• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

What part of my PC should I upgrade next?

N

nynt9

Member
As the title says. I just got some cash recently, and I feel like I need to up my PC game, as some recent titles are giving me framerate drops with advanced options on. Can you help me with what the bottleneck is? Here's what I got:

Processor: i7-3930k @ 3.20GHz (12 core)
RAM: 16GB ( 8GB (2GBx4) DDR3/1600MHz Quad Channel)
GPU: GTX 970


Monitor: 1440p (I'm happy with this)
Mobo: "(3-Way SLI/CrossFireX Support) ASUS P9X79 LE Intel X79 Chipset Quad Channel DDR3 ATX w/ Remote GO!, 7.1 HD Audio, GbLAN, 3 Gen3 PCIe X16, 2 PCIe X1 & 1 PCI"
Power: 1300 Watts - Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 80 Plus Gold
Cooling: Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling System 120MM Radiator & Fan (with some other case fans and whatnot)

I listed the monitor so that you guys know what resolution I play, and the rest so that you'll know if I also need to get a new mobo/PS/cooler.

Sorry if this isn't appropriate for its own thread but I don't know where to go!
 
R

RankFTW

Unconfirmed Member
You might be happy with your current monitor but if it's not GSYNC then you should upgrade that.
 
N

NCR Redslayer

NeoGAF's Vegeta
New graphics card. anything but the gtx970.
I0FoKMw.gif
 
C

Corpekata

Banned
Your rig is pretty good already.

If I had to choose I'd say the 970 because you can still sell it for a lot and because it's not the strongest 1440p card in the world. I have a 970 at 1440p and if I didn't have Gsync I'd probably do something similar.
 
A

Abriael

Banned
GTX 980 Ti I would say.

PS: what possessed you to get a 1300 W for that system? ^_^;; a 650 would have been all you needed lol.
 
C

chuseph14

Neo Member
Budget? Get a GPU if you have an itch. Everything is solid but you'd be better served at 1440 with a better gpu
 
G

golem

Member
Abriael said:
PS: what possessed you to get a 1300 W for that system? ^_^;; a 650 would have been all you needed lol.
Click to expand...

Well he'll probably never have to upgrade it again unless he goes crazy like quad SLI. I usually recommend getting more PSU than you need.
 
N

nynt9

Member
Abriael said:
GTX 980 Ti I would say.

PS: what possessed you to get a 1300 W for that system? ^_^;; a 650 would have been all you needed lol.
Click to expand...

You really think the GPU is a bottleneck? I feel like my CPU is pretty old and would need an upgrade.

As for the PS, future proofing :p

chuseph14 said:
Budget? Get a GPU if you have an itch. Everything is solid but you'd be better served at 1440 with a better gpu
Click to expand...

see my response above

komplanen said:
Despite the thread title, this is for you: http://m.neogaf.com/showthread.php?t=944920
Click to expand...

I guess I'll cross post there, thanks
 
D

Deleted member 98878

Unconfirmed Member
Abriael said:
GTX 980 Ti I would say.

PS: what possessed you to get a 1300 W for that system? ^_^;; a 650 would have been all you needed lol.
Click to expand...

Even 400 would have been enough :D

@OP
Get a 980Ti if you want to. But it's still a solid rig, even with the 970
 
C

Crisium

Member
Overclock your CPU, what are you doing at only 3.2GHz. There are only a few games that benefit at all going from Sandybridge to Haswell, but honestly Sandybridge is just fine as long as you get it to at least 4.0GHz.
 
A

Abriael

Banned
nynt9 said:
You really think the GPU is a bottleneck? I feel like my CPU is pretty old and would need an upgrade.
Click to expand...

Most games rely a lot more on the GPU than on the CPU. I can guarantee that that processor is plenty to support a 980 ti.

It's not top notch, but games don't really need a top notch processor nowadays.
 
N

nynt9

Member
Crisium said:
Overclock your CPU, what are you doing at only 3.2GHz. There are only a few games that benefit at all going from Sandybridge to Haswell, but honestly Sandybridge is just fine as long as you get it to at least 4.0GHz.
Click to expand...

I've never overclocked in my life despite being a lifelong PC gamer, can you point me to a decent resource? I've always been way too scared/cautious
 
ref

ref

Member
Honestly, nothing.

Overclock the CPU, and if you really want to upgrade, get another 970. That's the best cost effective purchase, unless you just want to get a 980ti which equals sli 970's.

Also, don't be afraid of overclocking. It's very, very safe and once you do it you'll laugh at how easy it is.
 
E

Elman

Member
nynt9 said:
You really think the GPU is a bottleneck? I feel like my CPU is pretty old and would need an upgrade.
Click to expand...

What kind of hard drive are you using? If you don't have an SSD, that could help with titles that are constantly streaming in assets.

Your CPU is absolutely fine. G SYNC or a 980 Ti would be a MUCH better buy before a new CPU.
 
C

Corpekata

Banned
If you want to see what's actually bottlenecking you, use things like MSI afterburner's overlay with things like GPU and CPU useage, VRAM, etc while playing a game. Most games aren't going to be bottlenecked by that CPU. At 1440p you're looking at high VRAM use in a lot of games on a 970 which can lead to the telltale 970 VRAM hitch.
 
N

nynt9

Member
Elman said:
What kind of hard drive are you using? If you don't have an SSD, that could help with titles that are constantly streaming in assets.

Your CPU is absolutely fine. G SYNC or a 980 Ti would be a MUCH better buy before a new CPU.
Click to expand...

I have two HDDs:

OS stuff: 128GB SanDisk SATA III 6.0Gb/s SSD - 490 MB/s Read & 350 MB/s
games: 2TB (2TBx1) SATA-III 6.0Gb/s 64MB Cache 7200RPM HDD

I'm actually running out of space on the 2TB so I might look into an HDD as well
 
Z

Zakalwe

Banned
Elman said:
What kind of hard drive are you using? If you don't have an SSD, that could help with titles that are constantly streaming in assets.

Your CPU is absolutely fine. G SYNC or a 980 Ti would be a MUCH better buy before a new CPU.
Click to expand...

YEh, I didn't notice you haven;t mentioend your drives.

SSD for sure if you don't have.

1. SSD for your OS and programs you're using currently.
2. 980ti
3. Gsync monitor

OC your CPU.

EDIT: You have an ssd, then as before.
 
N

Nif

Member
A second 970 would help at 1440p (in some games), I'd also recommend gsync as it makes fluctuating fps tolerable.
 
K

K.Jack

Knowledge is power, guard it well
I'd just sit on that system until Pascal. There's nothing wrong with using settings that are a step down from Ultra, for the next year.
 
V

vocab

Member
As a 970 owner, id recommend getting rid of that trash.


nynt9 said:
As the title says. I just got some cash recently, and I feel like I need to up my PC game, as some recent titles are giving me framerate drops with advanced options on.
Click to expand...

Need the name of games.
 
LiquidMetal14

LiquidMetal14

hide your water-based mammals
I'd go SLI or can the GPU for money and get a 980ti. Also, your CPU is a 6 core. I know because I had the same one before upgrading to an x99 PC with a 5930k.
 
G

Grief.exe

Member
WAIT FOR HBM AND DIESHRINKS
DO NOT UPGRADE YOUR GPU

I have a 970 and a 1440p monitor (with Gsync) as well and it's one if the most disappointing cards I have ever owned.
The combination of the high resolution requirements and the GPU's shortcomings have made for a less than ideal situation. I'm going to upgrade as soon as possible, but the current offerings just don't give the performance jump I am looking for.
 
S

slapnuts

Junior Member
You got a really nice system and you seem to know about PC parts by just looking at your specs. The obvious is the graphics card man...it's like you have a Ferrari sports car riding on 12inch spare tires on all 4's lol.
 
G

Galucha

Neo Member
If you haven't got one already, an SSD will be the best upgrade you could get by a longshot. The difference is massive.
 
R

Raimond

Member
I still have an original i7 920 with D0 stepping (OC'd a bit). Is it going to start holding me back soon. I have upgraded my graphics card twice since building back about 8 years ago and my current ATI 6970 still is performing decent (not crazy well though on Witcher 3, but happy enough).

Building a good PC definitely pays off for years down the road!
 
1

10k

Banned
Your bottle neck with the framerstes is the GTX 970. Either get a g-sync monitor so the framerates drops don't cause judder or upgrade the gpu. I'd go with the monitor since the next batch of gpu's should have hbm, die shrinks and DX12 optimization.
 
C

ClayKavalier

Banned
Seems like a pretty powerful PC. Like others have said you should overclock your CPU, no reason to buy a new one. Other than that, if you're happy with your monitor a 980 Ti is the obvious upgrade, I'm not sure what else you could really do.
 
T

the-pi-guy

Member
GPU bottleneck, or maybe just poorly built games.

Depending on your price range, you should look into GTX 980 or 980 TI even.
 
G

Gareth Bale

Member
Grief.exe said:
WAIT FOR HBM AND DIESHRINKS
DO NOT UPGRADE YOUR GPU

I have a 970 and a 1440p monitor (with Gsync) as well and it's one if the most disappointing cards I have ever owned.
The combination of the high resolution requirements and the GPU's shortcomings have made for a less than ideal situation. I'm going to upgrade as soon as possible, but the current offerings just don't give the performance jump I am looking for.
Click to expand...

980ti is a significant jump from 970. Especially for those at 1440p without gsync
 
S

Skyzard

Banned
I reckon you're fine OP. Batman and TW3 were just pretty nuts. GTAV is just demanding. Try thinking of PC as less of a 60fps machine and more of a 30fps locked with super pretty graphics machine for those bigger multiplatform titles (if you're upset about drops from 60).
And use RTSS to lock framerate.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Should I upgrade my pc and upgrade to what.
18
1K
xellos2099alpha replied
Should i upgrade pc due to only having dual core i3 (contemplating due to MS buyout and Baldurs gate 3)
6
2K
V4skunk replied
Is the HTC Vive worth $500? If not, how should I upgrade my PC instead?
2
62
9K
K.Jack replied
My First Gaming PC Comes in This Week - What Do I Play?
2
97
7K
SatelliteOfLove replied
PCGaf, Do I wait for Haswell to upgrade my PC/is core i7 worth it?
30
4K
Unknown Soldier replied
Top Bottom