What should I upgrade? CPU or GPU

TimeToGame

Commendable
Dec 19, 2016
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1,510
Currently I have a GTX 1050 ti and an Intel core i3 6100. With the holiday season coming up, I'm thinking about upgrading one of these components. If I were to upgade the CPU, I would go for the i5 6600, and for Gpu I would upgrade to a 1060 6gb. Please let me know what I should upgrade to and if I should choose the parts I selected. Thanks!
 
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no advantage to the 6th gen. The 7700 is faster by about 5-10% application dependant. It's a better CPU. Better performance in nearly every metric. Just remember to update your bios to the latest one (you do this with your current CPU in. Then once the bios is upgrade you can put the 7700 in, and away you go. If i were choosing one or the other, I'd be taking the 7700 all day long.

It depends on your reason for upgrading. Gaming? More fps?

The CPU upgrade although it seems on paper is a good thing, will not bring very much of a change. The i5 is a 4c/4t CPU at 3.9ghz CPU, and the I3 is 2c/4t 3.7ghz CPU. Practically no difference when it come to gaming (maybe a few extra FPS for the 200mhz increase in clockspeed). Also 4 true cores is better than 2 with HT. But for gaming it won't be a huge increase. For other applications though it will be a big increase, specially those that can take advantage of 4 cores, as opposed to threads.

The 1060 is approx 20% or thereabouts, faster than the 1050ti, so that would bring the biggest increase in FPS. That's game dependant though, along with the resolution of the monitor your using. If your gaming at 1080p and want ultra settings in nearly every game, then the 1060 is the way to go. If you are happy with some dialled back settings and then maybe mid-high games settings, then the 1050ti would do. Depending on your mobo, you could look at an i7 6700/7700 for a more perceivable performance increase (7700 might need a bios upgrade - again, this depends on what mobo you have, and if you can use a 7th gen I7).

There are options for you, but you really need to be sure about what you want to achieve so we can advise accurately.



 

TimeToGame

Commendable
Dec 19, 2016
11
0
1,510

Thanks for the info! And yes, my main priority is gaming. I have a 6 gen socket, so only 6 gen processors. As of now I get decent fps on medium/high 1080p, somewhere around the range of 50-60 in games like GTA or PUBG, however my main goal is stability. I constantly experience dips in fps and lag spikes and I am trying to get them to stop (according to my task manager, it is running at 100% while I run games like PUBG or GTA). Also, even something as simple as trying to run chrome or watch youtube as these games are running is near impossible. So if I was to upgrade CPU would the I7 6700 be a viable option, or not worth the price.


As for the 1060, based on the current specs, do you think the boost would be around 1-6fps or like 10-20fps. Keep in mind that I usually play on high-medium 1080 so I am not looking for a beast.
 


just check the mobo specs on the CPU compatibility, but yes, the i7 6700 should work perfectly. I would ask you provide the exact model of your mobo, rather than the generation so I can be sure on giving sound advise (hopefully you have a Zxxx mobo :) ). If you migrate to the I7 6700 with the 1050ti you will see both a slight improvement in FPS, and a big improvement in how the game plays (smoothness). If you stick in the 1060 alongside the I7 you will see a 10-20% increase in FPS along with having the extra resources of the 6700 and the impact that can have on gaming. The i5 6600 you were looking at is a decent CPU, but 4c/4t is becoming the standard for min specs on games. Getting the I7 6700 and the GTX1060 6gb is giving you 1080p Ultra @ 60fps for the next couple of years.

IMO the 6700 and the 1060 is a good upgrade. And will give you 20-40 percent better performance than you currently have. Will last longer. The only downside is that beyond that, there is no upgrade other than an architecture change (new mobo/CPU and possibly ram) But with the new I7 and the 1060 you will visibly see a performance increase in gaming, and multitasking.
 

TimeToGame

Commendable
Dec 19, 2016
11
0
1,510


Thanks so much for the help! as of now I have this mobo https://goo.gl/1RecM6 and I think I am going to go with the I7 6700 because I currently am happy with my framerate, 50-60/ medium-high 1080p and the boost in stability, multitasking and slight increase in fps is a huge win. Thanks again for the help appreciate it!
 
no problem. The link you included, brought me to a comparison of 5 different mobo's. However, most of those mobo's actually can take a 7th gen CPU with a bios upgrade. Depending on where you are and how much they cost, you could get an i7 7700 which would be another step up from the 6700.

But, as we've said, the 6700 along with the 1050ti will bring good results with some dialled back settings to maintain 60fos.

Good luck :) let me know how you get on.
 

TimeToGame

Commendable
Dec 19, 2016
11
0
1,510


Sorry about the link! You can see the one I have if you scroll up. Sorry for another question but, should I just get the 7700? As of now they are the same price on amazon or is there some advantage of getting 6 gen. https://goo.gl/6XMp7a https://goo.gl/CefJvW
 
no advantage to the 6th gen. The 7700 is faster by about 5-10% application dependant. It's a better CPU. Better performance in nearly every metric. Just remember to update your bios to the latest one (you do this with your current CPU in. Then once the bios is upgrade you can put the 7700 in, and away you go. If i were choosing one or the other, I'd be taking the 7700 all day long.

 
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