n0ns3ns3 :
the thing is that OP already has the MB for the 4790K. and just for the reference, gaming performance of the 4th, 6th and 7th gen is the same on the same clock. So considering that ryzen, beside the CPU, also requires MB + RAM puts it in way beyond the price of the 4770K or 4790K. Not to mention that in short term, they will beat any ryzen in all but two games (high fps AND no significant frame time fluctuation is required to win). in long term, I guess ryzen 1700 and up would be a better choice for upcoming games.
So, i'd not consider ryzen at all for this case as:
1. 4770K / 4790K are cheaper than any ryzen upgrade and will do better than most ryzens for at least another couple of years.
2. 8700K is as expensive as top ryzen options while providing more performance.
though again, if games are playable at desired settings - I'd wait for the next gen, as next intel release will be at least 10nm (after 3gens of 14nm) which leaves hope for much fun.
Now to the OP and the question of what would be benefit me more - CPU or GPU ?
there is a simple test that can be done:
1. play your game at usual settings and record the FPS
2. lower the render resolution in games settings and lay the same scene and record the FPS
compare the FPS:
if the FPS remains about the same - do a CPU upgrade.
if the FPS improves significantly - do a GPU upgrade.
If your ultrawide 3440x1440 (and i guess it is judging by the 100Hz refresh rate) with 1080Ti you'd definitely improve your experience as you are not playing on the highest settings already. On the other hand, pascal is here for almost two years, so the next gen can't be that far, but there is always something around the corner.
P.S.
As a side note, settings like number of objects like # of people in the scene that are moving and may interact with the environment, are more tasking for the CPU. though trees are more on the GPU side.
I did it with three games, the two I play the most as of now and I've barely begun playing Rise of the Tomb Raider, but I did what you said on The Witcher 3 and Batman Arkham Knight, I'm aware of the horrible port that Arkham Knight was since I purchased the game before it came out and I didn't even bother with a refund, and played through it with the horrible graphics day of release as well.
I saw significant strides in fps performance with The Witcher 3 when I lowered the resolution to 2560 X 1080, I was able to maintain over 100fps upwards to 150 fps when out in the open fields, and when was engaging in battle with beasts such as wolves or other creatures the fps fell to about 120fps, still buttery smooth for my monitor. At 3440 X 1440 the fps was roughly about 94 to slightly over 100fps in the open fields, but fell to around 80 or 75 fps when engaged in battle as well with multiple targets. This would lead me to believe perhaps a GPU upgrade would be better, however that wasn't the case with Batman Arkham Knight.
Batman Arkham Knight I did the same things, but I saw no real gains at all even when I lowered the resolution to 2560 x 1080, it played nearly Identical to the 3440 x 1440 resolution I originally had it at. My thoughts on that are that the game hasn't had a great history behind it and perhaps is not a suitable game to be testing on for any sort accurate results, which will probably lead me to believe I should try another game, and Rise of the Tomb Raider is another game I tested and the there significant improvements by about 20 fps at times, and it never once dipped below 60 and even ventured upwards of 90fps at 2560 x 1080, while at 3440 x 1440 I had the fps drop to about 47fps.
Honestly this is leading me to believe I should purchase a GPU instead of a CPU
I am leaning more towards the CPU side of things though, other things have come to mind about my upgrade, I'd like to potentially max out the performance of my current build, and start a new build with a new tower such as the Cooler Master Styrker tower, I'd like to potentially utilize Ice Lake with it when that CPU arrives.
My motherboard MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition can also support the Broadwell architecture, the i7 5775c, but I read it needs DDR3L not sure if I'd have to replace my 20gbs of ram which is not something I'd like not to do, so I might stick with my original plan of the 4790k.
Either way I do appreciate all the responses they've been extremely helpful, again i should state that I'm not a graphics hound when it comes to games, I'm of FPS minded gamer, but admittedly there are certain graphical settings that I simply do not like to compromise on such as the number of characters in the backgrounds of games, or say the foilage, to a certain degree the shadows as well as long as they dont look like trash.
That being said my CPU does max out at 100 percent usage, so I suppose my current hardware would benefit more from a CPU upgrade I think, and future graphic cards can be implemented, and if the trend holds true for NVIDIA then the 1170 or 2070 whatever they call the Volta cards, will probably be on par with the performance of a 1080 ti at a cheaper cost which should be roughly 7 months away probably.
i'm also non US and bought it long time ago when I was on my firs visits to US.
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