Here are my current specs:
I feel like my current rig has reached the point where it's struggling to run games at noticeably higher settings than the consoles. On paper, it should be better. But in practice, I've found myself having to turn down settings (to near console-levels, in some cases) to stay between 30fps and 60fps at 1080p.
I'm a bit hesitant to overclock. Ambient temps in my computer area can hit 80+ degrees F, so staying stock helps keeps my temps at good levels. I've also heard about issues with the Asrock mobo under-reporting voltages. I only opted for the 3570k in the first place because it was cheaper than the 3570 at the time.
I would like to run games noticeably better than consoles for the next 2-3 years. 1080p is fine. I'm just not sure how much to upgrade. I've been considering a 970. Would that be a nice boost over the 7950? It also seems that some games these days are using the CPU a bit more heavily, so should I upgrade that as well?
My budget is around $800 USD. I'm fine with ordering online, and there's a Microcenter about 30 mins away. Also note that I have a retail copy of Windows 7, so you don't need to factor a new OEM license into this if you think I should also upgrade my CPU and mobo.
CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K @ 3.4 Ghz (stock)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO
Mobo: ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155
GPU: GIGABYTE Radeon HD 7950 3GB
RAM: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 1600
PSU: SeaSonic M12II 620 Bronze 620W ATX12V V2.3
SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 256GB
Case: Cooler Master HAF X
I feel like my current rig has reached the point where it's struggling to run games at noticeably higher settings than the consoles. On paper, it should be better. But in practice, I've found myself having to turn down settings (to near console-levels, in some cases) to stay between 30fps and 60fps at 1080p.
I'm a bit hesitant to overclock. Ambient temps in my computer area can hit 80+ degrees F, so staying stock helps keeps my temps at good levels. I've also heard about issues with the Asrock mobo under-reporting voltages. I only opted for the 3570k in the first place because it was cheaper than the 3570 at the time.
I would like to run games noticeably better than consoles for the next 2-3 years. 1080p is fine. I'm just not sure how much to upgrade. I've been considering a 970. Would that be a nice boost over the 7950? It also seems that some games these days are using the CPU a bit more heavily, so should I upgrade that as well?
My budget is around $800 USD. I'm fine with ordering online, and there's a Microcenter about 30 mins away. Also note that I have a retail copy of Windows 7, so you don't need to factor a new OEM license into this if you think I should also upgrade my CPU and mobo.
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