What upgrade would be most beneficial, with my current system? GPU or CPU¿

[Giulianeo]

Hey guys,

So my current desktop is a I7 965 extreme edition 3.20Ghz, GTX 760 4gb vram, 8 gigs ddr3, and a main SSD 128gb and random 1tb backup HDD, I mainly use my computer for gaming, and I have been feeling for a while now my PC is struggling with most of the newest games.

Is it worth it at this point doing a GPU upgrade since most games benefit more? or CPU? I know ideally I will upgrade both, but gotta choose now for one.

Thanks,

Forgot to add my mobo is ASUS rampage extreme III,

any suggestions that would not break the bank?

I want something that could hold most new games 60fps 1080p gaming, not interested in 4k gaming or elite monster rigs.

Thanks,

 

[Blas]

An Nvidia GTX 970, or GTX 1060, or AMD RX470 or RX480 would all be good upgrades for you. Depends on your budget too...

But definitely i'd upgrade the GPU first. It's the more limiting component, plus there are new CPU's in the horizon (new Kaby Lake from Intel, Zen from AMD)

 

[geofelt]

What kinds of games do you play?
strategy games, sims, and mmo tend to be cpu limited.
Fast action games tend to be graphics limited.

Your current I7-965 has a total passmark rating of 5908 and a single thread rating of 1377.
It is the single thread rating that is most important for games.
If you were to upgrade to current skylake tech with a I5-6600K and a Z170 motherboard, you would be looking at a rating of 7791 and 2126 at stock.
Most cpu samples can overclock some 30% more.

At 1080P, a GTX1060 would play most games well and be a significant jump over your GTX760.

It is simpler to upgrade graphics first, but take the time to test YOUR games.

Here is my methodology to do that:

------------------------------------------------------------
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 should also experiment with removing one core. You can do this in the windows msconfig boot advanced options option.
You will need to reboot for the change to take effect. 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.
-------------------------------------------------------------

 

[Giulianeo]

What kinds of games do you play?
strategy games, sims, and mmo tend to be cpu limited.
Fast action games tend to be graphics limited.

Your current I7-965 has a total passmark rating of 5908 and a single thread rating of 1377.
It is the single thread rating that is most important for games.
If you were to upgrade to current skylake tech with a I5-6600K and a Z170 motherboard, you would be looking at a rating of 7791 and 2126 at stock.
Most cpu samples can overclock some 30% more.

At 1080P, a GTX1060 would play most games well and be a significant jump over your GTX760.

It is simpler to upgrade graphics first, but take the time to test YOUR games.

Here is my methodology to do that:

------------------------------------------------------------
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 should also experiment with removing one core. You can do this in the windows msconfig boot advanced options option.
You will need to reboot for the change to take effect. 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.
-------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for the detailed answer, much appreciated.

I tend to play mostly FPS games, you know the graphic heavy ones, so i figure I would benefit of GPU upgrade since most of these games are very GPU intensive, ex Deus Ex Mankind Divided, Battlefield franchise etc... the typical AAA titles of the years...

But as you mentioned I do tweak my options significantly and always try to aim for the 60-fps mark, normally by downgrading my level of detail and specially resolution to 1600*900 i see quite the increase in frames, so judging by what you told me I´m guessing I´m better of with a new GPU for the time, I know my mileage might vary, since optimization on games varies as well,

But my target is 1080p, 60 fps not too unreasonable in today's technology.

I was considering the GTX 1060 or RX 480 since they seem to give the more bang for the buck, I´am more hesitant on my Cpu upgrade since it would require me to change my motherboard too. But eventually there would be the day where it must be changed.