Will upgrading my CPU give me better FPS ?

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Ryan_352

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Hi there,

I've had my current PC for 2 years, I'm looking to upgrade in a few weeks.

I only have the budget to upgrade my CPU or GPU, I'm thinking CPU. My current specs ~

AMD x4 860K 3.7 ghz

8 GB ddr3 ram

Nvidia GTX 750ti

I play a wide range of games (payday 2, euro & american truck sim, hearts of Iron 4 mainly) but the most games I play are Flight Simulator X and Prepar3D which are 2 very CPU intensive simulators. I plan on upgrading to an I7 (a pre owned one due to my budget). I'm looking at the following :

I7 4820K

I7 4790K


Can you guys give me some advice of how much upgrading my CPU (apart from the 2 intensive games I mentioned) FPS it'll give me extra? Thank you.
 
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SkyNetRising

Probably not.
Your graphics card is rather weak. Upgrading CPU can't improve much, when GPU is the limiting factor.
You'll have to upgrade gpu as well as cpu.
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Ryan_352

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Will upgrading my GPU instead of the CPU increase my FPS then?
 
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atomicWAR

atomicWAR

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Yes. But with your CPU don't expect miracles. In many CPU heavy games you will be bottlenecked. That said the biggest FPS increase for the dollar is getting a new GPU. I just recommend a new CPU as soon as you can after that.
 
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Ryan_352

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Would you recommend a new CPU or GPU?

 
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rustigsmed

rustigsmed

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i would plan to get both, if you have to get one first go for it, perhaps see how the second hand prices are going and if there is a good deal one go for that first. in terms of second cpu's an i7 4790k is a beast, but you can get away with an i7 3770 if need be.
if i was going second hand gpu, i would aim for any of a gtx 780ti / 970 or a r9 290x or 390. (although the 970 will be the most efficient).
 
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Ryan_352

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I won't be able to get both, I can only get one of them in a few weeks then the other in 7 months
 
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atomicWAR

atomicWAR

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If your waiting seven months between parts getting a new CPU first would be wise. New GPUs start dropping in July from Nvidia. So the GPU horse power available per dollar is about to explode (think GTX 1080 power for GTX 1060 price for the GTX 1160 card...like roughly 38% increase in performance/fps). Whereas CPU horse power in 7 months will just be a small bump (5-10%). Short term though you would not get as many FPS as going with a GPU first but in the long run you'll get more FPS by waiting til GTX 1100 series drops in July.
 
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Wildthorn

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It does make a small difference but it is still rather minor compared to what you might get from a GPU, even extra RAM. The CPU does most of the instruction processing however a GPU handles the heavy stuff. Think of it as an army, where the CPU commands the GPU with strats to attack.

From what I have noticed some CPUs tend to become fairly obsolete after a fine line; like for gaming an i5 will not become any different from a i7.

The only case a more powerful CPU will be needed is for multitasking and powerful programs that require a lot of processing power. The main difference in cores help run more programs at the same time.

So no a more powerful CPU may or may not help depending on your situation.
 
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Ryan_352

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Thanks for that, you guys successfully pursueded me. What GPU do you recommend? I don't want the CPU to bottleneck the GPU. (If that's possibe(?))
 
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atomicWAR

atomicWAR

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What wild thorn said is true...to a point. The CPU is generally less important until you at the point your CPU is the bottleneck. You are at that point. Your CPU is VERY weak for gaming. Yes you need a new GPU too though. So normally I would say get your GPU first then a new CPU. This is not a normal time though. Nvidia's new GPU's launch in July. So buying a new GPU right now is a waste of money because whatever you buy will be replaced in july with more power at the same price point as I mentioned in my last post.

So I would wait til july to buy a new GPU then get a new CPU when you can. OR if you do plan on new parts in 7 months again on top on now. Get a new CPU now and a new GPU in seven months which is after the july launch of new GPUs. The CPUs you listed would be good for a few more years and GTX 1100 series GPU good for gaming longer then a GTX 1000 equivalent part (ie GTX 1060 vs a GTX 1160). But that's just me.

Lastly what is your GPU budget? What is your CPU budget? ...regardless of which you get first.
 
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