Gpu vs cpu upgrade

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Lmiller157

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Apr 26, 2017
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Hello all! I am looking at upgrading my computer. My current components are below. I'm debating on upgrading my gpu or cpu first. I am looking at going to the 1080 or getting an i7. If I upgrade to the 1080 will I still experience fps drops in games due to bottle necking?

Amd 8350
Sabertooth 990 r2
R9 290
Corsair vengeance ddr3 16gb.

Thanks all!
 
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The 290 is roughly equivalent to an RX 480/RX 580/GTX 1060. It would still be considered a solid mid-range card capable of 1080P gaming. CPU upgrade is a good call.

RE the CPU though, seeing as it seems like you're not averse to AMD hardware, you're not considering the Ryzen CPUs? While the 7700K with an overclock is definitely the best gaming CPU there is, by the time you get a decent cooler and Z270 board it's actually comes in around $150 more expensive than the Ryzen 5 1600 + mobo, which can get to 3.8-3.9Ghz on a much cheaper B350 board with the bundled cooler. Just for reference, that's approaching (but not quite reaching) the ~$200 difference between a GTX 1080 and the much more capable 1080ti.
Or perhaps the $150 change allows...
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rhysiam

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Mar 24, 2013
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The 290 is roughly equivalent to an RX 480/RX 580/GTX 1060. It would still be considered a solid mid-range card capable of 1080P gaming. CPU upgrade is a good call.

RE the CPU though, seeing as it seems like you're not averse to AMD hardware, you're not considering the Ryzen CPUs? While the 7700K with an overclock is definitely the best gaming CPU there is, by the time you get a decent cooler and Z270 board it's actually comes in around $150 more expensive than the Ryzen 5 1600 + mobo, which can get to 3.8-3.9Ghz on a much cheaper B350 board with the bundled cooler. Just for reference, that's approaching (but not quite reaching) the ~$200 difference between a GTX 1080 and the much more capable 1080ti.
Or perhaps the $150 change allows you to upgrade the GPU sooner... or get a better monitor?

If your priority is maximising FPS for 1080P gaming then the 7700K is probably worth the extra money. But if your gaming at higher res (or staying on a sub 90hz monitor), or do any sort of streaming or threaded content creation, the Ryzen 5 is roughly equivalent for gaming, and offers more for content creation for less money.

You get what you want... just raising the question/thought for you to consider.
 
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boosted1g

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Jun 12, 2013
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A 1080 would suffer from massive bottlenecking, a 1060 is pushing the 8350 to the max.

In your case you would not see much difference going from a 290 to a 480 (or GTX 1060) and anything beyond that wont matter much due to bottlenecking.

Thus i fully concur with bignastyid that the CPU upgrade first makes more sense.
 
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Lmiller157

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Apr 26, 2017
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Thanks all. Rhysiam I have not considered the ryzen. My current goal is to be able to get better fps at higher graphics. I have a 1080p 144hz monitor. The only issue I have with amd is it seems like most games are not utilizing the multi core very well.
 
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boosted1g

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Jun 12, 2013
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As things sit right now i7 is better for gaming then Ryzen.
Future games may have better optimization for Ryzen but right now even BF1 plays better on the i7 with less cores.
No matter what the single core performance will be better with intel due to its better IPC (instructions per clock).
Max performance is bassically IPC * clock speed * core/thread count.

Certianly possible by 2018 that games will be better coded for Ryzen and it can really shine as the better bang for buck CPU, but only time will tell.
 
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rhysiam

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Mar 24, 2013
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I agree with the statement above and that it basically invalidates the Ryzen 7 from consideration in a high end pure gaming PC when the goal is 120fps+. The thing that's worth remembering is that the Ryzen 5 1600 games every bit as well as the Ryzen 7 CPUs... and it can OC'd on a relatively cheap motherboard with the stock cooler.

So yes, the 7700K is the faster pure gaming CPU, but it's also substantially more expensive than the Ryzen 5 1600 (around $150 by the time you consider cooling, motherboard and CPU).

OP, if you're buying right now and you have the budget, the 7700K is better for 1080P @ 144hz gaming. If you find yourself having to wait until AMD's next generation of high end GPU called Vega launches (some time in May or June), then that $150 **might** net you a better GPU, which could give you a better gaming PC at the same or less than the 7700K + 1080. That's alllllll speculation at this point, we have no idea where Vega is going to sit performance wise other than AMD calling the larger Vega 10 GPU "high end". So right now, if you have the budget for the 7700K, it's a solid purchase.
 
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