CPU bottle-necking GTX 1080?

[clos.gerard]

I have a Core i5-4460 @ 3.20GHz, a GTX 1080 and 16 GB of RAM @ 1333 MHz and I have some troubles playing most game at highest settings in a 1080p monitor. What could be the issue? Is the CPU bottle-necking the GPU?

Thanks!

 

[Aeacus]

Run UserBenchmark test tool to see if any of your components is underperforming,
link: http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Software

Post the results link here for further validation.

 

[clos.gerard]

Run UserBenchmark test tool to see if any of your components is underperforming,
link: http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Software

Post the results link here for further validation.

Here the results:

UserBenchmarks: Game 100%, Desk 49%, Work 42%
CPU: Intel Core i5-4460 - 63.7%
GPU: Nvidia GTX 1080 - 131.7%
SSD: OCZ Vertex 3 120GB - 50.1%
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB - 54.7%
RAM: Unknown F3-12800CL9-4GBXL 0420 F3-12800CL9-4GBXL 0215 CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 0215 CMZ8GX3M2A1600C9 16GB - 53.6%
MBD: Asus B85M-G

It definitely looks like a CPU bottle neck issue. Now, should I upgrade my whole system to lga1511, which includes core i7 + motherboard + 16 gb of DDR4 ram at around 600 dollars, or should I simply upgrade to an old lga1150 core i7?

thanks!

 

[J_E_D_70]

If you can find a 4790k for cheap you could go that route if mobo supports it. But, still need a good cooler and overclock it.

Otherwise, a whole platform upgrade would be a very noticeable improvement.

 

[Aeacus]

Actual link to the run would be better since then i can also look for GPU driver version, CPU usage, RAM usage etc.

As far as CPU goes, it depends which Core i7 LGA1151 you plan to upgrade to. Since there's considerable performance difference between i7-7700K and i7-8700K. Going with Skylake or Kaby Lake Core i7 wouldn't give noticeable performance boost over Haswell Core i7 CPU.

 

[clos.gerard]

Actual link to the run would be better since then i can also look for GPU driver version, CPU usage, RAM usage etc.

As far as CPU goes, it depends which Core i7 LGA1151 you plan to upgrade to. Since there's considerable performance difference between i7-7700K and i7-8700K. Going with Skylake or Kaby Lake Core i7 wouldn't give noticeable performance boost over Haswell Core i7 CPU.

http://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/8954172 here you have the link

 

[clos.gerard]

It might be a good idea to upgrade to 1151 since my motherboard seems also to be limiting my ram speed. Also, I see my hard drivers aren't that good but I guess this does not affect graphics performance in games besides longer load times, doesn't it?

 

[jankerson]

Actual link to the run would be better since then i can also look for GPU driver version, CPU usage, RAM usage etc.

As far as CPU goes, it depends which Core i7 LGA1151 you plan to upgrade to. Since there's considerable performance difference between i7-7700K and i7-8700K. Going with Skylake or Kaby Lake Core i7 wouldn't give noticeable performance boost over Haswell Core i7 CPU.

http://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/8954172 here you have the link

Your SSD is running at SATA 3 instead of SATA 6, plugged into wrong port.

And the RAM is running slow, enable XMP...

 

[clos.gerard]

Actual link to the run would be better since then i can also look for GPU driver version, CPU usage, RAM usage etc.

As far as CPU goes, it depends which Core i7 LGA1151 you plan to upgrade to. Since there's considerable performance difference between i7-7700K and i7-8700K. Going with Skylake or Kaby Lake Core i7 wouldn't give noticeable performance boost over Haswell Core i7 CPU.

http://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/8954172 here you have the link

Your SSD is running at SATA 3 instead of SATA 6.

And the RAM is running slow.

The RAM is because my mobo does not support XMP. About SSD performance, is it because of the SSD model or the mobo?

 

[jankerson]

Actual link to the run would be better since then i can also look for GPU driver version, CPU usage, RAM usage etc.

As far as CPU goes, it depends which Core i7 LGA1151 you plan to upgrade to. Since there's considerable performance difference between i7-7700K and i7-8700K. Going with Skylake or Kaby Lake Core i7 wouldn't give noticeable performance boost over Haswell Core i7 CPU.

http://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/8954172 here you have the link

Your SSD is running at SATA 3 instead of SATA 6.

And the RAM is running slow.

The RAM is because my mobo does not support XMP. About SSD performance, is it because of the SSD model or the mobo?

SSD is plugged into the wrong port.

Check the manual for the SATA 6 ports.

 

[clos.gerard]

Actual link to the run would be better since then i can also look for GPU driver version, CPU usage, RAM usage etc.

As far as CPU goes, it depends which Core i7 LGA1151 you plan to upgrade to. Since there's considerable performance difference between i7-7700K and i7-8700K. Going with Skylake or Kaby Lake Core i7 wouldn't give noticeable performance boost over Haswell Core i7 CPU.

http://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/8954172 here you have the link

Your SSD is running at SATA 3 instead of SATA 6.

And the RAM is running slow.

The RAM is because my mobo does not support XMP. About SSD performance, is it because of the SSD model or the mobo?

SSD is plugged into the wrong port.

Check the manual for the SATA 6 ports.

Thanks I will do it but this still does not solve my issue.. why can't I run games at highest settings?

 

[Aeacus]

Your RAM is underperforming and so is your SSD. And your HDD is in wrong SATA port.

Fixing SSD issue is quite simple, either free up more space on it or buy a new SSD. Fixing RAM issue is more complicated and only 8 benches for that RAM doesn't give a clear picture if your RAM is truly underperforming or it actually is a low performing RAM from the beginning. Though, your HDD is running at SATA 2 speeds while SSD is at SATA 3 speeds. So, look up if your MoBo has 2nd SATA 3 port where to put your HDD in.

Your SSD is running at SATA 3 instead of SATA 6, plugged into wrong port.

And the RAM is running slow, enable XMP...

Seems you mixed up SATA 3.0 with SATA 2.0, here's the rundown:

SATA 1 = 1.5 Gbps raw = 150MB/sec
SATA 2 = 3.0 Gbps raw = 300MB/sec
SATA 3 = 6 Gbps raw = 600MB/sec

Thanks I will do it but this still does not solve my issue.. why can't I run games at highest settings?

You say that you have issues with gaming. Any specific game where the issue is or is issue in all games? Also, if you were to lower your graphics settings, would the issue be less severe?

 

[jankerson]

Your RAM is underperforming and so is your SSD. And your HDD is in wrong SATA port.

Fixing SSD issue is quite simple, either free up more space on it or buy a new SSD. Fixing RAM issue is more complicated and only 8 benches for that RAM doesn't give a clear picture if your RAM is truly underperforming or it actually is a low performing RAM from the beginning. Though, your HDD is running at SATA 2 speeds while SSD is at SATA 3 speeds. So, look up if your MoBo has 2nd SATA 3 port where to put your HDD in.

Your SSD is running at SATA 3 instead of SATA 6, plugged into wrong port.

And the RAM is running slow, enable XMP...

Seems you mixed up SATA 3.0 with SATA 2.0, here's the rundown:

SATA 1 = 1.5 Gbps raw = 150MB/sec
SATA 2 = 3.0 Gbps raw = 300MB/sec
SATA 3 = 6 Gbps raw = 600MB/sec

Thanks I will do it but this still does not solve my issue.. why can't I run games at highest settings?

You say that you have issues with gaming. Any specific game where the issue is or is issue in all games? Also, if you were to lower your graphics settings, would the issue be less severe?

Was going by speed.

That SSD is running SLOW, although not the best SSD in the world....

 

[Aeacus]

Was going by speed.

That SSD is running SLOW, although not the best SSD in the world....

Fill up the SSD and it's speed will drop considerably, especially when SSD has poor performance to begin with.
Here's a good example where my brand new Crucial MX500 is almost filled and it's underperforming a lot,
userbenchmark: http://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/8749818
2nd run with more free space,
userbenchmark: http://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/8752874

 

[clos.gerard]

Your RAM is underperforming and so is your SSD. And your HDD is in wrong SATA port.

Fixing SSD issue is quite simple, either free up more space on it or buy a new SSD. Fixing RAM issue is more complicated and only 8 benches for that RAM doesn't give a clear picture if your RAM is truly underperforming or it actually is a low performing RAM from the beginning. Though, your HDD is running at SATA 2 speeds while SSD is at SATA 3 speeds. So, look up if your MoBo has 2nd SATA 3 port where to put your HDD in.

Your SSD is running at SATA 3 instead of SATA 6, plugged into wrong port.

And the RAM is running slow, enable XMP...

Seems you mixed up SATA 3.0 with SATA 2.0, here's the rundown:

SATA 1 = 1.5 Gbps raw = 150MB/sec
SATA 2 = 3.0 Gbps raw = 300MB/sec
SATA 3 = 6 Gbps raw = 600MB/sec

Thanks I will do it but this still does not solve my issue.. why can't I run games at highest settings?

You say that you have issues with gaming. Any specific game where the issue is or is issue in all games? Also, if you were to lower your graphics settings, would the issue be less severe?

Alright, checked my computer. Both hard drives are connected to SATA 3 (6 Gbps) ports. My RAM is also quite decent (given it's old): I have 8Gb of G-SKILL DDR3 1600 and 8GB more of Corsair 1600. Ram slots are limited to 1333, though.

Regarding my gaming issues. I experience low fps (around 30 and sometimes under that) with most games at highest settings. Some examples are Destiny 2, GTAV or FFXV. That last one I never managed to get it to run at 60 fps consistently, it tanked in cities and where a lot of npcs were running around.

Lowering settings helps but I feel with a GTX1080 and gaming at 1080p I should be crushing games.

 

[clos.gerard]

I do not think SSD issues are related to gaming problems since I have all games installed in my HDD btw.

 

[jankerson]

I do not think SSD issues are related to gaming problems since I have all games installed in my HDD btw.

Everything does matter.

Your CPU and Ram are killing you the most however.

 

[clos.gerard]

I do not think SSD issues are related to gaming problems since I have all games installed in my HDD btw.

Everything does matter.

Your CPU and Ram are killing you the most however.

So.. suggestion is to move to lga1151 with new mobo + ram + ssd ?

 

[jankerson]

I do not think SSD issues are related to gaming problems since I have all games installed in my HDD btw.

Everything does matter.

Your CPU and Ram are killing you the most however.

So.. suggestion is to move to lga1151 with new mobo + ram ?

Your MB is holding you back on the ram speeds, that's very important, that's lost FPS.

You could upgrade the CPU to a faster i5 or i7, but that ram issue will still be there.

If you want to get the most out of the GTX 1080 then yeah, I would say a platform upgrade to LGA 1151 and DDR4.