PC upgrade advice

DreadedR · Jul 12, 2014

Hi all, my current specs are:

CPU: Intel Core i7 2600 @ 3.40GHz
RAM: 12.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3
GPU: 2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 670 (Gigabyte)
Monitor: BenQ xl2411t (1920x1080@144Hz)
M'board: Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. Z68X-UD5-B3

I mainly play BF and am wanting to add some more juice to my gaming. Can I have some advice on what components to upgrade?.
Thx

AMD Radeon · Jul 12, 2014

upgrade GPU
Radeon 290 - 290X
GTX 780 - 780ti

whichever you can afford

m4ntl3 · Jul 12, 2014

If it's BF4 get an AMD card for mantle.

If it's not BF4 then get the card you want.

Edit: AMD cards tend to have better price to performance rates compared to nVidia.

Edit 2: Ditch the 2nd gen i7. Get a 4th gen i5. The i5 will work the exact same as an i7 for gaming and the newer generations normally have a lower TDP and better performance so you can OC more.

DreadedR · Jul 12, 2014

m4ntl3 :

It's for BF4, always had NVIDIA, may take your advice and switch to AMD.
What AMD would you suggest?, Radeon 290 - 290X as suggested earlier?

geofelt · Jul 12, 2014

If BF4 is single player, then a graphics card upgrade would be the first choice.
BF4 multiplayer can be very cpu intensive. Multiplayer benchmarks are hard to do so you won't see any really good tests,
Here is one you might want to read:
http://www.hardwarepal.com/battlefield-4-benchmark-mp-cpu-gpu-w7-vs-w8-1/

To help clarify your CPU/GPU options, run these two tests:

a) Run your games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

b) Limit your cpu, either by reducing the OC, or, in windows power management, limit the maximum cpu% to something like 70%.
Go to control panel/power options/change plan settings/change advanced power settings/processor power management/maximum processor state/
This will simulate what a lack of cpu power will do.
Conversely what a 30% improvement might do.

You could also experiment with removing one core in the bios. This will tell you how sensitive your games are to the benefits of many cores.

If your FPS drops significantly, it is an indicator that your cpu is the limiting factor, and a cpu upgrade is in order.

It is possible that both tests are positive, indicating that you have a well balanced system, and both cpu and gpu need to be upgraded to get better gaming FPS.

I would ignore mantle as a selection criteria. It reduces the cpu overhead of graphics processing. It is of advantage to slow cpu's which is why amd is promoting it. On any $200 cpu it is a nit.

My guess is that your 2600(non K) is the likely slow component.

DreadedR · Jul 12, 2014

geofelt :

If BF4 is single player, then a graphics card upgrade would be the first choice.
BF4 multiplayer can be very cpu intensive. Multiplayer benchmarks are hard to do so you won't see any really good tests,
Here is one you might want to read:
http://www.hardwarepal.com/battlefield-4-benchmark-mp-cpu-gpu-w7-vs-w8-1/

To help clarify your CPU/GPU options, run these two tests:

a) Run your games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

b) Limit your cpu, either by reducing the OC, or, in windows power management, limit the maximum cpu% to something like 70%.
Go to control panel/power options/change plan settings/change advanced power settings/processor power management/maximum processor state/
This will simulate what a lack of cpu power will do.
Conversely what a 30% improvement might do.

You could also experiment with removing one core in the bios. This will tell you how sensitive your games are to the benefits of many cores.

If your FPS drops significantly, it is an indicator that your cpu is the limiting factor, and a cpu upgrade is in order.

It is possible that both tests are positive, indicating that you have a well balanced system, and both cpu and gpu need to be upgraded to get better gaming FPS.

I would ignore mantle as a selection criteria. It reduces the cpu overhead of graphics processing. It is of advantage to slow cpu's which is why amd is promoting it. On any $200 cpu it is a nit.

My guess is that your 2600(non K) is the likely slow component.

Thanks for your reply, I just ran a test on BF4. Firstly with my current settings and then secondly with the resolution dropped to 80%. I did not notice much change in the fps. You may be right in saying my cpu needs upgrading. What would you suggest upgrading to?.

At the same time I may upgrade the GPU also.
Ta

m4ntl3 · Jul 12, 2014

DreadedR :

geofelt :

Thanks for your reply, I just ran a test on BF4. Firstly with my current settings and then secondly with the resolution dropped to 80%. I did not notice much change in the fps. You may be right in saying my cpu needs upgrading. What would you suggest upgrading to?.

At the same time I may upgrade the GPU also.
Ta

What's your budget?

DreadedR · Jul 12, 2014

m4ntl3 :

What I5 would you suggest? 4460,4590,4690,4690k?

DreadedR · Jul 12, 2014

m4ntl3 :

DreadedR :

geofelt :

Thanks for your reply, I just ran a test on BF4. Firstly with my current settings and then secondly with the resolution dropped to 80%. I did not notice much change in the fps. You may be right in saying my cpu needs upgrading. What would you suggest upgrading to?.

At the same time I may upgrade the GPU also.
Ta

What's your budget?

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780TI OC 3GB is $769 here in Australia, probably getting a bit expensive. What is cheaper alternative? Thx.

DreadedR · Jul 12, 2014

Gigabyte GeForce GTX 780 GHz Edition 3GB is $639, so getting better,.

DreadedR · Jul 12, 2014

[/quotemsg]
What's your budget?[/quotemsg]

For a cpu, $2-300 Australian.

DreadedR · Jul 12, 2014

I think my cpu is getting hammered.

Just did a round of BF4 and the cpu temp ranged from 71-73 celcius.

m4ntl3 · Jul 12, 2014

DreadedR :

You could probably get an R9 290x 4GB for a little over $500.

Also for gaming get an unlocked 4th gen i5 (costs around $250).

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