What should I upgrade ?

[Goulou]

Hi everyone, I am willing to upgrade either my CPU or my GPU :
GTX 960 4GB KFA2 OC
Intel i5-4440
(And my current motherboard is MSI H81M-P33, and I have 8Gb RAM DDR3)
And I was willing to upgrade not only one component which includes these, because if I am getting a new graphics card it'd be the GTX 1060 KFA2 6Gb version, and I'd buy a 144hz monitor (currently I have an old 1280x768 TV Screen :/ )
And if I am getting a new CPU it'd be the i7-7700k, but I'd buy with it a motherboard because mine doesn't support Kaby Lake (I was hesitating between the MSI Z270, and the Asrock B250M Pro4, which is 100$ cheaper).

So I am not so sure about which one I should upgrade first (and I don't know if it would be more inresting to get motherboard + new gpu + new screen, or whatever, so if anyone could help me out in this riddle it'd be great! )

 

[Nine Layer Nige]

Do you have a budget ?
Your monitor is the poorest bit, get an ultra-wide screen for gaming like mine. LG 34UC79G . Its fantastic.

 

[nikhathi]

Depends on what your aim is? Better gaming? Then...what games do you play? Are they more GPU intensive or CPU burdensome?

Do you just want to game + regular internet stuff or are you rendering video, streaming etc? Then an i7 is better than a GPU upgrade.

Do you just want more FPS in newer games? The 960 is still a decent card.

Difference between 144Hz and 60Hz is night and day, but gaming monitors aren't cheap.

 

[raisonjohn]

Hi everyone, I am willing to upgrade either my CPU or my GPU :
GTX 960 4GB KFA2 OC
Intel i5-4440
(And my current motherboard is MSI H81M-P33, and I have 8Gb RAM DDR3)
And I was willing to upgrade not only one component which includes these, because if I am getting a new graphics card it'd be the GTX 1060 KFA2 6Gb version, and I'd buy a 144hz monitor (currently I have an old 1280x768 TV Screen :/ )
And if I am getting a new CPU it'd be the i7-7700k, but I'd buy with it a motherboard because mine doesn't support Kaby Lake (I was hesitating between the MSI Z270, and the Asrock B250M Pro4, which is 100$ cheaper).

So I am not so sure about which one I should upgrade first (and I don't know if it would be more inresting to get motherboard + new gpu + new screen, or whatever, so if anyone could help me out in this riddle it'd be great! )

I would keep your current Haswell platform (CPU, MB, and RAM) and first upgrade your GPU + Monitor (to a GTX 1060-6GB and a 1080p/60Hz or higher refresh rate).

You can still maximize your platform's potential by upgrading its BIOS so that you can use an i7-4790 (Haswell-Refresh) CPU, which can pair well with more powerful GPUs such as a GTX 1070/1080/1080Ti. This will cost you less as you only have to buy a CPU (most probably a used CPU as costs for a new i7-4790 is not worth it), instead of overhauling your system by buying a new CPU + MB + RAMs (not to mention, the hassle of updating all your drivers, and possibly your OS).

For now, your i5-4440 will still be sufficient for a GTX 1060-6GB (except possibly in very high CPU-intensive games). A GTX 1060-6GB works well with a 1080p/60Hz monitor (but might struggle to reach higher fps in AAA gaming at Ultra Settings on a 1080p/144Hz). Though the monitor is one of the least components to be upgraded, it can be a logical choice to get a 1080p/144Hz, despite having a GTX 1060-6GB, so that if you upgrade your GPU in the future to a more powerful one, you already have a monitor that is capable of displaying more than 60fps in AAA games at ultra.

 

[Goulou]

Do you have a budget ?
Your monitor is the poorest bit, get an ultra-wide screen for gaming like mine. LG 34UC79G . Its fantastic.

Depends on what your aim is? Better gaming? Then...what games do you play? Are they more GPU intensive or CPU burdensome?

Do you just want to game + regular internet stuff or are you rendering video, streaming etc? Then an i7 is better than a GPU upgrade.

Do you just want more FPS in newer games? The 960 is still a decent card.

Difference between 144Hz and 60Hz is night and day, but gaming monitors aren't cheap.

For the moment I am willing to upgrade my setup to be able to play newer games with a better quality, and I eventually plan on working (because I am not working yet, still student) as a webmaster or so in the near future, but for the moment I'm doing good on Photoshop / Premiere etc.
So my aim atm would be to be able to play games with a better resolution than 1280x768
Also, my budget would be something between 500 and 700€ (but I'd prefer not going too far beyond 600 because I'd like to buy a new keyboard too, the K70 Lux)
Also, thanks for your reply !

 

[Goulou]

Hi everyone, I am willing to upgrade either my CPU or my GPU :
GTX 960 4GB KFA2 OC
Intel i5-4440
(And my current motherboard is MSI H81M-P33, and I have 8Gb RAM DDR3)
And I was willing to upgrade not only one component which includes these, because if I am getting a new graphics card it'd be the GTX 1060 KFA2 6Gb version, and I'd buy a 144hz monitor (currently I have an old 1280x768 TV Screen :/ )
And if I am getting a new CPU it'd be the i7-7700k, but I'd buy with it a motherboard because mine doesn't support Kaby Lake (I was hesitating between the MSI Z270, and the Asrock B250M Pro4, which is 100$ cheaper).

So I am not so sure about which one I should upgrade first (and I don't know if it would be more inresting to get motherboard + new gpu + new screen, or whatever, so if anyone could help me out in this riddle it'd be great! )

I would keep your current Haswell platform (CPU, MB, and RAM) and first upgrade your GPU + Monitor (to a GTX 1060-6GB and a 1080p/60Hz or higher refresh rate).

You can still maximize your platform's potential by upgrading its BIOS so that you can use an i7-4790 (Haswell-Refresh) CPU, which can pair well with more powerful GPUs such as a GTX 1070/1080/1080Ti. This will cost you less as you only have to buy a CPU (most probably a used CPU as costs for a new i7-4790 is not worth it), instead of overhauling your system by buying a new CPU + MB + RAMs (not to mention, the hassle of updating all your drivers, and possibly your OS).

For now, your i5-4440 will still be sufficient for a GTX 1060-6GB (except possibly in very high CPU-intensive games). A GTX 1060-6GB works well with a 1080p/60Hz monitor (but might struggle to reach higher fps in AAA gaming at Ultra Settings on a 1080p/144Hz). Though the monitor is one of the least components to be upgraded, it can be a logical choice to get a 1080p/144Hz, despite having a GTX 1060-6GB, so that if you upgrade your GPU in the future to a more powerful one, you already have a monitor that is capable of displaying more than 60fps in AAA games at ultra.

Thanks for the detailed answer, so are you telling me that I should get an i7-4790k? or should I just get a new monitor?
And it is smart to think of what I could and SHOULD update in the future so yeah, that's why for the moment I was just simply thinking about what I should get myself first, and most likely keep it for some time because I'd have to save up some money again haha
For the moment I think I could afford to upgrade my current setup for approximately between 500 and 600€ so if you would like to give me a clear answer about what YOU would have done it'd be helpful ^v^
And the problem is that gaming with a 1280x768 widescreen is a little bit bothersome because I can't get the best quality out of games in general :/

 

[Goulou]

Do you have a budget ?
Your monitor is the poorest bit, get an ultra-wide screen for gaming like mine. LG 34UC79G . Its fantastic.

Thanks for the reply, I agree on this point my monitor is just sooo bad :/
I could use it for a dual screen though
But the problem is that your monitor costs too much for me, I'd rather pick one that is something like 24inches and 144hz for the best experience in games like CS or LoL (not sure if I'll play LoL again someday though)
I found a BenQ Zowie for like 250€, 24inches 1080p and 144hz so I thought it'd be great if I bought this one

 

[Goulou]

I would keep your current Haswell platform (CPU, MB, and RAM) and first upgrade your GPU + Monitor (to a GTX 1060-6GB and a 1080p/60Hz or higher refresh rate).

You can still maximize your platform's potential by upgrading its BIOS so that you can use an i7-4790 (Haswell-Refresh) CPU, which can pair well with more powerful GPUs such as a GTX 1070/1080/1080Ti. This will cost you less as you only have to buy a CPU (most probably a used CPU as costs for a new i7-4790 is not worth it), instead of overhauling your system by buying a new CPU + MB + RAMs (not to mention, the hassle of updating all your drivers, and possibly your OS).

For now, your i5-4440 will still be sufficient for a GTX 1060-6GB (except possibly in very high CPU-intensive games). A GTX 1060-6GB works well with a 1080p/60Hz monitor (but might struggle to reach higher fps in AAA gaming at Ultra Settings on a 1080p/144Hz). Though the monitor is one of the least components to be upgraded, it can be a logical choice to get a 1080p/144Hz, despite having a GTX 1060-6GB, so that if you upgrade your GPU in the future to a more powerful one, you already have a monitor that is capable of displaying more than 60fps in AAA games at ultra.[/quotemsg]

Do you think I should get an i7-4790k and upgrade my BIOS, and buy a new graphics card or should I do something else?
I'm sorry but you gave just so much information that I think my brain wasn't ready haha x)

 

[raisonjohn]

I would upgrade the monitor + GPU first before upgrading your CPU. The i5-4440 can handle a GTX 1060-6GB (or an RX580) except in very CPU-demanding AAA games in ultra settings (which can easily be resolved by decreasing in-game graphics settings).

I would consider upgrading the i5-4440 to an i7-4790 (not the i7-4790K as your current motherboard doesn't support overclocking, so, it's not worth it to get a K CPU if you can't OC anyway), if and when specific games and applications is not going to cut it anymore with your i5-4440 + GTX 1060-6GB/RX 580 setup.

You mentioned in your other reply that your main goal atm is gaming, so, I would get a good 1080p monitor with higher refresh rates (possibly a sync technology for buttery smooth frame rates such as G-Sync in the case of an Nvidia GPU or the more affordable FreeSync in the case of an AMD GPU.)

Here's a suggested shopping list (cost for the GPU and Monitor is only €531.72, but I have included your K70 Lux in the mix in case you want an idea how much everything would cost):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: PowerColor - Radeon RX 580 8GB Red Devil Video Card (€294.78 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Monitor: AOC - G2460PF 24.0" 1920x1080 144Hz Monitor (€236.94 @ Mindfactory)
Keyboard: Corsair - K70 LUX RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard (€187.42 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Total: €719.14
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-07-21 13:11 CEST+0200

 

[Goulou]

I would upgrade the monitor + GPU first before upgrading your CPU. The i5-4440 can handle a GTX 1060-6GB (or an RX580) except in very CPU-demanding AAA games in ultra settings (which can easily be resolved by decreasing in-game graphics settings).

I would consider upgrading the i5-4440 to an i7-4790 (not the i7-4790K as your current motherboard doesn't support overclocking, so, it's not worth it to get a K CPU if you can't OC anyway), if and when specific games and applications is not going to cut it anymore with your i5-4440 + GTX 1060-6GB/RX 580 setup.

You mentioned in your other reply that your main goal atm is gaming, so, I would get a good 1080p monitor with higher refresh rates (possibly a sync technology for buttery smooth frame rates such as G-Sync in the case of an Nvidia GPU or the more affordable FreeSync in the case of an AMD GPU.)

Here's a suggested shopping list (cost for the GPU and Monitor is only €531.72, but I have included your K70 Lux in the mix in case you want an idea how much everything would cost):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Video Card: PowerColor - Radeon RX 580 8GB Red Devil Video Card (€294.78 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Monitor: AOC - G2460PF 24.0" 1920x1080 144Hz Monitor (€236.94 @ Mindfactory)
Keyboard: Corsair - K70 LUX RGB Wired Gaming Keyboard (€187.42 @ Amazon Deutschland)
Total: €719.14
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-07-21 13:11 CEST+0200

Oh well thank you very much again for the lots of information given!
If possible, I'd like to disturb you one more time and ask you what do you think about the 1060 4Gb OC and the RX 580 8Gb you mentioned, as I never used an AMD Radeon graphics card I don't know if this one is better than Nvidia's?
And if you think it is then thank you for also picking a nice monitor for the graphics card specifically (with the freesync)

 

[Goulou]

Never mind, I think the RX580 is great after all, just compared some specific stats
It seems to have more FPS in average in most games so that should be fine by me!
Thank you very much! 😉

 

[raisonjohn]

Oh well thank you very much again for the lots of information given!
If possible, I'd like to disturb you one more time and ask you what do you think about the 1060 4Gb OC and the RX 580 8Gb you mentioned, as I never used an AMD Radeon graphics card I don't know if this one is better than Nvidia's?
And if you think it is then thank you for also picking a nice monitor for the graphics card specifically (with the freesync)

Both GTX 1060-6GB and the RX 580 are top-of-the-line GPUs for 1080p resolution gaming. There's a minor difference in graphics performance between the two (http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Nvidia-GTX-1060-6GB-vs-AMD-RX-580/3639vs3923), and it will be game and driver specific as to which one offers slightly higher FPS than the other:
[video="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxPC6ydwcCE"][/video]

On a price/performance standpoint, the AMD FreeSync monitors (paired with an AMD GPU) cost way less than the Nvidia G-Sync monitors (paired with an Nvidia GPU). So, on a tight budget of 500-700 euros, it would be logical to get such AMD pairing to achieve the upgrade that you want, while still have remaining funds for other components/peripherals you wish to get.

 

[Goulou]

Thank you very very much for helping me out !!!
I think I'll do this (RX580 8Gb + The AOC 144hz screen)
Have a nice day!