Question about CPU Bottlenecks & G-Sync

[Jax765]

OS - Windows 10
GPU - RTX 3080 Eagle
CPU - i7 6700K
RAM - 16GB

I recently upgraded to an Acer Predator XB271HU monitor from my old Asus MX239H. So that's a jump from 60hz to 144hz, along with the gsync integration. I've noticed that certain games, such as GTA V or Yakuza 7, have worse stuttering issues since that upgrade.

My CPU usage is also very high when playing them, presumably because it's a bottleneck for my GPU at such high framerates. But even when setting the refresh rate to 60, they still don't seem quite as smooth as they did on my old monitor. I actually connected that monitor again to double-check, and the stutters were indeed less noticeable. The blurbusters refresh rate test also indicated that it was just over 60hz, whereas the new monitor, when it's set to 60hz, is actually 59.87hz. I'm unsure if the less obvious stuttering on the old monitor is due to the slightly higher refresh rate at 60hz, or because it's a much smaller monitor (23 inches vs 27 inches).

So I have 2 questions:
1) Is G-Sync is meant to smooth out these potentially CPU-related microstutters?
2) Would a CPU upgrade to something like the 5600X likely address this specific issue?

 

[Fire_fly]

It sounds like you are CPU bottlenecked. What you want to be looking for is to confirm this is a high CPU usage, whilst getting low GPU utilisation and at the same time getting a corresponding low framerates. One things about GTA V, I remember reading something a while back that the games has stuttering issues at very high framerates. Try setting a frame limiter and see if that helps.

It may have been less obvious on your old monitor due to its 60Hz refresh rate, if the game was dropping from say 120 to 65fps you just were not seeing much of the effect on a 60Hz display. where as on your new monitor with a higher refresh rate it is very noticeable. The G-sync will be helping a bit but from my experience of a similar situation there is only so much it can do, it can't smooth out drops of 50+ fps.

 

[Jax765]

My GPU utilisation isn't low, but CPU utilisation is generally considerably higher than it was when paired with my old GPU (upgraded from a 1080 to a 3080), especially when playing at higher framerates than 60fps. It's not that I'm getting low framerates, rather there's an increase in microstutters when playing certain CPU-heavy open world games which weren't as obvious before.

 

[turbot1984]

I was in same boat so sold i7 6700K, even at 4.7 OC likely bottleneck with 3080, + nice to have extra cores for FS2020 etc.
I would go 5800X for futureproof reasons.

 

[ukbionic]

I was in same boat so sold i7 6700K, even at 4.7 OC likely bottleneck with 3080, + nice to have extra cores for FS2020 etc.
I would go 5800X for futureproof reasons.

I'm upgrading from 6700k to 5800x, running with a 3070 at 1440p . Will he difference be noticeable in games? Tww2 seems particularly CPU intensive

 

[turbot1984]

I'm upgrading from 6700k to 5800x, running with a 3070 at 1440p . Will he difference be noticeable in games? Tww2 seems particularly CPU intensive

It just didn't seem right using 5yr old cpu tech with 3xxx cards, so it was time to move on. I never got to compare Skylake/Comet lake with 3080, suspect at 4K fps may have been quite close. Point is 4 cores are likely not enough in cpu intensive games over next couple of years, so your 5800x will do you proud with 3070, and allow for future gpu upgrade (hope thats not for a long time though, wink!)

 

[ukbionic]

It just didn't seem right using 5yr old cpu tech with 3xxx cards, so it was time to move on. I never got to compare Skylake/Comet lake with 3080, suspect at 4K fps may have been quite close. Point is 4 cores are likely not enough in cpu intensive games over next couple of years, so your 5800x will do you proud with 3070, and allow for future gpu upgrade (hope thats not for a long time though, wink!)

Indeed that's my rationale behind it. Why buy blazing GPU only o pair it with an older CPU. Onwards Nd upwards