Here’s a guide to determining which components to improve for optimal performance.
Here’s a guide to determining which components to improve for optimal performance.
I own a Radeon RX 380X Nitro and an Intel Core i5-4590K processor. My memory is adequate, and I’m using Windows 10 with an SSD. Primarily, I'm interested in upgrading what you believe would be the most beneficial (for Oculus Rift experiences and highest quality settings in games). What suggestions do you have?
Hard to recommend anything specific with no budget. If it were me, since you say you're OK with the RAM, just upgrade the GPU for now because it's kinda pointless to put much money into upgrading your DDR3 platform with a CPU you can't use on a current DDR4 platform.
You can pretty much rule out a 1080 due to prices shooting sky high when the 2000 series launch was kinda underwhelming regarding no RT or DLSS support yet. You can still get a 1070 for $300 - $320, but it's not necessarily going to be powerful enough for what you want (depending on games, which you also didn't mention).
If you're still OK with AMD, you could maybe wait for the 7nm Radeon VII GPUs, but that may be a fool's errand, as some are speculating they only plan to...
It’s challenging to suggest particular items without knowing your budget. Personally, given your preference for RAM, I’d advise focusing on upgrading the graphics card initially – it seems more sensible than investing heavily in your existing DDR3 system paired with a processor incompatible with current DDR4 platforms.
A 1080-series card is likely impractical due to inflated prices following the somewhat disappointing release of the 2000 series, which lacked features like ray tracing and DLSS. However, you could still find a 1070 for around $300-$320, though its performance might not meet your needs depending on the games you play.
If you’re open to AMD, perhaps consider holding out for the 7nm Radeon VII GPUs, although this may be an unwise strategy as some believe they intend to release only the standard models this year, with higher-end versions slated for 2020 – and their pricing remains uncertain.
Currently, a Vega 64 (comparable to a 1080) can be purchased for as little as $400 in its reference form, or $522 for an aftermarket, open-box model. To accommodate these cards, you’ll require a 500W power supply for the 1070 and a substantial 750W unit for the Vega 64.
Nvidia might introduce the 1100 series, but this is unconfirmed at present. This period of high prices between releases and the problematic launch of the 2000 series makes upgrades somewhat unfavorable.