I7 4770K + mobo or Radeon R9 290

Moonchild · 12 Sep 2014 at 20:23

Ok guys, you can see my current specs. I feel an upgrade coming on, but which is it to be?? I appreciate i'll need to upgrade my PSU if I go the graphics card route. Cheers in advance for any input.

McstylisT · 12 Sep 2014 at 20:27

Hi,

If your buying new, then i7 4790k and z97 is best to buy now. If you budget is not limited then x99 is a enthusiast level with multi core options.

Do you have a budget in mind ?

cheesyboy · 12 Sep 2014 at 20:28

What do you use the PC for?

Moonchild · 12 Sep 2014 at 20:44

Thanks for the replies. I use my PC mainly for gaming. Budget being £400 to £450.

DirtyJester · 12 Sep 2014 at 21:06

Moonchild, I have edited your signature (into 4 lines from 6 lines) so that it meets the forum rules.

Moonchild · 12 Sep 2014 at 21:30

Sorry. If in doubt, read the rules!

cheesyboy · 12 Sep 2014 at 21:34

For that budget, I'd get an i7 and mobo, AND a amd r9 290x, and then sell your old parts for around £200

lee32uk · 12 Sep 2014 at 21:55

You still have a pretty decent system there. Does it struggle with any games ?

I would get a bigger SSD if you only have a 60GB one. Your 650W psu is fine for any single gpu, assuming it is a good make.

pigeonguyuk · 12 Sep 2014 at 22:29

I just upgraded from the crosshair v formula z + FX8350 sold them for £200 within 24hours of advertising.

Purchased Maximus VII formula and 4790k and the difference it has made has blown me away !

Moonchild · 13 Sep 2014 at 17:26

lee32uk said:
You still have a pretty decent system there. Does it struggle with any games ?

I would get a bigger SSD if you only have a 60GB one. Your 650W psu is fine for any single gpu, assuming it is a good make.

One or two surprise me a little. I have to knock the detail down in Far cry 3 more than I'd like, but others are absolutely fine. Tomb Raider's benchmark maxed out including TressFx averages out at 55.3fps for example. Not too shabby. Drivers up to date BTW.

It's interesting what you say about my psu, because all the R9 290 cards I've looked at recommend more than 650W.

Moonchild · 13 Sep 2014 at 17:30

pigeonguyuk said:
I just upgraded from the crosshair v formula z + FX8350 sold them for £200 within 24hours of advertising.

Purchased Maximus VII formula and 4790k and the difference it has made has blown me away !

That is very interesting. Do you have any examples of just how much difference it's made, and what GPU do you have? Also slightly off topic, did you reinstall your OS?