CPU or GPU upgrade?
- Thread starter CVLLXM
- Start date
Monitor res is 1920 x 1080 and refresh rate is 60 Hertz.
It's a 2 GB 960 and at the moment I'm just looking to get stable frames in Apex Legends on higher settings, a lot of the time I'm dropping below 60 frames especially when looking over long distances.
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GPU, Also consider a 144hz monitor. If you are a fan of FPS it is a must! You will see a huge difference.
Good to know, I had a few people tell me to upgrade my CPU first to an i7 but I was unsure whether just getting a new graphics card would be a better option, what would people recommend? I'm on a fairly strict budget.
which is how much???
250 to £350 I'd say.
This should have everything you're looking for (minus PSU I think)
And it depends on what you'd have in mind, though I have next to know experience when tinkering with my rig so I'd be hesitant but not against it.
what does it say on your mainboard tab of cpu-z?
also important to know what PSU you have, as it will affect what graphics card you can upgrade to (more powerful GPUs naturally require more power to run)
Soldato
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- 1 Dec 2015
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Friday , see if GPU prices jump a little 
that's a bargain basement PSU.
i mean it'll run lower powered graphics cards...but i honestly suggest it'll need upgrading along as well as the GPU.
i wouldn't trust it running a mid range GPU (like a rx580) tbh.
another thing...need to see your case.
care to post a pic?
Yeah, at the time I was upgrading from a very outdated PC and didn't have much of a budget so I went with a prebuilt. Back then I knew prebuilds are typically bad but my understanding of computers at that time (and still now to a degree) wasn't the greatest. I saw it had a decent processor, GPU and RAM and just went for it.
Completely understand, i was in the same situation years back. The thing to remember is that pre-builts are made to budget and so they have everything up to the wire. e.g. They will use a lower quality cheaper PSU that just hits the require power supply, you won't be able to squeeze a lot more out of it. I found you need to be quite smart about which upgrade path to take, like looking at things with similar TDPs. The reference 960 pulls 120w and requires 1x6-pin, make sure anything you are considering is less than that. (A rx470 looked like a decent upgrade but all i could find was 8-pin ones...)
As mentioned above, PSU is a massive draw back atm (as someone who foolishly decided 13 year old dell psu would live forever).
Get yourself a better psu (preferably a modular unit) and then the GPU. Your processor wont be a massive bottle neck at your resolution however nothing matters if your PSU decides to ignite.
Get yourself a better psu (preferably a modular unit) and then the GPU. Your processor wont be a massive bottle neck at your resolution however nothing matters if your PSU decides to ignite.
@CVLLXM ok. so with your budget...
this would probably be the card i'd want to get:
My basket at Overclockers UK:
and the PSU isn't sold at OCUK. For a basic setup, I'd recommend the Corsair CX550M
Google this part number:
CP-9020102-UK
Can be bought for £55 inclusive of free shipping
So total should cost ~£325, which is near the top end of your budget, but not exceeded.
this would probably be the card i'd want to get:
My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £269.89 (includes shipping: £9.90)
and the PSU isn't sold at OCUK. For a basic setup, I'd recommend the Corsair CX550M
Google this part number:
CP-9020102-UK
Can be bought for £55 inclusive of free shipping
So total should cost ~£325, which is near the top end of your budget, but not exceeded.