Seeking expert advice on component upgrade.

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Tachyons

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Sep 21, 2014
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Let me start off by giving my rig specs.

CPU: AMD FX-4100 Zambezi Quad-Core 3.6GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+
MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-970A-UD3 AM3+ AMD 970+
RAM: G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866
GPU: PNY NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 OC 2GB GDDR5
PSU: Corsair CX Series 750 Watt ATX/EPS Modular 80 PLUS Bronze
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5-Inch SATA III Solid State Drive + 500GB Western digital hard drive



I want to upgrade one component. The one that gives the best overall addition to performance in game. I am running the likes of Watch Dogs, will be running GTAV and Destiny next year. Of course by then I might upgrade a couple components.

The MOBO has severe limitations, but the CPU is scoring very low as well (4,039 on cpubenchmark.net) and I could very easily see replacing it with an FX8350 (9,022 oncpubenchmark.net) which is around $150-170 depending on the price that day.

But I'm not sure that would help me the most in-game. Opinions? Thoughts?



PS. I want to keep the upgrade cost to under $200 of possible
 
Solution
geofelt
I have my doubts that going from 4 cores to 8 will help much for gaming.
Few games use more than 2-3 cores.
You could try overclocking your cpu and see if that helps.

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...
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RazerZ

RazerZ

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Aug 18, 2013
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I would look into an 8320 and buy an aftermarket cooler to overclock it to 8350 levels. I would recommend a cooler, but first I would need to know which case you're using to see if it can fit. The 8320 is on sale right now for $135.
 
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godfish

godfish

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Nov 5, 2013
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Online games will be giving the most stress on a CPU, but generally the video card is the most important(expensive) part. An SLI would do you well, but it will put you over your budget of 200 dollars. The only problem I see with keeping the AMD processors, is that most games aren't threaded for so many cores. But we have yet to see if that will change with the next-gen consoles. I really think throwing a second video card would be your best bet, and then waiting to see what will happen with processors. Within the next year we will know whether or not AMD will come out on top, but your processor should be fine. Just get another card, and in a year or two try to upgrade to a better CPU and MOBO.
 
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RazerZ

RazerZ

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Aug 18, 2013
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His current motherboard does not support sli.

His 760 should be good enough, I'd say he needs a CPU upgrade and the 8320 would be a great choice.

btw godfish I'm pretty sure having an adfly link in your sig is against the forum rules.
 
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geofelt

geofelt

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Oct 9, 2006
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I have my doubts that going from 4 cores to 8 will help much for gaming.
Few games use more than 2-3 cores.
You could try overclocking your cpu and see if that helps.

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 in core speed 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.

If you up your cpu, make it an intel haswell quad and an appropriate motherboard.
If you up your gpu, make it a significant jump .
 
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Solution
T

Tachyons

Reputable
Sep 21, 2014
6
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4,510
What about purchasing a nice after market heatsink/fan for my CPU (4100 3.6 GHz) and overclocking that? If I don't need multiple cores for gaming, then maybe the most efficient route is to just over clock my current CPU using something like this: Cooler Master Hyper N520 (40$ on Newegg).

I will try that test geofelt, and get back to you when I have some concrete data.

Also, would a liquid cooler be more effective at cooling when overclocking?
 
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