PC Component Upgrades

Hey everyone.
I’m looking for some advice on which components I should swap out to get better performance.

Current Build:
Dell UltraSharp Monitor (not planning to change this)
PSU: Corsair CX430
MOBO: 870-c45 (AM3 socket)
GPU: AMD Radeon HD 6850 GDDR5 1024 MB
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.00 GHz quad core
RAM: Corsair 2X2GB

I’ll be upgrading the RAM soon by adding another 4GB.
For the graphics card, I was thinking about picking up an Nvidia GeForce GTX 750 Ti. It should run fine without bottlenecking, and it offers enough support for DirectX 12 once it drops.

My main concern is the processor. Is it worth jumping to an Intel Core i7-2600K (also quad core, 3.7 GHz)?
http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/K10/AM...20Edition.html
Or would it be smarter to just swap the motherboard and look for a different CPU entirely? Budget-wise, keep in mind I play a lot of games. I don't care about running everything on "Ultra" settings. My goal is steady 60+ FPS at decent settings. I play everything at 1920x1080 and I have no intention of dropping resolution just to squeeze out a few extra frames.
Thanks in advance. 😁

Austin Williams said:Hey everyone.
I'm looking for some advice on which parts to swap out for better performance.

Specs:
Dell UltraSharp Monitor (not changing this one)
PSU: Corsair CX430
MOBO: 870-c45 (socket- am3)
GPU: Amd radeon 6850 HD series GDDR5 1024 MB
CPU: Intel Core i5-2500K 3.00 Ghz quad core
RAM: Corsair 2X2GB

I'll be upgrading the RAM soon by adding another 4 GB.
For the GPU, I was thinking about getting an Nvidia GeForce GTX 750 Ti. It should run fine without a massive bottleneck, plus it'll handle DirectX 12 when it drops.

My main concern is the processor. Is it worth jumping to an Intel Core i7-2600K (also quad core, 3.7 ghz
http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/K10/AM...20Edition.html
or would it be smarter to just swap the motherboard and look for a new CPU entirely? Budget-wise, I just want to play games. I don't need everything on ultra settings. I just want decent settings with solid 60+ fps. I play at 1920x1080 and I'm not dropping resolution just to squeeze out a few extra frames...
Thanks in advance.😁

That x4 640 is going to bottleneck a 270x...
If I were you, I'd sell the GPU, CPU, and board, then just start fresh...
Grab a budget Gigabyte AMD combo, maybe an x6 6300 CPU and a Radeon R7 270... it's basically the same as a 270x, just slightly higher clock speeds.

It would be much easier for us to give you a solid recommendation if you had a specific budget in mind. That Athlon is going to bottleneck your R9 270 anyway (which, let's be honest, isn't even a great value on its own) when you try to run most modern games.

Hmm. And that other processor? It would have been a massive bottleneck. What kind of GPU would you actually recommend then? Something in the range of $500

Austin Williams said:Hmm. And that other CPU? It’d be a bottleneck. Also, what GPU would you actually suggest? Up to $500

An R9 270 right now

then an R9 280
(not sure if Nvidia has anything even close at this price point)

$533
http://www.amazon.com/details/R9-280-graphics-card

That's right, you're looking at either the GTX 750 Ti or the GTX 970—or if we're talking Nvidia, the GTX 960 (either the Gigabyte model or the Palit Ichill version).

Yeah, but I'm thinking that 750 Ti is gonna bottleneck that Athlon...

Of course, if you pair it with a better CPU, having two GPUs is even more powerful... Basically, I'm looking at either picking up a Core i7-4770K or just moving to a completely new platform altogether.

So, would it be smarter to grab the Core i7-4770K with those six cores instead of that quad-core 980? If I go that route, will I actually be able to run a GTX 750 Ti properly? Also, what’s the better move here—just swap the CPU and the GPU, or is it time to just overhaul the whole rig?

Austin Williams said:So it’d be better to grab a Core i7-4770K with those six cores instead of that quad-core thing? Would that actually let me run a GTX 750 Ti properly? What makes more sense here—just swapping the CPU and the GPU, or just gutting the whole rig and starting over?

Motherboard, CPU, and GPU.

I guess it’s probably worth just swapping out the motherboard and the CPU at the same time, since you're already in there opening everything up anyway.

Fine, then lay out some suggestions. And give me a rough estimate of what the total would look like 😁

Austin Williams said:Fine, then lay out some suggestions. Give me an idea of what the total damage would be. 😁

1 x Gigabyte 970A-DS3P, AM3+, AMD 970 SB950, 4x DDR3 2000(O.C.)/1866
1 x AMD FX-Series X6 6300 Processor 3.5GHz,14MB,95W,AM3+, FD6300WMHK
1 x XFX GTX 750 Ti, Double Dissipation Edition 925M Boost
1 x Spire Kepler Rev.2 cooler, 1156/775/FM1, 96.5×51×125 mm ,92mm

$989
www.newegg.com

I like it. With this setup, I could probably hit High settings at 1080p while staying above 60 fps. I also noticed this uses an AM3+ motherboard, which is a huge plus for me. Those AMD FX chips are absolute garbage.

I wouldn't set the bar too high if I were you—honestly, I can't even hit a steady 60 fps at 1080p with my Core i7-4770K and GTX 970. But then again, I guess it all really comes down to which games you're planning to run, right?

Not really. It’s just getting harder to deal with all these trash PC ports lately.
Tesla, you're right.