Question Does it make sense to upgrade my 4690K CPU on my aging machine?

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PlayWithFire

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Nov 18, 2008
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My computer is almost 10 years old and it's starting to show it's age.
I am running into issued with CPU maxing out while playing No Man Sky. Even when I lower everything about the graphics, the stutter is really bad and the CPU is hitting 100%.
My GPU is an Nvida 3060 (recent upgrade) and I have 32GB of ram.

Does it makes sense for me to upgrade my CPU? If so, what's the best bang for my buck? My motherboard is MSI Z97.
 
PlayWithFire said:
My computer is almost 10 years old and it's starting to show it's age.
I am running into issued with CPU maxing out while playing No Man Sky. Even when I lower everything about the graphics, the stutter is really bad and the CPU is hitting 100%.
My GPU is an Nvida 3060 (recent upgrade) and I have 32GB of ram.

Does it makes sense for me to upgrade my CPU? If so, what's the best bang for my buck? My motherboard is MSI Z97.
Click to expand...
IMO, no, a CPU only doesn't make sense. The hyperthreading of an i7 will only add a little. To get a significant improvement, you need to replace motherboard, RAM and CPU.
 
Lafong said:
Do you have an SSD?
Click to expand...
Yes, I don't have any HDDs left in the system.

kanewolf said:
IMO, no, a CPU only doesn't make sense. The hyperthreading of an i7 will only add a little. To get a significant improvement, you need to replace motherboard, RAM and CPU.
Click to expand...
I was afraid you'd say that. I think it might be time for a new system. The GTX3060 was always meant to be a stop-gap measure to eventually go into my kids PC
 
FWIW NMS stutters on my 5800X3D and RTX4070Ti during certain segments, and it's nowhere near maxed. That said I concur with the others, time for a platform upgrade. Luckily, even a modest budget will bring a large performance increase when compared to your current system.
 
Your next update would be the i7 in that line or a corresponding Xeon, if your motherboard supports it. The 4th gen i7 still commands a pretty decent price and a modern i3 crushes its performance. Unless you were gifted or came across a steal of deal on the 4th gen, it simply wouldn't be worth it. Honestly not a huge uplift over that i5 for the cost and trouble.

It isn't to say it is not a worthwhile item to have around for workload, server, HTPC, light gaming and so on...
 
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CelicaGT said:
even a modest budget will bring a large performance increase when compared to your current system.
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I went all in on the current system back when I built and it has served me well. So, I'll be looking to build something right below cutting edge and not worry about it for a while.

punkncat said:
It isn't to say it is not a worthwhile item to have around for workload, server, HTPC, light gaming and so on...
Click to expand...
The PSU, GPU and SSDs will go into my kids PC, and I'll probably just ebay the rest of the system. The case it gigantic and I really don't want it taking up space anywhere in the house.
 
Probably not the best advise, aging parts and all that but here it goes. Are you running on stock clocks? The 4690K should hit 4.4Ghz all core all day long every day, even with a budget tower cooler. I had mine to 4.8 for a time which proved unstable, eventually down to 4.6 until its retirement. I did indeed replace it with a 4790K (NIB) that was only done for MSFS2020, where Hyper Threading did add favourably to the equation. It did nothing for any other game/application though so not recommended. It also couldn't hit the OC the i5 did, HT has a negative effect there.
 
There's two thoughts that go through my head when your hitting the wall like you are , do I upgrade and try to by some more time out of the old PC or shelf it all and move on.

Throwing in a i7 or Xeon is about $30 bucks.

If you keep as a secondary PC at lest you gave it a final upgrade bump.

Second if your still going to sell it all and move on, older systems on the used market if it has an i3 or i5 does not sell as well or as fast as if it had an i7 under the hood. So for thirty bucks to me and I have taken the gamble many times I always feel it was the right choice in the end.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2563799397...zdl-3gvokNoGbJ2ZyNe381xXUOF2a0XhoCktwQAvD_BwE

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2251346487...XpXiNuYu82FBkwWKYTSGzkzLdxRhMhLhoCxvkQAvD_BwE
 
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PlayWithFire said:
I was afraid you'd say that. I think it might be time for a new system. The GTX3060 was always meant to be a stop-gap measure to eventually go into my kids PC
Click to expand...

A new system is for the best. If funds really do not allow for a full system, you could do a platform upgrade, and reuse some of your current rig, assuming you have a quality PSU. This is a really sweet bundle, unless of course you live near a Microcenter.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: Intel Core i5-12600K 3.7 GHz 10-Core Processor ($169.96 @ Amazon)
CPU Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE 66.17 CFM CPU Cooler ($33.90 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock Z690 Extreme ATX LGA1700 Motherboard ($129.99 @ Newegg)
Memory: TEAMGROUP T-Create Expert 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR4-3200 CL16 Memory ($59.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $393.84
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2024-02-19 13:07 EST-0500
 
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CelicaGT said:
Probably not the best advise, aging parts and all that but here it goes. Are you running on stock clocks?
Click to expand...
I have considered giving overclocking a shot, but that means buying a new cooler, which I am not really interested in doing. I did however take off the stock cooler and reapplied my thermal paste for the first time in 9 years and that has dropped the temps quite a bit.

SkyNetRising said:
Did you check cpu temperatures?
May be cpu cooler is failing and cpu is overheating.
Click to expand...
CPU was running hot, but reapplying thermal paste brought down the temps.

stonecarver said:
There's two thoughts that go through my head when your hitting the wall like you are , do I upgrade and try to by some more time out of the old PC or shelf it all and move on.
Click to expand...
That's great advice, but I don't think I will sell the entire system. There are parts I can reuse.

logainofhades said:
A new system is for the best.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I may just go that route. I appreciate the parts list too.
 
PlayWithFire said:
My computer is almost 10 years old and it's starting to show it's age.
I am running into issued with CPU maxing out while playing No Man Sky. Even when I lower everything about the graphics, the stutter is really bad and the CPU is hitting 100%.
My GPU is an Nvida 3060 (recent upgrade) and I have 32GB of ram.

Does it makes sense for me to upgrade my CPU? If so, what's the best bang for my buck? My motherboard is MSI Z97.
Click to expand...
Depends on what you want to do with it. As a primary workstation and gaming PC? Probably not. Although an i7-4790 retrieved at little cost from an e-waste bin would be worthwhile. I'd only pay as much as I'd tolerate as a total loss if the used part ended up not working.

As a secondary file server or homelab-type tinker box? Seems like you have a good base to work from already, with the RAM and SSDs. An i7 or xeon isn't necessary, but would certainly be nice. I'm still using an i5-2500 as a home file server, and haven't felt the need to plop in a 2700K.

$ spent on necromancing an obsolete system also means $ lost towards a new system. Opportunity cost etc. Something to think about.
 
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