[SOLVED] Would it work to only upgrade my GPU?

[Kryppan]

I got i5-4690k 3,5 ghz and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 atm. If I want to play 1440p 144hz on high/ultra (on newer AAA-games etc.) or even 4k resolution, is it possible to only upgrade my gpu to a rtx 2070 or 2080 and keep my current 4690k CPU? And how future proof would that be?

Here is more detail about my specs:

Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-4690K CPU @ 3.50GHz
Manufacturer Intel
Speed 3.5 GHz
Number of Cores 4

Video Card NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960
Manufacturer
Chipset GeForce GTX 960
Dedicated Memory 4.0 GB
Total Memory 10 GB
Pixel Shader Version 5.1
Vertex Shader Version 5.1
Hardware T & L Yes
Vendor ID 10DE
Device 1401

Motherboard ASUS Z97-P

Memory
RAM 12 GB

Current monitor is: ASUS ROG Swift PG278QR, 27'', 2560 x 1440 with 165hz and g-sync

Power supply is 500W (I am aware that I need better power supply for the potential upgrade)

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Not really , jump to 8th or 9th gen intel.

 

[korv]

I'm not really good with old generation cpus. Your processor has 4 cores and 4 threads. a gpu uses 1-2 cores and newer AAA gamers will probably user more then 2 cores. Your cpu will be running 100% while you're gaming which is a bottleneck just because the 2070 or 2080 is more powerful then your cpu or you could say this, your cpu is weak.

 

[Kryppan]

Okay I see, makes sense. It would seem to me that in my case I should probably just buy/build a completely new computer due to all the upgrades I would need to do on my current computer anyway, perhaps keeping my 12 gb of ram and SSD.

I forgot to add that my motherboard is a ASUS Z97-P. (now added to the post)

 

[korv]

Okay I see, makes sense. It would seem to me that in my case I should probably just buy/build a completely new computer due to all the upgrades I would need to do on my current computer anyway, perhaps keeping my 12 gb of ram and SSD.

I forgot to add that my motherboard is a ASUS Z97-P. (now added to the post)

Whats your budget? Could smack in some parts for you. Do you care about value? If yes, ryzen should be good.

 

[Kryppan]

That would be really helpful!

My situation right now is that im soon (in june 3) moving into a new apartment with my girlfriend which is where I will be focusing most of my budget on but it is hard to tell how much that will cost in total and how much I need to save for that. And I have just got the news that I got a new job for the summer season starting in May which will affect my budget.

So as of right now with the new employment during the summer, the money I have right now and the money I will need to spend on my new apartment I would roughly say that I can spend somewhere between 1000 - 2400$. Ofcourse I would like to go as cheap as possible due to my uncertain economic situation in the near future.

Sorry for long post, I wanted to give as much detail on my situation.

 

[korv]

That would be really helpful!

My situation right now is that im soon (in june 3) moving into a new apartment with my girlfriend which is where I will be focusing most of my budget on but it is hard to tell how much that will cost in total and how much I need to save for that. And I have just got the news that I got a new job for the summer season starting in May which will affect my budget.

So as of right now with the new employment during the summer, the money I have right now and the money I will need to spend on my new apartment I would roughly say that I can spend somewhere between 1000 - 2400$. Ofcourse I would like to go as cheap as possible due to my uncertain economic situation in the near future.

Sorry for long post, I wanted to give as much detail on my situation.

That's more then enough!

 

[korv]

here https://pcpartpicker.com/list/9ZqJr6. If you don't like the white theme i'll would gladly change it for you.
so, i went with a 2070 since it is a poweful card and should be perfect wih your 1440p monitor combined with i7 8700k which is great for gaming and you could stream as well.

keep your ssd as you maybe got some important stuff in there. Corsairs rm650x is enough even if you're overclocking!

just tell me if you need anything else, example case. if you don't really care about streaming i would change the processor to i5 8600k or i5 9600k, both of them are good.

 

[Kryppan]

here https://pcpartpicker.com/list/9ZqJr6. If you don't like the white theme i'll would gladly change it for you.
so, i went with a 2070 since it is a poweful card and should be perfect wih your 1440p monitor combined with i7 8700k which is great for gaming and you could stream as well.

keep your ssd as you maybe got some important stuff in there. Corsairs rm650x is enough even if you're overclocking!

just tell me if you need anything else, example case. if you don't really care about streaming i would change the processor to i5 8600k or i5 9600k, both of them are good.

Thank you so much for this! It is really great stuff and helpful. I will consider this build.

Streaming is not something I do and I am pretty sure my current case will do the trick (size and all that)

I have two questions tho, if you got the time.

First: Is the corsair ram necessary? Im not sure exactly what typ of ram I got right now (lol) but it is 12 GB that I do have atm and as far as I know 12 gb is pretty okay in today standards?

Second: Would this build manage native 4k at around 60 fps or is that just for the true high-end computers?

 

[korv]

Thank you so much for this! It is really great stuff and helpful. I will consider this build.

Streaming is not something I do and I am pretty sure my current case will do the trick (size and all that)

I have two questions tho, if you got the time.

First: Is the corsair ram necessary? Im not sure exactly what typ of ram I got right now (lol) but it is 12 GB that I do have atm and as far as I know 12 gb is pretty okay in today standards?

Second: Would this build manage native 4k at around 60 fps or is that just for the true high-end computers?

ultra settings? no but i'll be fine. i'll send you a benchmark with the same cpu and gpu. the reason why i went with the corsair is because your ram is maybe bit old. you could probably still use it as long it is ddr4 and is supported by the motherboard.

you can easily check that via task manager and click on the tab called ram or memory.

16 gb is future proof.

 

[korv]

here

View: https://youtu.be/om3TedgyHZU
you could easily lower down the settings for a smooth gameplay but if you really want some detailed graphics and as well good fps , get a RTX 2080.

 

[Kryppan]

ultra settings? no but i'll be fine. i'll send you a benchmark with the same cpu and gpu. the reason why i went with the corsair is because your ram is maybe bit old. you could probably still use it as long it is ddr4 and is supported by the motherboard.

you can easily check that via task manager and click on the tab called ram or memory.

16 gb is future proof.

Aye, I will have to check, but it does make more sense to upgrade the ram for the future aswell because I got my pc 2015 so the ram is pretty old and about 4 gb of ram is from an even older system if I remember correct.

I really appreciate the help, and the system seem to work really good when I look at video of the benchmark you sended. But depending on my budget situation I might go for a RTX 2080 instead of the 2070. Migth even go for a 2080 ti. Reason is because I want to possibly enjoy 4k gaming on a 4k TV with great sound system etc. Or atleast get the best experience with stunning graphics and resolution (not sure if 4k is actually worth it)

 

[korv]

Aye, I will have to check, but it does make more sense to upgrade the ram for the future aswell because I got my pc 2015 so the ram is pretty old and about 4 gb of ram is from an even older system if I remember correct.

I really appreciate the help, and the system seem to work really good when I look at video of the benchmark you sended. But depending on my budget situation I might go for a RTX 2080 instead of the 2070. Migth even go for a 2080 ti. Reason is because I want to possibly enjoy 4k gaming on a 4k TV with great sound system etc. Or atleast get the best experience with stunning graphics and resolution (not sure if 4k is actually worth it)

hmm, 4k.... something i want to enjoy again... anyways enjoy once you get it of course!