Question Which component of my PC should I upgrade?

[K9Macleod]

I want to upgrade my PC for a better gaming experience. I play the Witcher 3 and Kingdom Come Deliverance on medium graphics settings and average 60-70fps.

Here are my specs:

CPU: AMD FX-8350

GPU: XFX AMD R9 290 DD

OS HD: Crucial M4 128GB

Gaming HD: Samsung 850 Evo 500GB

RAM: Ripjaws DDR3 1600 C7 2x2GB & Fury DDR3 1600 C10 2x4GB

MOBO: SABERTOOTH 990FX R2.0

Here are the benchmarks for my build

My GPU runs at 100% and my CPU generally runs around 60-80% when gaming. I have 12GB of RAM but I'm not sure I have it configured correctly because I have two pairs of RAM. They have the same speed but the timing is different and I'm not sure if it's running efficiently. If I want to upgrade my RAM or CPU I'll have to upgrade my MOBO to get a AM4 CPU Socket from AM3 and DDR4 RAM support from DDR3. The way I see it my GPU is the best component to upgrade. I don't believe I'm limited by my MOBO for a GPU upgrade. I want to stick to AMD over Intel because the value for money is so much better. I've had my eye on the GeForce GTX 1660 Ti for $350 CAD but it looks like the AMD Radeon RX 3080 that will release soon will perform much better and cost $250 USD ($338 CAD). Sounds to good to be true but I'm looking forward to seeing how it is once it is available.

Do I have my priorities straight for upgrading my PC? To me it's the the MOBO or GPU that is best to upgrade first.

Edit: Fixed RAM size

 

[jeremyj_83]

Your CPU is quite old and slow by today's standards. The R9 290 isn't a bad GPU, it and a GTX 970 are about equal, however, it too is old. What would your budge be for a full rebuild?

 

[K9Macleod]

Your CPU is quite old and slow by today's standards. The R9 290 isn't a bad GPU, it and a GTX 970 are about equal, however, it too is old. What would your budge be for a full rebuild?

Looking to rebuild over a year, so my budget depends on the component. No more the $400 CAD on a GPU for example and ideally around $300 CAD.

 

[logainofhades]

I would start with new CPU, motherboard, and ram. I would save up some more, and either score a 1st or 2nd gen ryzen, on the cheap, or get Ryzen 3000, if money is tight. Any GPU upgrade would be a waste, as your CPU wouldn't keep up anyway. It probably isn't even keeping up with what you have now, to be honest.

 

[K9Macleod]

I would start with new CPU, motherboard, and ram. I would save up some more, and either score a 1st or 2nd gen ryzen, on the cheap, or get Ryzen 3000, if money is tight. Any GPU upgrade would be a waste, as your CPU wouldn't keep up anyway. It probably isn't even keeping up with what you have now, to be honest.

The CPU is defenitely keeping up as no matter what my graphic settings are it never even gets near 90% usage and rarely is around 80%.
CPU, MOBO, and RAM is more than I can afford to upgrade at once. Only looking to upgrade one component right now.

 

[jeremyj_83]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($209.88 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($95.75 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Team - Vulcan 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($92.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $398.62
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-05-31 16:09 EDT-0400
CPU, Motherboard, and RAM hit for under $400 CD.

 

[K9Macleod]

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD - Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz 6-Core Processor ($209.88 @ Amazon Canada)
Motherboard: Gigabyte - B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($95.75 @ Vuugo)
Memory: Team - Vulcan 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($92.99 @ Newegg Canada)
Total: $398.62
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2019-05-31 16:09 EDT-0400
CPU, Motherboard, and RAM hit for under $400 CD.

I like the CPU and Memory, they very look good. Don't know about the MOBO though, especially since it's Gigabyte. Also I don't know much about MOBO specs other than what's important for compatibility for other components, which I suppose is the most important aspect.

 

[jeremyj_83]

I like the CPU and Memory, they very look good. Don't know about the MOBO though, especially since it's Gigabyte. Also I don't know much about MOBO specs other than what's important for compatibility for other components, which I suppose is the most important aspect.

I've usually had good luck with Gigabyte boards. For a basic motherboard it has everything that you would need. For an extra $4 you could go MSI or ASUS.