What way should I go with upgrading 2 gaming PC's

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Corvus77

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Nov 4, 2014
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Hello and thanks for taking a look at my thread. I know Christmas may seem like a long way away but I have 3 sons all into PC gaming and they are wanting their computers upgraded. I'm just a little unsure of what way to go, GPU or CPU and I don't have a great budget for each PC. I am looking to spend around £300 on each maybe £350 but that would be the max spend for each system. I have listed the system specs below 2 are identical so there are only 2 lists. The way I was thinking was buying a GTX 970 for all 3 and buying a FX-6300 for the 3rd pc or should I buy them all a i5 4690k and a Z97 motherboard? I know these are for Christmas and parts and prices will change but I'll be buying what I can when I can as if I leave the money in the bank something will come up and it will get used. Also the wife thinks it's money down the drain and if I was to say at Christmas I need over £1000 for the buys computers she'd go mental. Thanks in advance for all replies.

System 1+2

MOBO ASUS M5A97 r2
CPU AMD FX-6300
GPU Sapphire R9-280 3GB
RAM 8GB Crucial Ballistix Tactical
SSD Samsung 850 evo 500gb
HDD 1TB WD
PSU EVGA 500B 500W 80+

System 3

MOBO ASUS M5A97 r2
CPU AMD FX-4300
GPU Sapphire R9-270x
RAM 8GB Crucial Ballistix Tactical
SSD Samsung 850 evo 500gb
HDD 1TB WD
PSU EVGA 500B 500W 80+
 
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If they're not getting VR headsets for Christmas too, or playing at higher resolutions than 1080p, I'd skip the GTX 970. A GTX 960 is definitely enough, and if you want them to have more longevity, find an R9 380X for about ~$220. The R9 290 is also an option, both the 380X and the 290 are in between a GTX 960 and 970. I'd say the FX-6300 is fine, and pick up another one to upgrade that third PC.

You're looking at about $7-760 with the better GPUs, ~$640 with the 960s. I haven't overclocked on that motherboard, but a cheap option is to pick up 3 CPU coolers (like the Cooler Master Hyper Evo 212) for ~$30 each and get the 6300s clocked at around 4.2GHz or more.
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cfortney

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If they're not getting VR headsets for Christmas too, or playing at higher resolutions than 1080p, I'd skip the GTX 970. A GTX 960 is definitely enough, and if you want them to have more longevity, find an R9 380X for about ~$220. The R9 290 is also an option, both the 380X and the 290 are in between a GTX 960 and 970. I'd say the FX-6300 is fine, and pick up another one to upgrade that third PC.

You're looking at about $7-760 with the better GPUs, ~$640 with the 960s. I haven't overclocked on that motherboard, but a cheap option is to pick up 3 CPU coolers (like the Cooler Master Hyper Evo 212) for ~$30 each and get the 6300s clocked at around 4.2GHz or more.
 
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Martell1977

Martell1977

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Oct 26, 2010
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I would hold off on making any decisions for now. AMD has a entirely new CPU and GPU line coming out and nVidia has their new GPU's coming. You should wait to see where the prices and performance lands before settling on any certain product. Especially since you wont be needing to purchase until much later.

You could consider upgrading all the CPU's to FX8350's and drop in a 970 or a R9 390(or the new equivalent). Since AMD's new CPU lineup will take DDR4, meaning it would need a new mobo and RAM with the processor.
 
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cfortney

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The guy is on a budget, and the difference between a 6300 and an 8350 is not at all worth it in my opinion.
 
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spdragoo

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Tom's Hardware would seem to imply that moving from an FX-6300 (4th-tier) to an FX-8320/8350/8370 (2nd-tier) would be OK. The usual recommendation is that you need to move up at least 2 tiers on the list (done). Plus, you're at leasting getting an extra module/extra 2 cores, if not additional speed per core (8320 is the 6300 with an extra module/2 cores, the 8350 & 8370 having higher core clocks for better performance). And with the 4300 at the same tier as the 6300, that would also be a welcome upgrade there.

Beyond that, it depends on the performance you're getting right now with your GPUs, & what resolution you're gaming at. I'm not sure how well the PSUs can support a 970, but they should be able to handle a 950 or 960, which would be more ideal for 1080p gaming.
 
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Corvus77

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Hi thanks everyone for the replies. I'll try and hold out as long as I can to buy hoping the prices go down but I'll probably go down the GTX 960 route as then I'll not need to buy new PSU's as well. The kids are happy at gaming in 1080p although ARK Survival is playable at medium settings it does look a bit crap. Hopefully they'll get 2 years out of the cards and Christmas 2017 I'll upgrade their MB and CPU. Once again thanks for the replies.
 
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Martell1977

Martell1977

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Just so you are aware, changing a R9 280 for a 960 is a waste of money if you are hoping for an upgrade. Their performance is just about equal. There is no real upgrade there, it's more of a lateral move. It is an upgrade for the machine running the 270x though.
 
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mikeyinstant

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For the price difference of a 970 and 960 (£100) vs the potential I would not hesitate skipping the the 960 and go with the 970. The boys would be much happier seeing there medium games settings go up to max settings. So your looking at about £250 for each 970. So you have £50 to £100 spare for each of them. If an upgrade of PSU would be needed then that shouldn't cost more than £65 each leaving you within budget. The 970 will over lock to almost a stock 980 so you have further play in that area if and when it's needed. For Christmas 2017 I'd look at switching your CPU for and i5 and upgrade the motherboard to fit with the new CPU. This will ,if buying now , would be another round of Christmas for the boys. Around £300.

Also seeing as your posting here in May for something relate to December I would hold of selecting your solved answer so quickly. Maybe someone will show you a better option.

You have the money to go with a 970 and upgrade the PSU in all three.

Sell all the AMD GPUs and old PSUs on eBay for what you can.
And that will bring your total spending down a little. Don't hang on to ageing tech otherwise you will lose out further in the long run.

Even for games running at 1080p they will notice the difference of a 970 and they won't need an upgrade for a good 2-3 years.

Having said all of this to know what monitors than have would be also good. ?? If they are above 60hrz then there no question about taking the 970 over the 960.
Mike
 
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