What should I upgrade first? CPU or GPU (or motherboard, if needed)?

Phernaside · Apr 25, 2017

Here are my current specs:

Intel i5-6400 Quad Core 2.7GHz CPU
NVidia GTX 1060 3GB GDDR5 GPU
H110M-DS/Hyper Motherboard
8GB DDR4 2400 Mhz RAM

I bought this build from iBuyPower because it was on sale, but I'm having trouble running intensive games like Nier: Automata and Dark Souls 3, so I want to start upgrading. Problem is, I'm rather new to the PC world and I'm not really sure what I should upgrade first. Any help would be appreciated!

junkeymonkey · Apr 25, 2017

if your 100% sure this is your motherboard then any listed CPU will work just remember kaby lake requires a bios update to support them first

http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/H110M-DSHyper/?cat=CPU

looks like you at the low end of the i5's with what you got in skylake would not think that cpu you got would cripple you that bad ?

anyway that gtx 1060 should do ok thing is your not going to see i7 and 1080ti results unless that's what you buy ??

you may not be able to run everything at max but then you should not be running at low either ??

have you tried running firestrike ?? and look at your cpu and cards results to see how good or bad you really are ?

[default firestrike 1080p ]

http://www.3dmark.com/search#/?mode=advanced&url=/proxycon/ajax/search/cpugpu/fs/P/2042/1103/500000?minScore=0&cpuName=Intel Core i5-6400 Processor&gpuName=NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060-3GB

don't look too shabby ?

scores better then my i5 4670 and gtx 10603gb

http://www.3dmark.com/search#/?mode=advanced&url=/proxycon/ajax/search/cpugpu/fs/P/1614/1103/500000?minScore=0&cpuName=Intel Core i5-4670&gpuName=NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060-3GB

seems your in good shape ?

Phernaside · Apr 25, 2017

junkeymonkey :

You're right, I'm in pretty good shape. Most games I can run in full 1080p 60fps no problem (Overwatch and Warframe, for example), however there are some that I'm having to run at medium settings just to achieve 60fps, and even then the fps is unstable. I've got my eyes set on an i7 6700 and the NVidia GTX 1070 8gb, but I can't buy them both at the same time. Which one should I do first to maximize performance? Or does it even matter?

cin19 · Apr 25, 2017

According the review from Techspot http://www.techspot.com/review/1162-dark-souls-3-benchmarks/ your i5+ gtx1060 3gb ( better/similar to the gtx970) are fine. And I don't know what trouble you had. Overheat or the PSU may cause the problem.

Open the case to see what PSU it is.

Also using the software to monitor the temp ( cpu and GPU). HWiNFO64 https://www.hwinfo.com/download.php

junkeymonkey · Apr 25, 2017

thing is you see how having a 6gb card would bump you up some ?

http://www.3dmark.com/search#/?mode=advanced&url=/proxycon/ajax/search/cpugpu/fs/P/2042/1096/500000?minScore=0&cpuName=Intel Core i5-6400 Processor&gpuName=NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060-6GB

my 4670 and a gtx 1060 6gb

http://www.3dmark.com/search#/?mode=advanced&url=/proxycon/ajax/search/cpugpu/fs/P/1614/1096/500000?minScore=0&cpuName=Intel Core i5-4670&gpuName=NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060-6GB

I got to admit I did not expect that 6400 to be as good as it shows

like the physics score [CPU work] [average]

Physics Score 9 843

my 4670 is just [average]

Physics Score 7 286

not bad at all

Number of GPUs = 1 [single card use ]

http://www.3dmark.com/search#/?mode=advanced&url=/proxycon/ajax/search/cpugpu/fs/P/2042/1090/500000?minScore=0&cpuName=Intel Core i5-6400 Processor&gpuName=NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070

http://www.3dmark.com/search#/?mode=advanced&url=/proxycon/ajax/search/cpugpu/fs/P/1614/1090/500000?minScore=0&cpuName=Intel Core i5-4670&gpuName=NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1070

even moving up to a gtx 1070 your in better shape then me

lets see a 1080

WOW top single card with your CPU is 17882

http://www.3dmark.com/search#/?mode=advanced&url=/proxycon/ajax/search/cpugpu/fs/P/2042/1085/500000?minScore=0&cpuName=Intel Core i5-6400 Processor&gpuName=NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080

boo hoo for me top single card 15276

http://www.3dmark.com/search#/?mode=advanced&url=/proxycon/ajax/search/cpugpu/fs/P/1614/1085/500000?minScore=0&cpuName=Intel Core i5-4670&gpuName=NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080

don't know ? looks to me your card is hurting you looking at all that that CPU seems to be holding its own as it is ?? seems to get anymore benefit you would need to do the CPU and GPU , but I don't see you hurting bad at all

I did expect it to be under mine but I see that's wrong

so maybe like cin19 said there maybe more going on then you needing to upgrade ??

Obscure_2 · Apr 26, 2017

No Question about it. your CPU need a good upgrade. your running new hardware on a slow CPU. could try the new AMD ryzen cpus

. very powerful and good energy saving compared to the AMD FX.

CPU- https://www.amazon.co.uk/AMD-Desktop-CPU-AM4-3-5GHz-3-7GHz/dp/B06XKVNRSM/ref=sr_1_4?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1493253355&sr=1-4&keywords=ryzen

MOBO- https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06WWF12J8/ref=sr_1_2?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1493253383&sr=1-2&keywords=am4+motherboard

Both for about £250

BE WARNED!! you need a fresh install of windows if so. a lot of people don't realise. Also please don't hate me. I'm not an expert at computers but I would say I know a lot that is needed haha

lordmogul · Apr 27, 2017

I guess it's the low clock on the CPU and the small (3 GB) memory on the GPU that could could you back.
Waht is causing it, might depend on the game and settings used.

And I gues the 3DMark physics score isn't that meaningfful when my 8 year old Xeon get's close to 7,000 points: http://www.3dmark.com/fs/12079824

DSzymborski · Apr 27, 2017

Kinda silly to buy a Ryzen in this case. In a *new* build, absolutely consider one, but already *having* a Skylake motherboard, look for a 6700/7700 if you go the CPU upgrade route.

If given the choice, I'd probably go to a better GPU and PSU -- if you didn't specifically configure it to have a non-horrible PSU, it's going to have a horrible one.

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