Future Build/Build Path

TheOtherNewGuy · November 18, 2014

I would first like to ask that you please read the entirety of the post before replying as to ensure efficiency, ty . So first i guess I should post my current build.

(Also of note, these are the games that I have my eye on playing- 'Farcry 4', 'The Division', 'The Witcher 3', 'Gta V', 'BF Hardline', 'Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege')

Case- Cooler Master Haf 912

Mobo- MSI H81m-P33

Cpu- i3-4150

Gpu- EVGA Geforce Gtx 750

Ram- 8Gb (2x4Gb sticks)

Storage- 1TB Seagate Barracuda

Psu- EVGA Supernova G2 750W

DVD Drive- ASUS DRW-24F1ST

Originally it only had 4gb of ram and a 500W psu. So some background on this PC. I built this rig because my aging laptop couldn't really handle gaming at any capacity. I was barely able to play WoW on the lowest possible settings, and forget trying to have a web browser open at the same time or an app like skype or vent. I wanted to be able to play WoW smoothly (at any settings), while also being able to browse and have skype/vent open. I achieved that goal as it can do that perfectly. It can also play older games at max which was another goal I had in mind. Games like 'The Witcher 2' and 'Farcry 3' play perfectly at max settings. Everything was going great until Shadow of Mordor came out. I hadn't thought about playing any future games on this PC considering WoW takes up so much of your attention, but SoM just looked too fun to pass up. Now the game plays pretty well on Med tweaked high (med Textures, no AA, V-sync off), however I know the game looks much better on higher settings. For the most part you can't really tell any difference. That is until you grab onto an Uruk and you get a nice close up, and to me the muddy textures are immersion breaking. So I started to think about a future build. Now, at this time I would like to stress that I'm currently playing on a 1080p monitor with absolutely no future plans to upgrade to 4K. This will become relevant in a second. I'm sure most of you have been wondering about that 750W psu, so lemme esplain.

I planned on upgrading to an i5-4690k with a single Gtx 760, with the intention to pick up a second 760 down the line. Now obviously I would have to upgrade the Mobo and possibly even the case, but I have been focusing on the Cpu and Gpu for now. So, finally my questions. So with the games I mentioned at the top of the post in mind, do you think that the i5-4690k and a single 760 will be enough to game at high-ultra settings at 1080p for the next year or so, with adding a second 760 if a single one starts to not be enough. My second question is if I should upgrade my Cpu or Gpu first.

I am fully aware that this completely depends on what games you want to play, as some are more Cpu intensive while others are more Gpu intensive. What I am looking for is a recommendation based on the games I listed at the top of the post, as well as other AAA titles that are coming out within the next year. I know that a lot of those games don't have official System req's and the such, but I am looking for people who know how demanding similar games have been in the past when compared to the power of the available hardware. I completely understand if it's unfeasible to do. The reason I ask is because I originally planned on getting a 760 on black friday/cyber monday, then getting the i5 later. This was because when I looked at the system req's of most current games my Gpu was the one holding me back. The site I use for system req's either has my cpu and gpu on the same level, ie. both can run at high, both can run at med-high etc. However there are some instances where the Cpu can run at high/med-high, where the gpu can only run at med-high/med. That changed with the recent release of Farycry 4 though as my gpu is estimated to run at med-high, while my cpu is low-medium.

So to recap, will the i5-4690 paired with the Gtx 760 (2 in SLI down the road) be able to handle 1080p gaming at high-ultra settings in the coming year, and which should I aim to buy first. Thank you for reading this post, and I look forward to reading your replies

Edit- Forgot to add something. There are only 2 reasons I believe you should upgrade. Either because the current hardware isnt capable of doing what you want it to do, or if you can get a sizable upgrade for a relatively low price. The reason for upgrading now is the fact that there are games out now/coming out soon that I would like to play, but won't because I will have to run them at lower settings. If I didn't care about that then I would just wait until the 960 came out. Thats why I stressed that I'm only playing at 1080p. A card like the 290/970 would be overkill atm. I also don't have the budget for a $400+ card, hence why I said I was going to try and get the 760 on sale (closer to 200 $Can).