Performance increase, new GPU and SSD?

[TsTacenda]

Hey guys, just come to ask what kind of performance increase I'll be looking at for the upgrades I plan on making to the ol' rig,

Current specs are - FX 8320 Black Edition @ 3.5 Ghz
- Asus m5a97 Motherboard
- AMD HD7870 2GB GPU
- 8 Gigs RAM
- 500W Corsair PSU

Looking to replace the HD7870 with a HD7970 (slightly over locked, maybe?), buy myself an SSD for the games I play (Lol, Skyrim) and overclock the CPU to 4.2 ish. I understand I may just need a new PSU for this.

Any other little tweeks that should go along with this? Thanks.
Much love.

 

[Eggz]

The SSD will be a huge improvement - like up to 40x latency reduction. It's the single-most noticeable upgrade you can do that will work like magic. The GPU will be a decent boost. Does Skyrim lag on the 7870? If not, maybe leave it. As for your PSU, you'll be okay with what you have, but doing a CPU OC may push it a little. You can get an estimate here if you want to check: http://support.asus.com/PowerSupply.aspx?SLanguage=en

 

[Maciek Fulton]

SSD would only help with load times and boot speed. Personally I would rather have a longer lasting HDD with more space at the reduction of slower speeds. You could Crossfire that 7870 if you want to use a single monitor. If you plan to get a multi monitor system, I would go with a 780/ti or something with more Vram. Here are some benchamrks for 7870 CF http://techbuyersguru.com/page11.php

 

[TsTacenda]

About 45-50 fps with the mods I use. It's those infamous ENB shader mods that make me want more more more. Thing about the whole crossfire thing is the 7970 would be a lot cheaper- seeing as how I can sell the HD7870 for a decent price- and I hear crossfire has a lot of problems with some games :/
I was torn on if I should overclock the CPU. I mean for one I don't know how and also I'm not too sure it needs it that bad... Would it be worth it?

 

[Maciek Fulton]

About 45-50 fps with the mods I use. It's those infamous ENB shader mods that make me want more more more. Thing about the whole crossfire thing is the 7970 would be a lot cheaper- seeing as how I can sell the HD7870 for a decent price- and I hear crossfire has a lot of problems with some games :/
I was torn on if I should overclock the CPU. I mean for one I don't know how and also I'm not too sure it needs it that bad... Would it be worth it?

If you have a custom cooler for that 8320 then a 4.2 Gh/z clock would help in AAA titles. If you live in the USA, 7970s are still $500. I would recommend getting a 780 if you don't want to CF.