Do I need a new cpu?

[SantiClaws]

I want to upgrade my monitor to something like a 27" 1920x1080, so I'll also need a new video card (using a 7850 now), and I have an ancient Phantom II x4 920 cpu in my PC. Not counting the monitor, should I just spend all my money on a GPU or should I split it up between a new cpu/mobo and GPU? I am talking about real-life gaming here, not benchmarks - will there be a significant frame rate benefit from a new cpu?

TIA

 

[moonbogg]

It sounds like you want a new monitor, new cpu, new mobo, new GPU, but only have the money for 1 of these parts. Whats your budget? I need a dollar figure please.

 

[Denithor]

What resolution do you currently game at (is the 1080p a big increase)?
What is your whole setup (including PSU)?
What is your maximum budget?

Answer these and we can help you more.

 

[Midwayman]

Id say your CPU is well suited to that GPU. By getting a new CPU you will be GPU limited and a new GPU will make you cpu limited. You're not going to gain a ton by only upgrading one. However the GPU first as some games are very light on the cpu.

 

[SantiClaws]

What resolution do you currently game at (is the 1080p a big increase)?
What is your whole setup (including PSU)?
What is your maximum budget?

Answer these and we can help you more.

Currently game at 1680x1050; I am actually OK with the resolution, more would be nice but what I'm really after with this whole upgrade thing is more screen real estate.

Not at home, so going largely by memory:
Current setup is HD7850 GPU, Phantom II x4 920 CPU, a Biotek mobo which I do not recall the model of, Antec PSU which I believe is 650W. Budget I would like to stick to would be around $450, which should allow me to buy a 27" 1080p monitor and a decent GPU. The question is whether that would be a waste of money without a new CPU/mobo combo, in which case I would like to know how much I need to budget for that addition to make the upgrade worthwhile. I am perfectly fine going with used components, as well. Most PC's I've built have utilized at least some used parts, without any issues.

Thanks

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Honestly I'd save the money and wait for a full system rebuild. Even the monitor 27" sounds great but at 1080p I'd just wait for more affordable 4k screens.

 

[Denithor]

I understand the screen - I have a Dell WP 2709 that is 27" 1920x1200. It's great because text and everything is actually legible on that size screen at that resolution. Most people go 1440p on 27" screens for the sharper image quality, but Windows is ultra crappy at scaling so all text gets tiny and hard to read.

How do your games run at your current resolution? Going up to 1080p will be more demanding but you may still be okay, the 7850 is still a moderately good card especially since you aren't going really high resolution (1080p is very mainstream). I would suggest upgrading the monitor first, see how stuff works and then upgrade further at that point as needed. Once you have the new screen, you can do some benchmark testing to see whether you are CPU or GPU limited before deciding what to upgrade.

 

[escrow4]

Fallout 4 would murder that CPU so yes. If you want a full rebuild and go all out I'd start with a 6700K and a Z170 board with fast 2666MHz RAM as a base. That will remove most of the bottleneck for a single card. Then again FO4 is using a creaky old engine so it isn't the best example.

 

[SantiClaws]

Picked up a 27" monitor and a GTX 970 for a grand total of $360 new. It should work OK for the time being and I'll pick up a new cpu in a couple of months probably. Thanks for your hep, folks.

 

[bystander36]

It really depends on what you want to achieve. If you are after higher FPS than you can get at lower settings, a CPU will help you do that, but if you want to use higher settings and maintain the FPS you get, a GPU helps more.

I just upgraded my CPU this weekend, and I see major improvements in games like Dragon Age Inquisition, where my CPU was holding me back in several locations. Instead of sub 40 FPS, I have 60+ FPS (mostly 100+). However, I still can't use higher graphical settings, as my GPU is holding me back.

 

[skipsneeky2]

Wondering with recent drivers,how bad off that x4 920 would be with that 970.During my BF3 days i had a oced x6 1100t for a brief time that held back a gtx570 at 1600x1200.This was long before 337.50 drivers came out.A i3 2100 was quite a bit better.

With games like BF4,if your held back you could easily pump up scale resolution and seriously tank that 970.Had one at one point and tell you this from experience lol.

 

[SantiClaws]

Wondering with recent drivers,how bad off that x4 920 would be with that 970.During my BF3 days i had a oced x6 1100t for a brief time that held back a gtx570 at 1600x1200.This was long before 337.50 drivers came out.A i3 2100 was quite a bit better.

With games like BF4,if your held back you could easily pump up scale resolution and seriously tank that 970.Had one at one point and tell you this from experience lol.

I'll find out soon enough.

 

[Denithor]

Keep us posted, I honestly expect things to go well, but knowing the outcome will help with advice we give to others. If you can, do a little gaming with the 7850 on the new screen before upgrading to the 970, I'd like to hear how the two cards compare.

Thanks!