A worthwhile CPU/GPU upgrade?

[Flightsimluke]

Hello,

It's been ages since I last visited the forum, I'm amazed my account hasn't been closed down!

Back to business, I've now been running my HD5670 512MB + Phenom X4 970 combo for nearly 2 years now and I have decided it's time for an upgrade. I'll give a more detailed overview.

Current: AMD Phenom II X4 970 @ 3.80GHZ + Sapphire HD5670 512 MB GDDR5
Proposed: AMD Piledriver FX-6300 (OC to 4GHZ) + MSI HD7770 1024 MB GDDR5

At the same time I'll be upgrading to a 6GBPS 500GB HDD and 8GB of 1600mhz RAM, as well as an Asus M5A97 AM3+ Motherboard.

The question: Is there any point. Will I see any difference in speed on FSX, HAWX 2, Battlefield 3 and Dirt Showdown, and is it worth the £330 upgrade?

Many Thanks
Luke

 

[Rich_]

The new motherboard + new cpu combined cost is not a worthwhile upgrade. I would keep the CPU and spend the rest on a good GPU, you could get a 7870 with the savings and that would make your rig boarderline high end.

 

[steamroller16]

Just a thought on your hard drive upgrade: If are going to get a new drive, get an ssd. It doesn't directly affect gaming performance but the overall system performance increase is amazing.

Keep your old drive for data and try to install all your programs on the ssd.

 

[hbeduryan818]

Your CPU is pretty old if you don't have a budget I'd recommend getting an m5a99x EVO mobo and a fx CPU and a minor gpu upgrade

 

[Flightsimluke]

Right, so dropping the CPU idea, should I save money and go for a HD7850, or go all out for a 7870 (I'm not a serious gamer, FSX, Hawx 2, Football Manager and CoD are my games!) I was thinking of this one: http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/amdradeongraphicscards/amdhd7850series/r7850-1gd5oc.html

 

[Rich_]

The only worthwhile cpu upgrade is gonna be an 83xx or an i5/i7. If you're not doing that, go all out 7870. Heck, if you were planning on getting a 150$cpu+100$motherboard+100$ graphics card anyway. I'd say 300$ for a 7950 is a worthwhile investment, then again you're not a 'serious' gamer so i don't kn ow if that would be best. A 7870 can be had for 180$, and you could still theoretically upgrade your cpu if you can find a 1080T, it's an AM3 socket 6 core phenom so you wouldnt need a motherboard.. Neck in neck with an i5 2500k. And better in games/apps that use all cores.

 

[Rich_]

Right, so dropping the CPU idea, should I save money and go for a HD7850, or go all out for a 7870 (I'm not a serious gamer, FSX, Hawx 2, Football Manager and CoD are my games!) I was thinking of this one: http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/amdradeongraphicscards/amdhd7850series/r7850-1gd5oc.html

That card would be a 140% improvement over your current GPU (hwcompare.com) and your CPU should be able to utilize it without a bottleneck, I'd say go for it.

 

[Flightsimluke]

Okay, thanks for the help guys!

 

[payturr]

To be 100% honest with you, AMDs processors aren't as good as they used to be - I've looked around and its hard to find even a motherboard with AM3+ that supports PCI-e 3.0. If you have enough money, what I'd do is invest your cash in a Intel Core i5 (possibly unlocked?) and a 7870, because honestly, the 7770 is very poor in overall gaming performance.

 

[Flightsimluke]

Okay, that's interesting. Considering that my budget is absolute tops £350, I could either spend £300 on a 500GB HDD, 8GB RAM, HD7850 OC 2GB and a 970 Mobo, or Just spend £330 and get an i5 3570K and Z77 Motherboard, but I'd have to keep the 5670. What's my best option? i5 3570K + HD5670 512MB OR Phenom II X4 + MSI Twin FrozR III 2GB?

 

[payturr]

I say i5 3570K with a Z77 mobo, BECAUSE that processor will last you YEARS before having to replace it - it's like owning a Core 2 Quad that you can overclock - you don't have to replace it because its such a solid processor and has such good connectivity with modern hardware. Save up and maybe you'll be able to get in on AMD's next generation GPUs!

 

[melikepie]

That card would be a 140% improvement over your current GPU (hwcompare.com) and your CPU should be able to utilize it without a bottleneck, I'd say go for it.

Trust me that graphics card is much faster then my 6870 and my graphics cards is at least x3 as fast as his.