Am I potentially being bottlenecked?

[Froztey]

Hey all,

So I just upgraded from my 660GTX to a new 6GB 1060GTX and so far the increase in performance has been impressive. Couple doubts about the combo of my motherboard and CPU however, and I'm unsure if I'll be bottlenecked because of them. I've tried a couple games out and I've only had issues with one at max setting thus far - that being Borderlands The Presequel.

My motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H, rev 1.0 and my CPU is an Intel i5 3570K 3.4Ghz, just want to know from more knowledgeable sources if this set-up may cause any bottlenecking from my CPU/mobo.

 

[J_E_D_70]

At 1080p/60hz probably not that you can notice. You can run msi afterburner and watch cpu usage - if one ir more cores stay pegged at 100% in game then you probably do. A $35 air cooler will get you an easy 4.2 or 4.3 ghz overclock.

 

[Froztey]

I actually have a Noctua CPU NH-D15 cpu cooler just for noise dampening purposes, chances are I could get a decent OC but I've always been a little shy at attempting it in case I end up damaging parts.

Just upgraded to a 650W PSU so honestly, I think now is probably the time to try.

 

[J_E_D_70]

Cool - you can try the easy button. Download OCCT (free). Go into bios, leave all settings at auto except the multiplier - change that to 40 for starters. Boot up and run occt cpu test and watch temps. If the vcore stays under about 1.3v, temps are good (i prefer below 70c), and cpu fan is within your personal noise threshold, add 1 to the multiplier and repeat until one of previous listed parameters is too high or you bsod. Then back off 1 and call it a day.

Edit: leave speedstep on to save power when not under load. However, you can try turning multi core enhancement/turbo off as at higher clock rates it stops boosting anyway.