Upgrading my computer. (which part?)

[aTTITUDE]

Hi. First thread here on the forum, I couldn't find a suitable sub-forum for this topic, so I thought this one would do. (apologizes in advance if I posted this thread in the wrong place)

Q: I want to be able to play CS:GO at 250-350 fps, (low-video settings are ok, as long as it remains within that limit)

 

Current computer-specs:

Motherboard: Gigabyte F2A75M-D3H (Micro-ATX FM2 Socket)
CPU: AMD A8-5600K 3.8 Ghz (4 cores)

GPU: HD Radeon 7870 2 GB GDDR5

Power: 500 W

Ram: 12 GB DDR3 1600Mhz (2x2 GB & 2x4 GB ) (I'm a bit conserned that this is showing up even tho my dimms are supposed to be at 1600Mhz http://puu.sh/c1qep/ad7733d32f.png )

 

My current FPS within the game is around 150. On some servers I do get a stable 300fps (128-tick). But on Valve's 64-tick servers I can only get to about 150. sometimes lower, sometimes higher.
What part(s) would you guys recommend me upgrading to achieve 250-350fps? 
Follow-up Q: I have a budget of about ± $300 / 190£ / 1800SEK. Any cards that you recommend within this price-range?

Keep in mind that I have to pay an extra 1.25% for any item due to taxation here in sweden. so,
1.25 x [your price]  ≠ < $300 

Update1:
Disclaimer: If you haven't played CS:GO at a competitive level (or somewhat serious) you wouldn't know that CS:GO is a game meant to be played with V-sync OFF at ALL times. The pro's are playing with computers capable of producing ~300-600 Fps.
Update2:
Disclaimer 2: Okay, so i've noticed that a lot of users here, are in-fact very inexperienced when it comes to the Counter-Strike Scene. It's not like BF4, COD or any other FPS game you've ever tried. This game is far to complex to even be compared to those titles.

Why would a video on youtube have over 100k views just to explain WHAT resolution to use? it's because the advantages it gives you, and the FPS impact and how the gameplay changes. 

In CS:GO you have to think twice about your every move. 
Position, aim, movement, ad-ad-ad perfection, wall-bouncing, geometry, visualizations, recoil, game-knowledge are just a few things that makes this game the hardest game on the planet. Other people might suggest otherwise. But the fact is, even how good you are, anyone can kill everyone.

This unfortunately has turned out to more of a debate regarding fps than i'd liked it to. In the video above, the pro player is saying that he cannot play below 200fps. So, can we please put that topic to rest? I apologize if i've offended anyone in the section below, I didn't mean to come off as rude, I just wanted to shed some light onto the scene and how the game actually operates. 

Best regards, JF.

[Sklo]

285 or 280x, maybe a 290 since they are one sale now

[X1XNobleX1X]

I'm pretty sure I can't get 250-300 FPS with two Titans. 

EDIT: Yeah, I only get 200-270 FPS on my setup. 

why do you need that many FPS anyway?

[OriginalPromise]

Why would you want to play CS:GO at 250-300fps? 

If you have a 60hz monitor for example, your monitor is only capable of displaying 60fps, nothing higher.

If you already get 150~fps, than just invest in a 144hz monitor.

What other games/applications do you run on your PC anyways?

[Sklo]

Why would you want to play CS:GO at 250-300fps? 

Pro gamer.

I'm pretty sure I can't get 250-300 FPS with two Titans. 

We are talking about CSGO here.

[X1XNobleX1X]

Pro gamer.

We are talking about CSGO here.

I know, re-read my edit.

I checked again, I only get 200-280 FPS at most with my setup. 

 

But then again if he's ok playing on low, that's a different story. 

[OriginalPromise]

Pro gamer.

We are talking about CSGO here.

No, but unless you have like a 300 hz monitor, you won't be able to take advantage of 300 frames.

It doesn't matter if he wants to be pro. Although more frames can give the player an advantage, it is limited.

More frames aren't always better.

[aTTITUDE]

285 or 280x, maybe a 290 since they are one sale now

Thank you very much for your quick response!

[aTTITUDE]

I'm pretty sure I can't get 250-300 FPS with two Titans. 

EDIT: Yeah, I only get 200-270 FPS on my setup. 

why do you need that many FPS anyway?

Read Disclamer section of the thread.

[aTTITUDE]

Why would you want to play CS:GO at 250-300fps? 

If you have a 60hz monitor for example, your monitor is only capable of displaying 60fps, nothing higher.

If you already get 150~fps, than just invest in a 144hz monitor.

What other games/applications do you run on your PC anyways?

Ahh, the frustration in explaining this issue to non-CS:GO players. Please, Purchase CS:GO, try it out.  Cap the fps at 150 (console command: fps_max 150 ) , run the Process affinity @ 1 core @ Priority at low and you'll see what I mean. (if you got a high-end computer)

You will still be able to perform around 100fps easily. However, even if you got a 60Hz monitor the game itself will lag. Trust me. CS:GO is build that way. You need around 250-350fps in order for it to "feel stable" in high-pressure situations. I wish I could demonstrate it for you. 

These are the ranks in CS:GO.

Pro's are @ THE GLOBAL ELITE . I'm currently Supreme Master First Class, and I feel that in high-pressure situations my computer cannot cope with the stuff that is going on, in the game with smokes, flashes, Molotovs etc.

If you stand in a smoke in CS:GO your fps can dip +- 100fps (Depending on how much RAM and GPU + CPU power you've got. 

[-rascal-]

First off, your RAM is running at 1333MHz (666MHz X 2 = 1333MHz) because you didn't configure them to run at 1600 in the BIOS. The default fail-safe speed is 1333MHz.

CS:GO is a CPU dependent game and does not require a powerful graphics card. If you want your FPS to be more consistent / stable in the higher FPs range, you'll most likely need to switch platforms.

1) APUs that uses the FM2 socket aren't fast to begin with

2) The socket AM3+ (FX CPUs) are better but slow compared to Intel's counterpart. CS:GO performs better on CPUs with faster PER CORE performance (CS only uses a few cores anyways)

And this is coming from a person who prefers AMD (though I do build systems with both Intel and AMD for people based on the scenario/purpose of the system/budget/etc).

I honestly don't see the reason to get higher FPS. Don't get me wrong, I KNOW the higher the FPS to better in first-person-shooter games (its one of my preferences), but since you are already achieving a fairly consistent 150FPS, I don't why you need more.

At this point, a low refresh rate, and high input lag from BOTH your monitor and keybaord/mouse will be holding you back.

I got my brother a 120Hz, low input lag, fast response time monitor for his birthday...and the improvement was quite big. He was coming from a inespensive 60Hz Acer monitor. (He is a big CS:GO player too)

[Sklo]

I know, re-read my edit.

I checked again, I only get 200-280 FPS at most with my setup. 

 

But then again if he's ok playing on low, that's a different story. 

A friend of mine is a fairly good CS:GO player and he plays in some wired resolution and special graphics settings, which do everything than look pretty.

[OriginalPromise]

Ahh, the frustration in explaining this issue to non-CS:GO players. Please, Purchase CS:GO, try it out.  Cap the fps at 150 (console command: fps_max 150 ) , run the Process affinity @ 1 core @ Priority at low and you'll see what I mean. (if you got a high-end computer)

You will still be able to perform around 100fps easily. However, even if you got a 60Hz monitor the game itself will lag. Trust me. CS:GO is build that way. 

If you really want to go pro than...

1.Run everything on your PC on an SSD

2.Get at least an i5

3.Upgrade your graphics card to a 970 or a 285. 

4. Get yourself a 144 hz monitor.

I think you should get a 144 hz monitor in this case. I'm not sure why a light game like CS:GO would lag on your system from the beginning but..

[Sklo]

CS:GO is a CPU dependent game and does not require a powerful graphics card -- especially in a large 64-player room. If you want your FPS to be more consistent / stable in the higher FPs range, you'll most likely need to switch platforms.

Thats battlefield you are talking about, CS:Go is a 5v5 comparative game and even in TDM not more than like 20. It is not a CPU heavy game, but you probably have to look up how your cpu would perform with a 280x.

And getting your ram frequency up is a good idea.

[aTTITUDE]

No, but unless you have like a 300 hz monitor, you won't be able to take advantage of 300 frames.

It doesn't matter if he wants to be pro. Although more frames can give the player an advantage, it is limited.

More frames aren't always better.

You are incorrect in this matter sir. CS:GO is a game meant to be played with V-SYNC OFF.

More fps is always better in this game. I have over 1300h gametime, believe me. I know this game in and out.

read the other comment i just posted and i hope you will understand a bit more about csgo

[aTTITUDE]

If you really want to go pro than...

1.Run everything on your PC on an SSD

2.Get at least an i5

3.Upgrade your graphics card to a 970 or a 285. 

4. Get yourself a 144 hz monitor.

I think you should get a 144 hz monitor in this case. I'm not sure why a light game like CS:GO would lag on your system from the beginning but..

1. I am.

2. Running AMD config.

3. Will check it out.

4. Got one.

CSGO is like $3. Buy it and check out what I mean. Play some rounds, preferrably on a public-server (18slot) where there is ~4 smokes constantly on the field.

Check what your fps is V-sync delivers Input-lag in CSGO. There is some kind of delay if you play with it. CS has always been a game to run without V-SYNC.

[OriginalPromise]

-snip- 

[H4X3R]

Intel CPU, the New pentium will be great for cs:go. that will boost you FPS a lot. If you have a little more money then get an i5.

 

Going from an AMD CPU to an Intel CPu will also prevent those annoying FPS dips.

 

PS I understand needing lots of FPS, i myself am a comp tf2 player.

[OriginalPromise]

1. I am.

2. Running AMD config.

3. Will check it out.

4. Got one.

CSGO is like $3. Buy it and check out what I mean. Play some rounds, preferrably on a public-server (18slot) where there is ~4 smokes constantly on the field.

Check what your fps is V-sync delivers Input-lag in CSGO. There is some kind of delay if you play with it. CS has always been a game to run without V-SYNC.

No thank you. I already learned my lesson with those kinds of FPS games.

And if you're seeing frame drops with smoke, you should get a new GPU... 

I'll research on what piece of hardware CS:GO tasks the most; the GPU or the CPU?

[-rascal-]

Thats battlefield you are talking about, CS:Go is a 5v5 comparative game and even in TDM not more than like 20. It is not a CPU heavy game, but you probably have to look up how your cpu would perform with a 280x.

And getting your ram frequency up is a good idea.

Whoops interpreted 64-tick as 64-player. My bad.

Comparing my FX-8350 and my relative's i5-4690K (that I built the system for them), the Intel system out does my FX-8350 in CG:GO.

I could run some further testing with my system in CS:GO -- I do have two HD 7970's (AKA R9-280X) after all. My 60Hz displays are disappoint though

CG:GO is definitely a more CPU dependent (or CPU bound, whichever term you would like to use) game.

[VortexS]

You need a fast CPU for CSGO, so I'd recommend going for a new i5 or i7. With my build (signature) I get around 300 fps. But this high FPS won't help a lot unless you have a 120/144Hz monitor (which is why the pro players use that).

[aTTITUDE]

You need a fast CPU for CSGO, so I'd recommend going for a new i5 or i7. With my build (signature) I get around 300 fps. But this high FPS won't help a lot unless you have a 120/144Hz monitor (which is why the pro players use that).

Thank you! Finally someone who's actually playing the game. They don't realize that CS:GO is different from BF4 or COD. I will be sure to check some out! Thanks again! 

[cab11150904]

Thank you! Finally someone who's actually playing the game. They don't realize that CS:GO is different from BF4 or COD. I will be sure to check some out! Thanks again! 

I don't know if you mean to sound like a jerk but you really do.  Even if it's unintentional you come of that way.  That turns a lot of people off to wanting to help someone.  

[aTTITUDE]

I don't know if you mean to sound like a jerk but you really do.  Even if it's unintentional you come of that way.  That turns a lot of people off to wanting to help someone.  

I'm very sorry that i came off that way, not my intention. I just want to clarify the importance of CS:GO not being as any other fps-game. I've also linked videos in the original thread so people might get a better glimpse of how complex this game actually is.

I know that people are satisfied with playing on 60fps on BF4 and titles like that. There were comments claiming that anything above 144fps didnt matter etc. I didnt mean to come off as rude, it's just that from the majority of the PC-gaming scene, 60 fps is very good. However, if you'd jump in and say that you got 60fps on a cs-server. People would be encouraging you to buy a new pc because 60fps isnt playable at all.

[Ren]

Not sure if I agree with most of the posts here, and some are outright giving terrible purchase advice.

 

From the sounds of it, it could be either/or CPU/GPU woes but seeing as CS:GO has nothing that strikes me as graphically demanding, especially since you say you'd deal with lower quality settings, it's likely the processor. Yours is actually in the not-so-great category if that's the case but I can understand why it was purchased. It's a decent CPU regardless.

 

 

99.9% sure that you will want to switch your platform from AMD to Intel for this, meaning a new chipset/socket and added cost/more corners cut. 100% recommend it.

(ignore store locations if they won't ship to you and pay more attention to the product names or product ID #'s)

My cheapest suggestion:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i3-4150 3.5GHz Dual-Core Processor  ($109.99 @ Amazon) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-D2V Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($59.79 @ Amazon) 

Total: $169.78

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-06 05:47 EDT-0400

 

2nd cheapest (only get if multicore processing is enabled/works):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

 

CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor  ($177.98 @ SuperBiiz) 

Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-B85M-D2V Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard  ($59.79 @ Amazon) 

Total: $237.77

Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available

Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-10-06 06:08 EDT-0400

 

Motherboard isn't the absolute cheapest, just what I found was closest to your current one so it fits your case and the 2x4GB kit of RAM. The 2x2gb kit is definitely not necessary and it might even be causing problems for you. Either way, you probably won't ever see a benefit from more than 8GB unless you've got some cray stuff running behind CS:GO. Even if you were, you'd be better off with a proper dual-channel setup (e.g. get 2x8GB)..

 

Check this topic out to assist with fps as I'm unsure if Valve ever changed the feature back. http://www.reddit.com/r/GlobalOffensive/comments/1x697n/fps_fix_inside

It's to allow/re-enable multicore processing which might benefit you if it doesn't cause problems that some seem to have experienced at the time. Maybe you already knew about this but it'd be far more effective with an Intel processor.

 

 

Basically, you'd have to spend over $300 in order to get a larger performance increase than either of these CPUs can provide. By that I mean buying an i5/i7 K-series (unlocked/OCable) Intel processor. They have slightly higher per-core performance on top of being able to overclock said cores by 5-15% without too much difficulty. The i3-4150 will be about as fast as every locked/non-K i5 if multicore processing does not work. I don't see why it wouldn't work outside of bugs but who knows, not me.

 

And to finish my post off I'd like to say that buying a new GPU isn't really worth it yet since your CPU would probably bottleneck anything worth buying anyway. Not to mention the next generation of cards are coming out in the coming weeks/months, which will either drop older graphics cards prices that are still worth upgrading to or give you far more options as to what is most worthwhile without being a dumb purchase.

 

Edit: Terribly sorry for the long post. I also wanted to say you could try getting a 6-core FX processor from AMD, but that too is a platform switch and an i5 would be a better choice what with it being only slightly more expensive and a decent bit faster. (If not cheaper because the FX-6300 at ~$100 needs to be overclocked to the wall with a decent motherboard that's more expensive than the B85 I listed, and a better cooler than the included stock fan)