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When does a CPU hold back 4k resolutions

bakes0310

bakes0310

bakes0310

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As title I keep seeing GPU is more important as it's more GPU bound at 4k when people want to get better performance out of their games at 4k.
Some people are still running 2500k and are being recommended to keep them overclocked and get a better GPU. But when does it get to a point that a CPU must be upgraded to get better frame rates in 4k gaming?

In a funny way 4k could be a good platform to have if your on lowish budget as you will just need to upgrade your GPU if you have a 5 year old system already. I know GPUs are expensive but you could be quite happy on a Vega 56 or a Nvidia 1080.

I don't have 4k yet myself so this is just coming from stuff I read on here and lots of YouTube reviews.
 
bakes0310 said:
As title I keep seeing GPU is more important as it's more GPU bound at 4k when people want to get better performance out of their games at 4k.
Some people are still running 2500k and are being recommended to keep them overclocked and get a better GPU. But when does it get to a point that a CPU must be upgraded to get better frame rates in 4k gaming?

In a funny way 4k could be a good platform to have if your on lowish budget as you will just need to upgrade your GPU if you have a 5 year old system already. I know GPUs are expensive but you could be quite happy on a Vega 56 or a Nvidia 1080.

I don't have 4k yet myself so this is just coming from stuff I read on here and lots of YouTube reviews.
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Probably when GPU are able to hit 100+ FPS @ 4K.

a first gen i7 will suffice @ 4K as its all down to GPU and most GPU's struggle to hit 60fps.
 
I’d imagine you’d need to upgrade the CPU once the GPU is able to hit high frame rates. At least significantly higher than 60/70 which is where we’re typically at with all the bells and whistles switched on with a 2080Ti on current games.
 
My 4670k at 4.4ghz bottlenecks some games at 4k with a 1080ti.

Only in the last year has cpu struggled tho, newer games just tank it. Eg metro exodus and assetto corsa comp just a couple I can think of right now.

Roll on new ryzen.
 
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It will be a good few years yet before most gamers will need to buy a new cpu for 4K gaming. Do not forget developers design games for consoles first and the add a few extras on for the pc gamer
 
bakes0310 said:
I keep seeing GPU is more important as it's more GPU bound at 4k
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4k needs some very serious GPU grunt to handle everything. Even modern GPUs can struggle, so a good CPU wont get the chance to work to it's full potential because it's held back by the GPU.

A CPU will hold back 4k when AMD/Nvidia release fast enough GPUs that can handle 4k very easily.
 
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To answer the OP it would be when the CPU can't keep up with issuing draw calls, that obviously depends on the CPU if we're talking about 4k.

Basically one or the other, CPU or GPU, will (should) always be at 100% load, or close to it, and that's where the bottleneck is.
 
Also one of the reasons why it is not worth paying out £500 for a 9900k it will be just sitting there waiting for the Gpu most of the time. If 4K gaming is all that interests you and you have a 1080ti / 2080ti just go with a low end Cpu like the i5 8400 /amd 2600 and just upgrade the Cpu when you start having Bottlenecks with newer gen cards.
 
Glad to hear that my 6700k will be happy with 4k. Just means I'll just need to update the graphics card, hopefully not straight away though as the 1080 seems a pretty good card.
 
bakes0310 said:
Glad to hear that my 6700k will be happy with 4k. Just means I'll just need to update the graphics card, hopefully not straight away though as the 1080 seems a pretty good card.
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I'm on a 6700K with a 1080ti both overclocked and running at 4K, there is literally no point in upgrading. Once we see 120Hz 4K panels becoming readily available then that'll be the upgrade point imo.
 
Rule of thumb from my own testing

4k resolution

Under 60fps = GPU bottleneck
Between 60 and 79fps = grey area
80fps or higher = CPU bottleneck starts to creep in

For most people this won't be an issue because they aren't going to get 80+fps at 4k anyway, so as long as you're at or under 60 with a gpu bottleneck then even a super old CPU will be fine.

shamus21 said:
Also one of the reasons why it is not worth paying out £500 for a 9900k it will be just sitting there waiting for the Gpu most of the time. If 4K gaming is all that interests you and you have a 1080ti / 2080ti just go with a low end Cpu like the i5 8400 /amd 2600 and just upgrade the Cpu when you start having Bottlenecks with newer gen cards.
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Based on what I'd said here - and also my own testing, there are some games (not that many) where the 2080ti can hit high framerates, for instance mine can do 100fps at max settings in Resident Evil 2 remake. The 1080ti would be a better fit for a CPU like that, 2080ti I'd say yes you will hit a bottleneck in those games I mentioned that can hit high framerates at 4k. Next gen will be the watershed where your CPU absolutely matters at 4k if you plan on owning a 3080ti or equivalent
 
i like to see threads like this. some actual real advice and not just a bunch of people says throw money at a CPU.
normally within a post of two there is someone saying you need a 9900k at 5ghz to game at 4k....

in the real world a 6700k at stock speeds will do 4k games all day long, so yours running at 4.4ghz(all cores?) i would think as a year or two left in it yet
 
Is it accurate that you can game with no to very little AA on as 4k doesn't show jaggies like it does on other resolutions. If that's true that must be quite a few FPS saved?
 
bakes0310 said:
Is it accurate that you can game with no to very little AA on as 4k doesn't show jaggies like it does on other resolutions. If that's true that must be quite a few FPS saved?
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I have heard this mentioned and in theory it stands to reason that it would be true. The higher pixel density should make jaggies hard to see. But I have never tested it myself. I would also be interested to hear whether users here bother with AA at 4k?
 
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