I'm looking for advice on whether I should upgrade my CPU or get an SSD first. Here's the rundown of my current setup:
- CPU: i5-4690
- GPU: GTX 1050 Ti
- RAM: 20 GB DDR3
- PSU: FSP HYPER(K) 80+ BRONZE 600W
- Storage: 2x500GB 7200 RPM HDD (no SSD yet)
I mostly play Fortnite, CS 2, and Marvel Rivals, and I'm thinking of trying out Warzone and Apex Legends soon. I just want to enjoy my games at around 60 FPS.
So, I'm pondering between upgrading my CPU to an i7-4790 or 4790K, or investing in a 500GB–1TB SATA SSD for my system. I'm planning to wait for DDR5 RAM prices to come down before doing a full overhaul, so this would be more of a temporary solution.
My questions are:
1. Which upgrade would lead to more noticeable improvements right now, the CPU or the SSD?
2. How much does an SSD enhance the gaming experience beyond just faster load times?
3. Is the i7-4790K still a relevant upgrade in 2025, or is it better to skip the CPU upgrade altogether? What's the performance difference between the i5-4690 and the i7-4790K?
5 Answers
Honestly, it's a bit concerning that you're still on HDD in 2025! Modern systems and games aren’t optimized for HDDs anymore. An SSD would dramatically speed up load times and responsiveness, and even though SATA SSDs are starting to feel outdated, shifting from an HDD to an SSD is a huge step forward. As for the CPU, the i7-4790 is quite old now too. If you're set on upgrading, go for a whole new system that supports NVMe drives instead of investing in an old CPU. You'd get significantly better performance for not much more money!
Upgrading a platform this old isn’t really worth it. Just get an SSD first to notice immediate performance boosts. Then you might want to think about saving for a whole new setup down the line. If your games are primarily running off HDD, that’s your bottleneck, not the CPU.
If you can, I'd recommend just buying a new PC altogether. You don't need to spend a fortune; even a basic setup with 12th gen DDR4 will be a massive improvement compared to your current build.
In general, the SSD will give you a noticeable improvement in how your system feels while using it. Just keep in mind upgrading the CPU might lead to issues like needing better cooling or even a new motherboard. And yeah, 20GB of RAM is an odd mix—consider standardizing with two 8GB sticks instead!
If you're looking at upgrades, I'd recommend focusing on getting an SSD first. It’ll make everything snappier and more enjoyable, even if it won't drastically change your frames per second. Plus, SSD prices are only rising, so grabbing one sooner rather than later is smart. Regarding the CPU upgrade, upgrading to an i7-4790K may not yield the results you're hoping for given how dated that chip is. You might want to consider putting your money toward a newer platform instead.
That's a good point! An SSD definitely improves day-to-day performance, even if it doesn't boost your FPS much.
Totally agree! Upgrading individual components on such an old platform is usually a poor investment.