question Which part should I upgrade first?

[killermenpl]

Sorry if wrong section, but it looks like the best one for this kind of questions.

 

I'm wondering which part of my PC should I upgrade first, my GPU or my CPU. Current specification:

• MB: Asus F2A85m-le
• CPU: AMD A10-5800k overclocked to 4.4GHz with stock cooler
• GPU: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 2GB, at stock clock speeds
• RAM: 2x4GB DDR3 at 1200MHz

The main purpose of this PC is gaming at 1080p and software development, with focus on better gaming performance (compile times are fast enough for me). I was thinking of upgrading my GPU to a 1050ti or the cheapest 1060 I can find and my CPU to a Ryzen 5 1600 (for those 12 threads), or something in similar price. Replacing the CPU would also mean replacing the MB and RAM, which would mean increased costs. I'm going to replace whichever is bigger bottleneck in games first, the question is, which one is it?

[3 Lions]

I'd go for a whole new system. 

[G27Racer_188]

I think you should replace the CPU first. Good option would be R5 1600, ASUS strix B350-F motherboard and 8 or 16 GB of 3000-3200 MHz RAM (depending on what budget allows). This will give you a solid platform that will last for a few years to come, and when you have the funds upgrade the GPU.

 

7850 can do 1080 at lower settings, but playable framerate.

[Guest]

I think that your better off building a whole new system. Ryzen processors have so much to offer and the AM4 platform provides more upgradable. The ryzen 5 1600 would benefit your software development because it has more cores and more threads that will be more utilised in this task. As for gaming performance, pair the R5 1600 with a 1060 6GB will give you decent frame rates at 1080p, high settings. 

 

If if you don't want to replace your CPU, and having to upgrade your motherboard and ram, than in this scenario, the GPU would be the best thing to upgrade. The 1050ti 4GB variant is a good GPU, provided that it doesn't require an external power connector and it could be great for 1080p gaming. The cheapest 1060 would be the 3GB variant, going to the 6GB models will significantly increase the price. The 1060 is a good card, but in this case would be a bottle neck, so maybe the 1050ti is the better upgrade. 

[darraghj1243]

The RAM and CPU would be the first thing I'd  upgrade.

 

[EmoChipmonk]

1 minute ago, darraghj1243 said:

The RAM and CPU would be the first thing I'd  upgrade.

 

take a look at used for the short term

[Trik'Stari]

I agree with others in saying "build a new system".

 

Ryzen + 10xx series GPU = good times.

[killermenpl]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I can't build a completely new system, because I can't afford it. When building this one, the focus was on getting something cheap that can run games and upgrade in the future (Originally it had only 4GB of RAM and no dedicated GPU).

I don't think I'll be getting that ASUS strix B350-F, because of it's price. The price of this MB, plus 16GB of DDR4 RAM plus the CPU is 2150zł, enough to get me a GTX 1070.

I can get some used parts (MSI B350m Mortar, G Skill Trident Z 8GB 3000MHz) and a new Ryzem 5 1600 for around 1500zł, enough to get me a GTX 1060 6GB.

EDIT: Here is how it would look like: PCPartPicker. I already have the HDD, SSD, PSU and Case.

And this is how it would look like if I were to replace the GPU: PCPartPicker

 

Is my CPU really that big of a bottleneck? I thought it's 4 cores at 4.4GHz were enough and my old HD7850 was holding me back.

Edited September 17, 2017 by killermenpl

[G27Racer_188]

@killermenpl I am a bit confused by your comment, how much do you have to spend on this upgrade? Is there something like pcpartpicker but for poland, so we can see whats available at what prices.

On the matter of CPU speed, cores may be running at 4.4, but they don't process many things in all those CPU cycles, so it isn't the best.

As others have said, whole system would be the best, but since you can't do that I think the best option would be for you to get new ryzen platform, and then upgrade the gpu later.

[killermenpl]

Right now I have about 1000zł, but I can get to 1500zł in a month or two (depends how fast I can finish this job). There sadly is no pcpartpicker in Poland, or at least I couldn't find it through Google. The closest I can get is going through each shop individually and writing down the prices in something like an Excell sheet.

 

All things considered, I'm going to buy a Ryzen platform. Thanks for help.