Holiday Upgrades - CPU/GPU/RAM

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iamtheret

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currently using amd 965, 2gb 7870 and 8gb ddr3 1333 on a 19" monitor at 1600x900(slight overclocking) and have no fps issues with any games i play at max settings, many of which, as well as games i plan on playing, are fairly demanding. Skyrim, crysis 2/3, cod ghost, wow, bioshock infinite, diablo 3, tomb raider, battlefield 3/4, etc...

with the canadian holidays and boxing day/week sales going on i plan on upgrading to a 24" monitor at 1920x1080 and im wondering if i would need to upgrade my cpu, gpu or ram in order to keep my settings, performance and visual quality at their maximums.

keep in mind my motherboard does support fx-series cpu, ddr3 1866(2133oc) and xfire/sli(would like to avoid) at x16/x8 and that i am not particular to either amd or nvidia should an upgrade be recommended. also, my psu is a 650w 80+gold certified corsair.
 
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iamtheret

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would you(or anyone really) be able to recommend me a video card that would be a suitable upgrade from my current card(2gb 7870) to set me up nicely for the next year or so of next-gen releases that will also be available for the pc.

my current budget for my monitor and video card is roughly $500 CDN and will be ordering from newegg. along with that my monitor has already been selecting and will cost roughly $180 which leaving $320(give or take) for a new video card. stretching the budget isnt a big issue but i would like to keep total cost within range if able.

im unsure of amd and nvidia generations or naming schemes beyond the radeon hd 7xxx series so help is much appreciated.
 
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iamtheret

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cpu - amd ph ii x4 965 be
gpu - his 2gb hd 7870
ram - g.skill ripjaw 8gb ddr3 1333
mobo - msi 970a-g46
psu - corsair 650ax
case - antec 300 illusion
hdd - wd cav black 1tb 7200rpm
64-bit windows 7 pro
 
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realchaos

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I would say to upgrade the processor. The Phenom 965 is out-dated and weaker than even a FX-4300. I would recommend going for a FX-8320 for ~$130 and then a CM Hyper 212 EVO for ~$30 to overclock the 8320.
FX-8320: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113285
CM Hyper 212 EVO: http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835103099

That leaves you with $170 left. You can't upgrade your gpu with $170. I think the 7870 is fine as it's a great gpu that can still play your games at high-max settings. You can use some of the extra money to upgrade your case, as the Antec 300 illusion is fairly out-dated itself. It has no option for cable management so your airflow is probably pretty bad. With a better quality case, the cables won't be blocking the air and you'll be getting better temps.
 
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Sakkura

Sakkura

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Thing is, a new CPU doesn't help cope with the higher resolution. And a 7870 is probably going to fall short of max settings at 1080p, though not by much.

What you could do is buy an R9 280X or GTX 770, and sell the 7870. Then you may still have enough money for a CPU upgrade.
 
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Sakkura

Sakkura

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No, it won't bottleneck any more than it does now. The more powerful GPU is necessary to maintain high frame rates at higher resolution; the CPU load will be the same, since it does not depend much on resolution.
 
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Abscent

Abscent

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I agree with Sakura on this one, order a R9 280x. Stick with your Phenom 965 and order a cooler for it. With an OC I doubt it will bottleneck the GPU any. And if it does then spend the money on a 6300 or 8320. Right now Ncix.ca has a thermaltake water 2.0 extreme cooler on sale for 57.99 after MIR.

Or find a H100i/H80i or even a Evo 212 air cooler for usually $30 will allow for a decent OC
 
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realchaos

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A Phenom is an old processor, while the 7870 is still a good gpu. I do agree that the 965 will not bottleneck the 7870, but it will bottleneck a 280x or GTX 770. That's pairing an ~$80 processor with a ~$320 gpu, it's not right. Games like Crysis 3 and battlefield are fairly cpu intensive and a FX-8320 overclocked will greatly help the frame rates there. Also, the 7870 is still a great mid-range card to play games at high-max settings.
Right now, looking at the OP's current build, the processor is the weakest link and I would say to upgrade the weakest link.

Or, another good option would be to use the $320 on a R9-280X/GTX 770 and sell the 7870 and Phenom ii x4 965 BE. After selling those two, use the money to grab a FX-8320. That way, you get a better processor and graphic card.
 
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Sakkura

Sakkura

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If the games are running fine on the 965 now, they'll run fine on the 965 with a better GPU too. A better GPU, higher resolution, higher graphics settings... none of those things really increase the CPU load per frame.
 
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realchaos

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No but with a stronger gpu, the 965 won't be able to keep up. It's going to prevent the R9-280X or GTX 770 from it's full potential, hence cpu bottleneck. It may run better, but not by much. The 280X/770 is much stronger than a 7870, so theoretically, the computer should be able to dish out a lot more fps than before. But since the 965 isn't a strong processor anymore, it will prevent the gpu from running at 100% and the fps increase won't be as great. Especially in games like Crysis 3 and BF4, the few games that are cpu intensive, even with a gpu upgrade the 965 won't be able to keep up.

As I've been saying, the Phenom 965 is the weakest link here, and you're better off upgrading the weakest link as the 7870 is still a very good card today while the 965 is not.

But as I've stated at the end of my previous post, the best option is to sell the 7870 and 965 and combine that into the $500 budget to get a new processor, monitor, and graphic card.
 
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Sakkura

Sakkura

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The extra power of a 280X or GTX 770 will be counterbalanced by the higher resolution. 44% more pixels to render across. The 280X or GTX 770 are something like 40% more powerful than the 7870. Overall - roughly same framerate. So CPU load should be similar to what it is now.

The 965 is getting close to retirement, you're not wrong. But if it's doing okay at 1600x900, it'll do okay at 1920x1080, at least for a little while longer.
 
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