DancinJack wrote:flip-mode wrote:I'm kinda interested in what inspires the question. Why does it matter? And there are some caveats to the question. First, the question assumes you're buying both at the same time - at least I feel there's that implication. Also, what if your CPU outlasts your GPU (which is probably not uncommon) - do you then figure up the totals? I know it's really hard to cover all the bases with these poll questions, but this one seems particularly fraught with blind spots Not trying to be a prick...
I assume to see what the ever-so-informed readers here at TR think is a good balance for a desktop. At least that's what my gut is telling me. What about you Flip? How much did you spend on your CPU and GPU?
OK, well, in that case, I don't establish a balanced build by telling myself, "I must spend more on my GPU than on my CPU".
As for what I've spent, historically I have spent a little bit more on GPU than CPU - sometimes by a factor of 2. But, for my "current build", I spent $200 on the CPU, brought the GPU forward from the last build (a $150 used GPU), and then my brother dashed my hopes of getting a swanky new GPU by giving me his 5770 for free, though we can value it at approximately $150 at the time he gave it had I bought it new. So you have net totals going in favor of the GPU again.
However, my usual rule of thumb is rather simple: not to spend more than $200 on any single component. My general observation is that spending more than that gets diminishing returns, and sharper depreciation.
Still, the point is not whether I spent more on this or that; to me the point is to ask: do I need a faster this or that right now? I almost never do the full system upgrade - I've done that one time. Every other build has been upgrading a few things at a time. I've rarely done the CPU and GPU at the same time. Usually one is bottlenecking the other.
Isn't this common knowledge: if you're a gamer, you want to spend more money on the GPU, commensurate with how much of a gamer you really are; if you're not a gamer, then you don't need to care much about the GPU?
Now what would be interesting is if someone here called their self a gamer and yet spent more on the CPU than the GPU. In other words, it's almost like the poll is asking - are you a heavy gamer, a moderate gamer, or not a gamer at all.
Again, not trying to be a prick, just doing a little critical thinking about the poll itself.