What to upgrade?

[spencer casey]

What should I upgrade first my CPU or GPU right now I have an AMD Athlon X4 760k and a Sapphire R9 270. I am thinking about upgrading to an i5 4xxx (I haven't decided which i5 4xxx to get) and I also plan on getting a decent motherboard with it and I am assuming that will cost me around $270 or should I get a good GPU around $270-$300. Also does anyone know of a good motherboard for a i5 4xxx that wouldn't require a BIOS update?

 

[KoopaCreeper]

Go for the CPU. The R9 270 is a good card; I'd expect that you're held back currently by that CPU.

H97 Pro4 Micro-ATX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157512

i5-4460
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117302

 

[spencer casey]

Go for the CPU. The R9 270 is a good card; I'd expect that you're held back currently by that CPU.

H97 Pro4 Micro-ATX
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157512

i5-4460
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117302

Ok thanks also would a Crosair CX500W power supply be enough for the i5 4460?

 

[KoopaCreeper]

Should be. Apparently those Corsair CX units have had reliability issues though, so if possible I'd go with something from XFX, Rosewill, or Seasonic. It's probably not a big deal.

 

[spencer casey]

Should be. Apparently those Corsair CX units have had reliability issues though, so if possible I'd go with something from XFX, Rosewill, or Seasonic. It's probably not a big deal.

Ok what would be the best graphics card I could get with the CX500W power supply without having to upgrade my power supply. (Also without pushing my power supply to its limits)

 

[KoopaCreeper]

For AMD, 270 or 270X. No headroom there.

I would wait for the GTX 960 (Ti?) if I were you, but the R9 270 is still a fine card.

 

[spencer casey]

For AMD, 270 or 270X. No headroom there.

I would wait for the GTX 960 (Ti?) if I were you, but the R9 270 is still a fine card.

Ok thanks is my power supply being used at its full power (or close) right now? Here is my full parts list
CPU: AMD Athlon X4 760K 3.8GHz Quad-Core
Motherboard: MSI A78M-E35 Micro ATX FM2+
RAM: Crucial Ballistix Sport 8GB (1 x 8GB) DDR3-1600
GPU: Sapphire Radeon R9 270 2GB Dual-X
PSU: Corsair 500W ATX12V
Optical Drive: Lite-On IHAS324-07 DVD/CD Writer
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM
I also have 3 basic Rosewill fans that come with the Rosewill Challenger case

 

[KoopaCreeper]

No, it's probably using 300ish watts at load. The i5 won't use any more power.