Gaming Perfomance: GPU vs CPU

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Roachie_NM

Commendable
Feb 1, 2017
2
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My Rig:

i3 3240 @3.4Ghz (not sure of the core, think 2 physical)
GTX 960 2GB
8GB DDr3 1333Mhz Ram
24" Dell Monitor

I want to know if it is worth getting a GTX 1060/1070 or should I upgrade my mobo, ram and cpu first?
 
Solution
geofelt
I suspect you are relatively well balanced now, cpu vs. gpu.
FWIW, I3-3240 has 2 cores but 4 threads.

Here is my stock approach to your question:
Some games are graphics limited like fast action shooters.
Others are cpu core speed limited like strategy, sims, and mmo.
Multiplayer with many participants tend to like many threads.

You need to find out which.
------------------------------------------------------------
To help clarify your CPU/GPU options, run these two tests:

a) Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

b) Limit your cpu...
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Roachie_NM

Commendable
Feb 1, 2017
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I just need a general direction of what to go for which will be able to play the newer games like rise of the tomb raider on very high/ultra graphics in 1080p,
 
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dudeman509

Dignified
Jan 23, 2015
4,077
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For that game specifically, GPU. GTX 1060 should do it. Your i3 is still decently strong; somewhere a bit less than the more modern i3-6100 and somewhere more than the G3258.

http://www.techspot.com/review/1128-rise-of-the-tomb-raider-benchmarks/page5.html
^They test CPU performance on a strong graphics card like a 980ti to eliminate the GPU as a bottleneck.

Now when you bring CPU-heavy games like BF1 into the mix, and then it becomes more of a CPU bottleneck.
 
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SammChisnall

SammChisnall

Distinguished
Sep 12, 2012
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Personally if you can't afford to upgrade both i would do the CPU and Motherboard. You will see a huge performance boost from upgrading to something like an i5 6600/7600 from your current i3.

If you upgrade your GPU to anything more powerful than say an RX460/1050Ti then chances are the i3 will bottleneck it.
 
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James Mason

James Mason

Titan
Jan 2, 2014
13,553
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74,965
A 960 is pretty okay, but newer will have increasingly high graphics demands, BUT your CPU is gonna be a bigger problem to entry than anything else.

Here's a solid upgrade that will last you for, like 3 years CPU wise. Then in like eh 6+ months get a new GPU, which may be a 1060 or an 1160.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1230 V2 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor ($258.51 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG C7 40.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($27.45 @ Newegg Marketplace)
Memory: PNY Anarchy 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory ($81.34 @ Amazon)
Total: $367.30
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-02-01 11:47 EST-0500
 
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geofelt

geofelt

Titan
Oct 9, 2006
54,291
4,145
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I suspect you are relatively well balanced now, cpu vs. gpu.
FWIW, I3-3240 has 2 cores but 4 threads.

Here is my stock approach to your question:
Some games are graphics limited like fast action shooters.
Others are cpu core speed limited like strategy, sims, and mmo.
Multiplayer with many participants tend to like many threads.

You need to find out which.
------------------------------------------------------------
To help clarify your CPU/GPU options, run these two tests:

a) Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

b) Limit your cpu, either by reducing the OC, or, in windows power management, 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.

You should also experiment with removing one core. You can do this in the windows msconfig boot advanced options option.
You will need to reboot for the change to take effect. Set the number of processors to less than you have.
This will tell you how sensitive your games are to the benefits of many threads.

If your FPS drops significantly, it is an indicator that your cpu is the limiting factor, and a cpu upgrade is in order.

It is possible that both tests are positive, indicating that you have a well balanced system,
and both cpu and gpu need to be upgraded to get better gaming FPS.
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