Unsure which way to upgrade first

FioX

New member
Hi Everyone, First of all thanks for having checking the thread. I'm really split on where to go.

My Current Build:
Motherboard: MSI Z77A-G43 - 1155
CPU: i7 - 3770k -OC'd 4.5.
GPU: AMD R9 390x
RAM: FuryX 8GB 1333mhz
Case: Zalman Z9 Plus
CPU Cooler: Corsair cooler H80

Monitor: (Do not recall the whole name, only know it's 1080p at 144hz)
VRHeadset: Oculus Rift.

I'm pretty much split on what to do, I'm constantly jumping between these 3 options.

1 - Stay with current setup and upgrade memory to 16gb 2000mhz+, which unfortunately costs around £150. Then in a year or so upgrade the system as a whole but keep GPU.

2 - Not upgrade RAM at the moment, at the end of the year upgrade the MOBO & CPU ETC but keep the GPU as it is for now (find build below).

3- Upgrade GPU to a 1080 first (after the new 1180 releases to grab the price drop) and then upgrade Mobo & CPU at a later date.

CPU & Mobo Upgrade Planned:

i7-8700K
ASUS Intel 1151 Socket Z370
Corsair CMK16GX4M2B3000C15 Vengeance LPX 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4 3000
£610

Later with a new case and new cooler.


Why I'm unsure which way to proceed:

-If I were to buy RAM for the current setup I would have to upgrade in a year or two anyways, feels like I'm wasting money but would allow me to play smoothly in the meantime.

-While I play on a 1080p screen my R9 390x has started to struggle with new releases and struggles on some VR Games (However with RAM also capping at 90% it's hard to tell if it is just a RAM issue).

-One way I have a feeling I shouldn't change CPU at the moment as Intel seems to be starting to lose the CPU playground, AMD will likely come with a stronger CPU in a year or so.

-RAM prices are a joke


Any suggestions appreciated.
 

ubuysa

The BSOD Doctor
Since these fora belong to PC Specialist Ltd (PCS) we cannot advise on non-PCS builds I'm afraid. You might get better help on a more general forum like Tom's Hardware.
 

Oussebon

Multiverse Poster
With regards to the RAM, I was in a fairly similar position i.e. itching to upgrade something and wondering what to get. In my case I was able to get 16gb 2400MHz DDR3 (CL10) for under £100 (about £90 iirc), going from 1600MHz DDR3 (CL9 iirc). Similar system - 3770k @ 4.6GHz, GTX 970 GPU, as below.

Faster RAM has very, very little effect in most games. I think I measured something like 0.3fps difference in a Total War title, so margin of error stuff. However, two of my main titles at the time (WoW and FO4) both benefit hugely from faster RAM, which is why I decided to make the purchase. Also there is another PC in the household used for gaming which could inherit the RAM once I upgrade my system.

Had it not been for that very specific set of circumstances, there's no way I'd have bought faster RAM for £90 to net me a .3 fps gain or whatever.

We can't advise on self build projects as above - but that's not advice, just a comment based on my own experience from which you can draw whatever conclusions you want about spending £150 on RAM for an obsolete platform you're going to replace soon anyway that will net you nearly no gain in most gaming scenarios :)
 
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