Play Retail version of WoW 4K/60fps with maximum settings on an i7-6700 processor.
Play Retail version of WoW 4K/60fps with maximum settings on an i7-6700 processor.
The GTX 980 struggles under heavy loads, dropping into the 30s during intense scenes. For smoother performance with the 6700, look for a faster GPU that can keep up before the CPU limits you at 4K. Let me know if you need more details!
The increase in RAM doesn't significantly raise CPU usage. What kind of activity are you experiencing now?
In general, 4K performance should reduce CPU load since it doesn’t need to process as many frames from the GPU. It seems you’re mainly limited by the GPU, and rendering speed remains a challenge even with high-end hardware. Maintaining smooth 60fps at 4K is still tough, even on premium cards. Ampere and RDNA2 might finally improve things, but true 4K gaming is still in its early days.
CPU limitations are a common issue in open-world and MMO titles because they demand heavy rendering work in expansive environments and raid scenarios. WoW operates with just four CPU threads and only one core is fully utilized, while the remaining three threads run at minimal capacity. The single core handles the bulk of processing, leaving others idle. Although WoW’s DX12 offers some improvement by reducing draw call demands, a 1070 processor should still function adequately. However, I haven’t played since upgrading from an Intel i5-3570k to a Ryzen 7 3700X. I did manage to log in during their promotional periods offering free game time, but my experience was hindered by the 1070 at 1440p resolution.
In general, 4K should place less load on the CPU since it doesn’t need to process as many frames from the GPU. It seems like your setup is mainly limited by the graphics card, and performance drops because the GPU struggles with rendering. Even a high-end card like a 2080 Ti can only maintain smooth 60fps at 4K, especially under demanding conditions. True 4K gaming remains in its early stages. The jump from 1080p to 4K is significant—driving four times the pixels is a major challenge. Ampere and RDNA2 might finally improve things, but right now it’s still a developing area. It’s hard to see just how much of an improvement 4K brings. You’re essentially dealing with massive increases in pixel count; it’s impressive you can run your machine at that resolution, likely because of the game being less demanding. The issue isn’t just about resolution—it’s about how the GPU handles the workload.
The game automatically distributes threads across four CPU cores. I haven’t forced them to use specific cores to check performance effects yet. In some cases, having threads spread evenly avoids bottlenecks and boosts FPS noticeably. For example, comparing a 3570k (4 cores, 4 threads) with an unoverclocked 4790k (4 cores, 8 threads), the latter often achieves higher FPS in dense areas despite using more cores. We can compare identical settings and still see the 4790k outperforming by 20–30 FPS or more. A 980 is starting to feel outdated, especially at 4K resolution.
Taxing GPU is rare; usually it's the CPU when frame rates drop. Keep in mind, running 4K demands a lot from a 980. Check for dual-channel RAM and watch out for CPU throttling. Try playing on 7 with relaxed settings—visual changes are minimal but performance suffers. For games like WoW at 4K, a 6700 chip can still handle a 5700 or 2070, giving you solid results. Just remember, upgrading later means your CPU will likely be the bottleneck during intense gameplay.
It shows some quirks from the side of coding. You can still run programs on four cores easily, but you need to adjust how the app runs to make better use of them. This happens in many games. When a game improves with more cores or threads, it means the developers are using a better parallelization method, letting the operating system handle scheduling. If it doesn’t keep improving beyond four cores, they likely kept the original single-threaded code and only added some extra tasks to threads manually.