CPU for FX Series series
CPU for FX Series series
Absolutely not! Consider upgrading both systems. Since funds are limited, selling outdated parts works well. Also, look for used items. How constrained is your budget? Which motherboard are you considering?
Based on the games you enjoy, the 960 could work temporarily. I faced challenges using it for several months this year, yet it still performs well at lower detail levels. I recommend starting with your CPU upgrade—something like the R3 3100 is suitable. Pair it with a B450 board, updated BIOS for Ryzen 3000, and new DDR4 RAM. If budget allows, consider a combo setup featuring a B350, X370 or B450 board, a hexa-core Ryzen 5, and 16GB DDR4. If those options are too costly, there are still alternatives to wait for midrange cards on October 28th and November. TBQH, upgrading one component often creates a bottleneck, so a full platform refresh makes more sense first.
We all need to do many things, but the GPU handles most of the rendering. Either way, you'll still face low frame rates with a GTX 960. Upgrading from a modded Asus GTX 980 to a 2060 made a huge difference—night and day. For comparison, a first-gen Ryzen 1400 with 4 or 8 threads is roughly 10-15% faster than your FX-8350, but a GTX 980 is about 75-80% quicker than a GTX 960. I believe the biggest boost in value would come from the upgrade if we were analyzing costs.