If you had to upgrade one part of this rig (for gaming) what would it be?

mrjenkins44 · Jul 12, 2017

I was going to upgrade my video card, but now I am looking at the entire system. Would it be worth upgrading the memory or CPU? Or should I just keep what I have, and save up for a next gen video card? I was either going to spend $500+ on a video card to upgrade the whole thing, or spend the same amount on either upgrading the processor, memory, or mobo. Not sure which I need to upgrade more. Games run fine, but at higher settings I'm having some slowdown. I just don't want to buy a big video card if the system is holding it back.

Gigabyte Z97X-UD5H
Intel i7 4790K 4 GHZ
Corsair Vengeance LP Blue 16 GB (2x8 GB) DDR3 1600MHz
Geforce GTX 980ti 6GB Gold Edition
Samsung SSD 850 PRO 512 GB
Monitor BenQ RL2455

raisonjohn · Jul 12, 2017

You have a very powerful system (CPU, MB, GPU, RAM, SSD). I would upgrade that 1080p/60Hz monitor of yours to a 1440p/144Hz with G-Sync (which would pair well with you current Nvidia GTX 980Ti). The upgraded monitor would also set you up for a GTX 1080 or 1080 Ti, if you prefer to upgrade to that in the future (or wait for next gen Nvidia GPUs).

mrjenkins44 · Jul 12, 2017

So the monitor would just be for future games? Would I even be able to see a difference in the games right now?

mamasan2000 · Jul 12, 2017

I would wait/get a 10 bit monitor. HDR-monitor. Not sure I would go for Gsync. It adds 200 dollars to the monitor cost.
I wouldn't want to game under 60 fps anyway so very little use.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfvIXiYPcMg

Your CPU holds up very well compared to Skylake.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-3zMMkldlE

1080 would be maybe 10% better but would cost approx. 500$. Not worth it imo.

I have NOT used 2 off the same brand graphics cards so I can't recommend it but an option could be another 980Ti in SLI. If you can get one for 250$ or so.

I would think about monitor most. 30+ inches, 10 bit colors, 1440p at least.

raisonjohn · Jul 12, 2017

mrjenkins44 :

The bottleneck in your current system is the 60fps cap (or 75fps, if set at 75Hz) of your BenQ RL2455 monitor. Your GPU is very powerful that it was intended for 1440p (or even 4K) gaming. Using a 1080p with a cap/limit of 60Hz/75Hz means that your GPU is not being used to its full potential. On your current monitor, without V-Sync On, your GPU is rendering more than 60 or 75 frames per second that your monitor cannot display due to its refresh rate, what happens is frame stuttering or screen tearing - which might be an indication of your "slowdown?" as you mentioned. Buying a "bigger" video card on your current monitor would worsen that effect.

Consequently, if you turn V-Sync On, your GPU will only output 60/75 fps and disregard displaying the other frames which would make gameplay much "better" - but, as said, the GPU's not reaching its max. potential due to the 60/75 cap limit.

Note that your current CPU can handle such powerful GPUs (even a GTX 1080 or 1080Ti), so, no need to worry about overhauling your rig.

I would never personally consider (nor recommend) going for an SLI setup. It's not worth it as only a few games support such. Most games, you won't see any performance difference. Some games it may have a slight performance increase. Some games even works better with single GPU than multi-GPU (worse performance in SLI).

So, personally, if you are considering upgrading your GPU, I'd keep your current CPU/MB/RAM/SSD and invest on a better monitor first (to maximize your current GTX 980 Ti). Then later on, as newer and more powerful GPUs come along (with better prices than it is now due to the mining craze), you'd be in a better position to select a more appropriate GPU at better prices with a quality monitor at hand.

mrjenkins44 · Jul 12, 2017

Thanks for the answers, this is helping me.

I do notice the tearing and stuttering in many games. Vsync helps, but sometimes drags it down.

Is there a monitor that isn't $500 bucks that I could get to help the situation, or are those gysnc monitors the only next step up?

raisonjohn · Jul 12, 2017

Highly-recommended monitor for your situation is this:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Monitor: Dell - S2417DG 23.8" 2560x1440 165Hz Monitor ($389.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $389.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-07-12 03:10 EDT-0400

It's 1440p, 1ms TN panel, 165Hz with G-Sync, ~24" and costs only $390. Very highly-reviewed.

There's also a 27" version of this, but costs $450.

Best thing about G-Sync is its wider variable refresh rate range. The monitor synchronizes what frames per second your GPU can output (unlike in V-Sync which works the other way around - limiting your GPU to what your monitor can output). With G-Sync, you'd get buttery-smooth gameplay and maximizes your GPUs output frames (no frames are dropped) without stuttering/tearing because the monitor varies its refresh rate.

mrjenkins44 · Aug 29, 2017

I got that monitor, and it definitely made most games super smooth. Sorry for the late reply. I still notice FPS drops in some games, like PUBG, Paragon, Dawn of War 3, and Elder Scrolls Online. I guess the next step is to upgrade the video card if I want more FPS?

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If you had to upgrade one part of this rig (for gaming) what would it be?

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