To what should I upgrade my CPU?

[The Third Thomas]

So My pc is mainly used for gaming, and I've been noticing it's starting to struggle running most newer games above low setting with a smooth fps.

 

My current gpu and cpu are:

 

• AMD Radeon HD 7850
• AMD Phenom II X4 965
• Motherboard is an Asrock 970 extreme3

 

When I used MSI Afterburner in Witcher 3 at medium-low settings to check the % of both used, I only got 30-35 FPS and my GPU was at 99% and my CPU was at 80%, meaning that even with a slight upgrade to my GPU, my CPU would bottleneck forcing me to upgrade that one as well.

So my question is to what should I upgrade my CPU to have no real bottleneck for 1080P gaming, while on a slight budget of around 450euro. (300-350 for GPU and the rest for CPU). Computer part pricing in Europe is hell.

I want to be able to run current games at a smooth 60 fps.

I know for my GPU I should upgrade to a 1060 or a rx480, but I really don't know where to start for my CPU

My friend recommended me a i5 6600K but that thing is quite expensive and I'm sure there are cheaper options for the same performance, but I just don't know what to search for.

[iRileyx]

Whats the budget for cpu + gpu?

[Mr.Meerkat]

You can go used which will save a nice chunk of monies but if not, a 6500/7500 should do the trick  

[The Third Thomas]

7 minutes ago, RKRiley said:

Whats the budget for cpu + gpu?

Around 450 euro.

300-350 GPU

100-150 CPU

 

[iRileyx]

7 minutes ago, The Third Thomas said:

Around 450 euro.

300-350 GPU

100-150 CPU

 

You're not gonna get much of a cpu upgrade with that budget to be honest.

[The Third Thomas]

1 minute ago, RKRiley said:

You're not gonna get much of a cpu upgrade with that budget to be honest.

Let's say it were 150-200?

I'm really new to all this, bought my pc from a friend and he did all the combining. Had it for 2-3 years now finally doing my first upgrade

[Cylon Muffins]

You'll also need a new motherboard to go with the new CPU, don't forget to factor that into your budget.

[The Third Thomas]

3 minutes ago, Cylon Muffins said:

You'll also need a new motherboard to go with the new CPU, don't forget to factor that into your budget.

Really? My current motherboard is an Asrock 970 Extreme3, don't know much about motherboards so why would I need to upgrade it?

[iRileyx]

2 minutes ago, The Third Thomas said:

Really? My current motherboard is an Asrock 970 Extreme3, don't know much about motherboards so why would I need to upgrade it?

The only way you'll get any real performance gains is by switching to Intel(or waiting for Ryzen), hence the new motherboard.

And if you go for Skylake or Kabylake or Ryzen, you'll also need new RAM.

[King_of_Oz]

Intel core i5-6500 should do the trick

[The Third Thomas]

5 minutes ago, RKRiley said:

The only way you'll get any real performance gains is by switching to Intel(or waiting for Ryzen), hence the new motherboard.

And if you go for Skylake or Kabylake or Ryzen, you'll also need new RAM.

Whelp I guess I'll have to wait another 2 months to be able to afford all that

Didn't expect the necessary Motherboard and RAM upgrade as well. I thought it was as simple as slapping a new cpu in there.

Thanks for the help tho, without you guys I'd have been fucked soon

[hconverse02]

If you don't mind waiting, get ryzen or intel (if their price drops when ryzen comes out). So either get ryzen, a ryzen mobo and either a 480 8gb or 1060 6gb (or get vega).