New CPU or new graphics card?

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ToastedPotatoe

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May 11, 2017
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So I have a i5-2500k with a GTX 960 right now and I have been looking for an upgrade for a while now.
I'm wondering if it's better to upgrade my cpu or graphics if I have a budget of ~$400 CAD. I've heard the best thing to do is to upgrade is the graphics card first for gaming but the 2500k is kinda old and I'm afraid it will bottleneck a better graphics card.
Also, what parts do you recommend for my current budget Graphics/CPU? (Playing on 1080p)

Thanks
 
Solution
raisonjohn
RX 580 (8GB) or GTX 1060 (6GB) is very similar in performance (minor differences depending on games). If you are on a tight budget, go for the cheaper one (usually, the RX 580, if you can find one).

The GTX 1070 would be too much, esp. if you are gaming at 1080p/~60Hz. It's ideal if you have a 1080p/120+Hz monitor. Though, the GTX 1070 is very powerful that you won't get the full benefits unless you upgrade your CPU and/or your monitor.

You can get a good RX 580 (8GB) or a GTX 1060 (6GB) for way less than $300:

Gigabyte - Radeon RX 580 8GB Gaming 8G Video Card ($242.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Zotac - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB AMP! Edition Video Card ($249.99 @ B&H)
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smurfWHYPHY

smurfWHYPHY

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Since you have a $400 CAD and its primarily for gaming you can opt to upgrade your CPU first get like an i5-6500/6600 or i5 7500/7600 or if you're into overclocking get a K version Skylake or Kabylake CPU if you can find a good deal. Otherwise, wait for Coffee Lake hehe. Your GPU is still good for another 1-2 years depending on NVIDIA's Volta release or AMD's Vega release.


As long time builder you should invest first on a good CPU before the GPU since GPUs release faster than CPUs. :)
 
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raisonjohn

raisonjohn

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I'd keep the i5-2500K and upgrade only the GPU - to a GTX 1060 6GB for less than $400, such as any of these examples:

MSI - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB GAMING X Video Card ($373.75 @ Vuugo)

Asus - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB Dual Video Card ($365.99 @ PC Canada)

Zotac - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB AMP! Edition Video Card ($359.99 @ Newegg Canada)

Your CPU can still cope with such powerful graphics card, esp. when the CPU is OC'd. Just an example, an i5-2500 (the less powerful non-K/non-OC'able version of your CPU), will perform like this with a GTX 1060 6GB on 1080p Ultra gaming:
[video="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DVC1O1OD3Y"][/video]
*Notice that in some games (Mordor, ROTR, et. al.) the non-K 2nd-gen i5 CPU can handle the GPU. However, in some games (BF1, COD, et. al.) the non-K i5 CPU reaches 100% before the GPU reaches its max. This will not be the case with your more powerful i5-2500K (which you can resolve by overclocking *or* decreasing slightly the in-game graphics settings).

Here's another example, this time your exact CPU i5-2500K (OC'd to 4.6GHz) + the GTX 1060 6GB on 1080p Ultra, playing Witcher 3:
[video="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YA4wffI-sv0"][/video]
*Notice that both CPU and GPU are closing in at 100% at that setting.
 
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urbancamper

urbancamper

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I think I would go the other way. You can get a nice gtx 1070 with the money you have saved. It will play games at max settings both 1080p and 1440p. Even with a bottleneck you will get a HUGE fps jump in games. The cpu will not give you the same boost.

The next generation of cpus, both Intel and Amd will be out within the next few months. You can save for those upgrades. That gtx1070 will be good for a few years.
 
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imxylo

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You won't get any bottle necking if you upgrade your gpu. I would go for something like a gtx 1060. I've seen someone run a 2500k (overclocked) with a gtx 1080 so you should be fine. Also, the gtx 1060 is amazing for 1080p. You should be able to push 60+ frames on some of the highest settings on most games.
 
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ToastedPotatoe

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May 11, 2017
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Thanks for all your replies!
It seems like a graphics card is what most of you agree on.
In that case should I go with the recommended 1060/70 or an RX 580?
I can get an 580 for ~$300
 
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raisonjohn

raisonjohn

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RX 580 (8GB) or GTX 1060 (6GB) is very similar in performance (minor differences depending on games). If you are on a tight budget, go for the cheaper one (usually, the RX 580, if you can find one).

The GTX 1070 would be too much, esp. if you are gaming at 1080p/~60Hz. It's ideal if you have a 1080p/120+Hz monitor. Though, the GTX 1070 is very powerful that you won't get the full benefits unless you upgrade your CPU and/or your monitor.

You can get a good RX 580 (8GB) or a GTX 1060 (6GB) for way less than $300:

Gigabyte - Radeon RX 580 8GB Gaming 8G Video Card ($242.99 @ SuperBiiz)

Zotac - GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6GB AMP! Edition Video Card ($249.99 @ B&H)
 
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ToastedPotatoe

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May 11, 2017
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I'll probably wait until an RX 580 goes in stock (hopefully soon) and get that.
Thanks for all the help and also for saving me 50 bucks :)
 
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