Help upgrading 18 month old gaming rig

I would upgrade the cpu, mobo, and psu. What is your budget?

My recommendations? Swap to a Xeon 1231V3 (Its a locked 4790K), a B85 mobo, and a SeaSonic/XFX/EVGA/ANTEC/Delta Electronics PSU. The CX is not known for reliability or quality. The Xeon can go to 3.8GHz on 4 Hyperthreaded cores. Itll do 1440P with that 970, or max out 1080p at 60FPS

Depending on your budget, I would get an i5 6500 or 6600 and a H170 motherboard, or the Xeon mentioned above would be great with a H97 motherboard.

All you need is a 550-650w psu by Seasonic, XFX, Antec, EVGA B2, G2, or GS, or Super Flower.

Your motherboard is a dead end and the FX8350 is pretty much the best you can get. I know there are the 220w FX9000 monsters but they are terrible and your FX8350 can overclock to match them.

If you don't want to upgrade the motherboard and processor and re-install windows, you could try overclocking your CPU - could give you a few extra FPS.
But don't spend lots of time and money on extra cooling, big power supply etc to maximise your overclock.
Overclocking very much obeys the law of diminishing returns in which you spend more and more money for less and less additional benefit.
So just see what speed you can get to without overheating or crashing using your existing hardware - it will help a bit.
Agree with the above posts that Intel is the best solution, their processors are two whole generations ahead of AMD.

The only thing I would upgrade is the power supply. FX is still fine for gaming. Wait until Kaby Lake or Zen (Xen virtual server, anyone? xD). As for GPU, Pascal and Polaris is soon to be upon us, so that can wait. Or actually, if you're keeping at 1080P, then it doesn't matter at all.

No, the CX is not very good. Capxon capacitors used in the CX platform are known to degrade faster than others. So getting a decent PSU would be better than the CX.
Also, don't upgrade anything else. You have a decent build, at least for a while longer.

Upgrading your power supply won't make your computer any faster.
But there is a risk that your power supply will stop working, and a small risk that it will damage other components in your when it fails.
I have had three PSU failures with no collateral damage, but others on this forum suffered more damage...
However since you will at some point soon need to replace mobo and CPU, don't worry about it.....

I'm going to go "against the grain" with the other answers on this thread, and I'm sure I'll get Intel backlash, but there is no reason why your build can't game on Ultra @ 60 FPS @1080p. I have a FX 8370 build and Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 and I run Witcher 3, Fallout 4, ect on Ultra settings 1080p @ 60FPS with a Sapphire R9 290 Vapor X.

I think that there are probably settings in bios that are un-optimized for your system. I would check out the following guide and make sure your bios settings are right:
http://www.overclock.net/t/1348623/amd-bulldozer-and-piledriver-overclocking-guide-asus-motherboard

Now I'm not sure if your overclocking or not, but you have the right setup for at least a mild overclock of 4.4 - 4.5Ghz (better if you get better cooling like a NH-D15, I have one and love it). With the same motherboard and NH-D15 I have an everyday overclock of 5.05Ghz (multiplier 23.5, bus 214 ram latency 9-9-9-26) and a max overclock (multiplier only) of 5.5Ghz (although very rarely use it as it is very hard on the system and I get great benchmark scores @ 5.05Ghz). Now with your setup you should be able to obtain around 4.5Ghz which will give you a very nice boost in gaming performance. With DX 12 just around the corner and running a stable multiplier and fsb overclock you should be good to go @ 4.5Ghz for at least another year, or more. One thing I would change right away in bios is your RAM setup. The FX processors can only handle a max of 1866Mhz RAM, you should set the frequency in bios to 1866 and then tighten up your latency, that alone will give you a nice boost as you can have much tighter latency and run a frequency the FX 8350 can actually handle. If you don't have a tier 1 power supply unit I would also recommend upgrading to a tier 1 psu 750 - 800W 80+ Gold. That way you have a very good power supply for your current system that will last you well though your next upgrade build down the road.

If you need any assistance getting your processor set properly in bios (overclocked or stock) let me know and I will be glad to try to help you. A few settings wrong in bios can really have a huge performance hit to your system.

You got lashed on the back. xD
No, but the FX is still able to pull decent framerates. That's my criteria to determine whether to instantly upgrade.

The FX cpu's aren't the best option available for gaming. I personally use mine for a lot of heavy muti-tasking and multi-threaded applications. I get better performance than an i5 and am far under the cost of an i7 system. As an added bonus I can also run all the latest AAA titles @1080p over 60FPS. The trick is making sure the system is set up properly in bios, some things on AUTO are fine, others need to be manually set. For instance RAM simply installed and powered on will run, but if you look in bios the RAM may be set to 1333Mhz when its 1600Mhz, and RAM capable of 8-8-8-24 timings are typically set by bios at 10-10-10-24 or worse. Just tightening up the latency and setting the proper speed (AMD FX is only capable of handling up to 1866Mhz) can get you better performance. Then there is setting the proper NB frequency, ect, ect... Even at stock there are optimizations that can be made in bios that can make all the difference when it comes down to raw performance. Just installing your hardware and turning on the power without setting the proper setting in bios will lead to an un-optimized system not living up to its raw potential.

I totally agree with you that FX systems are fully capable of gaming, they just need a little TLC to get them set up properly. The OP's system should be able to keep him gaming at Ultra settings for at least another year or more. We also have to keep in mind that AAA titles will be stagnated in their development to allow the PS4 and XBone consoles (that all AAA tiles are designed for and then ported to PC) to run them. The OP has a much more powerful system than either the PS4 or Xbone and will be able to game on that system through the lifespan of the current console systems. By then Zen should be in second generation and Intel should have some very interesting offerings to upgrade to. At this point in time there is no reason for the OP to scrap a totally capable system.

I agree that the FX cpus are not terrible for gaming, and that is good advice about the RAM, but I have to completely disagree when you say "I get better performance than an i5 and am far under the cost of an i7 system." Unless you are conveniently comparing the FXs to an old i5 and a new i7, that statement is flat out untrue.

First lets compare prices. I'll start with the FX/AM3+ setup mentioned.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8350 4.0GHz 8-Core Processor ($164.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 82.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($89.65 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus Sabertooth 990FX R2.0 ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($176.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $426.64
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-12 21:19 EST-0500

vs

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-4790 3.6GHz Quad-Core Processor ($292.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock H97 PRO4 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($83.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $376.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-12 21:22 EST-0500



As you can see, the FX8350 build is roughly $50 more expensive, and would not come anywhere near the performance of the i7.

Ok, but you don't have to spend that much for a FX8350 build, right? Right.

This is a GOOD FX setup. It's the cheapest GOOD 8 core FX build can get. This setup would be able to achieve 4.2-4.4ghz realistically.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD FX-8320 3.5GHz 8-Core Processor ($134.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler ($24.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-970A-UD3P ATX AM3+ Motherboard ($75.89 @ OutletPC)
Total: $235.76
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-12 21:26 EST-0500


and it would still get outperformed by this

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($188.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H-A Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($49.98 @ OutletPC)
Total: $238.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-02-12 21:34 EST-0500

In fact, that $238 i5 build would outperform the above mentioned $426 super overclocked FX build. In gaming at least.



So yeah, the FXs are still viable for now, but lets not pretend that they compete with Intel's latest offerings.

Important note: 1. I already said that FX are not ideal for gaming purposes. For gaming and gaming alone Intel has better options. 2. I stated that I get better multi-tasking and heavily multi-threaded performance out of my FX 8370 than I would out of an i5 system, which is 100% true. You get better multi-threaded performance out of a FX 8 core processor than you do out of an i5, pretty much everyone knows that. An i5 is more ideal for gaming (at least on the DX 11 games) because of its strong single core performance and most (DX 11) games don't use more than 3 threads - an i5 is ideal for DX 11 gaming. However if you read my above post, for intense multi-tasking and multi-threaded applications the FX 8 core is going to outperform the i5s and usually come in cheaper than a i7 build which if you go with the new tier 1 970 motherboards and do mild overclocking (say with a budget Cryorig H7), or run at stock is 100% true. I also should add that it was way cheaper for me because I already had a Sabertooth 990FX with an older Phenom II 965BE, so all I had to do was upgrade the processor and get the NH-D15 (which will be used in all my future builds so money well spent) so for me was way cheaper.

Now its also important to take into account I was addressing the OP as to what to do with HIS computer. HE ALREADY HAS A GOOD FX 8350 SETUP. The only thing he may need to think about upgrading would be a psu and an aftermarket cooler (which he'll be able to use in future builds too), which is way cheaper than getting a new Intel processor and motherboard. If all he is interested in is gaming we can get better performance out of his rig so he can game 1080P @ 60FPS on Ultra, that is very doable for his system. As an added bonus if the OP does a lot of video editing, is a power surfer (20-30 web pages open at once) or is heavily running multiple programs all at the same time, he will get better performance with his FX 8350 than with an i5.

I know that Intel guys have a very hard time admitting that an FX build can best an Intel build at anything, but there are certain things that the 8 core FX can do better than the 4 core i5. When it comes down to heavily multi-threaded applications and hardcore multi-tasking the 8 core FX systems will outperform a 4 core i5 system. While it is true that a 4 core 8 thread i7 will usually outperform a 8 core FX it is also important to note that you are going to pay more for that i7- as in your example the i7 4790 is almost double the FX 8350.

The OP has very reasonable goals: to game @ 1080P, Ultra settings, at 60FPS. For post after post to tell him the only way to do that is upgrade to Intel and get a new motherboard and processor, and nothing else will work for him is just horrible advice when he already has a system that is totally capable of his goals. I agree that for gaming and gaming alone an Intel system would be ideal, but the OP can obtain his modest goals with the system he already has and game new AAA titles (especially DX 12 titles) @ 1080p, Ultra, 60FPS for at least the next year at which time he'll have to decide if its time to upgrade or time to turn down the settings to high and try to push his current system a little longer.

I fully expect some big price changes in both AMD and Intel the beginning of 2017 when Zen arrives and makes high end AMD systems more competitive with high end Intel systems again. That is when it will be ideal to upgrade a system, when prices are driven down by competition.

It's CPU and mobo

??? Not following you. The OP has a top of the line motherboard, very capable of big overclocks (5Ghz+) and his CPU is known to be overclockable a good portion of the time to 5Ghz (depending on the "silicon lottery". When done properly, ie overclocking using both multiplier and fsb overclocking, an FX 8350 @ ~4.5Ghz with a good GPU is more than capable of running Witcher 3 and Fallout 4 @ 1080p, ~60FPS, which is what the OP wants to do. A full upgrade to a new motherboard and processor, at this time, would not be needed. The system simply needs to be overclocked and set properly in bios.