[SOLVED] ~$500 Budget Upgrade!

[Syndragy]

Hello folks, tried r/buildapc, but got only one input, so I had to come back back here as I know numerous helpers are around and vocal.

I've had the same components for about 2-3 years as I built it during my early years of high school.

They were good enough for me as I mainly only played CS:GO, D3, Black Desert Online, and LoL but I've been playing a lot of Warzone exclusively and definitely need an upgrade.

I currently run Warzone on nearly the lowest settings possible, including render resolution (1267 x 713, 66 @ 1507/2007 MB VRAM Usage).

I get around 50 fps on the Warzone screen and 40-60 in-game(35-40 parachuting) during solos and nothing else, but Warzone open; 90% CPU utilization.


One fellow from r/buildapc recommended me a 1660 Super with a 4th gen i7 processor, but I wanted more input from others.

(Full)Specs are:
CPU - Intel Core i3-4360 3.7 GHz Dual-Core Processor
Motherboard - Gigabyte GA-B85M-DS3H-A Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
GPU - ASUS Geforce GTX 750TI-OC-2GD5
RAM - Corsair Vengeance LP 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR3-1600 CL10 Memory + Unifosa 4GB (2 x 2GB_ DDR3-1600
SSD - Samsung 860 Evo 500 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
HDD - Seagate Desktop HDD 4 TB 3.5" 5900RPM Internal Hard Drive


Tl;dr Would like to be able to up rendering for Warzone, but be at a consistent 60+ FPS with a budget of around $500. Not opposed to going AMD if more cost efficient.

Thanks in advance, let me know if any more information is needed.

 

[Cere]

Here's a couple options for you:
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/XX4PzN

System Builder

pcpartpicker.com

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/NFJr3F

As much as I recommend upgrading to an i5, truth is that an i3 will run most games. It is more ideal though to spend the money on a graphics card now and then look at upgrading the CPU down the road. A 1660 is ok, but its low grade compared to a 1070. But these are the 3 options I'd suggest you look at, but really consider just spending the $500 on a new GPU now and upgrade the CPU later.

 

[boju]

i7 4790 might be worth a look if price is right. On eBay in the US (is that where you're situated?) there's one going for $60 with a few bids going, true condition unknown. Always taking a risk with 2nd hand and there's other's going for 100~130$+ but still kinda expensive for old parts albeit the rest of your system is still very usable and could use the doh on a stronger gpu like the one suggested.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=4790&_trksid=p2380057.m4084.l1313.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.X4790.TRS0

What cpu cooler are you using? If consider upgrading to an i7, make sure the cooler is good enough and paste will need to be reapplied.

Also what psu do you have?

 

[Syndragy]

i7 4790 might be worth a look if price is right. On eBay in the US (is that where you're situated?) there's one going for $60 with a few bids going, true condition unknown. Always taking a risk with 2nd hand and there's other's going for 100~130$+ but still kinda expensive for old parts albeit the rest of your system is still very usable and could use the doh on a stronger gpu like the one suggested.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=4790&_trksid=p2380057.m4084.l1313.TR12.TRC2.A0.H0.X4790.TRS0

What cpu cooler are you using? If consider upgrading to an i7, make sure the cooler is good enough and paste will need to be reapplied.

Also what psu do you have?

Yep, I am in the US. I'll keep an eye out for that auction, if I do go with that processor, thank you.

And are you referring to the 1070 recommended above or 1660 super for GPU?

I am using a stock cpu cooler that came with the 4360.

Lastly, I am running an Antec TruePower Classic 750w PSU

 

[Syndragy]

Here's a couple options for you:
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/XX4PzN

System Builder

pcpartpicker.com

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/NFJr3F

As much as I recommend upgrading to an i5, truth is that an i3 will run most games. It is more ideal though to spend the money on a graphics card now and then look at upgrading the CPU down the road. A 1660 is ok, but its low grade compared to a 1070. But these are the 3 options I'd suggest you look at, but really consider just spending the $500 on a new GPU now and upgrade the CPU later.

Am I underestimating how much impact a GPU has on performance? I would've imagined many people telling me to toss out my dual core processor haha

 

[Cere]

Am I underestimating how much impact a GPU has on performance? I would've imagined many people telling me to toss out my dual core processor haha

For gaming, the GPU is by far the most important aspect. The CPU is only used to process a small amount of things, and the GPU does all the work. Prime example, My CPU does not hit more then 30% usage, but my GPU is hitting 96-98%. Granted you'll use more CPU on a lower end chipset, but as long as it's still in the range of what the game creators suggest, then you'll be fine and enjoy higher FPS.

 

[boju]

1070/1660s about the same. 1660s is newer and more in supply so would expect it to be cheaper.

See benchmarks regarding gpu performance across many games. Yes, 750Ti is getting loooong in the tooth 🙂

Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super Review

Just in time for the holiday shopping season, we have not one but two new Super graphics cards from Nvidia. So what's new on the GTX 1660...

www.techspot.com

If you upgrade, you'll be needing a better cooler. Hyper 212 Evo would be cool if case allows the height of the heatsink.

 

[boju]

In relation between cpu and gpu, the cpu does a lot more than it's been given credit. Cpu is responsible for feeding the graphics card.

See video, he explains well about frame pre-rendering.

 

[Cere]

1070/1660s about the same. 1660s is newer and more in supply so would expect it to be cheaper.

See benchmarks regarding gpu performance across many games. Yes, 750Ti is getting loooong in the tooth 🙂

Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Super Review

Just in time for the holiday shopping season, we have not one but two new Super graphics cards from Nvidia. So what's new on the GTX 1660...

www.techspot.com

If you upgrade, you'll be needing a better cooler. Hyper 212 Evo would be cool if case allows the height of the heatsink.

There's pros and cons to the 1660 Super though. A base benchmark is ok, but many could benchmark and get different results. But the comparison of how fast it actually processes is better. As far as cost goes, thee 1660 was created as a cheaper version of the 10 and 20 series chips, and no one really buys them unless they want to save money during the build. They've been really obsolete in comparison to the other options, especially when it comes to 4K.

http://hwbench.com/vgas/geforce-gtx-1660-super-vs-geforce-gtx-1070

 

[boju]

Hwbench is a good comparison too but i like Techspot because it compares more graphics cards in charts over a higher variety of games.

 

[Cere]

In relation between cpu and gpu, the cpu does a lot more than it's been given credit. Cpu is responsible for feeding the graphics card.

See video, he explains well about frame pre-rendering.

Ok, one big problem with the video, he doesn't actually talk much about what he's using for a GPU. In fact, he mentions the GPU is integrated into the CPU. In this case, yes the CPU will have higher stress on it as it's handling the whole load. Whereas when you have a separate GPU, the CPU is not actually being used much at all. The CPU doesn't deliver or render any frames for a game, it does however process the actions you take and transfer those actions to the game for rendering. If playing online, the CPU will send the same information to the network card to be sent out to the server. That is literally all the CPU is doing as it pertains to gaming when you have a GPU card.

 

[Cere]

Hwbench is a good comparison too but i like Techspot because it compares more graphics cards in charts over a higher variety of games.

They're both good, but hwbench does break down all the differences between cards and give a great comparison. In this case it breaks it down enough for someone to know if they would want to spend the little extra for the niceties such as better 4kk resolution, etc.

 

[Syndragy]

For gaming, the GPU is by far the most important aspect. The CPU is only used to process a small amount of things, and the GPU does all the work. Prime example, My CPU does not hit more then 30% usage, but my GPU is hitting 96-98%. Granted you'll use more CPU on a lower end chipset, but as long as it's still in the range of what the game creators suggest, then you'll be fine and enjoy higher FPS.

While in game (Warzone), my cpu fluctuates from 70 to 100% usage, gpu is pretty much always at 99/100% usage

 

[boju]

Ok, one big problem with the video, he doesn't actually talk much about what he's using for a GPU. In fact, he mentions the GPU is integrated into the CPU. In this case, yes the CPU will have higher stress on it as it's handling the whole load. Whereas when you have a separate GPU, the CPU is not actually being used much at all. The CPU doesn't deliver or render any frames for a game, it does however process the actions you take and transfer those actions to the game for rendering. If playing online, the CPU will send the same information to the network card to be sent out to the server. That is literally all the CPU is doing as it pertains to gaming when you have a GPU card.

It's about frame pre-rendering, it's not specifically about the graphics card and i assure you an igpu won't be getting up to 144fps in bf1 so can assume a decent gpu is in it.

Fact of the matter is, the cpu plays a huge part in running a graphics card.

 

[Syndragy]

There's pros and cons to the 1660 Super though. A base benchmark is ok, but many could benchmark and get different results. But the comparison of how fast it actually processes is better. As far as cost goes, thee 1660 was created as a cheaper version of the 10 and 20 series chips, and no one really buys them unless they want to save money during the build. They've been really obsolete in comparison to the other options, especially when it comes to 4K.

http://hwbench.com/vgas/geforce-gtx-1660-super-vs-geforce-gtx-1070

I don't plan to go 4k for a while; as you can see, it took me 2-3 years to decide to spent $500 on upgrading haha.

Either way though I was going to get watch some auctions and see if I could get a good buy on either of the gpus recommended.

Now, any more recommendations on a CPU? Also, I will definitely be upgrading my cpu cooler as well, but that will not be included in budget.

 

[Cere]

I don't plan to go 4k for a while; as you can see, it took me 2-3 years to decide to spent $500 on upgrading haha.

Either way though I was going to get watch some auctions and see if I could get a good buy on either of the gpus recommended

Also watch for a 20 series GPU. If you can get one of them for a good price, then you'd be set for at least 3 more years unless games get to GPU extensive, which I doubt they would outlive the GPU that quick.

 

[Cere]

It's about frame pre-rendering, it's not specifically about the graphics card and i assure you an igpu won't be getting up to 144fps in bf1 so can assume a decent gpu is in it.

Fact of the matter is, the cpu plays a huge part in running a graphics card.

What you're talking about is built into the GPUs. In the old days, it is true the CPU did do this. But GPUs have came a long way since and have that built into them now.

Nvidia speeds up the game with smart pre-rendering

Click the mouse, see something happen. Nvidia revamps pre-rendering scheme to keep up with AMD’s similar feature and improve game play. Back in 2015 or earlier, Nvidia introduced a nice feature to help keep frame rates up with the users’ expectations. They called it Maximum Pre-Rendered Frames...

gfxspeak.com

 

[boju]

Oh you're talking about the gpu pre-rendering frames in it's own buffer. That's true. What im talking about is the cpu still needs to set the frames and then ships it to the gpu to finish.

This is why cpu usage ramps up the more frames there are.

 

[Syndragy]

For the time being, I am most likely going to try and snag a good deal on either a 1660 super, 1070, or RTX 20 series and see how much they’re bottlenecked by the cpu, if not too severe, I’ll hold off on CPU upgrade. Still taking recommendations for the future though.

 

[Cere]

For the time being, I am most likely going to try and snag a good deal on either a 1660 super, 1070, or RTX 20 series and see how much they’re bottlenecked by the cpu, if not too severe, I’ll hold off on CPU upgrade. Still taking recommendations for the future though.

It should not bottleneck at all. But definitely look at replacing the CPU next. But when doing so, you may also want to upgrade the Motherboard so you can get a newer CPU and won't be so restricted to a 4th gen CPU.

 

[boju]

For the time being, I am most likely going to try and snag a good deal on either a 1660 super, 1070, or RTX 20 series and see how much they’re bottlenecked by the cpu, if not too severe, I’ll hold off on CPU upgrade. Still taking recommendations for the future though.

There's no harm in trying. Let us know how you go.

 

[Syndragy]

There's no harm in trying. Let us know how you go.

Will do, thank you and everyone else for the help so far; appreciate all.

More than likely, I’d need to upgrade CPU anyways because I keep reading that Warzone could really use 6 or more cores just cause there’s up to 150 players in one game on such a big map, but no worries.

 

[boju]

You're welcome

 

[need4speeds]

1. Take out the single 4gig stick. 16gigs of Dual channel memory is faster for gaming, ect.
than 20 gigs of single channel memory. The newer Corsair memory should overclock
with a small voltage increase.
2a. The i3 is slower today than when it was new. Unfortunately the way they "fix" Meltdown is by mostly disabling or blocking HT from working. Look for a i5 or compatable Xeon. Clock speed is king so look up the cpu's speed. A i7 or it's Xeon twin is ok too, but don't expect the HT to help much.
2b. Try to disable HT for now and see if it helps or not in games.

1. The 750ti is too slow for today's games. A used GTX970, ect would be ok. Or a new card like a RX570, ect.
2. Don't use this PC for important stuff like banking, ect. If you can make it easy to unplug\plug your lan cable in so you only have it online when needed. ** Do read up on the Plundervolt and Meltdown flaws. * Going into window's cpu power management and forcing it to run at it's max speed can help stop Plundervolt exploits from changing your cpu's speed and voltage.

(It uses Speedstep and Turboboost to do this.)
Your i3 doesn't have intel's Turbo Boost but most i5's i7's and Xeons have that feature. So on those you will want to force turbo-boost to run at it's max speed on bootup with something like Throttlestop. (There are others too). --This fixed my Garage PC that has a i5-2500 in it, it now runs at 3.4ghz on all 4 cores, all the time. The system and games run noticeably faster.

1. A second HDD would be good so you don't fill up your 500gig ssd so games get installed to this 2nd larger HDD.
2. A budget cpu cooler will allow you to run always max speed or in the case of a i5\i7\Xeon also always turbo core's max speed without overheating. It adds some bling with RGB.

It also supports intel's newer sockets and AMD's AM4.

-If you find a cpu used locally for a reasonable price, it would be ok.

My parts list from partspicker. Yep I'm spending $240 on it and leaving about $60 for a used cpu like a i5, or Xeon. (Check out local computer recyclers and 2nd hand ads. ) It might also be fairly cheap to buy a whole SFF package system like a HP, then put your old i3 back in it.
***Watch out there is a OEM i5 that is really a dual core i3, search for the cpu's specs first.!

I ditched the RX570 in favor of the GTX 1650 super, it uses less power, overclocks well and in games on youtube seems to be a bit faster than the RX570.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU Cooler: Cooler Master MasterAir MA410P 66.7 CFM CPU Cooler ($25.77 @ Amazon)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4 GB Twin Fan Video Card ($159.99 @ B&H)
Total: $240.75
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-06-10 08:06 EDT-0400

 

[need4speeds]

At $451.72 With a new cpu+board+mem.
PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 (12nm) 3.2 GHz 6-Core Processor ($104.99 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master MasterAir MA410P 66.7 CFM CPU Cooler ($25.77 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B450M DS3H Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($72.99 @ Best Buy)
Memory: G.Skill Value 8 GB (2 x 4 GB) DDR4-2400 CL17 Memory ($32.99 @ Newegg)
Storage: Seagate Barracuda Compute 2 TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive ($54.99 @ Newegg)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4 GB Twin Fan Video Card ($159.99 @ B&H)
Total: $451.72
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-06-10 08:05 EDT-0400