gtx 1080 ti or a new CPU?

[Elementalfury]

Currently I have a gtx 970 and an i5-4690k, hear the i5 can hold up for now-a-days games but I also see a lot of games recommending that I get an i7. I've asked this question a couple times before and am asking it now to keep updated on the subject since I'm relatively new to this, but most of the answers to my question are to get the 1080 ti I've been planning on for a while. The question stands as the title suggests; gtx 1080 ti (looking at the ROG ASUS STRIX) or i7 (no picks yet)? Any recommendations for either GPU or CPU are welcomed, sorry if I respond late and thank you in advanced if I personally forget to do so!

 

[the nerd 389]

What resolution do you game at, and what games do you play?

Also, what other components do you have?

 

[ARICH5]

a 1080ti and core i7 is overkill for a 1080p monitor

 

[the nerd 389]

a 1080ti and core i7 is overkill for a 1080p monitor

The utility of an i7 is not a function of the resolution you game at. The resolution only plays into selecting the GPU.

 

[10tacle]

Depends on the game. Generally at higher resolution an i5 vs. i7 like 2K and beyond means less to a CPU as the GPU becomes more important. However some games at 1080p with an i7 will show its power over an i5. Here's an example of CPU scaling in Fallout 4 at 1080p using a GTX 980Ti:

i7 4790K:
Min - 57
Avg - 60
Max - 92

i5 4690K:
Min - 46
Avg - 52
Max - 77

http://media.gamersnexus.net/images/media/2015/game-bench/fallout-4-cpu-benchmark-1080-u.png

Overclocking the 4690K to over 4GHz will put a deep dent in that i7 advantage however (at 1080p anyway). You don't say if you are overclocking or running stock at 3.5GHz on all four cores (the i7 4690k runs 4GHz stock on all four cores).

 

[Elementalfury]

What resolution do you game at, and what games do you play?

Also, what other components do you have?

For the game part of the question, just assume its the highest demanding since I switch games too often to really pinpoint. I play on 1080p and understand that the 1080 ti is mainly for 4k gaming, but its still more power than the 970 I currently use (which I forgot to state in the question). Hope this helps you help me

 

[Elementalfury]

a 1080ti and core i7 is overkill for a 1080p monitor

Yea, but the i5 and 970 I have now aren't holding up to games perfectly as I'd like, and its more power either way.

 

[the nerd 389]

The 970 is as much as you can use at 1080p. There's no reason to get the 1080 Ti. If you aren't getting the performance you want from your current hardware, you're either trying to push a higher framerate than the games were designed for, or you're limited by some other component. These days, that could be the CPU or insufficient RAM.

 

[Elementalfury]

Depends on the game. Generally at higher resolution an i5 vs. i7 like 2K and beyond means less to a CPU as the GPU becomes more important. However some games at 1080p with an i7 will show its power over an i5. Here's an example of CPU scaling in Fallout 4 at 1080p using a GTX 980Ti:

i7 4790K:
Min - 57
Avg - 60
Max - 92

i5 4690K:
Min - 46
Avg - 52
Max - 77

http://media.gamersnexus.net/images/media/2015/game-bench/fallout-4-cpu-benchmark-1080-u.png

Overclocking the 4690K to over 4GHz will put a deep dent in that i7 advantage however (at 1080p anyway). You don't say if you are overclocking or running stock at 3.5GHz on all four cores (the i7 4690k runs 4GHz stock on all four cores).

Gotcha, thanks for the info, puts the power difference a bit more into perspective.

 

[Elementalfury]

The 970 is as much as you can use at 1080p. There's no reason to get the 1080 Ti. If you aren't getting the performance you want from your current hardware, you're either trying to push a higher framerate than the games were designed for, or you're limited by some other component. These days, that could be the CPU or insufficient RAM.

I got 16 gb of ram (which I'm almost certain is enough and that its in correctly if I check my ram info), maybe the CPU is the issue here