Hardware Update - Advice welcomed

RobJ

RobJ

RobJ

Associate
Joined
28 Jun 2007
Posts
21
Afternoon!

It's been roughly three years since I had a major upgrade and I've failed to keep up with the latest trends in hardware.

I've done a fairly decent amount of research over the last few weeks, but it doesn't hurt to confirm the findings with the experts!

My current setup is:

Ivybridge core i5-3570k 3.4ghz @ 4.5ghz
Z77 Gigabyte Gamer Motherboard
Kingston HyperX Genesis 8gb DDR3 PC3 1600mhz dual channel
Radeon HD 7850
128gig SSD
2 x Benq TN Panels that are over 6 years old, one a VERY old 60hz and the other one of Benqs first 120 hz panels ( I don't have the models to hand).

I predominantly game and I play things like CS:GO, Planetside 2, League of Legends and other titles (playing thru skyrim currently).

My research indicates that upgrading my motherboard, ram and CPU isn't going to get me the step change in performance that my previous three year cycle might have yielded for gaming. Benchmarks I've looked at seem to indicate that upgrading to Haswell/Devils Canyon and I could expect 5-10% increases in performance.

Am I missing something in the benchmarks (found it hard to consistently compare benchmarks between ivybridge/haswell) or should I expect more real world gains?

The GPU is an easier one (I think), upgrading to either a R290 or a GTX 970/980 will give me a significant performance gain even with the ivybridge.

However what's holding me back slightly is I want to upgrade my old monitors. I'm tempted to put in an order for two of the new Asus MG279Q ROG Dominator 27" FREESYNC IPS 144Hz...

Everything I've read suggests that Nvidia don't / won't support Freesync ? Does anyone have any insight on this?

The R290 feels expensive given how old it's tech is.
I was wondering if grabbing another HD 7850 and running crossfire on the 2k monitors would prove to be a cost effective middle ground until either AMD steps up and releases it's next gen or Nvidia is clear on the Freesync thing.

Thoughts and advice welcomed!

Cheers,

Rob.
 
Hi,

1) You do not need to change your CPU or board for a Z97+4690K etc. You also have a solid overclock on it already.

2) Yes the GPU is the weak point. Do you have a good PSU for a 970/980 etc room inside your case for a long GFX card?

3) Nvidia is Gsync only, for Freesync you need an AMD card.

4) Crossfire on the older cards isn't as smooth as on the newer releases also one single GFX card will always give you good performance when a Crossfire profile is not available for a game.

5) AMD 300 series (only two of them are suppose to be all new cards with the others rebrands) are due around Computex which is June.


So what do you want then? a new monitor or two, a new GFX card? how much would you like to spend.
 
What Stu said :)

Personally, I'm holding out to see what AMD bring to the table GPU wise, and that will decide on the monitor I go for too. It's a ropey time to be considering GPUs and displays. It's not that what's out now isn't any good, because it is; it's just there's the possibility of something a little better round the corner.

Looking at your spec, Your CPU is fine, not likely to see any big gains upgrading now. Maybe look at a bigger/better SSD and save the rest of your cash for future goodness?
 
Thanks guys.

I have a 800w PSU and a large factor case so I think a 980GTX would be fine.

Cost isn't an issue so much as value for me, the Freesync IPS 144hz ASUS monitors feel like good value, however investing in R290 doesn't feel like good value right now.

Whilst the GTX 970/980 feels like great value for performance, however I choke slightly on the premium price of the GYSNC IPS 144hz ACER....

I feel it might be prudent to wait until June/July and see how things pan out with AMD and then make a decision regarding Freesync/Gsync!
 
Apologies PSU isn't 800w it's a 750W Corsair Builder Series CX Modular '80 plus bronze'.

Should be good enough to run a 290x or a 980 gtx?
 
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