[SOLVED] Advice on components.

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wilbarker5

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Feb 1, 2019
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Hello!

So the advice I am asking for is really to do with steady gaming. What I mean by this is that sometimes when I play games they stutter (games like BF5 and sometimes Resident Evil 2), I always had a feeling it may have something to do with my RAM (I will list my components at the end), as I still have DDR3 ram.

My main goal with my gaming PC is to game at 1080p 60fps, Max Settings (preferably)/Ultra-High Settings, not really that into investing into 144hz monitors or 1440p/4k monitors. I am not sure if the game is stuttering because I am pushing settings too high? Sometimes I even just cap the framerate at 60fps to match my monitor refresh rate which nullifies the stuttering. on BF5 I can steadily play the game at Ultra (Max Settings) but require to lock the framerate to nullify stuttering. Same with Resident Evil 2 (Remake).

I do make sure I close Chrome mainly when I am playing more higher end games, if it was something like Black Ops 2 on Steam I wouldn't bother since it runs flawlessly which does indeed help nullify stuttering even further! I keep open stuff like Steam, Origin, Discord, NZXT's CAM software, Razer Synapse. I do not believe these are demanding at all on my hardware.

List of Components

CPU: Intel i7 4790k (I only use it for gaming instead of Livestreaming/Recording).
GPU: Gigabyte Nvidia GTX 1060 6GB
RAM: Kingston 16GB (4x4) 1333mhz overclocked to 1600mhz DDR3
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z97P-D3 ATX LGA1150

I was thinking of getting a Vega 56 since they are relatively similar prices to when I originally received the GTX 1060, except those are more like 1440p cards or 1080p144fps cards, just a thought. Would I need to upgrade anything anytime soon to keep up my main gaming intention?

Thanks.
 
Solution
For performance upgrade, GPU would be the first thing I would do, with your system. Your CPU is still fairly decent. I would not do any performance upgrades, until you have a quality PSU, though. A junk PSU can also cause system instability, just as an FYI.

Mastropomodoro

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No such thing as too much. It might be overkill, but added headroom is never going to be "too much".

Equally, 80+ certifications are a measure of efficiency, not quality. Once you get into 80+ Gold territory, there is less junk.... but units that are relatively poor quality still exist at that tier.
Yes, Gold (or better) is a nice to have, but I'd rather have a quality bronze EVGA 750W B2 (for example) than an 80+ Gold 1000W RaidMax Cobra ....
yeah sorry, i meant that was not necessary in my opinion, but indeed, better 100W more than less!
 

Mastropomodoro

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Sorry, what??
Hey man, I red that a cuple of months ago on this forum, by a guy that had a ton of trophies like you do :sweatsmile:. And for my personal experience i noticed that the VRM on my gigabyte z270 runs 13C hotter than my msi z270 or the asus mobo of my best friend. all tested in the same case and oc conditions. So i took that for true.
If is not true, i'm sorry, and would be nice if you explain me quickly how it works :) If you want

PS: ok my fault sorry, was defenetly not on this forum :sweatsmile:
but anyway, the guy seemed like he knew what was he talking about 🤷‍♂️
 
Last edited:

Barty1884

Retired Moderator
Hey man, I red that a cuple of months ago on this forum, by a guy that had a ton of trophies like you do :sweatsmile:. And for my personal experience i noticed that the VRM on my gigabyte z270 runs 13C hotter than my msi z270 or the asus mobo of my best friend. all tested in the same case and oc conditions. So i took that for true.
If is not true, i'm sorry, and would be nice if you explain me quickly how it works :) If you want

Brand alone doesn't dictate anything. Gigabyte have boards with good VRMs, and boards with pretty poor VRMs. As do every other manufacturer.
For the most part, the same components are used on all brands - higher tier/price get X phase setup, or Y components, lower tier/price might get A or B.
What really matters is the specific board in question.

Even when it comes to measuring VRM temperatures, unless you're using a physical probe and measuring the same spot consistently, you're not really getting an accurate measurement.
Where a given sensor might be on a Gigabyte board may not be the same location on an ASUS board, rendering software readings fairly irrelevant for apples to apples comparisons. They're a good idea for "safe" vs "unsafe", but not a whole lot more than that.
Even saying that, a ~13'C difference between might not be particularly noteworthy if you're comparing, say 60'C and 73'C. Capacitors, for example, can be rated for 105'C at 5,000 hours. In the grand scheme of things (as an example) 60vs73'C wouldn't matter much at all.
 
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Mastropomodoro

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Brand alone doesn't dictate anything. Gigabyte have boards with good VRMs, and boards with pretty poor VRMs. As do every other manufacturer.
For the most part, the same components are used on all brands - higher tier/price get X phase setup, or Y components, lower tier/price might get A or B.
What really matters is the specific board in question.

Even when it comes to measuring VRM temperatures, unless you're using a physical probe and measuring the same spot consistently, you're not really getting an accurate measurement.
Where a given sensor might be on a Gigabyte board may not be the same location on an ASUS board, rendering software readings fairly irrelevant for apples to apples comparisons. They're a good idea for "safe" vs "unsafe", but not a whole lot more than that.
Even saying that, a ~13'C difference between might not be particularly noteworthy if you're comparing, say 60'C and 73'C. Capacitors, for example, can be rated for 105'C at 5,000 hours. In the grand scheme of things (as an example) 60vs73'C wouldn't matter much at all.
Aha I see, thanks :)
 

wilbarker5

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Feb 1, 2019
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Just out of curiosity, do you do some oc on the cpu while gaming? Do you have a good airflow in your case? Because normally Gigabyte VRM runs hotter than other brands, if they don't get enough cooling your cpu will throttle to prevent them from damaging...
I have tried overclocking my card by like 5% it has little difference as you would imagine. But for my CPU it automatically clocks by MOBO Bios to 4.4 ghz rather than the stock 4.0 ghz which i dont think affects any stability? The airflow in my case is rather optimal i have the NZXT H500i, One fan at the back blowing out, one at the top blowing out, two at the back blowing inward. My CPU cooler is the Freezer Arctic 13, kind of a budget cooler I believe? Was thinking of finding a better CPU cooling method if possible.
For performance upgrade, GPU would be the first thing I would do, with your system. Your CPU is still fairly decent. I would not do any performance upgrades, until you have a quality PSU, though. A junk PSU can also cause system instability, just as an FYI.
This reminds me also, that would the overclock of my CPU that I mentioned affect anything? I know how to change it to stock clock too.
 

Mastropomodoro

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I have tried overclocking my card by like 5% it has little difference as you would imagine. But for my CPU it automatically clocks by MOBO Bios to 4.4 ghz rather than the stock 4.0 ghz which i dont think affects any stability? The airflow in my case is rather optimal i have the NZXT H500i, One fan at the back blowing out, one at the top blowing out, two at the back blowing inward. My CPU cooler is the Freezer Arctic 13, kind of a budget cooler I believe? Was thinking of finding a better CPU cooling method if possible.

This reminds me also, that would the overclock of my CPU that I mentioned affect anything? I know how to change it to stock clock too.
GPU does not matter. VRM can run pretty hot with no problem apparently, to get over 90-100 you have to do some good oc on your cpu, so is not your case. If you want to have an idea of your vrm temps, look at the manual of your mobo and check if you have a termal sensor on the VRM, in that case, download HWMonitor or similar software, and look at the given temps for that sensor. But like I said, with good aiflow and no oc you won't have that problem
 

wilbarker5

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Feb 1, 2019
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GPU does not matter. VRM can run pretty hot with no problem apparently, to get over 90-100 you have to do some good oc on your cpu, so is not your case. If you want to have an idea of your vrm temps, look at the manual of your mobo and check if you have a termal sensor on the VRM, in that case, download HWMonitor or similar software, and look at the given temps for that sensor. But like I said, with good aiflow and no oc you won't have that problem
I use NZXT Cam's software. I believe my GPU has had a warning of being over 82 degrees once out of like 100 times, like its extremely rare that it gets very hot.