Upgrade CPU or GPU

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Wave Edits

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Oct 12, 2013
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Asus Mobo (idk which)
AMD 8320 CPU
AMD Asus 280 GPU (not 280x)

going to be doing some gaming and CAD work as a student. should I upgrade my cpu/mobo i5 6600 and some Mobo that fits my needs? Or should I upgrade my GPU to a GTX 1070?
 
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MCID47

MCID47

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Jun 10, 2016
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Yep, GPU upgrade is a better choice

But for some kind of standard 3D simulation or video/audio editing and not for Workstation activities, your 280 and 8320 still perform well and no problem for nowadays. But CPU is still a crap for now xD
 
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IInuyasha74

IInuyasha74

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May 1, 2013
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You really need to upgrade both. From a gaming standpoint, your CPU is the biggest issue. It is 5 years old, and wasn't the best CPU of its day.

From a CAD perspective, does the software you are using support any sort of GPU acceleration technology? If so, you want to take that into consideration, as a powerful GPU will speed up your work projects.
 
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Wave Edits

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I cannot afford to buy both CPU upgrade and mobo and gpu. I have many upcoming expenses and this rig needs to be ready in 2 months, so saving and buying both is not an option. $500 budget at the very most. If i buy a 1070, to what extent will my processor bottleneck it, and what articles/videos say it will bottleneck? as far as gaming goes would i notice a bigger difference with a new cpu or a new gpu?
 
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spoofer2

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Mar 19, 2014
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im not sure where these guys are coming from with the cpu. sure there are a plethera of better cpus available but in the real world you wouldnt see much difference. a gpu, on the other hand, you would most definitely notice a difference in upgrading from that.
 
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Dan425811923

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The 280 can run 1080p @ 60 Fps in almost any game.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V5 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($252.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Asus E3 PRO GAMING V5 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($147.98 @ Newegg)
Total: $400.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-07 01:11 EDT-0400
 
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IInuyasha74

IInuyasha74

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That is incorrect. In the real world you would see considerable difference in every day tasks and on performance intensive tasks. The GPU upgrade only makes sense now if the software he is using will be able to take advantage of it to accelerate his work.
 
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Dan425811923

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IInuyasha74

IInuyasha74

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PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/R9b4Cy
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/list/R9b4Cy/by_merchant/

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($197.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B150M-DS3H Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($65.38 @ Newegg)
Memory: Team Elite Plus 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $318.36
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-07-07 01:31 EDT-0400

This would be my suggestion. Buy this for now, it is right at $318, and gets you a solid build. AMD's RX 480 is currently overpriced due to limited availability, but it should be around $200. Nvidia also has its GTX 1070 coming out at some point, and the price of the GTX 970 has already been brushing towards $200.

Your best option is to buy this, come up with an extra $20, and grab one of these three GPUs for about $200 once you see them drop. Your current GPU will serve you well enough until then.
 
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Darkbreeze

Darkbreeze

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I just recently upgraded my system from your EXACT configuration. I had, and still have, an FX-8320@4.5Ghz and a Sapphire R9 280, and upgraded to an i7-6700k. I still have the 280 currently as I sold my 290x and am likely going to go with a GTX 1070.

You should know that for gaming, the differences I see are like night and day. Everything is smoother, nothing lags, so long as I keep the settings realistic for the current card. Before, with the 8320, it did well enough, but there were some issues that are no longer an issue with the current configuration. The core performance is seriously improved and multi-tasking is a much less frustrating process.

As to the CAD, this is going to be a somewhat different matter and as IInuyasha74 mentioned, is really dependent on WHAT CAD software you are planning to run. Even what camp to select a card from might be affected by the particular software you plan to run. Listen to IInuyasha74, he knows a thing or two about what he's talking about and isn't going to lead you astray.
 
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IInuyasha74

IInuyasha74

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Thank you DB, for your insights. :)

I knew you came from a similar system, but I didn't realize it was the exact config haha.

In addition to the hardware I suggested above, I recommend you save up for this GPU:
http://www.tomshardware.com/news/nvidia-geforce-gtx-1060-launch,32214.html

There will be models priced at around $250, probably some budget units hitting closer to $200. I couldn't mention it last night, but it seems like the best option to me. SO buy that CPU, motherboard and RAM upgrade, wait a month or so, then upgrade this GPU. If you really can't spare any more cash on it, sale off your old hardware to make up the difference.
 
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spoofer2

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Mar 19, 2014
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wow, well there ya go. goes to show how much amd sucks
 
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Darkbreeze

Darkbreeze

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Really? Because I could have sworn you said this:



im not sure where these guys are coming from with the cpu. sure there are a plethera of better cpus available but in the real world you wouldnt see much difference.
Click to expand...


And this:

a gpu, on the other hand, you would most definitely notice a difference in upgrading from that.
Click to expand...

When the fact is that for most CAD projects, the GPU is a secondary consideration. For gaming, you'd be right, but usually when somebody requests a system capable of running a CAD title they are doing work first, gaming second. It also begs the question what kind of CAD rendering you'll be doing. If you are working with only 2D models or layouts, just about anything from the last few years will work. If you are doing 3D model rendering, you're going to want a powerful CPU and a good card. Support for specific instruction sets is the most important factor though, speed follows that in the chain of importance.

Autocad, Solidworks and Palette CAD, for example, will all run fairly well on pretty minimal hardware, so long as you're working in 2D. In 3D though, the demand for resources becomes much more elevated. Memory might even be a more important consideration than either CPU or GPU card, as a system with a middling processor and card, but lots of memory, will often outperform a configuration with a very fast processor, high end card and low amount of memory, when it comes to these CAD titles.


 
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