looking for an upgrade
skyrrd Feb 10, 2019
Hello,

i'm taking a hard time to decide what components to upgrade first in my pc (on a budget right now and not sure if i'll have the time to utilize a complete system upgrade)

my system consists of an i5 4690s, 16gb 1600mhz ram and an r9 290
i use gentoo linux with mesa-git and almost always latest kernel
my main gaming resolution is 1080p and i am not planning on switching to 4k for demanding titles in the near future but:
i use a 4k connected via displayport-hdmi2-adapter and cant use digital sound output when using resolution above 1080p or higher refreshrate than 60hz

now my question: i'm planning on spending about 200€ for a slight upgrade

with that i could replace either my gpu for a rx 580 (180-220€)
i could replace my cpu with an i5 4690k (used about 80€) or an xeon 1231 for about 100€ used
maybe even i7 4790k (used about 180€)

i could also replace my cpu/mainboard/ram with a ryzen cpu +8-16gb ddr4

i'm unsure, since while on windows switching from r9 290 to 580 is almost considered a sidegrade, on linux the difference seems to be more promising and i could utilize hdmi 2.0 without any issues

but my cpu will still be a bottleneck i guess.

so upgrade the gpu and stick with the cpu or vice versa?
Avehicle7887 Feb 10, 2019
In my opinion:

CPU: Upgrading 4690S to 4690K will not be a big improvement, a 4790K on the other hand lets you multi task a bit more and helps with CPU tasks such as compiling or video editing if you're into that sort of thing, but won't affect gaming much, also your system is still using DDR3 memory, I don't find it worth it to spend 180€ for a minimal improvement, especially with new AMD CPU's around the corner.

For the matter I have 2 gaming systems, 1 with an i5-4590, the other with Ryzen 1700X but both running a GTX 1060 6GB. Performance in games is basically almost equal between the 2 systems.

I find it more worth it to go with the GPU option, the RX580 is faster and aside from getting higher frames, you can also fit it in a new system later on.
skyrrd Feb 10, 2019
Gpu prices are rather low atm so that would be the natural route IMHO. I'm just not sure if my CPU is bottlenecking. Since the 4690s is basically identical to the 4590, how is your experience regarding dxvk/steam play. Still similar performance or only in native titles?
skyrrd Feb 15, 2019
Just ordered a reference Vega 56 by MSI (259€). Will leave the cpu part up for later
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