Upgrade options CPU or GPU?

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bengi010

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Jan 6, 2009
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It's time to update my system but I don't have the cash to go all out so for the moment it's either buy a new graphics card or move up to the latest CPU/MB.

Current build:
AMD Phenom II 955
Asus Crosshair III
8 GB Ram (ddr2)
Gtx 660ti

Options I'm considering are

1) Either a Gtx 970 or R9 390 probably Asus Strix version of either card (about $340)

2) i5-6600k
Asus Z170-A
16 GB (8x2) Corsair Vengeance (about $540)

I play a lot of open world RPG games like Witcher 3, Elder Scrolls, Far Cry, Shadows of Mordor etc.

I also like to do a bit of work with Revit and Photo Shop.

So my question is which way should I go for the biggest improvement?
 
Solution
MarkW
Upgrading to a I5-6600k will just be HUGE for you.

You do not want to upgrade your video card again until mid-2016 since that is when the new 14/16nm GPU's will be coming out most likely. They will provide up to 65% more performance for the same money as you would get buying a new video card today.

So get your CPU now, and GPU next year. Then you will have a top of the line system. And make sure you have a top of the line power supply too. Not because your current on is bad, but you are not proud enough to even mention it, which says something to me. The power supply is *the most important* item in your case. If it cannot provide smooth, stable power, everything else in your system will be struggling as well. Look for Seasonic, XFX or...
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turkey3_scratch

turkey3_scratch

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Jul 15, 2014
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The CPU would be the wiser improvement. A 660Ti is still good for games today, as they should all be playable on it (of course you have to lower settings). Modern games are a lot more CPU hungry, and there is not much to do if a game is too rough for the CPU. Considering you have an old CPU and DDR2 RAM, a new motherboard, CPU, and RAM is the better option so you can allow your graphics card to be used to its potential, and to avoid too much CPU utilization while gaming (and FPS drops). A new graphics card will not help much at all because the CPU will bottleneck it.

Photoshop is another reason for a better CPU.
 
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MarkW

MarkW

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Dec 7, 2009
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Upgrading to a I5-6600k will just be HUGE for you.

You do not want to upgrade your video card again until mid-2016 since that is when the new 14/16nm GPU's will be coming out most likely. They will provide up to 65% more performance for the same money as you would get buying a new video card today.

So get your CPU now, and GPU next year. Then you will have a top of the line system. And make sure you have a top of the line power supply too. Not because your current on is bad, but you are not proud enough to even mention it, which says something to me. The power supply is *the most important* item in your case. If it cannot provide smooth, stable power, everything else in your system will be struggling as well. Look for Seasonic, XFX or EVGA models B2 or G2. Those are top of the line units.
 
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Solution
synphul

synphul

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Mar 11, 2011
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At that budget I think you'd be limited to a gpu upgrade. It will help with some games, others like skyrim usually prefer a stronger cpu (aka intel with higher ipc performance). Shadows of mordor and witcher 3 would benefit from a gpu upgrade. A gpu upgrade isn't likely to change your performance in revit or photoshop.

It depends on what your budget is like and how soon you think you'd be able to upgrade and which is more important to you. If SoM, witcher 3, (not sure which far cry, if you mean 1, 2 or 3) the a gpu would be the way to go but it may be held back by the cpu a bit. Games relying on the cpu will improve slightly but not a whole lot if they're cpu bound at the moment. If you won't be able to upgrade the rest of the system for say a year or two the gpu may be somewhat going to waste in some cases in the meantime.

Keep in mind the 6600k doesn't come with a cooler, I don't know if you accounted for that or not. An aftermarket cooler is a necessity. If you're running an oem version of windows you'll likely need to purchase a new license when switching out the motherboard. Just things to consider that could drive up the cost and/or ruin your current budget. The cpu/mobo/ram would benefit revit, photoshop, skyrim but the gpu will still be holding you back quite a bit. Also what power supply do you currently have (model/wattage)? Just making sure you don't need a new psu for a graphics card upgrade.

Have you oc'd your 955 at all? Depending what cooler you're using and what psu, you may be able to squeeze a little more performance out of the cpu in the meantime if you opt for a gpu upgrade.
 
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bengi010

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Thank you all for your answers. I'm going with the CPU MB RAM combo. I'll wait on the GPU for another year or so like MarkW suggested.

Since everyone seems interested in my PSU it's this:
PC Power and Cooling S75CF 750W EPS12V SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817341011

I think it's fine, at least I haven't had any issues with it for the last 5 years and I'm pretty sure it's enough power to run everything as the upgrades should be more efficient than what I have now.
 
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