i5 + 1080ti?

sanders4617

Weaksauce
Joined
Jul 16, 2009
Messages
114
My current setup:
i5 4690K
16GB DDR3 ram
Radeon 290x GPU

I just purchased a GTX 1080 ti card to replace the 290x.

Will my CPU/Ram hold this card back? Or will my CPU/Ram allow this card to run pretty solid to its potential?

Also to note.. I am playing 1080p/144hz. So I am not doing 1440p yet, although after buying this card, I do wish I had maybe bought a 1440p/144hz monitor instead of the 1080p one.

The 144hz experience is new to me.. and I want to be able to take full advantage of it. So running 144fps solid is my goal, but without dropping graphics too much if I can help it.

Now I'm really debating selling some stuff I'm not using so much, and upgrading to an 8700K with 3200 DDR4 ram. I do some video editing from time to time as well, and I'm sure I'd appreciate the i7 in that process.

Sorry if this all seems scattered, just trying to figure out what may be best for me.
 
at 1080P it will be a huge bottleneck, you will have to move to 1440P to take full advantage of your GPU and still some games will struggle with just four threads, but you will be mostly fine at 60fps, if you are aiming to 144hz then you should upgrade.
 
at 1080P it will be a huge bottleneck, you will have to move to 1440P to take full advantage of your GPU and still some games will struggle with just four threads, but you will be mostly fine at 60fps, if you are aiming to 144hz then you should upgrade.

That's my concern. I just got my new monitor last week.. so I could return it, pay the restocking fee, and get a 1440p monitor and come out much cheaper than upgrading my whole cpu/mobo/ram - Although I am fine with 1080p.

But if the card will run 1440p just as well as 1080p, then no point in not doing it I guess.

At the same time.. i COULD just upgrade to an i7 4790k CPU and not have to mess with my mobo/ram. Would that be a viable option? Or maybe paying the extra couple hundred and upgrading to the z370 ddr4 setup.

It's like a money pit haha. I play guitar and that keeps me busy enough trying to swap and buy/sell constantly.
 
Looking at those benchmarks definitely makes me want to upgrade! lol.

also take in consideration that's with just a GTX 1080, and typically 1080Ti require way more power to be used at optimal performance as it have some CPU Overhead at lower than 1440p resolutions. the 4790K it's a viable option if you can overclock it to ~4.8ghz, I have a [email protected] and still sometimes it's unable to juice a GTX 1080 at 1080P which was the reason I jumped to 1440P@144hz and then to 1080Ti.
 
Upgrading to a 4790k isn't a bad idea either, especially if you're playing CPU intensive games. Single-core performance is better too, so it's all around a worthy upgrade. Looks like they still go for about $250 on eBay though, so maybe keep an eye out on FS/FT. Still more cost effective than upgrading the whole platform though.
 
Upgrading to a 4790k isn't a bad idea either, especially if you're playing CPU intensive games. Single-core performance is better too, so it's all around a worthy upgrade. Looks like they still go for about $250 on eBay though, so maybe keep an eye out on FS/FT. Still more cost effective than upgrading the whole platform though.

Yeah and can get an i7 8700k for roughly $300 brand new when finding the right deal. But then you're looking at a motherboard and then new ram to go with it. I guess I could offset some of the costs by selling what I have.. but that's always fun trying to find someone that wants the complete setup you have.

May just keep a close eye on a used 4790k.
 
problem with upgrading a platform now it's the high prices of RAM. however if you are sure you can sell some things and offset the cost of a whole platform upograde id say go for it, you wont regret the jump in performance and overall improvement of gaming experience.
 
Yeah and can get an i7 8700k for roughly $300 brand new when finding the right deal. But then you're looking at a motherboard and then new ram to go with it. I guess I could offset some of the costs by selling what I have.. but that's always fun trying to find someone that wants the complete setup you have.

May just keep a close eye on a used 4790k.

Yeah, I was basically getting at the fact that used Intel processors aren't very cheap. The only reason it would be cheaper is because he wouldn't have to spend another $200 on DDR4, and of course the motherboard. But MicroCenter runs great deals on CPU + mobo combos.
 
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You will not have an issue. My 4670k is not holding back my 1080ti at 1440p at all.
That's a nice fantasy. There are many games where a faster CPU would be more beneficial. You can't even maintain 60fps in some games with that i5 and that is a fact. If you want to claim that's not true then I could easily show you some benchmarks of my own with just turning hyper-threading off. Plus there's some games where the increased IPC of the newer CPUs will help quite a bit such as parts in Fallout 4 and Dishonored 2.
 
That's a nice fantasy. There are many games where a faster CPU would be more beneficial. You can't even maintain 60fps in some games with that i5 and that is a fact. If you want to claim that's not true then I could easily show you some benchmarks of my own with just turning hyper-threading off. Plus there's some games where the increased IPC of the newer CPUs will help quite a bit such as parts in Fallout 4 and Dishonored 2.

As if I give a fuck? I'm stating my personal experience. I've not had a game dip to unplayable levels yet. Including Fallout 4, PUBG, Forza 7 and Farcry 5.
 
As if I give a fuck? I'm stating my personal experience. I've not had a game dip to unplayable levels yet. Including Fallout 4, PUBG, Forza 7 and Farcry 5.
You must give a fuck as you sure as hell replied back. You said he will not have any issue as if that CPU will not limit him in anyway which of course is nonsense. There are games that will literally be a playable and noticeable bottleneck at times for anyone just trying to keep 60 FPS with vsync . Nearly every modern game will have that CPU fully pegged at times which also means some occasional stutter especially if anything at all in the background needs CPU power. If you're happy with it then that's great as there are even people happy playing games at 720p and crappy frame rates. I'm just talkin about facts here and nothing more.
 
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You must give a fuck as you sure as hell replied back. You said he will not have any issue as if that CPU will not limit him in anyway which of course is nonsense. There are games with that will literally be a playable and noticeable bottleneck at times for anyone just trying to keep 60 FPS with vsync . If you're happy with it then that's great as there are even people happy playing games at 720p and crappy frame rates. I'm just talkin about facts here and nothing more.

lol....ok buddy.

https://us.hardware.info/reviews/79...0k-versus-ryzen-a-coffee-lake-worth-upgrading

Still going to have a very good playing experience, even better so at 1440p or 4k as they're less CPU bound. Are they going to be as good as a current gen CPU? No. But the frames don't dip low enough to be noticeable.
 
lol....ok buddy.

https://us.hardware.info/reviews/79...0k-versus-ryzen-a-coffee-lake-worth-upgrading

Still going to have a very good playing experience, even better so at 1440p or 4k as they're less CPU bound. Are they going to be as good as a current gen CPU? No. But the frames don't dip low enough to be noticeable.
If it drops below 60 FPS with vsync on then it is most certainly noticeable. Assassin's Creed Origins, Mafia 3, Watch Dogs 2, Crysis 3 and a few other titles are ones I know for a fact cannot maintain 60fps with that i5 and need more than 4 threads. Heck some games actually fully Peg all eight threads of my 4770k at times. And a few games just from an IPC standpoint can't quite hold 60 either at times. Now in most games there's usually a setting or two that you can adjust to make it less CPU dependent such a shadow distance in Fallout 4 or just the Shadows setting in Dishonored 2. If your not trying to maintain 60fps with vsync then of course those cases may not even be very noticeable in the first place but I'm quite picky.
 
Who the fuck uses vsync?

I can run fallout 4 at 1440p Max settings and not skip a beat. Maybe it's your system that's fucked.
 
Who the fuck uses vsync?

I can run fallout 4 at 1440p Max settings and not skip a beat. Maybe it's your system that's fucked.
Yeah no one ever uses vsync. :rolleyes:

My system performs just like it is supposed to and benchmarks from other sites back that up. Knock yourself out with the last word as someone oblivious as you is not worth wasting another reply on.
 
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That's my concern. I just got my new monitor last week.. so I could return it, pay the restocking fee, and get a 1440p monitor and come out much cheaper than upgrading my whole cpu/mobo/ram - Although I am fine with 1080p.

But if the card will run 1440p just as well as 1080p, then no point in not doing it I guess.

At the same time.. i COULD just upgrade to an i7 4790k CPU and not have to mess with my mobo/ram. Would that be a viable option? Or maybe paying the extra couple hundred and upgrading to the z370 ddr4 setup.

It's like a money pit haha. I play guitar and that keeps me busy enough trying to swap and buy/sell constantly.

Turn on DSR and superscale (basically) that shit when you have GPU to spare.

CPU will hold you back in select titles, but since you already own it give it a shot. Basically the same as a Ryzen CPU...
 
1080ti+3770k here. At 1440p my GPU and CPU trade blows on which is the bottleneck. In BF1, it’s my CPU, and at times by quite a bit. In Assassina Creed Origins, if I’m roaming out in the middle of nowhere it’s my GPU, but as soon as there’s a few NPCs on the screen my GPU utilization drops and my CPU is pegged.

Overall, I would probably benefit more from a CPU upgrade for most games, that’s not to say I’m not getting good performance though.
 
OP, maybe I missed it, but are you OC'ing that 4690k at all? What clocks if so? A healthy OC will really benefit you if you're running that at stock clocks.

I'm still rocking my 4690k @ 4.6 + 1080, and so far I've yet to see a real reason to upgrade (in the titles I play, FC5 being the newest addition). Maybe I'm missing a few frames on the minimum at times (thank you Gsync, hardly ever noticeable), but I'm having a hard time justifying an upgrade. I've been eyeballing a 4790k, but whew, for a couple hundred more I'd be on a new platform, can't justify a mild upgrade at 200 bucks or so for just a 4790k.

I'm at 1440p/144hz btw.

That being said, I think you need to take into consideration your video editing, you will see a huge benefit from HT/a platform upgrade. If you do that more then gaming or are just plain getting poor performance when editing/converting (unbearable), then definitely target a new platform.
 
I rocked a 4670 @ 4.1 ghz with a 1080 ti for a while. No bottleneck whatsoever at 1440p or above.

At 1080p though, you're going to see lower FPS. Nothing is going to lag, to be certain, but FPS will be lower than a more modern CPU.

I would actually suggest sinking the money into a higher resolution monitor in lieu of a new mobo and cpu. It's the better path to using the full potential of that 1080 ti.
 
I went from a 4690k @ 4.4 to a 5775C @
4.2 to help get rid of my CPU bottleneck.

4c/8t and 4c/4t is really showing its age in many games. But a 1080 ti should be the last GPU upgrade you do until you get more cores.
 
You be hard pressed to see a difference b/w my i7 5.0ghz 1080ti and my older i7 2nd gen 4.0ghz with 1080gtx when playing the same game. My 1080ti system wins out in load times, but at 1080p, they look and feel the same.
 
OP, so a little over 1 month ago I posted up that I was fine with my "old" i5, 4690k @ 4.6GHz, and not going to lie, I feel like a bit of a hypocrite...

Just pulled the trigger on on a great mobo/7700k combo deal from a member here on [H], plus some 3200mhz ram. Pretty sure once my rebuild is complete tomorrow (*knock on wood* that everything goes smoothly) I'll be able to accurately tell ya if the 600+ bucks (used, mobo was a big factor in the cost for sure) was worth it for the upgraded heart of my system. I'm expecting good things on the minimums and averages that brought be down a bit when playing FC5 and PUBG. I''m talking ~110 to 60+ fps in some situations in FC5 and 140 to 60+ in PUBG (great benchmarking title, I know. 1440p 144hz gsync monitor too)

I've got a feeling I'm going to see a difference between the older i5 and the shiny (for me!) 7700k in a few of these games, we'll see how OC'ing goes as well tomorrow.

Either way, I plan on updating ya on my move, just to give ya some perspective. I've got a feeling I'll like it from an enthusiast perspective, but not a casual (and my wallets bang for buck) perspective... :cry:

EDIT: I should add my GF wanting to get a new machine is what pushed me over the edge to spring for an upgrade, now she'll have a great heart to build a system around for 1080p. No GF and I'd still be touting my old i5 with a decent OC proudly, so I guess something good came out of the deal :ROFLMAO:
 
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That's a nice fantasy. There are many games where a faster CPU would be more beneficial. You can't even maintain 60fps in some games with that i5 and that is a fact. If you want to claim that's not true then I could easily show you some benchmarks of my own with just turning hyper-threading off. Plus there's some games where the increased IPC of the newer CPUs will help quite a bit such as parts in Fallout 4 and Dishonored 2.

I got i5 7000 series running at 4.9 ghz. You gonna tell me its going to hold back a 1080ti? Common lets get real lol!
 
I got i5 7000 series running at 4.9 ghz. You gonna tell me its going to hold back a 1080ti? Common lets get real lol!

yeah it will on some tittles even at 1440P i did the test with a 7700K at 5ghz with only turning Hyperthreading ON/OFF some tittles see a massive difference between 4c/8t and 4c/4t and is worth to consider that the i5 have 6mb cache while the i7 have 8mb.. Dragon Age Inquisition, Watch Dogs, Watch Dogs 2, Fallout 4, Crysis 3, Shadow of Mordor, mass effect andromeda are few of the tittles that see big difference not only in performance but also in game feel and smoothness, specially if coreparking is disabled.
 
yeah it will on some tittles even at 1440P i did the test with a 7700K at 5ghz with only turning Hyperthreading ON/OFF some tittles see a massive difference between 4c/8t and 4c/4t and is worth to consider that the i5 have 6mb cache while the i7 have 8mb.. Dragon Age Inquisition, Watch Dogs, Watch Dogs 2, Fallout 4, Crysis 3, Shadow of Mordor, mass effect andromeda are few of the tittles that see big difference not only in performance but also in game feel and smoothness, specially if coreparking is disabled.

well damn I guess I am going to have to stick it out with that I got for now rofl!
 
OP, I got the 7700k (running 4.8GHz), 2x8GB 3200MHz DDR4 and mobo dropped in this weekend, and the machine is fully rebuilt with a fresh Win10 installation.

Results: I notice about 5-10 more frames on the top end (pretty negligible, within the MOE for sure.) but I did see Minimums jump up roughly 30+ frames, I no longer see the drops from 120-70 like I did with the i5, they might get down to the low 100's in PUBG. Mid's are improved too, but again, nothing crazy like on the minimums. Smoothness is up across the board, and I'm overall pretty happy with it the performance. Need to put it through some more paces (Witcher 3 for example) too to get a better feel for it.

I will say though, I spent 650 total on the combo listed above, and spent the same on my 1080 2 years ago, and as far as the wow-factor is concerned, this is a pretty lack-luster upgrade by comparison to my 970 to 1080 jump. I'm happy with the upgrade, wasn't expecting a crazy performance jump, but at the same time, this combo should last me muuuuch longer then my 4690k did now that I have that HT.

TL;DR: if it's worth 600+ bucks to you to get better minimums and pretty meh increases mid and high, pull the trigger and upgrade but keep your expectations low, you won't be WOW'd! If not, I'd wait it out a bit more for something that's truly worth your money.
 
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OP, I got the 7700k (running 4.8GHz), 2x8GB 3200MHz DDR4 and mobo dropped in this weekend, and the machine is fully rebuilt with a fresh Win10 installation.

Results: I notice about 5-10 more frames on the top end (pretty negligible, within the MOE for sure.) but I did see Minimums jump up roughly 30+ frames, I no longer see the drops from 120-70 like I did with the i5, they might get down to the low 100's in PUBG. Mid's are improved too, but again, nothing crazy like on the minimums. Smoothness is up across the board, and I'm overall pretty happy with it the performance. Need to put it through some more paces (Witcher 3 for example) too to get a better feel for it.

I will say though, I spent 650 total on the combo listed above, and spent the same on my 1080 2 years ago, and as far as the wow-factor is concerned, this is a pretty lack-luster upgrade by comparison to my 970 to 1080 jump. I'm happy with the upgrade, wasn't expecting a crazy performance jump, but at the same time, this combo should last me muuuuch longer then my 4690k did now that I have that HT.

TL;DR: if it's worth 600+ bucks to you to get better minimums and pretty meh increases mid and high, pull the trigger and upgrade but keep your expectations low, you won't be WOW'd! If not, I'd wait it out a bit more for something that's truly worth your money.

this pretty much mirror what most of us and everyone who have an ample experience with several i5 and i7 has been saying for last couple of years.. most people just eat raw numbers on the screen but smoothness factor and FPS stability are very very important to me, minimum frames are always the key on a good gaming experience, specially those of us who like to play on high refresh rate panels..
 
Minimum framerates (or rather, maximum frametimes) are gameplay responsiveness quantified.

Just adding Hyperthreading helps quite a bit here; the 2000-series was the last time an i5 was a good buy for higher-end gaming until the 8000-series arrived with six cores and Ryzen with eight.

Try and find a 4770+ to drop in there until memory prices stabilize or it too becomes obsolete.
 
this pretty much mirror what most of us and everyone who have an ample experience with several i5 and i7 has been saying for last couple of years.. most people just eat raw numbers on the screen but smoothness factor and FPS stability are very very important to me, minimum frames are always the key on a good gaming experience, specially those of us who like to play on high refresh rate panels..

I completely agree, for the longest time I was convincing myself my old i5 @4.6GHz was just fine, I really won't notice a difference, waste of money, etc. (you know, the usual stuff). But, lo-and-behold, the increase in smoothness is definitely noticible at 1440p/144Hz. The overall experience is MUCH better, but not in the wow-department if that makes sense. It's more in line with what I'd expect it to be.

I'm 110% for smoothness over maximum eye candy (it sure is nice to have both in most games), but nothing breaks my immersion like a huge drop in FPS in CPU-heavy area's/lots of NPC's, etc.

I will say, it really does feel good to have finally stepped up to an i7. I now don't have to question a single part of my system for some time to come, should be able to handle whatever game I throw at it with ease.
 
I run my 1080Ti with an i3 (overclocked 8530k). I honestly notice no difference from 4.7ghz i3-8350k compared to 4.7ghz i7-6700k. Fps in The Witcher 3 is the same.
This is at 4k though.
 
with this card in 1080p cpu will be limiting factor not the card it will probably last a good few years at that res. but hey, do u need 300 fps or 350 fps? for example. that is likely that is the scenarios or simmilar in smaller scale, u will be limited by cpu to reach top fps. i wouldnt think u need to buy new cpu just yet. at this point i would wait for intel 8 core mainstreams, while coffe lake is good and cheap ish id wait for icelakes. id even go so far to consider ryzen instead, while it is not as fast, it do got 2 more cores, and u know u would be able to just swap to a faster ryzen later also.
 
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