CPU or GPU upgrade?

[PerranMD]

Hi,

 

My PC has been just about keeping up with med/high graphics settings on modern games but I feel like it's soon time for an upgrade.

 

I really just want to find out the best way to achieve better performance in games, and whether I'm in need of a CPU upgrade or a GPU upgrade, or something else.

 

My specs:

 

CPU: i7 4790 3.60GHz

CPU Cooler: Corsair H55 Water Cooler

GPU: Strix GTX 970 4GB

RAM: 16GB Corsair Vengeance 1866MHz

Motherboard: Gigabyte Z97M-DS3H

PSU: 750W Corsair CS Modular

HDD: 2TB S-ATAIII 6.0Gb/s

SSD: Samsung 256GB 850 PRO

Case: Corsair Carbide Air 540

 

I don't really want to spend more than £400/$500.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thanks.
 

[FrowningHippo]

That CPU is pretty decent. Even today. I'd suggest looking for a good deal on a GTX 1060/1070, let's see if anyone agrees.

[Fasauceome]

A GPU upgrade will do you just fine. The 4790s can handle a 1070, so a 4790 will be able to do much more, especially since you're water cooled for max turbo effectiveness. A used GTX 1070 is well within your budget, and up to $500, a used 1080 would even be nice. Neither of these top end cards would be money wasted in your system, and it will be a lot more convenient for you because the only CPU upgrade you could make would be a 4790k, which would not yield the same results.

[Senzelian]

The only person that can tell you if you are in need of an upgrade, is you!

We can not tell you if you're pleased with the current performance of your build.

 

But if you would want to upgrade, then I'd probably go for a new GPU.
I'd wait a few months until we see the new RTX 20-series cards from Nvidia in stores and then get either a used or even a new GTX 1070Ti if you then can still find one.

 

That will greatly improve your performance without braking your bank account.

[PerranMD]

Thanks guys :¬)