can't decide which to upgrade first.. gpu vs cpu/mobo

[residentisz]

Currently using:

MOBO: GIGABYTE GA-MA790XT-UD4P AM3 DDR3 AMD 790X ATX AMD Motherboard
GPU: EVGA 896-P3-1170-AR GeForce GTX 275 896MB 448-bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 810 Deneb 2.6GHz Socket AM3 95W Quad-Core Processor HDX810WFGIBOX (stock, I don't know anything about overclocking)
Ram: 8 GB DDR3

I built this pc in 2009, but finally think it's time for an upgrade. Just not sure which should be first to increase my performance in WOW. Currently in a 25man setting (LFR or World Bosses) I'm getting 7-15 FPS consistently on low settings. Outside in the main city or pretty much anywhere else I'm getting on average of 35-40 FPS on high settings. At ultra in Shrine of 7 Moons it drops to under 15 again.

I want to replace all 3 but trying to avoid spending $800-1000 at one time and just buy them over the course of a couple weeks.

have a 750 watt PSU so I would imagine that'll be good enough to handle any upgrades.

I am looking at buying these items for upgrades but if you have a better suggestion I'm all ears.

CPU: Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
GPU: EVGA 02G-P4-3660-KR GeForce GTX 660 Ti 2GB 192-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 3.0 x16 HDCP Ready SLI Support Video Card (I have no plans to SLI, my tower wouldn't even hold 2 cards -- using an Antec 300)
Mobo: MSI Z77A-G45 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS

all from newegg.com

seeing the GPU on sale for today and tomorrow is what got me interested, maybe should just pick it up now.

I mainly play WoW but also play Sim City and SWTOR. and my FPS in SWTOR has always been around 25 or so. Don't know what its been in Sim City but haven't noticed anything horrible in that.

any help or suggestions on which item(s) to purchase immediately would be greatly appreciated.

[Killora]

Honestly? I'd upgrade both at the same time. And instead of the 660 TI, grab a 7870 XT

Your CPU is going to hold your GPU back if you upgrade, and if you upgrade the CPU first, you'll be stuck with a GTX 275. So honestly it's just better to upgrade both at the same time.

[vesseblah]

Currently in a 25man setting (LFR or World Bosses) I'm getting 7-15 FPS consistently on low settings.

Try first putting vsync, triple buffering and DX11 all ON, as it might make a notable difference.

any help or suggestions on which item(s) to purchase immediately would be greatly appreciated.

Intel supposedly releases new motherboards and processors in four weeks. This is the worst time to buy into very soon old i5-3570k & Z77.

[Deleted]

how about this? (newegg combo)

Intel Core i5-3570K Ivy Bridge 3.4GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) LGA 1155 77W Quad-Core Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4000 BX80637I53570K
ASRock Z77 Extreme4 LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
CORSAIR XMS 8GB 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model CMX8GX3M1A1600C11

was: $424.97
Discount: -$77.00
Combo Price:$347.97

toss in a nice gtx 650Ti boost for +- $150
toss in another $20 for a evo 212 cpu cooler and your set.

ps: i know you already have RAM but for a bundle this is priced pretty good you could allways resell the ram if you don't need/want it.

[Deleted]

Try first putting vsync, triple buffering and DX11 all ON, as it might make a notable difference.



Intel supposedly releases new motherboards and processors in four weeks. This is the worst time to buy into very soon old i5-3570k & Z77.

A better time to buy, if you were buying Ivy Bridge processors, would probably be in the week before release, as retailers would be trying to get rid of their stock.

[vesseblah]

A better time to buy, if you were buying Ivy Bridge processors, would probably be in the week before release, as retailers would be trying to get rid of their stock.

Still don't recommend getting old gen in this case because the motherboards change. If you buy IB processor now there's no upgrades available ever.

[Deleted]

Still don't recommend getting old gen in this case because the motherboards change. If you buy IB processor now there's no upgrades available ever.

well it's not like a cpu bottleneck for games is inbound any time soon? (assuming not going beyond 2 gpu setup)

[Killora]

Still don't recommend getting old gen in this case because the motherboards change. If you buy IB processor now there's no upgrades available ever.

It's not an issue, really. If he wants something now, he can get it now. He's not going to waste any money for lack of potential ubgrades. By the time a OCed 3570k is obsolete, there will be new socket sizes other than 1150, and even if you get haswell, you'll have to get a new motherboard by then anyway, so the entire point is moot.

The only thing you'd want to wait for is potentially better overclocking and a baseline performance increase. Future upgrades are a complete non-issue.