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Question

Should I upgrade my CPU or GPU for gaming?

Sep 3, 2015 10:54PM PDT

Hello!

I am looking to upgrade either my GPU or CPU however I am not sure which would benefit me the most. My goal is to get more FPS on games like The Witcher 3 which I am currently getting on average about 30 FPS, however on lower settings. My goal is to get this to 45-60 FPS on higher settings. I am considering upgrading both CPU and GPU if necessary however not if only upgrading one would be adequate for my goals. From what I have read regarding my current CPU it could be causing the issue however I also read GPU's have a lot to do with frame rates and graphical settings.

Here is my current build:

Processor: AMD FX-4100 Quad-Core Processor, 3600 Mhz, 2 Cores, 4 Logical Processors
Graphics Card: AMD Radeon HD 6950
Motherboard: Gigabyte Technology, Model: GA-970A-D3
RAM: 16GB DDR3
Power Supply: 800W Corsair

I have also attached screenshots of these components in CPUID and GPU-Z:

GPU:
http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss151/ghostkage1/GPU_zpsdvx2fxzo.jpg

CPU:
http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss151/ghostkage1/CPU_zpsvsklur7i.jpg

Motherboard:
http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss151/ghostkage1/Motherboard_zpsp1pdb6dx.jpg

Memory:
http://i571.photobucket.com/albums/ss151/ghostkage1/Memory_zpsz26gqpwu.jpg


I am currently looking at possibly the EVGA GeForce GTX 970 Super Clocked ACX 2.0 4GB GDDR5 Graphics Card and Intel Core i7-4790K Processor (8M Cache, up to 4.40 GHz) as replacements. My total budget for both upgrades is $600 ($300 a part). Let me know if there is any other information I can provide and thank you in advance for any help!

-Ghost Kage

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Re: upgrade
Sep 4, 2015 12:56AM PDT

Start with the GPU. tomshardware.com has nice tests and comparisons for gaming cards.

Kees

Post was last edited on September 4, 2015 1:34 AM PDT

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Answer
Rarely the CPU pays off.
Sep 4, 2015 7:40AM PDT

Google "Tomshardware best gpu for the money."

Use GPUBOSS.com to compare your old and new card.