Upgrade path - CPU or Video card

[Andy T]

My current system:
Asus P8z68
i2500K not overclocked
8 GB RAM
Nvidia GTX 660 Ti 2GB
I have a single 27" monitor and play at 2560x1440 resolution

Purpose: Games. Primarily FPS (BF4, Assassins Creed).

On a whim I picked up a GTX 770 4GB. I am getting about 50-60 FPS in BF4 (Haven't had a chance to try other games). I am wondering, though, if upgrading my CPU would improve performance by a noticeable margin?
Also, would it be a better choice to ditch 770 in favor of another GTX 660 for SLI?

Thanks!

 

[John Connor]

I personally would go with SLI, but you may have to upgrade your PSU. What kind of PSU and wattage is it? I just wonder if your CPU will be a bottleneck though.

 

[Andy T]

It's XFX 650W. When I was originally building this machine, my thought was to go SLI, hence the P8Z68 V Pro mobo. But I ended up upgrading my video card every year instead.

 

[John Connor]

I never heard of that brand of PSU only graphics card, but 650 watts should handle both graphics cards. I woulod verify the 12 V amp rating. I would wait for others to respond and see what they say. I'm not the best on this.

 

[lehtv]

First off, overclock that 2500k to 4.5ghz.

The 770 4gb wasn't a very good pick IMO as the extra VRAM doesn't matter for 1080p. 660 ti SLI would be faster but since you already have the 770 just stick with that. Can recover some of the cost by selling the 660 ti

 

[lehtv]

I never heard of that brand of PSU only graphics card, but 650 watts should handle both graphics cards. I woulod verify the 12 V amp rating. I would wait for others to respond and see what they say. I'm not the best on this.

Never heard of XFX? Their PSUs are good, built by Seasonic.

 

[John Connor]

Never knew that. Seasonic is a great brand. I do have an old GT 6800 XFX grapgics card.

 

[nsafreak]

First off, overclock that 2500k to 4.5ghz.

The 770 4gb wasn't a very good pick IMO as the extra VRAM doesn't matter for 1080p. 660 ti SLI would be faster but since you already have the 770 just stick with that. Can recover some of the cost by selling the 660 ti

You might've missed it but the op stated that he games at 2560x1440 on his monitor so the extra VRAM does help.

Op, I'd stick with the video card that you have since I doubt you'd see a performance improvement of any significant difference between the 770 and a pair of 660 Tis. I would overclock the CPU though presuming that you're not using the stock heatsink since the 2500Ks have a lot of overclocking headroom.

 

[lehtv]

I did indeed miss it, sorry. Posting from a phone is never as convenient as posting from the PC -.-

For 1440p, 660 Ti SLI wouldn't have been such a great idea due to the VRAM - although 2GB would be enough most of the time, it wouldn't be as long-sighted a solution as upgrading to a setup with more VRAM.

 

[schmuckley]

Overclock that 2500K.
srsly.
I bet it gives you 2-3 more fps just from that.Overclock your GPU, too..not too much..but some..especially on the RAM.

 

[mfenn]

In your situation, I agree. Overclock that i5 2500K. You can get within striking distance of an OC'ed Haswell i5. If you don't have a good cooler, pick up one of these Phanteks for $60 (way cheaper than a new CPU).

 

[thegamer36]

Overclock CPU