With $400, what would you upgrade in this build in order to maximize 1080p game performance?

[sneakishmonk]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/6ZtPCJ

Title says it all.

 

[Rhezner]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3cW2P6

This would make a great upgrade

 

[sneakishmonk]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/3cW2P6

This would make a great upgrade

Correct me if im wrong, but wouldn't i also need DDR4 RAM with those components?

 

[Rhezner]

no, you would need ddr4 if you went with skylake, your current RAM will work with this motherboard as this is z97 haswell.

 

[Archaic59]

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($214.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 960 2GB SuperSC ACX 2.0+ Video Card ($189.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $404.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-24 01:14 EST-0500

 

[Rhezner]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/s4Jd99

even better

 

[Archaic59]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/s4Jd99

even better

Anyone can do better by blowing the budget.

 

[Rhezner]

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/s4Jd99

even better

Anyone can do better by blowing the budget.

dude you went 4$ over budget... I literally added 14$ to the budget ( about 3%), I dont think this guy will mind spending a few extra bucks for a tonn more performance.

"blowing the budget" is a bit extreme

 

[dudeman509]

A 960 isn't a massive upgrade over a 270X. The 290 is.

 

[Archaic59]

I have coupons off. Maybe you're seeing a lower price than me?

 

[Rhezner]

in any case, its worth spending an extra 10$ for a 290, and why would you go for a 190$ 960 when you could get a 380 for way less.

 

[madmatt30]

Get on eBay : look for a second hand i5 3450/3470/3570k.
You'll get something from a respectable seller for $100-140.

Spend the rest on the GPU - that 290 above was a good deal.

 

[-HH-]

This does go over budget so look for the cpu/mobo on ebay/craigslist/gumtree but

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($174.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H-A Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($39.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Sapphire Radeon R9 290 4GB Video Card ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $414.86
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-11-24 05:07 EST-0500