What is the best choice for upgrading my 5 year old computer?

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Cruise King

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Aug 3, 2016
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Hi - I want to upgrade by computer for gaming. I currently have an ASUS P8Z68-V Pro/ Gen3 LGA 1155 MOBO, CPU is i7-2600K, and GPU is Radeon HD 6970 2GB. Can someone tell me what I can upgrade to? Thanks a lot! Bob

I would like to stay under $1,000 now so hopefully I can focus on just replacing the graphics card then doing a new build in a year or two.
 
Solution
geofelt


Your cpu is old, but still good. Particularly with an overclock.
Go ahead and buy your gpu upgrade.
That will let you better assess what you might need for cpu if anything.
It can easily be moved to a new cpu/motherboard in time.
The psu that can run a 6970 can also run a card as good as a GTX1080.
A GTX1060 would run most games very well at 1080P.
If you have thoughts of 1440P, that might be a GTX1070.
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geofelt

geofelt

Titan
Oct 9, 2006
54,298
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Are you cpu limited or gpu limited?
Here is one way to find out:
------------------------------------------------------------
To help clarify your CPU/GPU options, run these two tests:

a) Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

b) Limit your cpu, either by reducing the OC, or, in windows power management, limit the maximum cpu% to something like 70%.
Go to control panel/power options/change plan settings/change advanced power settings/processor power management/maximum processor state/
This will simulate what a lack of cpu power will do.
Conversely what a 30% improvement in core speed might do.

You should also experiment with removing one core. You can do this in the windows msconfig boot advanced options option. You will need to reboot for the change to take effect. Set the number of processors to less than you have.
This will tell you how sensitive your games are to the benefits of many cores.

If your FPS drops significantly, it is an indicator that your cpu is the limiting factor, and a cpu upgrade is in order.

It is possible that both tests are positive, indicating that you have a well balanced system, and both cpu and gpu need to be upgraded to get better gaming FPS.
-------------------------------------------------------------
 
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C

Cruise King

Commendable
Aug 3, 2016
4
0
1,510


I want to stay under $1,000 for now so I was hoping to just upgrade the graphics card, but am not sure my MOBP / CPU will allow. I would then do another new build in a year or two.
 
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geofelt

geofelt

Titan
Oct 9, 2006
54,298
4,146
174,240


Your cpu is old, but still good. Particularly with an overclock.
Go ahead and buy your gpu upgrade.
That will let you better assess what you might need for cpu if anything.
It can easily be moved to a new cpu/motherboard in time.
The psu that can run a 6970 can also run a card as good as a GTX1080.
A GTX1060 would run most games very well at 1080P.
If you have thoughts of 1440P, that might be a GTX1070.
 
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Solution
JohnBonhamsGhost

JohnBonhamsGhost

Champion
Jan 14, 2016
7,970
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yeah, i would definitely start with the GPU. a Nvidia GTX 1070, or 1080 if you don't mind spending the extra $$, and you would be set for the next few years of games with good settings, good frame rates, and higher resolutions if needed.
the 1070 goes for ~$400-470 right now. the 1080 from ~$650-700.
if you can wait for a bit, AMD has the new RX 490 & 490X on the way that should be a bit cheaper claiming to equal or beat the 1080 for less money.

if you don't see the improvement you would like from the GPU upgrade alone, then move on to upgrading the motherboard/CPU/RAM to the Intel Z170 platform.

what power supply are you currently using?
your case could be a limiting factor size-wise. you should probably measure the length of your current GPU and see how much extra space you have there and then compare that to the length specified by whichever card you choose.
 
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