Am I bottlenecking

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spledang

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Apr 2, 2009
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Hello,

So I just received my MSI GTX 1080 Gaming X and I'm a bit surprised at the fps I'm getting. I primarily play Overwatch and the reason to upgrading my GPU was to have a stable fps over 144 since it would dip below at some points during gameplay. I've always played on low trying to get over 144 fps because of my 144hz monitor. I feel as if my fps didn't really jump up much... I was expecting on LOW settings (because I'm use to playing like that) to get easily 200+ fps constant but I'm not.

Before I get asked about my GPU
-It's correctly installed onto the motherboard
-I have the correct updated drivers
-It's not plugged into my motherboards VGA/DVI/HDMI
-It's recognized on both Windows and the game

Do I have a bottleneck situation?

CURRENT SPECS

MONITOR: ASUS VG248QE 144hz 1ms
OS: Windows 7
CPU: I5 3570 @ 3.4ghz
RAM: RIPJAWS 12gb ram 1600 spd
PSU: XFX 750w
GPU: MSI GTX 660 Twin Frozr was my previous GPU (now 1080)

I'm thinking it must be the CPU and RAM but then I don't want to spend more money... If it is those problems...

1) Is the 7700k worth getting over the 6700k? (gaming and video editing purposes)
2) I don't plan on overclocking ever, anyone recommend a certain motherboard for my situation?
3) Is DDR4 that much better than DDR3? or is DDR5 ever coming out? I'll be buying the max ram possible.
4) Where do most people buy their stuff from now? Newegg? Amazon? I'm located in California.

MONEY MONEY MONEY! LOL it's been 3 years since I upgraded by the way.

Thanks for any recommendations or opinions. I always come here for help on previous upgrades.
 
Solution
elbert
Your 750w should be more than enough for a single 1080. You will need windows 10 for the new 7000 series builds. If you want to stick with windows 7 I suggest you find a 3770k on ebay. Windows 10 is a headache but what can you do if the new hardware requires the OS. A 3770K and wait for windows 10 to get better.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($343.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z270XP-SLI ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($139.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill TridentZ Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($179.99 @...
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Ecky

Ecky

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Feb 3, 2013
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A CPU is capable of delivering a certain framerate, regardless of graphical settings or what GPU you have. Raising settings can, of course, lower your framerate below that, but you can never get above what your CPU can deliver. You're definitely seeing your CPU prevent higher framerates.
 
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A

aquielisunari

Judicious
Mar 31, 2011
6,499
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Agreed. Your CPU is the weakest link. Yes, you should see significant gameplay improvement with the 6700. Stock cooling? If you want to go for an after-market cooler and want a suggestion I would need to know which case you have. If your case is 8" wide https://www.amazon.com/CRYORIG-Tower-Cooler-Intel-CPUs/dp/B00S7YA5FQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1485826047&sr=1-1&keywords=Cryorig+H7 is my suggestion.

1. not imo. Purchase the 6700 i7 instead. Wasted money on the K version for those not overclocking.

2. https://www.amazon.com/MSI-Skylake-B150-Motherboard-M3/dp/B014YN6732/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1485825676&sr=1-2&keywords=H110&refinements=p_72%3A2661618011

3. Not a whole lot. Nothing that would move me(DDR3 user) to upgrade. Why 64GB RAM? Professional video editing, Auto CAD???

4. Both. Some choose to go with a suggested retailer after designing their rig with http://pcpartpicker.com/ . My parts all came from Amazon.



 
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mcconkeymike

mcconkeymike

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Dec 31, 2007
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I think part of the problem is if you are running a GTX with a 1080p monitor. Even at 144hz, the 1080 is not going to be able to stretch its legs and therefore won't show you what its got. With the GTX 1080 you should be running at least a 1440p monitor if not 4k. With the higher resolutions it will take some of the strain off of the CPU and make the GPU actually do a little work. Yes your CPU is older, but it is not old. The 3570k is still a very viable processor, you just have to get a higher resolution monitor and crank up the prettiness of your video settings. As for the amount of RAM you have, there is no need to purchase more unless you are running low on memory and getting memory errors while doing tasks.
 
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geofelt

geofelt

Titan
Oct 9, 2006
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Likely, the 3.4 clock rate will not let you reach your desired fps levels.
Here is a sort of back handed way to check this.
limit the maximum cpu% to something like 70%.
Go to control panel/power options/change plan settings/change advanced power settings/processor power management/maximum processor state/
This will simulate what a lack of cpu power will do.
Conversely what a 30% improvement in core speed might do.

Currently, the strongest gaming cpu you can buy would be the I7-7700K which runs at 4.2 with a higher turbo.
It will do that on a basic B250 motherboard without any overclocking.
But, I would buy a Z270 motherboard anyway to keep open the option for overclocking in the future.
About half I7-7700K samples will do 5.0 when overclocked.

To answer your questions:

1. Worth is something only YOU can determine. Since the i7-6700K and i7-7700K are priced similarly, I would always go with newer tech.
In particular, the 200 series chipset will enable optane ram. Max ram will be 64gb.

2. Here is a list of what you get with different chipsets. Mainly, the Z270 chipset enables dual gpu(which I do not recommend).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGA_1151

3. No, actual performance with DDR4 vs. DDR3 is similar.
Here is a study on ddr4
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1478-page1.html

Quantity of ram trumps ram speed.

DDR5 is used in ram speed critical applications like graphics cards; I would not expect it to show up in retail soon.

Similar findings on ddr3. Note that new tech needs low voltage ddr3l and a max of 32gb. You likely do not want to go ddr3.

4. I buy most on newegg, and perhaps on amazon if newegg does not have it.
 
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mcconkeymike

mcconkeymike

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Ok, you are right, I didn't word it correctly. If you increase the resolution and quality settings of the gpu it will force the gpu to work harder and therefor show a more equalized amount of workload between the CPU/GPU. That is if one is not completely incapable. But with the 3570k and the 1080 if the user is gaming at 1440p 144hz or 4k the increase in work load of the GPU should show closer to that of the CPU and therefore not suggest such a bottleneck. I know this to be true because it was similar with me when I was running my 4670k OC to 4.6 and a 980ti on a 1080p 60hz monitor and my GPU was barely doing anything usage wise. Once I jumped up to 4k and nothing else changed both my CPU and GPU were having usage in the mid to upper 90s.
 
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getochkn

getochkn

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Jul 2, 2006
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Ya I provided empirical evidence, actual benchmarks of the same GPU with different CPU's and shows that theirs is unable to sustain 144hz, but whatever, everyone goes on about drivers.

It's a CPU heavy game as said. Newer,. faster and more cores, eats it up.
 
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elbert

elbert

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Jan 11, 2005
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These benchmarks clearly say otherwise as the i5 3470 only drops to 120fps with ultra settings. His CPU should be enough to power 1080p 144hz.
CPU_01.png
 
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getochkn

getochkn

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Jul 2, 2006
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I find no CPU difference, only GPU with switches in overwatch from low-med-high-ultra graphics. It's a CPU game. And he says he can hit, but get dips, that shows that a min of 120 is a dip below 144.

Also, benchmark systems are usually not real world system. They are a fresh install of windows and the game and run with nothing going.

Overwatch can also vary a lot depending on the map, so a benchmark done with AI might be very different than a 6v6 map like the new CTF one with phsyics generated fireworks going off all the time.
 
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elbert

elbert

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Jan 11, 2005
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You have optimize a bit more than just changing easy presets. Go to Documents > Overwatch > Settings > Overwatch and open the file Setting_v0 with a text editor.

Replace the entires with the ones written below and then save the file to apply the changes to the game. Please ensure that you replace the xxx entries with your monitor's refresh rate and native resolution. Set the X's to your monitor settings.

[Render.13]
AADetail = “0”
DirectionalShadowDetail = “0”
DynamicAmbient = “0”
EffectsQuality = “1”
FullScreenHeight = “xxxx”
FullScreenRefresh = “xxx”
FullScreenWidth = “xxxx”
FullscreenWindow = “0”
FullscreenWindowEnabled = “0”
GFXPresetLevel = “5”
LimitToRefresh = “0”
LocalFogDetail = “1”
LocalReflections = “0”
MaxAnisotropy = “16”
MaxEffectsAnisotropy = “8”
MaxExtraQualityAnisotropy = “16”
MaximizedWindow = “0”
RefractionDetail = “0”
RenderBrightness = “0.008507”
RenderContrast = “1.027341”
RenderScale = “0”
ShowFPSCounter = “1”
SimpleDirectionalShadows = “0”
SSAOEnabled = “0”
SSLRDetailLevel = “0”
TranslucentShadowDetail = “4”
TripleBufferingEnabled = “0”
UseGPUScale = “0”
WindowedFullscreen = “1”
WindowedHeight = “1003”
WindowedPosX = “0”
WindowedPosY = “0”
WindowedWidth = “1628”
WindowMode = “1”

 
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spledang

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So after going through different settings I couldn't really get my FPS to jump up much and I saw my CPU constantly being used at 90% or higher. I never upgrade or treat myself so I decidedI'm going to just make the jump and buy the upgrades that are "the best" money can buy. I've always done video editing and done my gaming on basically minimum requirements so I figured I won't do this for another 3 years+ anyways. Thanks for all of the replies I got but now I need more recommendations to build my new PC!

Here are my current specs of everything and my plans on updating them. Please let me know what you think I should be getting for my situation.

1. Operating System is Windows 7. I've read articles of Windows 10 being good and bad. What is your guys experience and opinion on that?
2. Motherboard recommendations? I saw someone mention z270. I want something that utilizes new gen i7 processors, doesn't need to be used for overclocking (doesn't hurt if it has it though), I only need 1 GPU slot (I don't plan on doing SLI for the GTX 1080), and 3200 speed for 32gb ram.
3. I'd imagine all RAM is the same but any recommendations on one for 32gb? I was planning on getting DDR4 Ripjaws 2x16gb ram. I use primarily After Effects, Premiere, Photoshop, Lightroom, and possibly might get into 3D programs for future job purposes.
4.I think I'm set on getting the i7 because I just want what's most recent and highest core clock out of the box. I read reviews that it get's really hot. If so, any recommendations on cooling?
5. Currently own an Antec 1100 but giving my setup to my brother. After watching a bunch of youtube videos on PC cases I'm kind of lost because so many choices but there were things I liked and wrote down. There wasn't really a case that had all these notes but if you guys have one to recommend with most of these I'd appreciate it. No real price limit but I'd like to at least keep it under 200 if it's a full tower and around 100 if it's a mid tower.
-I wouldn't mind getting a full tower incase I did need or wanted to do all that fancy cooling
-I want one with removable drive bays for the extra space and clean look
-I want one with the PSU shroud that covers the bottom wiring and looks nice
-I game with headphones but I guess the sound dampening on cases would be nice not required though
-I would love an easy access to the side panels (like the Corsair Graphite Series) but I'm use to the screws
-I thought the whole glass side panels was really cool for display (Corsair Tempered Glass Crystal Series)
-I'd like something with at least one fan on the front and possibly top (more the better)
6. Will my 750watt power supply be solid to power all this stuff? I'd imagine it's fine since newer GPUs and CPUs are meant to be running on lower wattage but I'm not really sure.

I'll be purchasing this stuff ASAP from either Newegg or Amazon or both. I don't know too many websites other than those but I'm totally open to it if I can save more money (I also live next to a Frys). Thanks again for all the replies I do appreciate all the help.
 
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elbert

elbert

Glorious
Jan 11, 2005
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Your 750w should be more than enough for a single 1080. You will need windows 10 for the new 7000 series builds. If you want to stick with windows 7 I suggest you find a 3770k on ebay. Windows 10 is a headache but what can you do if the new hardware requires the OS. A 3770K and wait for windows 10 to get better.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($343.89 @ OutletPC)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG H7 49.0 CFM CPU Cooler ($34.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-Z270XP-SLI ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($139.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Memory: G.Skill TridentZ Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($179.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Cooler Master Storm Trooper ATX Full Tower Case ($148.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.58 @ OutletPC)
Total: $936.32
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-01 13:27 EST-0500
 
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Solution
st3v30

st3v30

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Nov 1, 2014
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I would not recommend Gigabyte Z270 mobo atm since they have problem with CPU voltage.
Asus and MSI offer best boards atm.

So something like this

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($349.99 @ Newegg)
CPU Cooler: be quiet! Dark Rock Pro 3 67.8 CFM Fluid Dynamic Bearing CPU Cooler ($100.30 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Asus PRIME Z270-A ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($169.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-3200 Memory ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Case: Fractal Design Define R5 (Titanium) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($92.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $913.25
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-01 13:47 EST-0500

You can always add more RAM later if you need.

What is your current motherboard??
 
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WildCard999

WildCard999

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Moderator
Jul 18, 2014
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*If* Overwatch does utilize the additional HT of a i7 then I would consider a 1155 socket Xeon, provided your motherboard will support it, since there typically cheaper then a i7. You'll probably be better off upgrading CPU/RAM/MB in the long run but if your on a tight budget a Xeon such as the Intel Xeon E3-1230 V2 might be something worth looking into.
 
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