contemplating a pc upgrade. is it worth it?

[ushy86]

Hey all. So i have been browsing sites lately contemplating getting a mini upgrade. I come to you all to see if it makes sense doing the upgrade or not.

My budget is under $550 CAD. And I am thinking of getting a cpu and mobo to help improve my fps in games.

One individual on another forum has instructed me to pick up a z97x gaming 5 mobo and a i5 4690k, but will it be a substantial boost? Otherwise i may just pick up a bigger lcd and a case to fancy up my current system.

My current setup is as follows:

Fx 8300
gtx 760
8gb g.skill ripjaws
msi evo mobo
650w coolermaster psu
win 7 64b
24" lcd

Will swappig cpu/mobo's yield in a big performance boost or is it not worth it? or am i better off with a stronger gpu? However i only game on 1920x1080 with my current system. I ask this because in games such as marvel heroes for example often drop my fps in intense crowded battles

Looking for any help and input, as i would like to future proof my potential ipgrade as well.

 

[Devon68]

I think you would benefit from upgrading and going with the intel cpu+mobo but looking at it from a price/performance ratio I would not upgrade if it was me.

 

[Atomic77]

If you know what your doing and can get something for a decent price some upgrading may help.

 

[Jetster]

A new Intel Z97 and 4690K will definitely increase your gaming ability. But not as much as putitng that same money into a GTX970. I hate to say that because Intel platform will have other advantages but its the truth.

Does your current board and CPU run okay? Any issues at all? Its a tough choice. Maybe your can sell all your hardware and just start over?

 

[Toothless]

Here's what I would do.

Get a decent CPU cooler, and overclock that thing as far as it'll safely go.

Get a GPU upgrade to something like a 380/390, and THEN get a fancy case.

Performance and style!

 

[ushy86]

Ahhhh, so many replies lol. I am honestly conflicted as towhat to do. I have also contemplated getting a 970 or something in the 350-400 CAD range.

As for if my cpu runs well, it seems to do okay. But I plat arpg's such as path of exile and marvel heroes. In marvel heroes when many things are going on, my fps dips. I used msi program to track gpu usage and it was never high, hence i was told my cpu was bottleknecking as a fx 8300. Does this sound accordigly true?

Anyways.. i always wanted to go intel regardless, and i will slowly begin to future proof. and mind you, i do not play any intense fps games as such i don't really know which component will yield the most performance gains. As of last night it was between a strong gpu, while selling my 760 on craigs or something, or picking up an intel cpu/mobo combo, that i can build off of as time goes by.

 

[Toothless]

Then you might aswell wait for Skylake i5's to come out, since you can play on those iGPUs and while you're doing that, save for a dedicated GPU like a high-end 300 or 900 series.

 

[ushy86]

Hmmmmm. And if i were to choose between a 970 or 390 which should i select? And which manufacturer? Two fans, one ect?

Thnx for hanging around btw

 

[Toothless]

Sapphire 390 seems to be one of the nicer ones, though I haven't used a recent AMD card.

Overclocked, the 390 wins, but at stock the 970 wins. They trade blows at stock and OC'd so it depends which is cheaper for you.

 

[moproblems99]

I don't think that you can really future proof slowly. Kind of an all or nothing proposition for me. That said, I agree with everyone else that overclocking and a GPU would server you better. I kind of came to the conclusion that upgrading right now sucks. Arctic and Pascal are right around the corner, Skylake is coming, Zen is who knows where but supposed to be right around the corner.

Edit: Left out that I have seen some users quite happy with their MSI Gaming 390.

 

[ushy86]

Alright thanks guys. Seems i may just either go msi 970 or msi 390. it will most likely be a last min decision if anything. I kind of wanted to stay the nvidia route as radeon has always been problematic for me unfortunately lol.

 

[moproblems99]

I haven't had problems with either. I was in the same boat as you and was going to pick up the 970. Then I said screw it and just bought the 980. You will enjoy either. Good luck.

 

[Caring1]

Go the R9 390, it will be more future proof with more Ram than the limited 3.5Gb on the GTX 970.
Future games using Dx 12 will utilize all the Ram.

 

[Gokufighther]

your cpu is fine... people are saying to get the i5 because it is more futureproof i guess? if you want more performance then get a new gpu.. the 970 is a good upgrade (or get a used 780) if you do that you will see MAJOR graphical benefits. a new case could be in order, i didnt see what case you have, i was recommended the fractal define s, but something like the phanteks enthoo pro would look amazing with your stuff.

 

[Toothless]

your cpu is fine... people are saying to get the i5 because it is more futureproof i guess? if you want more performance then get a new gpu.. the 970 is a good upgrade (or get a used 780) if you do that you will see MAJOR graphical benefits. a new case could be in order, i didnt see what case you have, i was recommended the fractal define s, but something like the phanteks enthoo pro would look amazing with your stuff.

No such things has future proof; only preventing bottlenecks.