The Road to Upgrading PC

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WildcatTM

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Feb 10, 2014
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10,510
Greetings, everyone. It's been about 3 or 4 years since I last upgraded my system. Currently, I am running these specs:

Motherboard - Z87-G45 Gaming
Graphics Chipset - AMD Radeon HD 7800 Series
Memory Size - 2048 MB
Memory Type - HyperMemory
Core Clock - 1000 MHz
System Memory - 8 GB
CPU Type - Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-4670K CPU @ 3.40GHz

There is a notable difference these days when playing games at high settings. At the moment, I'm trying to decide on a video card. I tried AMD on the current built and I am not disappointed (before that, I've been with Nvidia for about 10 years), so I'm probably going to stick with AMD. If may also decide to keep my current motherboard if the CPU I pick up is compatible (probably not). As I've read, a motherboard doesn't really effect FPS unless OC, and I don't really partake in that. My current card sports 2 gigs memory size, 256-bit memory interface. The cards that I am looking at will be 5 gig memory size, 512-bit memory interface.

These are the current video cards I'm looking into: http://i.imgur.com/HJAxvyn.png

I'm not sure of these which one is the better choice or I should look at some other cards. Anyone's help would be greatly appreciative.
 
Solution
Barty1884
The RX480 and GTX1060 are comparable in performance at 1080p, with the 1060 winning out.
They're even very similar in price, so there's no reason not to go with nVidia.

Any upcoming releases from AMD will be in the 'upper end' 4K gaming category (if i were to guess), rivaling nVidia's 1080 and Titan X(P). If you're gaming at 1080p, a GTX1070 or GTX1080 are overkill and a bit of a waste - you'll never use their 'power' at 1080p.

That leaves a 1060 vs RX 480...... and I've already covered my thoughts. Can't really go wrong with either, but I'd definitely suggest the 1060.
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Barty1884

Barty1884

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Apr 16, 2015
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A 4670K is still a great CPU, there's nothing worthwhile upgrading to at this point IMO.

A GPU upgrade is all you really need.

An R9 390 or 390X are solid cards, but for the price, I'd recommend an RX 480 (if you're sticking with AMD).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814131694&cm_re=rx_480-_-14-131-694-_-Product

nVidia has the better performing cards at the moment, but a 480 will be a healthy upgrade over a 78XX

a GTX 1060 is a solid option if you play at 1080p:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814133631&cm_re=1060-_-14-133-631-_-Product

Or if you're aiming for 1440p, a GTX 1070:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125875&cm_re=1070-_-14-125-875-_-Product

That's all you need to upgrade - assuming your PSU is decent quality.
 
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WildcatTM

Honorable
Feb 10, 2014
16
0
10,510


Thank you for bringing up the CPU. It would be great if I don't have to replace it. Honestly, it's quite the trooper. Regarding the AMD cards, I wasn't aware a new generation came out. I'm definitely looking into the high end range of performance. Is the RX series up to par with the high end R9 390X? I'm just looking into the benchmark stuff now. Price wise, I'm not all indifferent. I'll shell out the extra. Especially if I'm skipping a CPU.
 
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Barty1884

Barty1884

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Apr 16, 2015
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There is absolutely no reason to upgrade that CPU. You could OC it an push a little more out of it, but it doesn't sound like you're interested in that. Even at stock speeds, it's still a great CPU. There might be a theoretical 10% performance boost going to the latest generation, but that's theoretical. You're not going to see any substantial gains. The 6600K is very much comparable to the 4690K, which was a slight improvement over the 4670K, so you still essentially have the 'best' gaming chip.

The RX 'series', no. The 460 & 470 are ok, but the RX480 is their 'top of the line' card. A little better than a 390X, and more efficient.

Performance-wise, the GTX 1060 beats out an RX480 (an R9 390/390X) in most situations - at 1080p.

Playing at 1080p, a 1060 us all you need - a GTX 1070 would be a little better.

If playing at 1440p, got for a GTX 1070.

The RX 480 is a great card, but comparable in price with a 1060, the 1060 is the better card.
 
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WildcatTM

Honorable
Feb 10, 2014
16
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10,510


I think I'll take your advice and overclock the CPU. I use to do it back in the day and it's even easier now a days.

I do plan on shifting to 1080p gaming. I guess if budget isn't really holding me back, I should consider going back to nVidia? I don't have an issue with them at all; I just wanted to try something new in AMD.
 
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Barty1884

Barty1884

Retired Moderator
Apr 16, 2015
22,250
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108,740
The RX480 and GTX1060 are comparable in performance at 1080p, with the 1060 winning out.
They're even very similar in price, so there's no reason not to go with nVidia.

Any upcoming releases from AMD will be in the 'upper end' 4K gaming category (if i were to guess), rivaling nVidia's 1080 and Titan X(P). If you're gaming at 1080p, a GTX1070 or GTX1080 are overkill and a bit of a waste - you'll never use their 'power' at 1080p.

That leaves a 1060 vs RX 480...... and I've already covered my thoughts. Can't really go wrong with either, but I'd definitely suggest the 1060.
 
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Solution
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WildcatTM

Honorable
Feb 10, 2014
16
0
10,510


Awesome. You've been a big help. Thank you for all the suggestions. I won't ever really get a 4K monitor. Maybe I'll pick up the 1070 in case I change my mind regarding 4K gaming.
 
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