Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => Hardware and Software => Topic started by: SIK1 on May 17, 2022, 12:45:22 PM

Title: Upgrade Path
Post by: SIK1 on May 17, 2022, 12:45:22 PM
I'm looking for some input from the community. Would it be worth while to upgrade my graphics card, or should I just save my money until I can afford a new system.

I'm running a i5 6600k, on a Asus z170 mobo, DDR4 3200 RAM, and a 1080 8GB gpu. I'm running AH at 1440p, and for the most part I get decent frame rates, unless there is a lot of action then I do get some stutters. It looks like both the gpu, and cpu are reaching 100% usage in these situations.

Right now I can swing about $550 which puts me in the range of a 3060Ti, or 6700xt. Would upgrading the gpu give me any improvements, or am I limited by the cpu.


Thanks for any help

 :salute
Sik
Title: Re: Upgrade Path
Post by: Eagler on May 17, 2022, 01:28:19 PM
My 2070 wouldn't fit in the mid tower that held my 1070..it was just abit too long

Eagler
Title: Re: Upgrade Path
Post by: SIK1 on May 17, 2022, 01:55:47 PM
Dimensionally I should good. It's in a NZXT case, don't remember the model number, what ever was popular six years ago. There is enough room for a 300mm long triple slot card. I should also be good on the psu (Seasonic 850W gold).

My question is, will I see any improvement, or am I already bound by my cpu?

I can't afford to build a complete system right now, and if spending the money on a new gpu gives me only marginal, or no real performance increase, then I'll just deal with it until I can afford a new system.

 :salute
Title: Re: Upgrade Path
Post by: Spikes on May 17, 2022, 02:08:32 PM
I would say it is likely more of a CPU bottleneck than GPU. Is your DDR4 ram in the 8-16gb range I assume? A newer gen GPU certainly wouldn't hurt if you've come across a good deal now. I tend to upgrade my cpu/mobo/ram in one cycle then the GPU in the next cycle. So you could get a new cpu/mobo now (ram should be fine) and grab a newer GPU next go around.
Title: Re: Upgrade Path
Post by: oboe on May 17, 2022, 02:21:02 PM
I would upgrade CPU and motherboard now, and continuing saving for a video card upgrade at a later date.    You can get a good deal on Intel CPUs now, and Ryzen's 5000 series are good and the mobo's a less expensive in general.   

Be sure to check the manufacturer's QVL or memory support list to make sure the memory you have is compatible with the motherboard - I had some DDR4-3200 CL14 which didn't work with the board I had.
Title: Re: Upgrade Path
Post by: SIK1 on May 17, 2022, 03:36:43 PM
Upgrading the cpu/mobo is an interesting path that looks like it would yield the most results for the least amount of money. I can do either AMD or Intel cpu/mobo for around $325. I do already have 16 gb DDR4-3200 CL18 memory, so I wouldn't really need to buy much else.

 :salute
Title: Re: Upgrade Path
Post by: Bizman on May 18, 2022, 01:19:36 AM
At first I was going to say that the CPU wouldn't really matter when you're past 3 GHz for a single core. That's also what our leading PC magazine recently told. And I'm quite happy with my i7-4790 which is two generations (and years) older than yours.

BUT

Then I got to thinking about my buddy who plays CS:GO semi-seriously. He used to have a similar rig to mine equipped with a GTX 1080 but in tight situations he said that although his frame rates didn't significantly drop (1440p, 144Hz monitor) he felt some sort of lag. So shopping we went and got him an Intel 10th or 11th generation based package. According to him everything now seems more fluid and he seems to see the enemy a fraction of a second faster to give him time to react. So...

A quick and dirty Google search tells that various benchmarks tell a similar story. It seems that something happened after the 8th generation, there's not much difference between i5-9600, 10600, 11600 and 12600 in performance. Is it because the extra cores take care of any background activity, I don't know. AH and many other games only can use a couple and most likely not more than four cores. But Windows has grown fatter and seems to use more resources than it used to. I've noticed that with hard disks as well, an older mediocre laptop with an HDD can suffer tremendously from high disk activity caused by updating. Apparently the programmers don't bother optimizing their code for slower computers...

Here's some further information of how a newer CPU affects gaming: https://youtu.be/hxII7cWH7dI (https://youtu.be/hxII7cWH7dI)
Title: Re: Upgrade Path
Post by: Spikes on May 18, 2022, 07:30:57 AM
I'd say for $550 you can easily get an 11th gen i7, mobo and cpu cooler:
(https://i.ibb.co/gDCYtBf/image.png)
$473 subtotal

That mobo may need a bios update for the CPU but there are others out there around the $140-150 price point.

Then in a couple years grab a new card as the 1080 should be sufficient.
Title: Re: Upgrade Path
Post by: oboe on May 18, 2022, 07:42:29 AM
Microcenter has the 11700K on sale for $199 now, and an i5-10400 is only $119.   But they don't ship.

Title: Re: Upgrade Path
Post by: TequilaChaser on May 18, 2022, 09:42:46 AM
I myself try to stay away from MSI motherboards,  I have always had and seen issues with them using out of random voltage and clocking on CPU, RAM, etc...

Just been my experience

ASUS,  ASROCK, GIGABYTE and another my mind fails to remember are pretty reliable  but theirs always lemons

YMMV

TC

and yes SIK1,  this is a good way to go regarding updating your computer, brother
Title: Re: Upgrade Path
Post by: SIK1 on May 18, 2022, 09:54:11 AM
Thanks for the help guys. I really appreciate it.  :cheers:

I decided to go with a i5 12400F, and Asus TUF Gaming B660 for a total of $354. I debated going with the 12600K, but even paired with one of the cheaper Z690 mobo's would be pushing $500, and I don't really need the ability to overclock.

I need to pinch every penny here because I may be chasing a hardware failure, and if the gpu decides to go tu I'd be in deep doo.

 :salute
Title: Re: Upgrade Path
Post by: TequilaChaser on May 18, 2022, 10:01:00 AM
Best of luck to ya!

Let us know how it goes

<SALUTE>

TC  /  Johnny
Title: Re: Upgrade Path
Post by: Bizman on May 18, 2022, 01:39:22 PM
I decided to go with a i5 12400F, and Asus TUF Gaming B660 for a total of $354. I debated going with the 12600K, but even paired with one of the cheaper Z690 mobo's would be pushing $500, and I don't really need the ability to overclock.
That's good thinking, often the "second best" is good enough for half the price. And the i5-12400F seems to have good reviews being a good gaming CPU.

However the low base clock of 2.50 GHz sounds a bit low given what Skuzzy said back then when AH3 was new. If memory serves me right he said that above 3 GHz you'd be golden. And most likely for many older games that holds true as well. So if the base single core speed is important the i3-12100F might be an interesting choice. I can't tell how much the smaller cache or higher clock affect performance but according to https://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-core-i3-12100-12100f-review (https://www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-core-i3-12100-12100f-review) we're talking about only 12% less performance for almost half the price. An old study said that an average user can't tell the difference less than 20% so I'd guess that would be close enough.
Title: Re: Upgrade Path
Post by: SIK1 on May 18, 2022, 03:51:14 PM
I was concerned about the base clock speed as well. I decided to take the chance on the 12400 largely based on the many positive reviews. I did consider the 12100F, 12600K, 12700F, and the offerings from AMD. For me right now the 12400 looks like the best bang for the buck @ $160. Time will tell, everything is supposed to arrive Saturday, so Saturday afternoon looks like I'm going to be rebuilding my machine.  :x

I'll keep you all posted.

 :cheers:

Title: Re: Upgrade Path
Post by: guncrasher on May 24, 2022, 10:02:08 PM
I'm looking for some input from the community. Would it be worth while to upgrade my graphics card, or should I just save my money until I can afford a new system.

I'm running a i5 6600k, on a Asus z170 mobo, DDR4 3200 RAM, and a 1080 8GB gpu. I'm running AH at 1440p, and for the most part I get decent frame rates, unless there is a lot of action then I do get some stutters. It looks like both the gpu, and cpu are reaching 100% usage in these situations.

Right now I can swing about $550 which puts me in the range of a 3060Ti, or 6700xt. Would upgrading the gpu give me any improvements, or am I limited by the cpu.


Thanks for any help

 :salute
Sik

I have a 2500k cpu with a 970 vc.  my computer never maxed out at 1440.  have 16g of ram  ddr4 matching.  something else is affecting your system.  even at 4096 texture my fps never goes below 50.

semp
Title: Re: Upgrade Path
Post by: SIK1 on May 24, 2022, 10:33:49 PM
It's not the frame rate so much. I keep getting bounced to the desk top, and when I say bounced it's just like I've alt tabbed out then a second or two later I come back in to the game. I'm showing some high cpu usage; one core is %100, and the other three are in the %90 area. and the gpu is showing usage in the high 90's. My temps look great in the the mid 60's for both cpu, and gpu. This is from hwmonitor, cross checked with Afterburner. The system is fairly lean at 120 processes running on win10 home.

 :salute
Title: Re: Upgrade Path
Post by: SIK1 on June 04, 2022, 09:30:56 AM
Long story, but I ended up doubling my budget and building a complete new system around the the 12400F. The whole system is a departure from what I would normally build, but pc part prices are not normal these days. If I can get two or three years out of it as it is now I'll be happy.

It ran FSO with with no issues, and in fact I was surprised that there were no hiccups at all.

Running 1440p @ 165Hz

i5 12400F                                          $160
MSI B660M Mortar                              $160
ID-Cooling SE 224-XT                         $30
G.Skill Ripjaw DDR4 3200 CL16           $0      I already had this in my other machine.
XFX RX 6700 XT                                 $500  I believe this is my first Radeon gpu. I would have like a RTX 3070 but the slight performance increase over the 6700 isn't worth the $150
                                                                  price difference to me.
EVGA SuperNova 80+Gold 750W         $75    I was a little leery of getting a psu named supernova but the reviews are mostly positive for it.
Silicon Power A80 512 GB M.2 NVME    $60    I already have 1TB Crucial MX500 ssd, and 2TB hdd so I just need the NVME for the OS.
Phanteks Elite P360a                           $70   Good looking case at a good price, and got the doesn't suck rating from Gamers Nexus.

I went the no rgb route, I even replaced the two included Phantek rgb fans with some non-rgb fans I had in my parts bin.

 :salute

Title: Re: Upgrade Path
Post by: Shuffler on June 04, 2022, 11:15:49 AM
Long story, but I ended up doubling my budget and building a complete new system around the the 12400F. The whole system is a departure from what I would normally build, but pc part prices are not normal these days. If I can get two or three years out of it as it is now I'll be happy.

It ran FSO with with no issues, and in fact I was surprised that there were no hiccups at all.

Running 1440p @ 165Hz

i5 12400F                                          $160
MSI B660M Mortar                              $160
ID-Cooling SE 224-XT                         $30
G.Skill Ripjaw DDR4 3200 CL16           $0      I already had this in my other machine.
XFX RX 6700 XT                                 $500  I believe this is my first Radeon gpu. I would have like a RTX 3070 but the slight performance increase over the 6700 isn't worth the $150
                                                                  price difference to me.
EVGA SuperNova 80+Gold 750W         $75    I was a little leery of getting a psu named supernova but the reviews are mostly positive for it.
Silicon Power A80 512 GB M.2 NVME    $60    I already have 1TB Crucial MX500 ssd, and 2TB hdd so I just need the NVME for the OS.
Phanteks Elite P360a                           $70   Good looking case at a good price, and got the doesn't suck rating from Gamers Nexus.

I went the no rgb route, I even replaced the two included Phantek rgb fans with some non-rgb fans I had in my parts bin.

 :salute

If you are on a budget, RGB has no place in your build. It does nothing for performance. LOL

Mine looks like a late 70s disco.  Well it would if I didn't have it all green.
Title: Re: Upgrade Path
Post by: SIK1 on June 04, 2022, 12:22:43 PM
Very true Shuffler. I find it amusing that people say they are on a budget but then include a couple extra hundred dollars in rgb in their build.

Honestly, it seems harder to find "gaming" products that don't have rgb. Most of it is lit up like the Las Vegas Strip. And it's not like I'm immune from the aesthetics side of it. I did go with a vertical gpu mount which means a pci-e 4.0 riser cable. I didn't include it in the cost of the build, $70 for the mount and riser cable. Still close to the $1100 mark and I like the way it looks.

 :cheers:
Title: Re: Upgrade Path
Post by: oboe on June 08, 2022, 02:19:53 PM
Long story, but I ended up doubling my budget and building a complete new system around the the 12400F. The whole system is a departure from what I would normally build, but pc part prices are not normal these days. If I can get two or three years out of it as it is now I'll be happy.

It ran FSO with with no issues, and in fact I was surprised that there were no hiccups at all.

Running 1440p @ 165Hz

i5 12400F                                          $160
MSI B660M Mortar                              $160
ID-Cooling SE 224-XT                         $30
G.Skill Ripjaw DDR4 3200 CL16           $0      I already had this in my other machine.
XFX RX 6700 XT                                 $500  I believe this is my first Radeon gpu. I would have like a RTX 3070 but the slight performance increase over the 6700 isn't worth the $150
                                                                  price difference to me.
EVGA SuperNova 80+Gold 750W         $75    I was a little leery of getting a psu named supernova but the reviews are mostly positive for it.
Silicon Power A80 512 GB M.2 NVME    $60    I already have 1TB Crucial MX500 ssd, and 2TB hdd so I just need the NVME for the OS.
Phanteks Elite P360a                           $70   Good looking case at a good price, and got the doesn't suck rating from Gamers Nexus.

I went the no rgb route, I even replaced the two included Phantek rgb fans with some non-rgb fans I had in my parts bin.

 :salute

Looks like solid build, SIK1!  Congrats and enjoy!
Title: Re: Upgrade Path
Post by: TequilaChaser on June 09, 2022, 02:04:41 AM
Looks like solid build, SIK1!  Congrats and enjoy!


What oboe said!

Let Me know what you think of that XFX Radeon GPU,... I've used XFX Radeon video cards in a lot of PC Builds over the years....haven't had one fail yet!!!

<S>

TC
Title: Re: Upgrade Path
Post by: SIK1 on June 09, 2022, 09:37:22 AM
Thanks guys. I'm really liking the new system.  :cheers:

TC, pretty sure this is my first Radeon card, but not my first XFX card. I found a XFX 8800GTS Alpha Dog in my old parts bin.  :O
So far I'm real pleased with the 6700xt it runs AH @1440p smooth as butter with all detail maxed right out of the box. I'm still tweaking it trying to find the optimum performance settings.

 :salute
Title: Re: Upgrade Path
Post by: TequilaChaser on June 09, 2022, 10:07:21 AM
SIK1, I appreciate the update brother...sounds great 👍

<SALUTE>

TC / Johnny
Title: Re: Upgrade Path
Post by: Shuffler on June 09, 2022, 11:52:42 AM
Nice.... with all that butter, all you need is some popcorn.  :rofl   :aok
Title: Re: Upgrade Path
Post by: SIK1 on June 09, 2022, 01:26:38 PM
Nice.... with all that butter, all you need is some popcorn.  :rofl   :aok

I save the popcorn for the AH message boards.  :banana:

 :cheers:
Title: Re: Upgrade Path
Post by: Shuffler on June 09, 2022, 03:03:53 PM
I save the popcorn for the AH message boards.  :banana:

 :cheers:

Even better  :rofl  :rofl  :rofl