about vram. 2gb is more than enough.
The GTX970 3.5 vs 4,0 vram issue is silly and just a lawyer money grab.
The GTX970 performance speaks for itself.
Here is a report on the performance difference between 2gb and 4gb. (spoiler... virtually no difference)
http://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Video-Card-Performance-2GB-vs-4GB-Memory-154/

 

[iam2thecrowe]

i ran the tests geofelt posted and the fps stays about the same when i lower the cpu performance so i think im gonna buy a graphics card for now and just see what that does thank you very much for the help and replies so far any graphic cards yuou would recomend to give me the most bang for my buck ? is 2gb video card enough ?

Your budget of $200-$400 will buy you a very strong graphics card.
One limitation might be the capability of your current power supply.
Here is a chart to help with that:
http://www.realhardtechx.com/index_archivos/Page362.htm
The newer gen nvidia Maxwell cards are particularly low power.
I might think a GTX960 at $200 or a GTX970 at $330 would be very good.
Similarly performing AMD cards may cost a bit less, but will need more power and cooling.
Do not be concerned about vram. 2gb is more than enough.
The GTX970 3.5 vs 4,0 vram issue is silly and just a lawyer money grab.
The GTX970 performance speaks for itself.
Here is a report on the performance difference between 2gb and 4gb. (spoiler... virtually no difference)
http://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/Video-Card-Performance-2GB-vs-4GB-Memory-154/

i think pairing a 970 with that cpu would be no more benefit than a 770 or 960 or r9 280, as it would be cpu bottlenecked, it would just be a waste of money. Sticking to a mid-tier gpu would be best unless something like an 8350 can be accomodated into the budget as well, even that would bottleneck the 970 in many games.