Upgrade your PC or play Witcher 3.
Upgrade your PC or play Witcher 3.
I was considering a PC upgrade a few weeks back. After Witcher 3 released, I wanted to upgrade but it means I’d have to wait longer before changing my current setup. Should I go with the upgrade first or stick with what I have? That’s the question I’m trying to figure out. My current specs are AMD FX-8320 8 Core Black Edition processor (stock CPU cooler), Asus M5A99X EVO motherboard, R2 Kingston Hyper X 2x4GB MSI R9 290, and Corsair 01 cooling. For cooling, I have three fans—one at the top, back, and front. For the upgrade, I planned a Noctura NH-D9l CPU cooler, ASRock Z97 Extreme 4 motherboard, and an Intel Core i5 4690k.
Does your computer enjoy gaming? If yes, download the game; if not, consider upgrading.
I recently purchased a q6600 for $15 to upgrade my brother's PC. I boosted its clock speed to 3.6GHz and it’s now running Witcher 3 at high settings with steady performance around 40-50 FPS. It seems you won’t need further upgrades. With DX12 coming soon, it looks promising for CPUs that aren’t as powerful per core.
Consider getting a solid CPU cooler right away. Most coolers are compatible with all CPUs and can significantly improve heat management and performance stability. The rest of your setup remains adequate for now, especially as new Intel processors release.
Don't waste time on upgrades. Vulkan and DX12 will also help a lot. Just grab that noctua cooler and boost the fx-8320 to around 4.3Ghz. It's crucial to stay focused on your main goal—playing games—otherwise you'll get distracted by benchmarks and end up spending money without any real benefit.