Upgrade CPU or GPU first?

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Kelebay

New Member
So im looking into upgrading my pc, its been a few years since I bought it, and games I play now are running at 30-40 fps, I have an ATI 5900 for my gpu, and an amd phenom ii x4 965 for my cpu, I'm wondering which should i get, what would make me get the highest fps.
 
If you are talking about the firepro v5900, then a new GPU for sure. What budget are you on?
 
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Yeah that's probably not it. I'm guessing either a 5950, 5970, or 5990.

Can you find out which one?

As what to upgrade I'd probably say CPU but I'm not sure if you will see much performance increase in gaming. If you have the money get a Z77 1155 motherboard and a i5 3570K with budget permitting of course.

Does your have AM3+ or just plain AM3?
 
30-40fps, in what game, settings, resolution?
Also, a phenom II x4 965be is still a good cpu, you won't gain much buying a new CPU...
Maybe if you want to do it, a little oc could give you some more fps.
 
Battlefield 3 is just crap on my computer, even had medium, has big problems in firefights, company of heros i get crap fps even on low, i play world of tanks a bit, and around 40ish fps on that on medium, basically i want to be able to run games on high at a decent fps, I have a 5970 by the way, and my budget is up to a thousand, but I want to keep it low, i'm also looking to get a smaller case, as i have one the size of a desk atm.
 
I assume a hd5970?
Did you update your graphics drivers via amd website?
What's your resolution? Do you have a multi-monitor setup?

Until now, I think a CPU upgrade would be best... Because that gpu is equal to my hd7950 (on 1200p and lower) and I play battlefield 3 with very nice fps
 
Your CPU won't hold you back in BF3 very much. Heck your video card probably shouldn't be holding you back either. That's odd. Your GPU is definitely more powerful than mine (even though it's older) and your CPU is comparable and I run BF3 maxed out with absolutely zero problems.

Sounds like you have other problems going on. Made sure you're clean of viruses using Malware Bytes?
 
No multi monitor, and yea drivers are updated, resolution is maxxed out 1920x1080, I don't have any viruses, already checked that, and I don't go on any ghetto sites/scam shit, i know what not to go on/do.
 
I hate to suggest it but Reinstalling windows might not be a bad idea. I was having performance issues that I shouldn't have and I couldn't pin down the problem. Reinstalling Windows fixed it.

If you can afford to do it, reinstalling generally is a good idea every once in a while as it decrappifies your computer and fixes any odd issues you've had in the past.

It's kind of a last ditch effort but normally will fix the problem as long as you don't have faulty hardware.
 
I think an HD 5970 should still be perfectly fine for gaming, I mean, I've still got a 5870 and it's holding pretty well, and the 5970 is more powerful (it's a multi-GPU card as you probably already know).

Your processor should also be fine for gaming, but if you think it's a bit slow try overclocking it.

I think if I was in your shoes right now and looking to replace either an X4 965 or a 5970, I'd probably upgrade the X4 965 to something newer (FX-8320 or maybe an Intel chip such as the 3570K) and keep the 5970.

Just a question: what power supply do you have powering your system? Believe it or not, that may be the cause of the 'crappy gameplay' and low FPS you're experiencing. 5970s are hungry beasts.
 
Kelebay said:
Battlefield 3 is just crap on my computer, even had medium, has big problems in firefights, company of heros i get crap fps even on low, i play world of tanks a bit, and around 40ish fps on that on medium, basically i want to be able to run games on high at a decent fps, I have a 5970 by the way, and my budget is up to a thousand, but I want to keep it low, i'm also looking to get a smaller case, as i have one the size of a desk atm.
Click to expand...

A thousand? US Dollars? Build a new rig. I built mine for a total of $1,300 if I remember correctly. And if you keep your case, hdds, you can build a beast for a grand.
 
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