[SOLVED] Can an Intel i3 - 4160 coupled with GTX 1660 play 3A games or need to be upgraded?

[Tomcat369]

Can an Intel i3 - 4160 coupled with GTX 1660 play 3A games or need to be upgraded?

 

[metallfan]

Needs an upgrade.
Here's a useful tool to check what bottleneck you're getting:

Core i3-4160 and GeForce GTX 1660 | General Tasks Bottleneck Calculation | PC Builds

Bottleneck calculation for Intel Core i3-4160 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 with screen resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels for General Tasks.

pc-builds.com

 

[King_V]

DO NOT USE bottleneck calculators - they are absolute rubbish.

It really boils down to:

• Monitor resolution
• Monitor refresh rate
  • Does your monitor have FreeSync, GSync, or neither?
• How much RAM do you have?
• What specific games are you playing?

And, yes, while this calculator is GENERALLY correct in that it's likely your CPU will be the weak link in the system, determining such a thing as "bottleneck" with only the CPU and GPU is a waste of time.

Modern AAA games will have the limit of 2 cores and 4 threads, but, for an extreme example, if you were trying to play at 4K resolution and 60FPS, then the so-called "bottleneck" would actually be the GPU. Depending on the game, of course.

Almost EVERY system has a bottleneck of some sort, and that bottleneck isn't even the same part necessarily from one game to the next.

 

[Tomcat369]

@metallfan : thanks!

@King_V : 1080 @ 60 Hz with FreeSync / 8 GB / CoD Modern Warfare

 

[WildCard999]

It's a fine pairing for now but the next upgrade you'll want to do is the CPU/MB/RAM (or CPU depending on budget).

What GPU did you upgrade from or were you using the iGPU on the CPU?

The bottleneck calculators are garbage as they don't account for game nor resolution which can have a massive impact on usage.

Does your Freesync monitor have a DisplayPort connection? If so you may be able to use adaptive sync with that GPU.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/how-to-run-gsync-on-freesync-monitor,6072.html

 

[King_V]

@King_V : 1080 @ 60 Hz with FreeSync / 8 GB / CoD Modern Warfare

What exact brand and model of monitor? I'd like to find the FreeSync range for it.

 

[Tomcat369]

What exact brand and model of monitor? I'd like to find the FreeSync range for it.

Samsung C24F390

 

[Tomcat369]

It's a fine pairing for now but the next upgrade you'll want to do is the CPU/MB/RAM (or CPU depending on budget).

What GPU did you upgrade from or were you using the iGPU on the CPU?

The bottleneck calculators are garbage as they don't account for game nor resolution which can have a massive impact on usage.

Does your Freesync monitor have a DisplayPort connection? If so you may be able to use adaptive sync with that GPU.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/how-to-run-gsync-on-freesync-monitor,6072.html

I am using the iGPU for light gaming (Civ V)

 

[WildCard999]

I am using the iGPU for light gaming (Civ V)

So even if that i3 holds it back a bit the 1660 is going to be a massive upgrade and worth doing imo.

 

[Tomcat369]

@WildCard999 Thanks!

 

[King_V]

Samsung C24F390

I found a reference to a C24F390FHC, which has a 48-72Hz FreeSync range. If yours is the same, then yeah, the GTX 1660 is a nice fit for almost anything at that resolution. If it should dip down in frame rates, the FreeSync will compensate for it and keep things smooth.

Will the i3 hold you back? In some cases, yes. However, as @WildCard999 said, you'll be seeing a massive increase in graphics performance, and you'll be able to turn the details up without sacrificing performance, which you wouldn't be able to do with the iGPU.

 

[Tomcat369]

@King_V Thanks for your valuable feedback.

Would it make sense to upgrade the CPU as well to a 4 cores one? (eg i5-4670)

 

[King_V]

It would help some, but, honestly, I would save any money you might spend there to use toward a total platform upgrade to something modern. Unless you can get that CPU for free or VERY cheap, I wouldn't put money into the older platform.

Enjoy the improved experience with the new card, and save for a future upgrade of motherboard/CPU/RAM (and possibly power supply)

 

[John Chesterfield]

@WildCard999 and @King_V have given you the perfect answers, all very good advice.