CPU advice

Adrian Browning · Monday at 16:21

I need to upgrade my CPU as it is constantly running at 100% (I use flight sim which is heavy on graphics etc)
This is my current setup...

Device Name DESKTOP-I2SPORD
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-6700K CPU @ 4.00GHz 4.00 GHz
Installed RAM 64.0 GB (31.9 GB usable)
Storage 3.64 TB HDD ATA ST4000DM004-2CV1, 477 GB SSD ATA Samsung SSD 850, 1.82 TB HDD ATA ST2000DM008-2FR1, 1.82 TB SSD WD_BLACK SN850X HS 2000GB
Graphics Card NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 (12 GB)
Device ID 20CC6ABB-B4C5-490C-872D-1DDA0513A9A8
Product ID 00326-10000-00000-AA160
System Type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Pen and touch No pen or touch input is available for this display

I would like to know if this CPU would work with the current set up?
Would it be a straight swap from the i7 to the i9?

Intel Core 13th Generation i9-13900 Desktop Processor (24 Core (8 P-Core + 16 E-Core), 36 MB Cache, up to 5.6 GHz, LGA1700, Intel UHD Graphics 770)

I am aware I have a huge amount of RAM that is not being used - that was due to some duff advice a while ago!

When I can I intend to upgrade the graphics card although that won't be for at least 6 months.

Thanks in advance for any help/ pointers/ advice
Adrian

hornetstinger · Monday at 16:25

Would certainly be interesting getting a 1150 CPU to fit into a 1700 socket heh

Not sure what the fastest CPU is in that socket eco system but it sounds ancient so probably best to get a new motherboard/memory/cpu.

throwaway4372 · Monday at 16:28

Save up for a new pc. There are no worthwhile upgrades for that system. Don't waste your money trying.

Gray2233 · Monday at 16:34

What are the exact specifications of your RAM? Is it DDR4 and if so what speed? How many sticks, is it 2x32 or 4x16?

Are there any other processes running that could be effecting your CPU usage, have you tried monitoring it to be certain of the problem?

Tetras · Monday at 16:41

Adrian Browning said:
I am aware I have a huge amount of RAM that is not being used - that was due to some duff advice a while ago!

The plus side is that you can keep it for the upgrade, instead of paying £600+ for new stuff

But, I'm afraid the board will have to go.

tamzzy · Monday at 16:49

do you need all 64GB? for a MSFS rig, i would look no further than the Ryzen X3D chips

personally if this were me, and if i didn't need 64GB RAM, I would take this opportunity to sell the RAM to pay for an upgrade to the 9800X3D AM5 setup with 32GB RAM
this would be the most sensible upgrade option.

tamzzy · Monday at 16:53

no point wasting money on anything except a Ryzen X3D CPU

MSFS CPU comparison:

sauce: https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-com...00x3d-review-devastating-gaming-performance/2

tamzzy · Monday at 16:57

Gray2233 said:
Are there any other processes running that could be effecting your CPU usage, have you tried monitoring it to be certain of the problem?

For MSFS, it is the CPU that is the problem, no need to monitor :cry:

Gray2233 · Monday at 16:59

tamzzy said:
For MSFS, it is the CPU that is the problem, no need to monitor

I remember people claiming it would spike over 32gb in some scenarios, but don't keep up enough to be sure.

Was more a concern of whether or not it might be worth doing an DDR4 platform shift, but looking at that graph there's not much point. You'd end up putting down £200 for a 14600K as best case and I'm not sure I'd fancy taking that risk, especially not for the performance it'd offer.

tamzzy · Monday at 17:06

Gray2233 said:
Was more a concern of whether or not it might be worth doing an DDR4 platform shift, but looking at that graph there's not much point. You'd end up putting down £200 for a 14600K as best case and I'm not sure I'd fancy taking that risk

For MSFS, any DDR4 platform is effectively obsolete. Suggesting a platform swap just to keep the DDR4 RAM is wrong advice IMO. The cost "savings" is more of a hindrance.

Also, those 14th gen CPUs in the benchmark will be using DDR5 RAM...and to extrapolate, I would assume that using DDR4 would reduce their advertised performance as well.
Might as well take advantage of the current RAM prices to sell that 64GB DDR4 to fund the upgrade.

Gray2233 said:
I remember people claiming it would spike over 32gb in some scenarios, but don't keep up enough to be sure.

Can always get 48GB DDR5 RAM as a compromise

Gray2233 · Monday at 17:21

tamzzy said:
For MSFS, any DDR4 platform is effectively obsolete. Suggesting a platform swap just to keep the DDR4 RAM is wrong advice IMO. The cost "savings" is more of a hindrance.

Also, those 14th gen CPUs in the benchmark will be using DDR5 RAM...and to extrapolate, I would assume that using DDR4 would reduce their advertised performance as well.
Might as well take advantage of the current RAM prices to sell that 64GB DDR4 to fund the upgrade.

Can always get 48GB DDR5 RAM as a compromise

Aye, good point on the DDR4 slowing it down too.

A 7500X3D might be a good option if the OP really doesn't want to spend much, the game doesn't look overly core hungry so it should be within spitting distance of the 7800X3D.

My basket at OcUK:

1 x AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D Six Core 4.5GHz (Socket AM5) Processor - Retail (SKU: PRO-AMD-06394) = £229.99
1 x KLEVV FIT V 32GB (2x16GB) 6000MHz C30 DDR5 Dual Channel Kit - Black (SKU: MEM-KLV-07036) = £329.99
1 x Sapphire Nitro+ B850A WiFi 7 (Socket AM5) DDR5 ATX Motherboard (SKU: MOT-SPR-05688) = £157.99

Total: £725.96 (includes delivery: £7.99)

Factor in another £180 for a 9800X3D if he feels the performance uplift is worth it, might need another £20-30 for an HSF too depending on whether or not his current can carry over.

M-ATX version of that board is about £30 cheaper btw.

tamzzy · Monday at 17:25

Gray2233 said:
might need another £20-30 for an HSF too depending on whether or not his current can carry over.

if its that old i doubt the hsf has the fittings for am4/5

Gray2233 · Monday at 17:36

tamzzy said:
if its that old i doubt the hsf has the fittings for am4/5

Could be on a Noctua or something, they'd send a bracket out for free.

tamzzy · Monday at 17:37