Consider upgrading your CPU if you want better performance with the next gen 3000 series GPUs.
Consider upgrading your CPU if you want better performance with the next gen 3000 series GPUs.
I mainly play VR on my Valve Index, games like Half-Life: Alyx and Boneworks. It is hinted at that the upcoming RTX 3000 series cards will release late this year and I'm thinking of going for the higher end (3080 Ti or 3080). However, what's been bothering me is the question of whether I should upgrade my CPU to something like an i7-9700K with a Corsair iCUE H115i RGB PRO XT 280mm or not since I don't want it to bottleneck the new GPU? I'm aiming to get a consistent 144fps on HL:A. I can either upgrade the CPU now in a month when it's my birthday or continue saving up until the new nVIDIA GPUs release. Specs: CPU: Intel Core i5-8400 2.8GHz CPU Cooler: Cryorig H7 Motherboard: MSI Z370 PC PRO RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x8GB DDR4-2400 CL16 SSD: Samsung 850 EVO 250GB m.2SSD: WD Blue 500GB 3D NAND HDD: WD Caviar Blue 1TB 7200RPM GPU: MSI GeForce GTX 1080 ARMOR 8G OC Case: Phanteks Eclipse P400 Tempered Glass PSU: SeaSonic Focus Plus Gold 650W Fans: 2x Corsair HD140 front intake, 1x Corsair HD120 rear exhaust Benchmarks using fpsVR, including Graphs: Half-Life: Alyx fpsVR Report: App: Half-Life: Alyx HMD: Index (144.000 Hz, IPD 69.8) GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (26.21.14.4575) CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-8400 CPU @ 2.80GHz Delivered fps: 70.75 Duration: 56.8min. GPU Frametimes: Median: 10 ms 99th percentile: 14.7 ms 99.9th percentile: 20.3 ms frametime <6.9ms(vsync): 8.4% CPU frametime: Median: 3.5 ms 99th percentile: 16.9 ms 99.9th percentile: 21.3 ms frametime <6.9ms(vsync): 75.1% Max. SteamVR SS: 130% Render resolution per eye: 2296x2552(by SteamVR settings, Max.) (HMD driver recommended: 2014x2238) Boneworks fpsVR Report: App: BONEWORKS HMD: Index (144.000 Hz, IPD 70.0) GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 (26.21.14.4108) CPU: Intel® Core™ i5-8400 CPU @ 2.80GHz Delivered fps: 132.17 Duration: 142.2min. GPU Frametimes: Median: 5.3 ms 99th percentile: 7.5 ms 99.9th percentile: 8.6 ms frametime <6.9ms(vsync): 95.4% CPU frametime: Median: 4.1 ms 99th percentile: 9.4 ms 99.9th percentile: 11.6 ms frametime <6.9ms(vsync): 93.6% Max. SteamVR SS: 130% Render resolution per eye: 2296x2552(by SteamVR settings, Max.) (HMD driver recommended: 2014x2238)
Lower a few options and your CPU might be slowing things down for 144hz gaming, but 1080 is okay for 1440p at medium-high settings. Keep an eye on the Ryzen 4000 line and consider moving to an 8-core model once 2080tis become available. You don’t need to stress about the GPU right now until those prices drop.
Switching to AMD would require purchasing a new motherboard and likely additional RAM, which could be more expensive than upgrading to a newer Intel CPU and cooler. For example: i7-9700K (397€) + Corsair iCUE H115i RGB PRO XT 280mm (147€) = 544€. For comparison, Ryzen 7 3800X (329€) + bequiet! Dark Rock PRO 4 (73€) + X570 Motherboard (~170€) + DDR4-3600 CL16 RAM (~110€) = ~682€. This is just a reference using current prices. I anticipate the Ryzen 4000 might be slightly pricier. If you have suggestions for alternatives that won’t limit a RTX 3000 series card and stay within the same budget as upgrading to an i7-9700K, I’d appreciate it. Edited May 3, 2020 by ExDe707 Added tilde (~) at the end of price to express disapproval
if you were me i’d opt for the 9700k or 9900k and stick with your existing CPU cooler unless you’re aiming for extreme overclocks. for higher spending, go AMD—the 3900x generally outperforms the 9900k. you might lose a couple of frames in today’s games, but it’ll shine elsewhere and remain a solid choice in about six years.
PCPartPicker list shows various components at different prices. A Ryzen 5 3600 processor costs around 177.99 euros and comes with a cooler from Mindfactory. The Dark Rock Pro 4 cooler is available for 73.89 euros, paired with an Asus PRIME X570-PRO motherboard priced at 229.00 euros. G.Skill Ripjaws V memory sticks are listed at 84.89 euros for 16 GB. Prices mentioned cover shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts, bringing the total to 565.77 euros. The review suggests upgrading later rather than investing in a high-end build now, noting that 3600 processors are unlikely to cause bottlenecks and that a 9700k build isn't justified given current options.
It fits well with your setup, but the Dark Rock Pro 4 is slightly larger than the 160mm clearance in your Phanteks Eclipse P400. You might consider alternatives like the Dark Rock Pro 3 or a different model with a smaller footprint. Regarding the CPU swap, moving from Intel CPU+Mobo to AMD Mobo+CPU should be straightforward and likely won’t require a full reinstall.
I added it based on your original Intel upgrade guide. A tier list can assist, but even the Dark Rock non-pro 4 works: PCPartPicker Part List Type Item Price CPU AMD Ryzen 5 3600 3.6 GHz 6-Core Processor €177.99 @ Mindfactory CPU Cooler be quiet! Dark Rock 4 CPU Cooler €60.99 @ Aquatuning Motherboard Asus PRIME X570-PRO ATX AM4 Motherboard €229.00 @ ARLT Memory G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 Memory €77.90 @ Amazon Deutschland Case Phanteks Eclipse P400 ATX Mid Tower Case €0.00 Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts Total €545.88 Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-05-04 17:27 CEST+0200 If you're looking for other coolers, just pick one that fits and you're set!
Oh yes, I completely missed that, my bad! It is recommended that you do reinstall windows because switching platforms can leave artifact drives that can interfere with new drivers and so on. I would highly recommend reinstalling the OS but you can transfer/duplicate all your data into a back-up drive whilst you wait for your parts to be delivered (I assume you'll have plenty of time to do so considering the current climate we're in) and then just trasnfer back after reinstalling the OS.