Full upgrade or just CPU?

[TheLegendOfMart]

My PC:
Intel Core i5 13500
32GB DDR4 3200CL16 (8GBx4)
ASRock B760M Pro RS/D4 WiFi
850W PSU

I don't have a GPU yet because I've been extremely unhappy with games stuttering despite over 60fps framerate of the ones I've tested.

I am thinking of upgrading to something better. I am not interested in futureproofing as I will probably buy a whole new PC when the time comes in the next few years.

I have two options:

1. 7800X3D with a new mobo and DDR5
2. 14900K with the same B760M and same DDR4 RAM

2 is cheaper than 1 by far, clearly. I understand I am leaving performance on the table with DDR4 but looking at comparisons vs the cost of upgrading to a new platform is it really worth it for 1440p gaming?

 

[throwaway4372]

Something sounds wrong here, that cpu is decent, those aren't big upgrades either.

Maybe you can give more info?

What gpu did you test with?
What games do you play?
What monitor do you have?

 

[TheLegendOfMart]

I'm just generally unhappy with frame pacing, stuttering and hitching. The most recent GPU is 7900XT.

In something like Battlefield 2042 regardless of graphics settings I'm getting over 100fps but to the eyes and 'feel' of the game it doesn't play smooth.

I have a 1440p 75Hz monitor connected via Displayport with Adaptive Sync turned on.

 

[mickyflinn]

I'm just generally unhappy with frame pacing, stuttering and hitching. The most recent GPU is 7900XT.

In something like Battlefield 2042 regardless of graphics settings I'm getting over 100fps but to the eyes and 'feel' of the game it doesn't play smooth.

I have a 1440p 75Hz monitor connected via Displayport with Adaptive Sync turned on.

Download MSI afterburner see if something like FPS drops is causing those stutters .

Does your monitor generally feel smooth when gaming as it's only 75hz ?

 

[throwaway4372]

I think the stutter you're feeling is primarily because the monitor's refresh rate is low. To reduce perceived stutter:
- get a monitor with a higher refresh rate, e.g. 144hz
- set an fps limit slightly below the monitor's refresh rate, e.g. 140

I think a cpu upgrade would be a waste, because the upgrade is so small you won't notice it (except in your bank balance) and you'll still have perceived stutter.

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[TheLegendOfMart]

Download MSI afterburner see if something like FPS drops is causing those stutters .

Does your monitor generally feel smooth when gaming as it's only 75hz ?

Yes I don't usually have an issue, I don't mind gaming at 60fps generally.

I think the stutter you're feeling is primarily because the monitor's refresh rate is low. To reduce perceived stutter:
- get a monitor with a higher refresh rate, e.g. 144hz
- set an fps limit slightly below the monitor's refresh rate, e.g. 140

I think a cpu upgrade would be a waste, because the upgrade is so small you won't notice it (except in your bank balance) and you'll still have perceived stutter.

It's not low fps stutter it's more framepacing style stutter where it is running high fps but doesn't feel like high fps. I play on consoles and don't have an issue with 30fps.

The 13500 has base clock of 2.5Ghz and Max Turbo of 4.8Ghz. Are you saying I wouldn't notice the difference going to 3.2Ghz base clock and up to 6Ghz Turbo?

 

[throwaway4372]

It doesn't make sense to be talking about framepacing whilst still using a 75hz monitor. 75hz is terrible, it will feel terrible, what you're describing is normal for 75hz.

Yes I'm saying I think you won't notice the cpu upgrade, because you'll still be at 75hz.

 

[Gray2233]

I'm just generally unhappy with frame pacing, stuttering and hitching. The most recent GPU is 7900XT.

In something like Battlefield 2042 regardless of graphics settings I'm getting over 100fps but to the eyes and 'feel' of the game it doesn't play smooth.

I have a 1440p 75Hz monitor connected via Displayport with Adaptive Sync turned on.

Cap your FPS to 74 via RivaTuner/Afterburner and see if the problem persists, also monitor your in game latency, temps, CPU/GPU usage, and any minimum FPS dips via the OSD.

What you're describing absolutely isn't normal, even for a 75hz screen and certainly not given how you're describing the issue.

 

[TheLegendOfMart]

It doesn't make sense to be talking about framepacing whilst still using a 75hz monitor. 75hz is terrible, it will feel terrible, what you're describing is normal for 75hz.

Yes I'm saying I think you won't notice the cpu upgrade, because you'll still be at 75hz.

You're used to high frame rates. I'm playing Tears of the Kingdom on switch at 30fps on my OLED TV. It isn't a framerate issue.

 

[ATIorNvidia]

The 13500 has base clock of 2.5Ghz and Max Turbo of 4.8Ghz. Are you saying I wouldn't notice the difference going to 3.2Ghz base clock and up to 6Ghz Turbo?

It won't make a difference if you're capped to 75Hz. Something else is obviously wrong... Have you done a clean Windows install? Dodgy RAM or your CPU's IMC struggling with 4 DIMMs is also a possibility.

 

[Tetras]

I have to agree with the other comments, you really should not need an upgrade from a 13500, especially at 1440p.

The 7800X3D is a much better gaming CPU, that's not deniable, but the 13500 should pair a 7900 XT without unplayable frame stutter.

If you were to upgrade, I'd get the 7800X3D for a few reasons:
1. X3D users notice the general smoothness (not just the lows) is greatly improved from non-X3D CPUs.
2. From what I can see, your motherboard doesn't have the best VRM and the 14900K is a power hungry CPU.
3. If there's some weird bug or other issue with your hardware, dumping the lot may help solve the problem.
4. With the recent issues that the 13900K/14900K CPUs are reported as having, I don't think I'd want to buy one right now.

 

[TheLegendOfMart]

Thank you. So its not recommended to run that kind of CPU on my low end board.

I know the difference between low fps and frame pacing/stuttering and with combination of DDR4 and non overclockable mid range i5 I feel like I am leaving 15-25fps or maybe smoother frame time on the table because of it. Especially if I upgrade my monitor to something 144Hz+ which I am looking at doing.

Looks like I am going to 7800X3D then with a better monitor.

 

[Kirby Wurm]

I can't imagine the CPU alone is responsible for the stuttering, nor DDR4 as according to reviews that pairing is on par with/slightly faster than a 5800X and I had no such issues when I had combo, and my brother currently doesn't. Perhaps it's the motherboard?

Trying it out on a monitor with a higher refresh rate might narrow down the issue if you have access to test with one? 75hz isn't fast by current standards but it shouldn't feel stuttery as such. I base this on a couple of games I play hovering around 75fps (and thus have matching refresh rates with VRR on) and they still feel smooth enough.

 

[Rroff]

I'd upgrade to a 144Hz monitor with VRR before anything else if you are looking at that - I'm not sure if it is a Window 10/11 issue, the way games are made now or a combination of both but 60-75Hz without VRR feels pretty nasty unless you are able to hold 60FPS constant with V-Sync on and then the latency isn't great but it won't feel as choppy.

Also not sure what version of Windows you are on but Windows 11 is much better at dealing with efficiency cores - in 10 you can get stutter in games due to threads being moved around too much and/or on and off the wrong cores, etc.

 

[Gray2233]

Thank you. So its not recommended to run that kind of CPU on my low end board.

I know the difference between low fps and frame pacing/stuttering and with combination of DDR4 and non overclockable mid range i5 I feel like I am leaving 15-25fps or maybe smoother frame time on the table because of it. Especially if I upgrade my monitor to something 144Hz+ which I am looking at doing.

Looks like I am going to 7800X3D then with a better monitor.

I'd do some monitoring as suggested above, while the problem might be related to the motherboard or even CPU, if you don't know for certain you could end up spending a lot of money and still have the problem.

While I doubt it's the GPU, I'd want to rule out everything I reasonably could before spending money. Taking half an hour to set up Afterburner and monitor the OSD while replicating the problems you're having isn't much of a chore.

Capping your FPS might also resolve the problems to an extent, especially if you're seeing frequent frame drops from 100 + when you're not really benefiting from the extra frames anyway.

 

[Wing-Man]

Intel Core i5 13500

i had the same CPU and it would hit throttle temp all the time on all core load. you need to set intel stock limits in bios, it will then it will chomp through games for fun
and TBF DDR5 made a big differance.

i suppose it depends on what you do with the system but in games there can be over a 20% differance in FPS. so going 13500 to 14700(900 is stupid) the problem of DDR4 is just compounded

I5 13500 VS I5 13600K VS R5 7600 DDR5 VS DDR4 + RTX 4090 OC 1080p how much the difference in gaming

intel core I5 13500 DDR5 6400mhz cl 32 VS DDR4 3600mhz cl 16 VS I5 13600K VS R5 7600 + ASUS ROG STRIX RTX 4090 OC 1080p how much the difference in gaming a...

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[jigger]

It doesn't make sense to be talking about framepacing whilst still using a 75hz monitor. 75hz is terrible, it will feel terrible, what you're describing is normal for 75hz.

Yes I'm saying I think you won't notice the cpu upgrade, because you'll still be at 75hz.

I don’t think so TBH. A locked 75hz is silky smooth.

 

[Wing-Man]

depending on what your used to 75Hz looks fine. i used one for 2 years as long as you can maintain a smooth 75FPS and not drop its fine.

people talk about high Hz screens, my son as a 260Hz 1080p and he cant drive thats many frames, when it drops down to 120 it looks a mess at times. but a 100Hz screen would look smooth as hell.
you need to right screen for your use case.

 

[stooeh]

If you are playing at 100 fps on a 75Hz screen then therre's going to be visible tearing or juddering. Playing at <120 cap on my 120Hz screen looks very smooth as expected. Going a little over the cap is the worst and getting much higher than the cap and it starts to look okay again.

 

[welshrat]

As others have said. Cap the frame rate to 74fps using the advanced option in adrenaline. It's called frtc.

This will fix your issue. Vrr is not working correctly and the GPU is generating too many frames for your monitor to handle.