Your CPU usage below 100% suggests the GPU might be limiting performance.
Your CPU usage below 100% suggests the GPU might be limiting performance.
I've been considering a CPU upgrade. My current setup has an 8700 and an RTX 3080 with 10GB of VRAM. However, the CPU usage is around 50-80% during games. Does that suggest it's not worth it to just replace the GPU?
Your target performance is clear, and your current setup seems to fall short. In your case, it appears you're experiencing CPU soft limiting. For processors with HT or SMT, usage is displayed in terms of time rather than throughput. At half capacity you're essentially using all available cores. The improvement between 50% and 100% isn't consistent compared to lower usage levels.
The best approach to identify a CPU or GPU bottleneck is to examine GPU utilization. If the GPU is consistently at 90% or higher, it indicates a GPU bottleneck. Otherwise, the issue likely lies with the CPU or memory. Because most games are single-threaded, a 50% utilization might mean either all cores are balanced or three are idle while others remain inactive, making CPU analysis less useful.
My suggestion is to explore alternatives for your hobby, you've mastered PC upgrades XD
An 8700 and a 3080 are an ok combo. Yes that's a minor cpu bottleneck but not one I'd personally upgrade for. If you felt the need to upgrade, honestly you could claw back quite a bit by going and finding a 8700k and running 5ghz OC if your current motherboard and cooling system could handle it. 9900k would be an option, but they are stupid expensive and just not worth it... Otherwise you need a whole new motherboard and cpu...