Bottleneck with I7 4790k and GTX 760

Jlg823

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Dec 26, 2013
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So I currently don't have the processor but I have the GPU.
By the end of the year I will have the processor, since I have to switch from AMD so I'm spending $600
I was wondering if by ANY chance will the GTX 760 bottleneck the i7-4790k?
 
Solution
You may find my tweaking guide useful:

1) Determine if screen tearing is annoying or not by turning VSYNC OFF. If it's not then simply tweak settings to maintain at least 40FPS (using FRAPS) average and you're done.

If screen tearing is annoying then continue to STEP #2.


2) Start FRAPS. Start Game. VSYNC is OFF (for now).

3) Tweak the various quality settings (AA, Shadows, resolution) for the best experience while maintaining 60FPS at least 90% of the time (for a 60Hz monitor).

4) If you can maintain MAXIMUM QUALITY while always above 60FPS (for 60Hz monitor) then enable VSYNC and you're done. If not...

5) Then force on Adaptive VSYNC for the game in the NVidia Control Panel ("Manage 3D Settings"..."Add game"...)

Other:
for...
There is ALWAYS a bottleneck.

A bottleneck simply means the main component that prevents, in the case of gaming, a higher frame rate at the same settings. It should be noted that:

1) A bottleneck can switch from CPU to GPU especially if they are well balanced.

2) One game might have the CPU as the bottleneck and another might be bottlenecked by the GPU. For YOUR SYSTEM it would almost always be the GPU that is the bottleneck (a faster video card would help; a faster CPU would not).

3) You don't necessarily "need" a better video card. If your goal is to achieve 60FPS (i.e. 90% of the time using Adaptive VSYNC) or possibly 40FPS with VSYNC OFF then simply tweak the game settings to achieve that.

SKYRIM for example on a 60Hz monitor with your current setup at 1080p can easily maintain 60FPS (VSYNC is on by default). You would only benefit with a GTX970 graphics card if you wanted to put on graphically intensive mods (even then be careful as some are demanding).

SUMMARY:
*Your bottleneck is the GPU. It doesn't mean you "need" a better one.
 

Jlg823

Distinguished
Dec 26, 2013
478
2
18,815


The main reason why I want this CPU is because of Arma 3, It's a CPU intensive game compared to many, also Its only benefited by Intel. AMD sucks unless highly overclocked. Upgrading from a Radeon 7790 to a GTX 760 made 0 performance differences.
 
You may find my tweaking guide useful:

1) Determine if screen tearing is annoying or not by turning VSYNC OFF. If it's not then simply tweak settings to maintain at least 40FPS (using FRAPS) average and you're done.

If screen tearing is annoying then continue to STEP #2.


2) Start FRAPS. Start Game. VSYNC is OFF (for now).

3) Tweak the various quality settings (AA, Shadows, resolution) for the best experience while maintaining 60FPS at least 90% of the time (for a 60Hz monitor).

4) If you can maintain MAXIMUM QUALITY while always above 60FPS (for 60Hz monitor) then enable VSYNC and you're done. If not...

5) Then force on Adaptive VSYNC for the game in the NVidia Control Panel ("Manage 3D Settings"..."Add game"...)

Other:
for 144Hz monitors you can force on the "Half Adaptive VSYNC" method. This synchs at 72FPS if you can output at least 72FPS but auto disables if not.

SUMMARY:
*The secret to proper PC gaming is to know what your GOAL is when tweaking the settings rather than just picking "Medium" and hoping for the best. For that you should understand how VSYNC ON, VSYNC OFF, and Adaptive VSYNC differ and tweak accordingly.

This probably will take a little bit of use to sink in so I suggest copying it for reference.
 
Solution