[ FX 8320 with R9 390 ] or [ i5 6600k with R9 280x ] what schould i upgrade?

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metalhusky

metalhusky

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Feb 1, 2015
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Hi,
i wasnt to upgrade my PC, it's now:

FX 8320 @ 4GHz
R9 280x slightly OC
8 GB RipjawsX

So i can't get stable 60 FPS in Dark Souls 3 with that, i jumps between 40 and 60, no matter what settings or resolution i choose.


So i have seen many videos on youtube and it looks like AMD is good for graphics cards, but their processors can't keep up with Intel, and my FX 8320 is throttling the R9 280x, and for the graphics card i think i want R9 390, because my current GPU has coil whining, so i thought, i have to upgrade anyway....

So my questions are, what should i upgrade first?

I have 300-350 euro budget, next upgrade i can afford in 4-5 months.

Should i upgrade the CPU first to i5 6600k and leave my R9 280x in [i also need a new Motherboard then, ASUS Z170I PRO GAMING should be good right?]

or

First get R9 390 and leave FX 8320 in, and get the Intel CPU then later? [and is it really throtteling the GPU?]


Also is DDR4 ram really better than DDR3? I mean it's better on paper, sure, but does it really make a difference in game?

Thanks.
 
Solution
geofelt
Because your experimentation with settings and resolution does nothing, I conclude that your cpu is the issue.
When you reduce settings or resolution, it puts less load on the graphics card. It is a predictor of what would happen if you were to replace the graphics card with a stronger one. Here, it looks like the cpu is your limiting factor, not the graphics card.
Upgrade the cpu first.
The i5-6600K with a fair overclock is as good as it gets for gaming today.
Yes, any Z170 motherboard will do the job.
FWIW
As of 2/16/16
What percent can get an overclock at a somewhat sane 1.40v Vcore.
I5-6600K
4.9 11%
4.8 38%
4.7 70%
4.6 83%

DDR4 ram and DDR3 ram perform equally, mainly because Intel does not depend on fast ram.
You will find...
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geofelt

geofelt

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Oct 9, 2006
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174,240
Because your experimentation with settings and resolution does nothing, I conclude that your cpu is the issue.
When you reduce settings or resolution, it puts less load on the graphics card. It is a predictor of what would happen if you were to replace the graphics card with a stronger one. Here, it looks like the cpu is your limiting factor, not the graphics card.
Upgrade the cpu first.
The i5-6600K with a fair overclock is as good as it gets for gaming today.
Yes, any Z170 motherboard will do the job.
FWIW
As of 2/16/16
What percent can get an overclock at a somewhat sane 1.40v Vcore.
I5-6600K
4.9 11%
4.8 38%
4.7 70%
4.6 83%

DDR4 ram and DDR3 ram perform equally, mainly because Intel does not depend on fast ram.
You will find ddr3 ram on cheaper skylake motherboards.
Unless your ddr3 ram is low voltage, 1.20 - 1.35v I would not plan on using it anyway.
A 8gb kit of DDR4 will not cost any more than DDR3. And 1.2v 2400 speed is fine.
Here is a older report on skylake ram scaling:
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1478-page1.html

Lastly, it might pay to wait on the gpu regardless.
Pascal is scheduled for June, and I would expect a response from amd.
 
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Solution
K

kneebender

Reputable
Feb 28, 2015
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4,510
Hi

From my experience, I had a 8350 at 4.4 GHz and a 7870xt when i first built my rig and they paired well together. I then upgraded to a R9 290 and that's when I noticed the 8350 couldn't keep up. I then upgraded my CPU to a Intel Xeon 1241 v3 which runs at 3.5 GHz so it's basically a 4770k without integrated graphics.

I noticed a big overall improvement on framerates. CPU intensive games like Battlefield 4 I noticed a huge frame rate improvement, where the 8350 just bottlenecked the R9 290.

So from my experience I think a CPU upgrade is worth it if you are gonna run a 390. You will lose frames sticking with the 8320

Now as for the ram I couldn't tell you, I have just seen benchmarks and the DDR4 shows a little improvement.
 
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metalhusky

metalhusky

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Feb 1, 2015
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I dont care about built in graphics, since i use an actual graphics card anyway, so i think i am going to buy a i5 6600k then, because i heard that Xeons don't over clock well, and i plan getting a ARCTIC Liquid Freezer 240 later and over clock the hell out of it, as "geofelt" said 4.6 should be very easy to do.
 
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metalhusky

metalhusky

Honorable
Feb 1, 2015
53
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10,540


Ok then I5-6600K should it be.

AMD Polaris will be the response, both will be expensive as fuck, but, yeah prizes for older cards should drop a little bit.

Thanks.
 
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