Hello!
So, I have ~200€ to spend on hardware right now and absolutely no idea what I should buy first.
Here are the things I want to replace/purchase:
currently using a Sapphire Radeon R7 260X OC 2GB, maybe upgrading to something in the R9 280 3GB or GTX 760 range (I think saving up more for a 970 would be a joke regarding my CPU - i3-4130)
new int. HDD for media (2-3TB, likely a Toshiba or WD Red)
Samsung SyncMaster P2250 (1680x1050 @60Hz) replacing with -> a nice 1080p 23-24" IPS (Dell U2414H in mind)
new Headphones - semi-/open for gaming & movies (nothing special, 100€ or less), already have a pair for M40x which are okay for music but they aren't good for gaming/movies
Mouse+pad (currently: Roccat Kone [+] & shitty Razer eXactMat/Goliathus, all several years old)
Keyboard (MS Sidewinder X6, considering the step to mechanical but don't want do blow all my money on 1 single keyboard) volume buttons/wheel is a must!
Would be great if you guys have any suggestions where I should start and why (like, "stick with the GPU and wait for AMD to release their 300-series" or "first new monitor, then GPU")! Thanks in advance!
Changed 'invest' to 'purchase/buy'. Better now?
I'm not earning that much, so I can't just "save up and buy it all at once". By the time I have enough money to just buy it all at once will my current stuff be broken already. I'm not looking to buy something just because I have the money but because I'm using peripherals that are several years old and show signs of malfunction.
Deals are kinda rare where I live. Yes, there are Amazon Deals but by the time the article I want is on sale it's either already sold out or I have to wait for it until I die of age.
And I don't need an SSD.
If you're primarily gaming then a gpu upgrade is your best bet.
280X http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/xfx-video-card-r9280xtdbd - Review http://benchmarkreviews.com/10185/xfx-radeon-r9-280x-black-edition-video-card-review/6/
280 http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/asus-video-card-strixr9280oc3gd5
gtx760 4gb http://uk.pcpartpicker.com/part/gigabyte-video-card-gvn760oc4gd (I used to have 2 of these, great cards, very quiet) although a 280X will outperform a 760 so I reckon the first link.
Maybe sell your 260x and put that towards an IPS monitor.
You'd be very surprised with how much an i3 keeps up with higher end cpu's.
Thanks for the recommendations!
Regarding gaming: I mainly play games that aren't really demanding on the GPU (Diablo 3 and "older" action-RPGs/action-adventures, like Kingdoms of Amalur, Batman Arkham.series, The Witcher series,...). I didn't have a PC that was capable of playing those games in the last couple of years so I'm catching up just now and it will take a while until I get to the more demanding titles.
I'm also not going to be looking for a 1440p monitor (most of them are out of my price range), so a GPU that can handle most games on 1080p is enough.
Will a new GPU still make sense or should I get a new monitor first and then later a new GPU (maybe even cheaper when AMD releases their 300-.series and price for the 200-series drop)?
I upgraded my 5-6 monitors to 1080p like 4 years ago. Not sure why u haven't yet. A used LG 20" LCD 1080p is only 50 bucks 2nd hand at pawn store. Since ur not playing at 1080p or 4K i would suggest a CPU ugrade since most ur games gonna be CPU bound. CPU ---> Monitor ---> GPU in that order for most bang for your buck.
I just upgraded earlier this year from my old, crappy pre-built, 6yo PC (Core2 Q6600 stock, 8600 GT, 3GB RAM and Vista 32bit). There was no need for me to upgrade my monitor to 1080p because game-wise there was no need for it. I usually tend to not buy new stuff when the current things work (and money is also an issue^^).
Can you recommend a CPU that would give me the best performance boost for the price? I hear Haswell Refresh CPUs sometimes don't play ncie with non-Refresh mobos.
Nothing wrong with an i3, they still have strong performance per core. Extra performance per dollar is bloody low if you upgrade the cpu. Money is better spent elsewhere.
If it were one of the first gen i3's from 2010 then it would be worth considering but yours is a modern haswell i3. Just google some reviews and see for yourself how much of a difference a powerful cpu makes in most games. For the fast majority of titles it comes down to the gpu as it always has done.
Just one review to have a gander at: http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/2013/11/14/intel-core-i3-4130-haswell-review/5
Non-refresh haswell boards only need a bios update to run the refresh cpu's.
Hm....I didn't even want to upgrade my CPU before AMD and Intel released their new sockets (1151 and whatever AMD counterpart). Wanted to replace that Asrock mobo-thing too then (fan control sucks big time).
So...it kinda comes down to GPU vs monitor.
Thanks for the suggestions!
I decided to start with a new monitor.
I'll wait until AMD releases their 300-series to decide which GPU I should upgrade to (prices for the current 200-series might drop even more). And for the CPU I think I'll wait until Skylake gets released and/or AMD shows off their new FX-series CPUs (hopefully with new sockets).
Or buy spontaneously when there's a really good deal on current CPUs for 1150 mobos.