What should i upgrade first? my cpu or gpu?
- Thread starter derutzki
- Start date
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Wayfall
Splendid
- Dec 27, 2013
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Hi
Well that card is a medium-maybe high settings 1080p card and the CPU is very old gen wise. I don't understand why people keep getting the FX CPU's, they have old architecture which can not keep up with current gen. You could go for AMD's Ryzen CPU's but truthfully they were kinda of a let down, Intel's Skylakes CPU's are still king at the moment.
If your tight on cash i would recommend just getting a better CPU first. Thou again depends on what your doing. I had to overclock my already powerful skylake hexacore i7 to play Battlefield 1 at 1440p ultra to get 80-110 fps with my GTX 1080
Well that card is a medium-maybe high settings 1080p card and the CPU is very old gen wise. I don't understand why people keep getting the FX CPU's, they have old architecture which can not keep up with current gen. You could go for AMD's Ryzen CPU's but truthfully they were kinda of a let down, Intel's Skylakes CPU's are still king at the moment.
If your tight on cash i would recommend just getting a better CPU first. Thou again depends on what your doing. I had to overclock my already powerful skylake hexacore i7 to play Battlefield 1 at 1440p ultra to get 80-110 fps with my GTX 1080
- Feb 22, 2015
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You have an entry-level GPU for 1080p gaming and a very very weak CPU. Between the two, I'd upgrade the CPU first.
However, the dilemma is, the FX CPUs are already a dead-end upgrade path. IMO, you'd not be spending your money wisely if you buy a new CPU of the same platform. The only advantage of getting such CPU is you get to retain the same motherboard and RAM you currently have (not spending more).
If I was in your position, I'd change the CPU + MB + RAM to either an AMD Ryzen 5 or an Intel Pentium/i3/i5 platform (the choice of which is dependent on your budget). However, compared to the first option above, this would have a higher overall cost than just changing the CPU alone. But the CPU + MB + RAM upgrade will give you the opportunity to upgrade to more powerful components in the future, unlike in the first option where you'll be stuck at the FX build with a weak GPU. In the CPU + MB + RAM option, you can get the best CPU you can afford and upgrade your GTX 950 at a much later time to a more powerful one without any bottlenecking - which is what you might be experiencing now with low fps (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14LcYGkqVqaHUK_qwS_6N9s1vp-TH7AyHzn7OrNittag/edit#gid=0).
However, the dilemma is, the FX CPUs are already a dead-end upgrade path. IMO, you'd not be spending your money wisely if you buy a new CPU of the same platform. The only advantage of getting such CPU is you get to retain the same motherboard and RAM you currently have (not spending more).
If I was in your position, I'd change the CPU + MB + RAM to either an AMD Ryzen 5 or an Intel Pentium/i3/i5 platform (the choice of which is dependent on your budget). However, compared to the first option above, this would have a higher overall cost than just changing the CPU alone. But the CPU + MB + RAM upgrade will give you the opportunity to upgrade to more powerful components in the future, unlike in the first option where you'll be stuck at the FX build with a weak GPU. In the CPU + MB + RAM option, you can get the best CPU you can afford and upgrade your GTX 950 at a much later time to a more powerful one without any bottlenecking - which is what you might be experiencing now with low fps (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14LcYGkqVqaHUK_qwS_6N9s1vp-TH7AyHzn7OrNittag/edit#gid=0).
- Feb 22, 2015
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For your budget of $500, you can already upgrade your CPU + MB + RAM **AND** GPU:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
CPU: Intel Core i5-7500 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor ($188.89 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: MSI B250M PRO-VDH Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($69.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: Patriot Viper 4 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($56.69 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Gigabyte Radeon RX 480 4GB G1 Gaming Video Card ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $495.56
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-04-24 19:03 EDT-0400
Just make sure your current PSU is a good-quality one with ~500W above. If not, add this to your cost:
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant
Power Supply: SeaSonic 520W 80+ Bronze Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply ($56.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $56.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-04-24 19:04 EDT-0400
- Feb 22, 2015
- 4,102
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Yes, you may do so as you wish. First batch: New CPU + New MB + New RAM + Current GPU (GTX 950) and Current PSU. Second batch (whenever you can): New GPU + New PSU.
The i5-7500 will easily handle the GTX 950, and you should expect your GPU to provide its maximum possible rendering when gaming. Note that the GTX 950 is an entry-level GPU for 1080p, so, don't expect 60fps on Ultra graphics settings.
When the time comes that you have enough money, get a powerful GPU and a better-quality PSU as I have suggested. You will now be able to game at Ultra settings with very smooth framerates on 1080p resolution.
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