Dilemma - CPU or GPU upgrade?

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Help me out here guys!

This is my current rig:

AMD FX-6300 (oc'd to 4.5ghz)
Crossfire HD 7950s (oc'd to 1200/1350)
Asus Sabertooth 990FX
8GB 1600 RAM
850w XFX PSU
Bitfenix Shinobi

Now, I'd been all set on upgrading the CPU to either an i5 3570k or i7 3770k. I've got a mobo (ASRock Extreme 4) and had ordered an i7 from a popular auction site. However, the guy ripped me off. No communication and never turned up (he even blocked me on YouTube when I found him there and deleted his Twitter account to avoid my questions!) I have a case open with him which I can escalate for a refund on Wednesday, at which point I was planning to order another Intel CPU (this time from a reliable seller like Overclockers!).

However, I've got cold feet!

After reading a couple of articles saying that an FX-8350 would be the better "future-proof" upgrade due to the multi-core AMD processors on PS3 and Xbox One, I'm wondering if I should go down that route instead.

If I did that it would free up cash for me to ditch the 7950s and go for a GTX 780. I know AMD has these new drivers on the way next month for Crossfire owners but I'd be lying if I said a single GPU solution doesn't appeal - quieter, cooler, potentially smoother!

But the i5/i7 benchmarks suggest either will destroy an FX-8350.

So which will give me the best performance and the better long-term build? The Intel CPU with my Crossfire 7950s or the eight-core AMD with a 780?

Help!
 
Thanks dude. The i7 worth the extra over an i5 then? I hate to use the term "future-proof" but with the multi-core consoles on the way I think the hyperthreading may prove useful in the future.
 
Martini1991 said:
This is a common misconception, but any 1155 board with an Ivy should/will get PCI-E 3.0 in the primary lane as it's controlled by the CPU and the lane is physically and electronically the same as a PCI-E 3.0 one.

Although fairly moot as OP runs Crossfire, which he'd need an Intel for to elevate the bottleneck.
Although I find the notion of upgrading to something older than your original purchase silly, it'd have made far more sense to have made the "right" choice initially.
Click to expand...

What an elitist response!

I only built my first PC a few months ago and it's very much a learning experience. Plus my budget was initially limited.
 
I had never even heard of Crossfire when I built the thing! In retrospect do I wish I'd waited until I understood the whole scene a bit better? yeah, sure. But then I only began to understand once I'd dirtied my hands and got involved.
 
That's the thing I've discovered since getting into the PC gaming gig - you can always find someone to back up any argument. Bottleneck debates seem the most confusing as, I guess, there are no firm answers.

My main reasons for going for the 3770k are:
1. Less likely to get the upgrade itch again (for a while at least)
2. It might hold up better with AMD's multi-core console future drawing close
 
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