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Time to upgrade from the Pentium G4560

Associate
Joined
19 Aug 2005
Posts
1,364
Location
Beds, UK
Hi All

A few years back i built a new PC, Z270 platform with the Pentium G4560, which was all the rage at the time. Its done me proud over the years.

ive started to play more recently, and started playing COD Warzone with some mates. Its all good fun.

I was contemplating getting a fast monitor, 144Hz for example, so i switched off V-sync, and switched on the fps counter. I was barely getting above 60FPS. I ran MSI Afterburner to log GPU and CPU usage. The GPU never maxes out, not even close, but the CPU is running at 100%. Turning down the settings in the game, just lowers the GPU uasge even further. the CPU still runs flat out.

So its not surprising that the Pentium G4560 is the bottleneck. It was always meant to be a stop gap until used i5s/i7s came down in price.

So, upgrades. The MOBO, ASROCK Fatal1ty Z270 Gaming-ITX/ac, will take: (Ive removed the low power stuff from the list)

1151 Core i7 i7-7700K(B0) Kaby Lake 4.2GHz 8MB 91W All
1151 Core i7 i7-7700(B0) Kaby Lake 3.6GHz 8MB 65W All
1151 Core i7 i7-6700K(R0) Skylake S 4.0GHz 8MB 91W All
1151 Core i7 i7-6700(R0) Skylake S 3.4GHz 8MB 65W All
1151 Core i5 i5-7600K(B0) Kaby Lake 3.8GHz 6MB 91W All
1151 Core i5 i5-7600(B0) Kaby Lake 3.5GHz 6MB 65W All
1151 Core i5 i5-7500(B0) Kaby Lake 3.4GHz 6MB 65W All
1151 Core i5 i5-7400(B0) Kaby Lake 3.0GHz 6MB 65W All
1151 Core i5 i5-6600K(R0) Skylake S 3.5GHz 6MB 91W All
1151 Core i5 i5-6600(R0) Skylake S 3.3GHz 6MB 65W All
1151 Core i5 i5-6500(R0) Skylake S 3.2GHz 6MB 65W All
1151 Core i5 i5-6402P (R0) Skylake S 2.8GHz 6MB 65W All
1151 Core i5 i5-6400(R0) Skylake S 2.7GHz 6MB 65W All

The obvious choices would be 6600K, 7600K, 6700K or 7700K, but should i consider the others? I get that you can overclock the K versions, and i might do, a little, but i expect the 6700K are selling for quite a bit more than say the 6700?

Rest of the Spec:

GTX1070GPU
750W Seasonic PSU
Thermalright AMD/Intel Macho Rev.B Multi CPU Quiet Air Cooler
16GB Corsair Vengence 3200

I Could side step to Ryzen 5, but that is more faff, changing the MOBO and all.

Cheers
 
Associate
Joined
22 Oct 2012
Posts
1,086
I just fully upgraded a 6600K system. Bought a 3070 and was in the same bind as you. 100% CPU utilisation and low gpu utilisation.

So yeah, as you say bottlenecked. A 6600K or it’s identical cousin the 7600K would make a decent upgrade from the pentium. Don’t go for the 6700 or 7700 if they’re at a premium, you just get a 10% boost in highly threaded apps.

I have to note that any CPU you can put into that motherboard is getting a bit long in the tooth. But an x600K would be a good upgrade for the while.
 
Associate
OP
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Location
Beds, UK
Thanks mate, i'll look for a 6600K / 6700K. I know its still a bit old as you say, it'll do me though.

Over clocking aside, is it worth going for the K over the non-k chips?

Cheers
 
Man of Honour
Joined
22 Jun 2006
Posts
11,390
I'd be very careful how much you pay because the 10100F performs similar to the 6700K and 7700K and you could buy a new one plus a H410/B460 motherboard for less, or not much more than many of these old 6th/7th gen quad cores are selling used.
 
Soldato
Joined
1 Apr 2014
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18,532
Location
Aberdeen
So, upgrades. The MOBO, ASROCK Fatal1ty Z270 Gaming-ITX/ac,

I'll echo @Tetras

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £305.48 (includes shipping: £10.50)​


There are cheaper ITX boards but they don't seem to be in stock.

My basket at Overclockers UK:
Total: £252.48 (includes shipping: £10.50)​
 
Associate
OP
Joined
19 Aug 2005
Posts
1,364
Location
Beds, UK
Cor, its slippery round here...

I completely hear what your saying, and i agree, but, id need a new cooler too, which would then mean id probably change my case for something like the silverstone milo (but less nasty looking) and id need a new psu too... by which point ive got a new pc. Slippery slope indeed.

I think ill stick with a 6600k or 7600k as it shouldnt cost much and the g4560 will be worth something.

I will though try and work out how much id get for the existing system, it might be worth it.
 
Soldato
Joined
15 Oct 2019
Posts
11,656
Location
Uk
Cor, its slippery round here...

I completely hear what your saying, and i agree, but, id need a new cooler too, which would then mean id probably change my case for something like the silverstone milo (but less nasty looking) and id need a new psu too... by which point ive got a new pc. Slippery slope indeed.

I think ill stick with a 6600k or 7600k as it shouldnt cost much and the g4560 will be worth something.

I will though try and work out how much id get for the existing system, it might be worth it.
Both the i5 10400F and 3600 come with a cooler so that shouldn't be a problem while the they are both 65w CPUs compared to the 6600K being 91w so easier on the psu.

You will find dropping £100 quid on a 6600K still means you're CPU bound.

6600k + 1070 warzone.


10400F + 1070 warzone.

 
Last edited:
Associate
OP
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This all makes perfect sense. Let me crunch some numbers on the predicted value of the bits i have, so i can see the expected spend.

This is all due to some mates suddenly showing an interest in online gaming. For me playing single player games, id probably be alright with what i have now, and if this turns out to be a short fad, then ill be gutted ive invested a bunch on it.

So what sort of frame rate should i be aiming for, to see a significant difference from 60hz? This might lead to a gaming monitor purchase you see. If say 100hz is a significant increase. Can i achieve that with the 1070 gpu i have, and any reasonable cpu and mobo upgrade? Or am i looking serious outlay?

I know it would vary with game, but assume warzone and a 1080p monitor

Thanks guys, i appreciate the help
 
Last edited:
Man of Honour
Joined
22 Jun 2006
Posts
11,390
Usually I wouldn't have suggested a 10100F, since it's only a hyper-threaded quad core, but since you have a dual core CPU now, it would still be a decent uplift and it's half the price of a 10400F. You might struggle with some games, but I think it would give you enough performance.

A 1070 should achieve 100 fps at 1080p in most games, not sure about warzone specifically.
 
Associate
OP
Joined
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1,364
Location
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Thanks. There is some value in the bits i have, so an upgrade might be worthwhile.

Ill start the research and see what i can come up with. All your advice has given me somewhere to start.

Last time i looked into this. Ryzen was all the rage, is that still the case? Or has intel taken the egde again?

Cheers
 
Soldato
Joined
28 May 2007
Posts
18,196
Thanks. There is some value in the bits i have, so an upgrade might be worthwhile.

Ill start the research and see what i can come up with. All your advice has given me somewhere to start.

Last time i looked into this. Ryzen was all the rage, is that still the case? Or has intel taken the egde again?

Cheers

Intel are in the doldrums.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
22 Jun 2006
Posts
11,390
Thanks. There is some value in the bits i have, so an upgrade might be worthwhile.

Ill start the research and see what i can come up with. All your advice has given me somewhere to start.

Last time i looked into this. Ryzen was all the rage, is that still the case? Or has intel taken the egde again?

Cheers

The 10100F and 10400F are out-competing AMD mainly because there's such poor availability of Ryzen CPUs. The 3500X for example, which is supposed to be the budget 6-core CPU, is now the price that the 3600 used to be. The quad cores, the 3100 and especially the 3300X are like gold dust, so I wouldn't even bother trying to get one at the prices you'd have to pay.
 
Associate
OP
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Thanks, i'm looking about at prices and availability now. the 3600 is up at £190. the 10400F looks like good value, as does the 10100F (F just means no onchip graphics yeah?) the 10600kF can be had for £215 but this i suspect commands a more expensive board etc?

One advantage of the Ryzen 3600, is that my existing cooler (Thermalright AMD/Intel Macho Rev.B) should fit as its compatible with AM4:

Intel: Socket LGA 775/1150/1151/1155/1156/1366/2011/2011-3/2066
AMD: Socket AM2/AM2 /AM3/AM3 /AM4/FM1/FM2/FM2

unless i'm missing something?
 
Man of Honour
Joined
22 Jun 2006
Posts
11,390
Thanks, i'm looking about at prices and availability now. the 3600 is up at £190. the 10400F looks like good value, as does the 10100F (F just means no onchip graphics yeah?) the 10600kF can be had for £215 but this i suspect commands a more expensive board etc?

One advantage of the Ryzen 3600, is that my existing cooler (Thermalright AMD/Intel Macho Rev.B) should fit as its compatible with AM4:

Intel: Socket LGA 775/1150/1151/1155/1156/1366/2011/2011-3/2066
AMD: Socket AM2/AM2 /AM3/AM3 /AM4/FM1/FM2/FM2

unless i'm missing something?
H410 and B460 are technically compatible with a 10600KF, but you'd be unable to run the CPU, or the memory beyond stock speed. You'd need a Z board for that.

Pretty much any H410/B460 could run a 10100F or 10400F (F means no onboard, yes), but if you're planning an upgrade to a 8 or 10 core, I'd want to step up the VRMs a notch, to e.g. an MSI Mortar or Tomahawk.

The 10600KF is still only a 6 core, so full-load power consumption isn't crazy, but I'm not sure I'd want to run one long-term on a board with low-end VRMs.

I'm pretty sure Intel's new socket is still compatible with all existing Intel coolers, since they kept the same dimensions. For AM4 compatibility you might need an extra bracket, but it depends how old the cooler is.
 
Associate
OP
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Location
Beds, UK
Yeah i guess it makes sense to spend more on a board for a 10600KF

would this be up to the job?

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/giga...1200-ddr4-mini-itx-motherboard-mb-58g-gi.html

I'd probably just go H410/B460 with the 10100F or 10400F.

Also looking at Ryzen 3600 based system. Since this is overclockable, i guess its also worth spending a bit more on the motherboard

Whether i actually have the time to fiddle about with overclocking though is another thing
 
Man of Honour
Joined
22 Jun 2006
Posts
11,390
Yeah i guess it makes sense to spend more on a board for a 10600KF

would this be up to the job?

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/giga...1200-ddr4-mini-itx-motherboard-mb-58g-gi.html

I'd probably just go H410/B460 with the 10100F or 10400F.

Also looking at Ryzen 3600 based system. Since this is overclockable, i guess its also worth spending a bit more on the motherboard

Whether i actually have the time to fiddle about with overclocking though is another thing

It would, but you pay a premium price for ITX motherboards, when they're not that much smaller than a compact Micro-ATX case.

I was thinking more like the Asus H410M-D with a 10100F, which would be around £140 for the two. Or, if you want some upgrade potential then the B460 Mortar or Tomahawk which is another £40. Since you don't want to be left with an expensive rig if your friends drop out, that's the highest I'd go. While it's true the B460 can't overclock memory, it would still support 2933 with an 8 or 10 core and that's enough. I wouldn't pay an extra £100 for a Z board.

With AMD, it doesn't really matter that you can overclock the CPU because there's barely any headroom and you need to have fast(ish) memory on AMD to have competitive performance anyway.
 
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