i3-4160 + GTX 1060 6GB - Need CPU Upgrade?

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MrN1ce9uy

MrN1ce9uy

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Aug 20, 2009
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I have i3-4160 and ordered EVGA GTX 1060 SC 6GB. I know my CPU already get's bottlenecked running certain games such as GTA 5 and AC Unity. I just don't know if I should purchase a cheap/used i5 or go for the 4690k. If I get a cheap i5, I would likely be saving for a new CPU + mobo setup after a year or so I'd imagine. What do you think?

I'd really like to keep using my i3 4160. I might just see how it handles Battlefield 1. I also have been waiting to play For Honor when it comes out.
 
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The cheapest answer is: wait for the GTX1060 and see what you get, then decide what to do from there.

If you are already leaning towards replacing the MoBo+CPU+RAM anyway, may as well wait and see what Kaby Lake and Zen will bring to the table.
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Titan
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May 18, 2007
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The cheapest answer is: wait for the GTX1060 and see what you get, then decide what to do from there.

If you are already leaning towards replacing the MoBo+CPU+RAM anyway, may as well wait and see what Kaby Lake and Zen will bring to the table.
 
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Titan
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The difference between i3 and i5 can be quite significant in some games. It depends on how much actual concurrent multi-threading the game does. In games and applications with little to no concurrent threading, you are correct, there will be little to no difference between the i3 and i5 because there isn't enough concurrent code to make the differences significant.
 
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MrN1ce9uy

MrN1ce9uy

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Aug 20, 2009
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Yes, it's been an ongoing debate within myself of whether or not to upgrade. I keep upgrading my GPU, which does net more frames per second, but those CPU intensive games... I just don't know. I'm leaning towards getting an i5-4590 sometime in the near future. It's just as fast or faster than the i5-6400. 4690k is just too expensive I think, especially since I have an H81 motherboard. But waiting for Zen and Kaby Lake would be wise.
 
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Ecky

Ecky

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Feb 3, 2013
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It's good marketing. Might as well move to the new platform, and buy one of Intel's new chipsets while you're at it. Meanwhile the older chips hold their value because newer ones aren't much faster.
 
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Titan
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May 18, 2007
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I'm still using an i5-3470 and at the rate CPUs have been improving over the past five years, I don't expect to have an urge to upgrade it any time soon. CPU performance progress has slowed down to the point where most people can afford to stretch CPUs for 5+ years without missing out on much when they buy a CPU appropriate for their typical use up-front. That's why I went with the i5 instead of i3: I knew I'd have an itch to replace the i3 after 2-3 years, so I decided to spend $50 extra up-front for the i5 instead of writing off a $300 i3+MoBo+RAM.
 
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