New CPU options or just upgrade video card

[dspec]

So i have been banging my head against the wall and would like some opinions for you guys on some of the choices I have been looking at.

Currently I am running i5-2400 processor, 32gb memory, Nvidia 660ti and 500gb ssd. this set up runs everything great, no issues with any games i play. BF4/Watch dogs etc, all on max/ultra.

however its becoming a bit laggy, could be servers or PC, anywhere from horrible FPS to graphics not loading/rendering.

A friend is running the same but has a i7-3770 and has none of the issues i have.

So I was thinking i5-4690k and new board using my existing video card,mem,ssd.

is this a better option than saying just upgrading my video card?

thanks

 

[moeid97]

Upgrading from i5 2400 to 4690k will slightly increase u'er frames in gaming but upgrading a better graphic card will highly increase u'er frames but if u upgrade the processor to 4690k u will be able to put a more powerfull card.
first u should check if u'er processor is not bottlenecking the card?
in my opinion u should upgrade the processor than upgrade the graphic card when u have the money! because u'er processor is the basic thing u should think for the future! because if u plan to put in a titan in future,u'er processor will not let u'er titan to give it's full potential!

 

[TheLastof Me]

If you want better gaming performance, then upgrade GPU. The upgraded i5 (if overclocked) will maybe squeeze from 5 to 10 extra fps from your GPU in certain situations. I'm really having a difficult time believing you were able to play BF4 on all ultra with that GPU. It is a mid range card that borderlines entering the high end range. It only has a 192-bit bandwidth and 960 CUDA cores. I had a 270x, which has 256-bit bandwidth with 1280 stream processors and I was unable to play BF3 smoothly on full Ultra with the anti-aliasing.

Either way, if you could afford a Titan, then you could afford a $1,000 Intel 8 core/16 thread beast (hasn't come out yet). So if you want better gaming, get better GPU.

And the i7 will play anything smoothly regardless of low frames. I have an 8350 and playing Witcher 2 with Uber sampling enabled the gameplay is still smooth even when frames drop in the 20s!

 

[JOOK-D]

Which motherboard do you have? It might make more sense to stick with sandy/ivy bridge rather than going to haswell. The performance increases are very minor.

IMO, upgrade your video card. You'll see more benefit from that. In a perfect world though I'd get something like a Xeon 1230v2 (i7 3770, similar specs but less money) and a new video card. Depends on your motherboard, and your budget.

 

[dspec]

Which motherboard do you have? It might make more sense to stick with sandy/ivy bridge rather than going to haswell. The performance increases are very minor.

IMO, upgrade your video card. You'll see more benefit from that. In a perfect world though I'd get something like a Xeon 1230v2 (i7 3770, similar specs but less money) and a new video card. Depends on your motherboard, and your budget.

Gigabyte p67A-UD3-B3, was looking to possibly get a 780ti this fall. I looked at 1155 sockets CPU's, but checking the benchmarks and some prices it seems like I can get a 4th Gen and Mother Board Combo for just a bit more money than a 1155 CPU. and if my current MB needs upgraded it seems like a no brainer.

 

[dspec]

If you want better gaming performance, then upgrade GPU. The upgraded i5 (if overclocked) will maybe squeeze from 5 to 10 extra fps from your GPU in certain situations. I'm really having a difficult time believing you were able to play BF4 on all ultra with that GPU. It is a mid range card that borderlines entering the high end range. It only has a 192-bit bandwidth and 960 CUDA cores. I had a 270x, which has 256-bit bandwidth with 1280 stream processors and I was unable to play BF3 smoothly on full Ultra with the anti-aliasing.

Either way, if you could afford a Titan, then you could afford a $1,000 Intel 8 core/16 thread beast (hasn't come out yet). So if you want better gaming, get better GPU.

And the i7 will play anything smoothly regardless of low frames. I have an 8350 and playing Witcher 2 with Uber sampling enabled the gameplay is still smooth even when frames drop in the 20s!

Watch Dogs I have running at max settings, but also talking a game they had to ruin due to console people, so no surprise. Depends on server/maps on BF4 but most are high/ultra, i do get more lag when alot is going on. I was able to run bf3 a bit smoother obviously. Honestly I play a lot of MMO's and RPG games. so it is not like I'm trying to push the ultimate gaming system. just a solid future system. It what I did when i first built this in 2011 i had a old gtx 260 card and waiting till the 660ti came out. so 3 years for the MB/Processor is good. I was thinking over hauling those first and the 660 is still a great card and save up for a 780ti this fall.

Thanks for the info.

 

[dspec]

OK one more question and possible different route, I want to drop lets say 300-400 buck right now. I live minutes away from a Micro Center store. The have a g3258 paired with an MSI Z97 PC mate bundle for $100. Would this bundled paired with a 760 or 280x be a better option that just upgrading my 660 to 760 with my current setup or upgrading my CPU on keeping my 660 going?

I have seen some wicked OC numbers on the G3258. Micro center has a video of them stable OC with that bundle at 4.7 Ghz.

Thanks

 

[JOOK-D]

IMO, I'd keep your current i5 over the new pentium. You'd need a pretty decent CPU cooler to hit 4.7GHz anyway, and that adds to the cost. MSI's PC Mate series aren't exactly the best for overclocking either. Although you could potentially hit 4.7 (and bear in mind, that chip has probably been cherry picked so they can claim to hit 4.7) it would come at a higher cost, with the potential of being unsafe.

Personally, I'd either get an i7 3770 or a 760 right now. The 3770 is only around ~5% behind its haswell counterparts, so the extra cost incurred from getting a new haswell compatible motherboard wouldn't be worth it. And you could argue that going from a quad core i5 to a dual core pentium is somewhat of a downgrade in some situations. Whether you want more eye candy with a GPU upgrade, or if you're CPU bound in certain titles will determine which upgrade you make. I'd download MSI Afterburner if I were you, and chuck on per-core load percentages and GPU load on to the on screen UI, and see if either your CPU or GPU is hitting their ceiling (100%) in certain titles that you commonly play. I'd also check the temps while you're at it.

I'd still go to microcenter and see what they have on offer, but I see no reason for you to jump over to haswell.

Also, if the problems started suddenly then it may not possibly be your components. Check drivers, temperatures, malware/spyware etc.

 

[dspec]

IMO, I'd keep your current i5 over the new pentium. You'd need a pretty decent CPU cooler to hit 4.7GHz anyway, and that adds to the cost. MSI's PC Mate series aren't exactly the best for overclocking either. Although you could potentially hit 4.7 (and bear in mind, that chip has probably been cherry picked so they can claim to hit 4.7) it would come at a higher cost, with the potential of being unsafe.

Personally, I'd either get an i7 3770 or a 760 right now. The 3770 is only around ~5% behind its haswell counterparts, so the extra cost incurred from getting a new haswell compatible motherboard wouldn't be worth it. And you could argue that going from a quad core i5 to a dual core pentium is somewhat of a downgrade in some situations. Whether you want more eye candy with a GPU upgrade, or if you're CPU bound in certain titles will determine which upgrade you make. I'd download MSI Afterburner if I were you, and chuck on per-core load percentages and GPU load on to the on screen UI, and see if either your CPU or GPU is hitting their ceiling (100%) in certain titles that you commonly play. I'd also check the temps while you're at it.

I'd still go to microcenter and see what they have on offer, but I see no reason for you to jump over to haswell.

Also, if the problems started suddenly then it may not possibly be your components. Check drivers, temperatures, malware/spyware etc.

Ya im not seeing anything wrong, just few games where Im forced to turn down graphics to compensate for lag. mostly in MMO settings with alot of things going on or BF4. Here is my situation of going to a 3770k. it's $269 at micro center. for $300 i can get a i5-4690k and a ASrock Z97 extreme 4 bundle. I do not use intel heat sync fan. I have a cool master one I have been using. The bad thing when trying to see benchmarks, liek future mark, most of the haswell cpu are not there to see scores with different video card options. so in the end I dont want to drop $300 and feel like i wasted my money. thats my fear of getting a 760 on my current setup.

Just a fyi on your comment of the g3258, i wouldnt boost it to try to hit the 4.7. but their viedo and test the use a $30 heat sync fan to achieve it and their temps are pretty low.

 

[oxiide]

OK one more question and possible different route, I want to drop lets say 300-400 buck right now. I live minutes away from a Micro Center store. The have a g3258 paired with an MSI Z97 PC mate bundle for $100. Would this bundled paired with a 760 or 280x be a better option that just upgrading my 660 to 760 with my current setup or upgrading my CPU on keeping my 660 going?

I have seen some wicked OC numbers on the G3258. Micro center has a video of them stable OC with that bundle at 4.7 Ghz.

Thanks

Your i5-2400 is still fairly good. I have the previous-gen i5-750 and I have no issues maintaining 60 FPS in most games [albeit with a GTX 770]. I don't think anything you'd upgrade to now (especially an overclocked G3258) would result in a noticeable difference.

In my opinion, hang on to your i5-2400. If needed, upgrade your video card. Consider a CPU upgrade once we have a better idea when Intel's releasing their Broadwell generation.

Depending on the game, FPS performance poorer than expected and graphics failing to load or render may indicate a faulty card. Check for dust and watch your temperatures while gaming, and check to see if the issue is widespread across all of your games. The GTX 660 Ti should be a pretty solid performer at 1080p, though its expected that Watch Dogs might run like shit (because its Watch Dogs).

 

[dspec]

OK one more question and possible different route, I want to drop lets say 300-400 buck right now. I live minutes away from a Micro Center store. The have a g3258 paired with an MSI Z97 PC mate bundle for $100. Would this bundled paired with a 760 or 280x be a better option that just upgrading my 660 to 760 with my current setup or upgrading my CPU on keeping my 660 going?

I have seen some wicked OC numbers on the G3258. Micro center has a video of them stable OC with that bundle at 4.7 Ghz.

Thanks

Your i5-2400 is still fairly good. I have the previous-gen i5-750 and I have no issues maintaining 60 FPS in most games [albeit with a GTX 770]. I don't think anything you'd upgrade to now (especially an overclocked G3258) would result in a noticeable difference.

In my opinion, hang on to your i5-2400. If needed, upgrade your video card. Consider a CPU upgrade once we have a better idea when Intel's releasing their Broadwell generation.

Depending on the game, FPS performance poorer than expected and graphics failing to load or render may indicate a faulty card. Check for dust and watch your temperatures while gaming, and check to see if the issue is widespread across all of your games. The GTX 660 Ti should be a pretty solid performer at 1080p, though its expected that Watch Dogs might run like shit (because its Watch Dogs).

True true on watch dogs. one difference, liek i said a friend has same setup but a 3770k and in a game like neverwinter, he runs high/max all the time. as do i excpet when in a instance i have to turn to med or low from animations of spells, makes my game almost freeze and he never has to, hence was thinking my cpu. going to do aterburner tonight and run tests and see what it is, if anything. not going to blindly upgrade i guess and waste the money

 

[JOOK-D]

IMO, I'd keep your current i5 over the new pentium. You'd need a pretty decent CPU cooler to hit 4.7GHz anyway, and that adds to the cost. MSI's PC Mate series aren't exactly the best for overclocking either. Although you could potentially hit 4.7 (and bear in mind, that chip has probably been cherry picked so they can claim to hit 4.7) it would come at a higher cost, with the potential of being unsafe.

Personally, I'd either get an i7 3770 or a 760 right now. The 3770 is only around ~5% behind its haswell counterparts, so the extra cost incurred from getting a new haswell compatible motherboard wouldn't be worth it. And you could argue that going from a quad core i5 to a dual core pentium is somewhat of a downgrade in some situations. Whether you want more eye candy with a GPU upgrade, or if you're CPU bound in certain titles will determine which upgrade you make. I'd download MSI Afterburner if I were you, and chuck on per-core load percentages and GPU load on to the on screen UI, and see if either your CPU or GPU is hitting their ceiling (100%) in certain titles that you commonly play. I'd also check the temps while you're at it.

I'd still go to microcenter and see what they have on offer, but I see no reason for you to jump over to haswell.

Also, if the problems started suddenly then it may not possibly be your components. Check drivers, temperatures, malware/spyware etc.

Ya im not seeing anything wrong, just few games where Im forced to turn down graphics to compensate for lag. mostly in MMO settings with alot of things going on or BF4. Here is my situation of going to a 3770k. it's $269 at micro center. for $300 i can get a i5-4690k and a ASrock Z97 extreme 4 bundle. I do not use intel heat sync fan. I have a cool master one I have been using. The bad thing when trying to see benchmarks, liek future mark, most of the haswell cpu are not there to see scores with different video card options. so in the end I dont want to drop $300 and feel like i wasted my money. thats my fear of getting a 760 on my current setup.

Just a fyi on your comment of the g3258, i wouldnt boost it to try to hit the 4.7. but their viedo and test the use a $30 heat sync fan to achieve it and their temps are pretty low.

Ah yes, those microcenter deals. Definitely take that deal over the i7 then.

If it's only occasionally in heavy MMO settings then it probably is your CPU. If your 660 is fine otherwise, then grab that i5 and Z97 and call it a day. Maybe upgrade to a 770/280x up the line at some point.

 

[dspec]

IMO, I'd keep your current i5 over the new pentium. You'd need a pretty decent CPU cooler to hit 4.7GHz anyway, and that adds to the cost. MSI's PC Mate series aren't exactly the best for overclocking either. Although you could potentially hit 4.7 (and bear in mind, that chip has probably been cherry picked so they can claim to hit 4.7) it would come at a higher cost, with the potential of being unsafe.

Personally, I'd either get an i7 3770 or a 760 right now. The 3770 is only around ~5% behind its haswell counterparts, so the extra cost incurred from getting a new haswell compatible motherboard wouldn't be worth it. And you could argue that going from a quad core i5 to a dual core pentium is somewhat of a downgrade in some situations. Whether you want more eye candy with a GPU upgrade, or if you're CPU bound in certain titles will determine which upgrade you make. I'd download MSI Afterburner if I were you, and chuck on per-core load percentages and GPU load on to the on screen UI, and see if either your CPU or GPU is hitting their ceiling (100%) in certain titles that you commonly play. I'd also check the temps while you're at it.

I'd still go to microcenter and see what they have on offer, but I see no reason for you to jump over to haswell.

Also, if the problems started suddenly then it may not possibly be your components. Check drivers, temperatures, malware/spyware etc.

Ya im not seeing anything wrong, just few games where Im forced to turn down graphics to compensate for lag. mostly in MMO settings with alot of things going on or BF4. Here is my situation of going to a 3770k. it's $269 at micro center. for $300 i can get a i5-4690k and a ASrock Z97 extreme 4 bundle. I do not use intel heat sync fan. I have a cool master one I have been using. The bad thing when trying to see benchmarks, liek future mark, most of the haswell cpu are not there to see scores with different video card options. so in the end I dont want to drop $300 and feel like i wasted my money. thats my fear of getting a 760 on my current setup.

Just a fyi on your comment of the g3258, i wouldnt boost it to try to hit the 4.7. but their viedo and test the use a $30 heat sync fan to achieve it and their temps are pretty low.

Ah yes, those microcenter deals. Definitely take that deal over the i7 then.

If it's only occasionally in heavy MMO settings then it probably is your CPU. If your 660 is fine otherwise, then grab that i5 and Z97 and call it a day. Maybe upgrade to a 770/280x up the line at some point.

I was hoping the 780ti will have a good deal on black friday or cyber monday. Yes it great being so close to one of their stores. Thanks for all the help!