Upgrade advice

[helsinki98]

Hello,

I am looking to upgrade my PC on a value basis, I am not interested in RGB but just performance, I bought this from my friend a few years ago when he upgraded and would like to be able to play 4k 140hz, Elden ring & hunt showndown mainly.

Current spec

CPU: I7 6700k
Mobo: Asus maximus hero VIII
Ram: G.Skill f4-2400c15d-8gvr x2
GPU: Radeon RX580 8GB
PSU: XFX edition, can't remember possibly 750w
Case: Inwin 904 (this case has weird dims and as a result I could only fit a Noctua NH-U9S cpu cooler, 125mm height)

My main use is gaming on 1080p monitors currently but I would like to upgrade to 4k 140hz as a primary monitor and play on my 4K 55" TV (downstairs via CAT6 on nvidia shield) so would be keen for an Nvidia card.

Can I get away with upgrading the GPU only and at a later date my monitors? my 140hz monitor is DVI-D only so might need to upgrade now also

Thanks

 

[Tetras]

Do you want to to play 4K at 140 fps? That's uhm, not really possible. Though, Elden Ring is more modest in the requirements than being a new game suggests.

You can play at 4K without spending a fortune, particularly if you're willing to dial it down a bit (and can tolerate playing at those frame rates):

Elden Ring PC Performance Analysis - KitGuru

Elden Ring was released last Friday and is already hugely popular, with a peak concurrent player-cou

www.kitguru.net

The 6700K, it really depends on the game, so it is hard to say.

 

[Chris Beard]

my 140hz monitor is DVI-D only

Do you have the monitor make and model number please?

If it is a TV it may be 70hz with inserted black frames in between

 

[helsinki98]

Do you want to to play 4K at 140 fps? That's uhm, not really possible. Though, Elden Ring is more modest in the requirements than being a new game suggests.

You can play at 4K without spending a fortune, particularly if you're willing to dial it down a bit (and can tolerate playing at those frame rates):

Elden Ring PC Performance Analysis - KitGuru

Elden Ring was released last Friday and is already hugely popular, with a peak concurrent player-cou

www.kitguru.net

The 6700K, it really depends on the game, so it is hard to say.

Maybe 140hz at 4k is wishful thinking I just assumed this was the next jump from 1080p and 140ish fps, I would be happy achieving this with my current games which I don't on my current hardware. Is the CPU not capable of running a current GPU? I get the feeling I won't really get much of a boost without changing cpu, mobo and gpu and even then won't be that great?

Do you have the monitor make and model number please?

If it is a TV it may be 70hz with inserted black frames in between

It's a BENQ XL2411T (ancient now), you can only use 140hz with dvi-d

 

[Tetras]

Maybe 140hz at 4k is wishful thinking I just assumed this was the next jump from 1080p and 140ish fps, I would be happy achieving this with my current games which I don't on my current hardware. Is the CPU not capable of running a current GPU? I get the feeling I won't really get much of a boost without changing cpu, mobo and gpu and even then won't be that great?

4K is the high-end right now and even a 6900 XT or 3090 struggles in some games if you want to max it out. We need another gen or two before 4K is genuinely accessible for gaming, across the board. High refresh gaming at 4K is pretty much off the table. You could search Elden Ring @ 4k, on YouTube and see what it looks like, if it is something you're happy with, then check what system they're using in the description.

1440p is next after 1080p That's very achievable, but consistent 140 fps is more of a challenge. If you're content with 1440p at 60 fps then that's a different story, it is not hard at all to achieve with midrange hardware.

There is upscaling technology like DLSS that can help a lot at higher resolutions to push up the frame rate, but I don't think this game supports DLSS yet.

Many games are fine with 4 core, 8 thread CPUs at decent clocks, like your 6700K and pushing up the resolution to 4K burdens the GPU more than the CPU. So, it's really a try it and see kind of thing. I'd be perfectly content to give it a go, the worst that can happen is you go "argh, this is way worse than I expected" and want to upgrade.

 

[Chris Beard]

What kind of budget do you have for this? If you're at the high end (£1k+ for a Graphics card) it may well be worth waiting a few months to see what the 4000 series bring.

 

[JollyJamma]

Hello,

I am looking to upgrade my PC on a value basis, I am not interested in RGB but just performance, I bought this from my friend a few years ago when he upgraded and would like to be able to play 4k 140hz, Elden ring & hunt showndown mainly.

Current spec

CPU: I7 6700k
Mobo: Asus maximus hero VIII
Ram: G.Skill f4-2400c15d-8gvr x2
GPU: Radeon RX580 8GB
PSU: XFX edition, can't remember possibly 750w
Case: Inwin 904 (this case has weird dims and as a result I could only fit a Noctua NH-U9S cpu cooler, 125mm height)

My main use is gaming on 1080p monitors currently but I would like to upgrade to 4k 140hz as a primary monitor and play on my 4K 55" TV (downstairs via CAT6 on nvidia shield) so would be keen for an Nvidia card.

Can I get away with upgrading the GPU only and at a later date my monitors? my 140hz monitor is DVI-D only so might need to upgrade now also

Thanks

Upgrade to a 8700K, second hand and a 3080 or 3080 ti.

It'll do 4K at 60 or 1440P at 140 Fps (ish).

Not sure if your PSu will hold up to a 3080 so I might swap that out for a better unit. I'd be happy running a 3080 on 750 watts but it's the quality of those watts that's important and I have memories of some bad XFX PSUs (and some good ones, depending on who was the OEM manufacturer but I don't like to gamble with expensive hardware).

 

[mickyflinn]

Upgrade to a 8700K, second hand and a 3080 or 3080 ti.

Maybe just a typo.

7700k is the most from a 6700k on the same motherboard.

 

[JollyJamma]

Maybe just a typo.

7700k is the most from a 6700k on the same motherboard.

no, I'm mistaken. I knew that there was a catch with those CPUs.

Intel launched the 8700K on almost the same socket as the 7700K but for a tiny change to make them not work (because power draw <insert sarcastic spongebob meme here>)

So the 7700K is socket LGA 1151 and the 8700K is LGA1151-2, hence my mistake.

With that, I would suggest a new rig. 4 cores 8 threads isn't going to cut it at 1440P or 4K.

 

[mickyflinn]

no, I'm mistaken. I knew that there was a catch with those CPUs.

Intel launched the 8700K on almost the same socket as the 7700K but for a tiny change to make them not work (because power draw <insert sarcastic spongebob meme here>)

So the 7700K is socket LGA 1151 and the 8700K is LGA1151-2, hence my mistake.

With that, I would suggest a new rig. 4 cores 8 threads isn't going to cut it at 1440P or 4K.

At 4k aming the gpu is doing most of the work below is an intresting read on cpu performance.

How Much CPU Does the GeForce RTX 3080 Need?

Breaking the bottleneck

www.tomshardware.com

 

[JollyJamma]

At 4k aming the gpu is doing most of the work below is an intresting read on cpu performance.

How Much CPU Does the GeForce RTX 3080 Need?

Breaking the bottleneck

www.tomshardware.com

I agree with you an have a 3300X running with a 3080 for acceptable 1440P performance but even a tight as two coats of white paint person is coming to terms that 6 cores 12 threads is required.

I haven’t seen your link but I know that as you guy higher in res, it puts more pressure on the GPU, making the CPU less of a bottleneck.

I still wouldn’t get 4 cores 8 threads for a brand new rig unless I absolutely had to save the money.

 

[mickyflinn]

I agree with you an have a 3300X running with a 3080 for acceptable 1440P performance but even a tight as two coats of white paint person is coming to terms that 6 cores 12 threads is required.

I haven’t seen your link but I know that as you guy higher in res, it puts more pressure on the GPU, making the CPU less of a bottleneck.

I still wouldn’t get 4 cores 8 threads for a brand new rig unless I absolutely had to save the money.

Totally agree .

 

[helsinki98]

Thank you for the recommendations. I have looked at the prices of the recommended and can't beleive them!. I will hang on till they are sensible and maybe buy an xbox instead, those prices are crazy

 

[Tetras]

no, I'm mistaken. I knew that there was a catch with those CPUs.

Intel launched the 8700K on almost the same socket as the 7700K but for a tiny change to make them not work (because power draw <insert sarcastic spongebob meme here>)

So the 7700K is socket LGA 1151 and the 8700K is LGA1151-2, hence my mistake.

With that, I would suggest a new rig. 4 cores 8 threads isn't going to cut it at 1440P or 4K.

It is technically possible with a modded bios, just fyi, but obviously it is best to experiment only if the upgrader doesn't mind bricking their board

Thank you for the recommendations. I have looked at the prices of the recommended and can't beleive them!. I will hang on till they are sensible and maybe buy an xbox instead, those prices are crazy

Sorry about that, 4K is a painful hobby for the wallet right now.