What is necessary to maximize your Apex Legends performance?
What is necessary to maximize your Apex Legends performance?
Hello!
I’m seeking some tips to maximize my investment while playing Apex Legends.
My current setup was:
- i5 4590
- R9 390
- 8 GB DDR3 RAM
- 250 GB SSD
- 2 TB HDD
- GIGABYTE GA-Z97P-D3 motherboard
- Cooler Master V650 PSU
- Windows 10
- Basic 1080p monitor at 60Hz
I recently swapped my GPU for a MSI GTX 1080Ti with 11GB of memory.
My RAM was upgraded to 16GB, and I got a 1080p monitor that supports 165Hz.
Currently, I’m getting around 70-120 FPS at 1080p. It’s not very steady, but it’s a big improvement over my old 60Hz display.
I still play other games, but I think my old i5 is limiting performance. (CPU usage is usually 95%-99% during gameplay, sometimes freezing at full load).
I’m hoping to upgrade my system affordably so I can consistently hit 144Hz or 165Hz in Apex Legends.
For this, I’d like to know:
- Can the 1080Ti GPU really sustain 144FPS or even 165FPS continuously?
- If not, I should stop upgrading for this title.
- If it can, what CPU, motherboard, or RAM would work best to make it possible?
I want to avoid overspending and just get what I need.
I’ve done my research, but I’m not up to date enough. I really appreciate any advice you can give. I don’t have a preference for AMD or Intel, but I’d like to see both options.
Thanks!
John
What budget are you managing and where are you purchasing from?
I was checking 4th gen i7 models a few weeks back, but I'm still unsure if they'll meet my expectations. I find FPS calculators to be questionable in reliability, and it seems upgrading the CPU for this socket won't solve the issue. I have some budget to spend, but I don't want to overspend unnecessarily. I'm hoping a €300-350 investment will be enough for the task. (This is for a new or used CPU/MOBO/RAM combination).
It seems a 11th gen i5 could work. I've heard mixed reviews about 11th and 12th generation Intel chips. Still, I'm not too concerned. Would you recommend going with AMD instead? Many people say it's better for gaming, but I'm not sure. It really depends on the actual clock speeds and cache memory inside the CPU.
For me, the 1080ti performs exceptionally well, and I'm very satisfied with it. I plan to look into the 2xxx Ryzen series to verify.
Everything up to the 12th generation Intel is acceptable. The 13 and 14 generation K models have some performance issues. The 11th generation has faced criticism, and honestly, unless you manage to assemble a complete system from parts, it might not be worth the effort. The 12th generation offers great pricing now, but that advantage is diminishing as components become scarce and prices rise.
AM4 remains a solid choice even with age, and there are still some excellent deals on new CPUs in the US. Motherboards often pose the biggest challenge in this area.
AM5 seems to be the top choice for consumer gaming CPUs right now. This would also be a solid investment. It’s clear that anything in this category will surpass the performance of older models like the 1080ti. It will quickly become a bottleneck for future upgrades. With your 1080 monitor, this shouldn’t pose an immediate problem.
Because reducing settings doesn't make a difference, I think your CPU is the main issue.
The best processor your motherboard can handle is the I7-4790K.
You can find one on eBay for around $55.
With a good cooler, you might be able to push it overclock by about 25%.
Beyond that, you'll need a better CPU, a suitable motherboard, and possibly more RAM.
Not likely, it’s definitely RAM. Only the fourth generation with DDR3 is practical. A hybrid DDR3L 6th gen board paired with a CPU isn’t wise.
And for these options, it’s probably best to consider a 1TB NVMe SSD.
Thank you for your update, it's understood. I'll continue using 1080p as requested.
The 13th and 14th generation SKU processors experienced issues.
Initial reports appeared in 2022 and became more common in 2023.
The underlying problem has been resolved since the summer of 2024.
For details from a trusted source, Intel's community page is referenced.
https://community.intel.com/t5/Mobi...en...-p/1633442
The most recent updates are from May 2025.
https://community.intel.com/t5/Mobi...-V...-p/1686948