Need advice upgrading - FPS issues

[Frizzl]

Hey all,

I planning on upgrading my gaming PC to resolve some FPS issues I'm having in WoW raids atm. I'm usually running at about half settings and get decent FPS (around 30) in fullscreen mode. Would love to run he game on max settings.

I also am considering switching over to Intel based products as well if necessary, but would rather stick with what I have if I can obtain max settings with a few upgrades. I am currently noticing that my CPU load hovers around 75%-80% when running WoW, so I think that may be the issue. Thanks!

General Information
CPU: AMD PHENOM II XF 955 BLACK
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-890GPA-UD3
RAM: 12GB DDR3 2000MHZ
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 550 TI
Power Supply: 850W Corsair
Operating System: Windows 7
Resolution: 1920x1200
WoW Settings: Medium

[Deleted]

The cpu in not bad per se but yeah if you wanna go for ultra raiding you'd have to switch to intel. Gpu is also pretty old so you'd have to upgrade that too. You are mostly looking at a new pc and re-use what you can from the old pc, like hdd, optical drives, 2x4gb of ram, maybe case.

So you are looking at i5 4690k cpu, Z97 mobo and gtx 960. Dunno why you have that much psu power but its was never needed for a single gpu. If its rather new you could re-use it to save some money. If you play more games other than wow, like fps/shooters you may wanna consider a gtx970 too.

[Frizzl]

Thanks, Kostattoo.

I'm looking online at Microcenter right now and I don't see the Asus Z97-A mobo. Can you recommend a good mobo to pair with a 4690k and gtx 960 that won't destroy my wallet?

[Thandrend]

What is your budget?

[Frizzl]

Well, if I'm upgrading the graphics card, mobo, and CPU, I'd be looking to spend $500 or less.

Microcenter has a deal going on right now where you can get $40 off a cpu+motherboard combo.

[Fascinate]

http://www.microcenter.com/product/4...el_Motherboard

Paired with the 4690k it comes to 332.55 (40 bucks off when together in cart, after tax). Only buy these two parts at microcenter, you can find everything else cheaper online.

[Remilia]

Well, if I'm upgrading the graphics card, mobo, and CPU, I'd be looking to spend $500 or less.

Microcenter has a deal going on right now where you can get $40 off a cpu+motherboard combo.

It's always there really.
http://www.microcenter.com/site/bran...r-bundles.aspx
I'd go with MSI Gaming 5 or Gigabyte Gaming 7.

[Fascinate]

If i were you i would also grab another 4gb stick to match whatever ram you have, so dual channel mode is functioning.

[Frizzl]

Got it. I appreciate the advice!

What would be a good recommendation if I wanted to stay with AMD and get the most out of it? Keep my current mobo and upgrade the CPU/Graphics card?

[thaynia]

http://www.microcenter.com/product/4...el_Motherboard

Paired with the 4690k it comes to 332.55 (40 bucks off when together in cart, after tax). Only buy these two parts at microcenter, you can find everything else cheaper online.

Microcenter price matches just about everywhere (including newegg). I'd find a list of what you want and just get it all at microcenter while you're there.

[Deleted]

i5 4690k+GA Gaming 7+gtx 960 comes 544$ @ microcenter.

From different vendors at 500:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor ($219.95 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: ASRock Z97 Anniversary ATX LGA1150 Motherboard ($84.99 @ Micro Center)
Video Card: Gigabyte GeForce GTX 960 2GB Video Card ($199.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $504.93
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-01-30 13:30 EST-0500


The difference comes down to 40bucks on mobo. Is it worth it? Well the quality difference is big. Up to your pocket.

[Remilia]

The difference comes down to 40bucks on mobo. Is it worth it? Well the quality difference is big. Up to your pocket.

Personally I'd just go with buying the MoBo and CPU from Microcenter and then buy the GPU online.

[Kagthul]

Got it. I appreciate the advice!

What would be a good recommendation if I wanted to stay with AMD and get the most out of it? Keep my current mobo and upgrade the CPU/Graphics card?

Your CPU is a huge limiting factor in WoW right now. If you stick with AMD, youll continue to see framerate issues in WoW due to the notoriously low single-core performance of AMD Cpus.

Get the i5 + a compatible Z97 motherboard at Microcenter (and the GPU if theyll price match or have one on sale). Its 199$ in store for the CPU, + 40$ off the motherboard.

[Frizzl]

Thanks for the advice, all!