Debating between CPU or GPU upgrade - How to determine the 'bottleneck'?

chef-borjan

chef-borjan

chef-borjan

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Hi there.

Specs as below (4790k with a GTX 1080, gaming at 1440p 144Hz). I am looking to upgrade to either a Ryzen 3600 system OR a 3070.

Now, I find I don't have as much time to game as I used to, but do find myself still playing a decent amount of Apex Legends. I'd like to upgrade therefore mainly to prevent drops from 100+ frames to the 60s or 50s when in busy areas or looking over a wider scene. Another upgrade consideration is that maybe some next gen games would also be really nice to crank up to max.

For the last consideration, obviously a 3070 makes more sense here. However, like I said, I don't find the time to game too often anyway, so maybe those next gen games would be left unplayed.

So before I decide on what to do, I would like to ask.. what is the best way to monitor why my frames drop in busy areas in games? I would like to figure out whether I would get a bigger improvement from the CPU or GPU. Is it simply a case of playing with the resolution and carefully watching the frame rate?
 
Rtx 3080 hands down ! Even 3070 !

Few people run overlays. Been such a long time since I've done it. Some overclocking software GPU side states CPU usage etc

You could hand a lovely 2080/2080ti second hand for a steal ?
 
A 3080 seems like a silly use of money giving my gaming needs but I guess that is what the credit card is for :p

But I think, more importantly, it might be actual overkill. Looking at the performance gains, a 3080 probably at 1440p hits 144FPS very comfortably in Apex Legends. But a 3070 should as well?

So, that is why I am looking at a 3070. If I sell off the 1080, I maybe get around £200, so I put down another £300 for the upgrade... which incidentally is about the same as what it would cost to get a 3600 and the associated ram/motherboard.

Still, I do want to figure out what is best for my current situation.
 
chef-borjan said:
Hi there.

Specs as below (4790k with a GTX 1080, gaming at 1440p 144Hz). I am looking to upgrade to either a Ryzen 3600 system OR a 3070.

Now, I find I don't have as much time to game as I used to, but do find myself still playing a decent amount of Apex Legends. I'd like to upgrade therefore mainly to prevent drops from 100+ frames to the 60s or 50s when in busy areas or looking over a wider scene. Another upgrade consideration is that maybe some next gen games would also be really nice to crank up to max.

For the last consideration, obviously a 3070 makes more sense here. However, like I said, I don't find the time to game too often anyway, so maybe those next gen games would be left unplayed.

So before I decide on what to do, I would like to ask.. what is the best way to monitor why my frames drop in busy areas in games? I would like to figure out whether I would get a bigger improvement from the CPU or GPU. Is it simply a case of playing with the resolution and carefully watching the frame rate?
Click to expand...

In busy areas in games your game is trying to load and process tons of characters with lots of custom outfits and so on. I had exactly the same problem as you did with a 4790K. Replacing your graphics card will definitely help. Bang for buck it's the best upgrade. Replacing the CPU, well that has a more subtle effect. I found that it really helped reduce the minimum frame rate in packed areas, and made everything smoother ~ fewer in game glitches. It did little for the maximum fps though. I felt that replacing the CPU had the least effect BUT it was a noticeable effect and while expensive was ultimately worth it. So replacing the GPU has the greatest effect in that it definitely improves performance all round, but in crowded areas the only way to get that minimum performance nice and smooth is to replace the CPU.
 
orbitalwalsh said:
Rtx 3080 hands down ! Even 3070 !

Few people run overlays. Been such a long time since I've done it. Some overclocking software GPU side states CPU usage etc

You could hand a lovely 2080/2080ti second hand for a steal ?
Click to expand...
Hi

You did not mention the 3090, do you think its going to be overkill
 
cms239 said:
Hi

You did not mention the 3090, do you think its going to be overkill
Click to expand...

For gaming I think the 3090 will definitely be overkill even running at 4k etc. A 3080 would give you plenty of power and be a lot cheaper. If you wanted to spend that much money you could easily upgrade your cpu/mobo/ram as well as the gpu.
 
Checkout some sold prices for your 4790k CPU / mobo /Ram on the auctions, you might be suprised how little you'd need to put to a 3600 / B450 and 16GB 3200DDR4 especially if you shop around a little.
 
Switching to ryzen would be a more balanced "future proof" if there is such a thing upgrade, especially if you go b550.

1080 value is holding up (compared to 2080) so I'd try and get a few more months out of it and see what availability for 3000 graphics is and what big navi brings to the table.
 
decto said:
Checkout some sold prices for your 4790k CPU / mobo /Ram on the auctions, you might be suprised how little you'd need to put to a 3600 / B450 and 16GB 3200DDR4 especially if you shop around a little.
Click to expand...

Yes, actually this is a decent plan. I've looked into it a bit more and it might actually be quite cheap to upgrade... maybe I should just do it anyway? Are the B450s expected to be able to take 4000 series Ryzens? Not that I think I need it...
 
I've decided to go with a cheap second hand 2080Ti. ;)

General consensus was that my CPU is still alright, and with the prices crashing on the second hand market I decided to pull the trigger instead of hoping to snag a 3070 at launch (which might be tricky from the sounds of it!).

Also worth nothing that I carefully watched my frames in Apex. Frame drops were occuring but I wasn't seeing the CPU maxing, and this was also confirmed when I dropped my resolution right down to 720p. As expected, frames stayed locked at 144 (I'm using G-sync) and my GPU utilisation was low.... and my CPU wasn't struggling to spit out 144fps either.

So.. GPU upgrade it was! Thanks for your help.
 
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