What Should I Upgrade

[isaacjohnwildsmith]

CPU: AMD 8320
Ram: 8Gs @1600
Video card: AMD Radeon R9 290X 4Gig

Whats the best thing to upgrade here to see a decent performance boost. Was thinking to changing to an intel I5

 

[Gingerbread]

This by no means would be a decent performance boost, sure you will get some boost from going to i5 but it will be so insignificant that it is not worth to spend $400 on a new motherboard and CPU. Not to mention the 290x is an awesome gpu and can run just about anything.

 

[Rabmac]

If your motherboard supports it you could always get another GPU which matches the one you have and run them in Crossfire or just keep your money as you already have a pretty strong setup.

As Gingerbread pointed out you won't see a great improvement in getting a new CPU for gaming, this may not be true for every single title but it will for the vast majority of them. However, if you use your PC for CPU intensive tasks then you might see a noticeable difference by upgrading the CPU.

 

[isaacjohnwildsmith]

thanks guys, so you think i should cross fire a GPU? I have been having some issues with playing newer games at 60 FPS. If i do cross fire, what GPU do you guys recommend?

 

[Fredd001]

Consider:
1. Better Motherboard that supports higher ram frequency and ability to Overclock your current CPU to 4.5ghz or even 5.0ghz (with the right mobo and cooling)
2. Upgrade to at least 12 to 16GB 1866mhz RAM or even higher if you can.

That r9 290x will run anything on a single display. I had 2 r9 290s crossfired on 3 displays and it was great, so unless you are looking to have 3 displays, that one 290x should be enough for dayssss!
Im sure your PC can run anything, any game at great speeds, your just looking to have more fun i assume lol? OC you CPU and more ram and enjoy that GPU!

 

[SC_Alex10]

If I were you, I will go to an Intel Core i5 4670K because the AMD products like yours eat so much power and Intel has many supports on diff things but keep the R9 290X there