Which component to upgrade first?

[Shaun Daniel]

Hi,
So recently I've been noticing some frame drops in many games. Admittedly these are rarely too far below 60fps, however, I've been considering upgrading to a 144hz monitor so would like to boost my frames even if I'm not in particularly dire need of an upgrade. Here are my current specs:

Motherboard: ASUS Z97-P
PSU: Corsair CX750
CPU: Intel Core i7 4790K
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980
RAM: 32GB DDR3 HyperX Savage
Storage: 2x 3TB HDD, 2x 240GB SSD

Thanks for the advice !

 

[tamzzy]

overclock the 4790k and drop in a 1070/1080/1080ti

 

[Shaun Daniel]

Many thanks Tamzzy

 

[orbitalwalsh]

most people just from same series to the newer verison i.e 980 to 1080 etc but gtx 1070 should still see a bump in performance - but cost of cards is still steep at the moment

My basket at Overclockers UK:

• 1 x Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 Windforce 8192MB GDDR5X PCI-Express Graphics Card (GV-N1080WF3OC-8GD)= £529.99
• 1 x Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1070 Windforce 2x 8192MB GDDR5 PCI-Express Graphics Card= £449.99

Total: £990.48 (includes shipping: £10.50)​

​

 

[Shaun Daniel]

Yeah I have noticed a rise in prices atm, I'm assuming that due to the cryptocurrency resurgence. If I do upgrade the GPU I'd be looking for more longevity before I need to upgrade it again, would I be better of getting a 1070 now, or waiting for prices to drop and go for a 1080 or a 1080ti?

 

[orbitalwalsh]

1080ti aint going to drop right till next gen is out to be honest, production of those chips were greatly reduced a long time ago on the hush and i think have actually stopped for a while - plus shortage of GDDR5X doesn;t help. why when nvidia launched the 11gbps version of the gtx 1080 is had a ver short life span of 1-2 months on the shelves if you could find it haha .

they have come down in price and deals on here help

 

[tamzzy]

If I do upgrade the GPU I'd be looking for more longevity before I need to upgrade it again, would I be better of getting a 1070 now, or waiting for prices to drop and go for a 1080 or a 1080ti?

compared to the 980, the 1070 is 30% better, 1080 about 60% better, and the 1080ti about double the perf.
if you buy a new 1070 now, then sell it for a 1080/ti or the new gen cards, although the perf may be better, but you'll most likely take a £££ hit (buying 2 new cards)
to me, it'll make more sense buying the best card in your budget, which will last as long as it can, then upgrade...

 

[Shaun Daniel]

I'll probably go for the 1080ti option, thanks tamzzy

 

[tamzzy]

I'll probably go for the 1080ti option, thanks tamzzy

that being said, the rumour mill (and that's just all it is...rumour) has it that nvidia are due to release their next gen cards in the july time frame.

the 1080ti is nearly 1 year old (and the pascal architecture nearly 2 years old)
it's debatable whether one should drop that kind of money at this point in time.

of course if you need the gpu upgrade now NOW, then go ahead and buy.
if you can wait, then wait - there's always something newer and better round the corner.

 

[Shaun Daniel]

Well I probably wont have the money for a card until the back end of summer towards September anyway so I will wait and see

 

[Devst8nDscoDave]

Honestly at this point id wait for new nvidia cards.

 

[Pocah]

It really depends on whether you REALLY must upgrade something now or you can wait to later on in the year. The 4790K is still very capable as is the 980. Neither a 1080 or a 8700 would show enough improvement considering how expensive they are. But, if you really want to upgrade then I would wait for the 2080 and replace the 4780K. Personal choice of course, but the 2080 is nearly upon us and I think the 4790K will ( maybe ) start to show it's age a little when the 2080 appears. That's not a solid reason, but also it seems a bit of a shame to invest in a 1080ti right now when the 2080 is nearly upon us.