Is my GPU or CPU the problem? Help me decide what to upgrade

Go for the GPU upgrade, the 2GB vram on the 660 could be holding you back, the 1070 is a good choice, or you can always wait as the 1060 is just around the corner

Have you messed with, moved, or deleted your pagefile?




Your i5 is still very strong. Upgrading your video card would make the most sense.

Like CTurbo and Monsta have stated, an upgrade for you GPU would be the best. I wouldn't hesitate to put an RX 480 (because price) or 1070 in there. As for the 'low memory' part, it's more than likely your VRAM, unless you're using 14GB+ of RAM.

HI Kurttaxmaster

It would seem that your Memory is being saturated with unnecessary Services or two many apps running at the same time.
You can check this with Task Manager.
You can also change settings for your Page File Quota by increasing its value.
You off coarse have the option of upgrading your RAM.

List your PSU for another check.
Best i5 is the Core i5-3570K which has been tested and has good reviews.
The MB will support the GTX 1070.

Assuming that the SSD is where the operating system is installed, how much free space is left on it?

+Kurttaxmaster Two things: (1) Before you consider upgrading your GPU, CPU or memory, you should first stabilize your system. I think that both your RAM and swap file is being saturated. By default Windows manages the size of the swap (page) file, but I'm a big believer in managing it yourself and setting a specific figure. Years ago conventional wisdom was to set the page file to 1.5 times your RAM size. For example, if you had 4 GB of physical RAM, then you should set the page file to 6 GB. However I admit that in my Lenovo laptop with 16 GB of RAM, I have my page file set to 4 GB. I run a VMWare Vcenter lab on it, and I've never had a problem.

However in your case, it sounds like some application has a memory leak, and is monopolizing all physical memory and the swap file. Would you have any idea what could be responsible for that? My first "guess" is the video drivers.

What I would do:

a) set windows page file to 4 GB:
* higher value if you want is fine. Just know that setting this value will immediate reserve the same amount of space on your OS storage drive, which I assume is your SSD.

Initially set it to "page file none" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRe_MtNvVSM
After clicking Ok at all the prompts, it should prompt you to reboot the computer. Please do so. By reboot the computer the page file will be removed and there will be no fragmentation in the file. Please note the computer will boot up slow this time, because of the lack of a page file. Totally normal.
Then go back into the page files settings (reference YouTube video above again) and set the minimum and maximum page file to 4 GB.
After clicking OK at all the prompt, I don't believe it'll prompt for a reboot this time. But if it does, please do so.

b) Uninstall video drivers for your GTX 660. Unfortunately DDU (display drivers uninstaller) isn't compatible with Windows 10. After removal of the video drivers, reboot the computer and then download the latest copy of the drivers from the Nvidia website.

c) Samsung 840: Check to make sure that the Samsung Magician application is installed. If it's not then please download and install it ( http://www.samsung.com/semiconductor/minisite/ssd/download/tools.html ). I previously removed it from my laptop, and forgot to reinstall it. My read/write performance felt like it was half of what it previously once. Once I reinstalled the application, the performance returned to normal. Just last week a new firmware came out specifically for the Samsung 840, which has been on the market for 3 years.

In conclusion of this point, I think it's your RAM & swap file being exceeded, not your graphics card's vram. And if my assumption is true about it being the RAM, it shouldn't be exceeded unless a program isn't playing nice. And my first guess is your video drivers, although it could certainly be another program on your computer. Next time the error pops up, could you take a picture with your smart phone and post it here with imgur? I also think it's worth you going into event viewer (application and system logs) at the time of the last incident, and see if Windows lists the application causing this error.

2) I too agree that the GTX 1070 would be the ideal upgrade if you need more performance. Since the 1070 has a slightly higher power requirement than the GTX 660, would you mind taking a look inside the case and telling us the precise manufacturer and model # of your power supply? It'll be written on the side of the power supply when you open the case. Also, may I ask what your goal is with the GPU upgrade? For example, are you wanting to play Doom at ultra settings at 1080p resolution? I only ask because I want you to get precisely what you're seeking.

Addendum: SeaSonic X Series 850W 80+ Gold Certified : I saw your stated power supply after my last response. That's a fantastic quality PSU with ample power available, so obviously there won't be any issue with any graphics card you select.