Upgrade or New Build..?

[plyr0ne]

I put this in the Graphics card section because the entire thing revolves around upgrading a graphics card.

 

Recently I've been lured over to the dark side from console to PC gaming. The main computer that I currently use has...

 

core i3 4360

ASUS Z97i mini itx mother board

16gb 1600 mhz corsair ram

WD Black 2 hybrid drive (120GB ssd + 1TB mechanical)

corsair cx750 psu

Thermaltake V1 core mini-itx case (so there is plenty of room and space for a bigger GPU)

 

and recently the addition of a evga gtx 750 ti sc to that was had for $60 as something I could get my feet wet in terms of overclocking/just having a video card at the moment. This card will eventually go into my wife's system to drive multiple monitors.

 

I built this unit march 14th 2015 (same day I asked my wife to marry me, Pi day was a really good day for me)

 

Either way a new video card is going to happen some. I was personally thinking that I would get a gtx 1050 if they are any good, and if not pick up a 1060. Most likely evga and hopefully an acx cooler model if they release one.

I feel these would be adequate to run 2560x1080 on the LG 25" ultrawide I'm currently using.

 

Now what I'm looking to see is should I...

 

option 1:

Just get a new GPU and be happy that my games look better then they would on console...

 

option 2:

upgrade my i3 to an i5 (if so what model) along with the GPU...

 

or option 3:

invest in a new build around the new GPU... New build would also be mini-itx (it's just my thing for some reason)

 

Basically I'm looking for a good balance between being cost effective and having an adequate experience. Remember that I'm coming from a console background, and have been satisfied with what I've experienced, so I don't need a gianormass leap in performance.

 

As far as games go, the only game I don't already have on console (sorry not trying to buy them again, except for GTA V) is the Division, and Overwatch has also peeked my interest. I also have a g27 and a t300, so Grand Tourism will most likely happen as well. 

[nick5530]

I would just upgrade the cpu and gpu. Also, I would add an SSD.

[HKZeroFive]

Option two sounds good. I'd be looking at least an i5 4460 at the minimum or a i5 4690K so you can take advantage of that Z97 by overclocking.

 

I suggest upgrading to an aftermarket RX 480 or the GTX 1060.

[plyr0ne]

1 minute ago, nick5530 said:

I would just upgrade the cpu and gpu. Also, I would add an SSD.

Any suggestions of a CPU to upgrade to? Thanks for the opinion.

[iiNNeX]

19 minutes ago, plyr0ne said:

Any suggestions of a CPU to upgrade to? Thanks for the opinion.

i5 4690k 

[nick5530]

21 minutes ago, plyr0ne said:

Any suggestions of a CPU to upgrade to? Thanks for the opinion.

I would say the I5-4690k. Also, with your motherboard and a different cooler than the stock, you could overclock it.

[App4that]

4790k

[Zone00roxX]

i5 4690K + new GPU should be more than enough

[Verrierr]

I'd go with just a new GPU for now and see how it fares. Your current CPU won't be an issue as far as single core performance goes so depending on your workload you may see very little performance boost (possibly none) if you upgrade to a similarly clocked i5 from the same generation, even though it has more cores.

[plyr0ne]

Just as a side not, I mentioned before that I wanted a evga GTX 1060 or 1050. I like a lot of the Nvidia features, but that Sapphire Nitro RX480 is a sexy looking card...

[plyr0ne]

7 hours ago, Verrierr said:

I'd go with just a new GPU for now and see how it fares. Your current CPU won't be an issue as far as single core performance goes so depending on your workload you may see very little performance boost (possibly none) if you upgrade to a similarly clocked i5 from the same generation, even though it has more cores.

You're advice is the path I will probably ultimately take. I still want to hear what other people think though.

[Devin92]

depend on how much you want to invest right now. 

Two major thing affect ur gaming experience now is the GPU and CPU. Add a ssd if you want ur os and game load faster.

 

if you have enough money, go for 1060+i5 4690(k). go for 'k' if you want to OC.

if you are a little shy, change the GPU first and CPU later.

 

You dont need to build a new pc at all.

[plyr0ne]

It looks like the concusses is that I should upgrade both the CPU and GPU. Thanks everyone for sharing your opinions and helping me out.