Question Hello there! I am a newbie to upgrading my pc and would like some advice if possible.

[ShiroTheWolf]

First of all, specs:
Motherboard: MSI B450m Gaming Plus
GPU: Nvidia GEFORCE GTX 1660Ti 6GB
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600x 6-Core Processor
Hard drives: x1 SSD 25gb Kingston & x1 HDD WD 2TB
Fans: 3x Corsair 120mm
PSU: Thermaltake 750w
RAM x2 8GB Aegis 288pin model f4-3000 (speed DDR4 3000)

I think that is all the specifications of my computer, if I am missing something let me know.

Problem:
I am trying to play most games with graphics set to "High" or even "Medium" settings at 4k resolutions and it still runs very 'laggy', shows my card is only 1%-10% utilized but is heating up fast. My other components like my RAM and my CPU don't seem to be working as hard either from this point of view it seems to be a power issue but I am not sure.

My question is what upgrades should I seek first in order to better my PC's performance, should it be the GPU or perhaps the CPU?

Any advice would be appreciated, thank you.

 

[Eximo]

Pretty light computer for running 4K to be frank. Have you checked any standardized benchmarks to see how you compare to other people running a 3600X and 1660Ti?

I would expect 100% GPU usage at all times at 4K High. CPU usage should be lighter than typical since the GPU would be doing the heavy lifting. RAM is only used when necessary, and there are few games that can consume 16GB at the moment.

How full is your SSD?

Playing more recent games off a hard drive isn't exactly recommended either.

You didn't list the exact model of PSU, so that could be part of the problem. Thermaltake does have some pretty low end units. Though I have no problem recommending some of their recent high end units.

Upgrades you could contemplate would be upgrading the CPU, memory, GPU, storage and PSU. Which is mostly a new computer, only keeping the motherboard and chassis. So depends on how much you have to spend really.

Ryzen 7 5800X3D, the fastest gaming CPU possible for your motherboard.
2x16GB DDR4 3600 (or 2x8), just to add a little memory speed to the system.
GPU / PSU is a matter of budget. For 4K I would start looking at RTX 4070Ti and up or the 7900XT and 7900XTX from AMD. The bigger cards need a 1000W PSU, but 850W would cover all but the biggest.
2TB NVMe SSDs are pretty affordable now. One or two of those to replace your hard drive and boot drive. (You can use the hard drive as a back up device)

 

[sitehostplus]

First of all, specs:
Motherboard: MSI B450m Gaming Plus
GPU: Nvidia GEFORCE GTX 1660Ti 6GB
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 3600x 6-Core Processor
Hard drives: x1 SSD 25gb Kingston & x1 HDD WD 2TB
Fans: 3x Corsair 120mm
PSU: Thermaltake 750w
RAM x2 8GB Aegis 288pin model f4-3000 (speed DDR4 3000)

I think that is all the specifications of my computer, if I am missing something let me know.

Problem:
I am trying to play most games with graphics set to "High" or even "Medium" settings at 4k resolutions and it still runs very 'laggy', shows my card is only 1%-10% utilized but is heating up fast. My other components like my RAM and my CPU don't seem to be working as hard either from this point of view it seems to be a power issue but I am not sure.

My question is what upgrades should I seek first in order to better my PC's performance, should it be the GPU or perhaps the CPU?

Any advice would be appreciated, thank you.

Try this first.

Hit control-alt-delete then select 'task manager'.

It's a very good tool for figuring out where your bottlenecks are.

Off the top of my head, I would first replace that HDD with an SSD and see how it goes. My money is on that being the biggest bottleneck.

 

[ShiroTheWolf]

Try this first.

Hit control-alt-delete then select 'task manager'.

It's a very good tool for figuring out where your bottlenecks are.

Off the top of my head, I would first replace that HDD with an SSD and see how it goes. My money is on that being the biggest bottleneck.

Its a possibility.
Would using the SSD I currently have be an issue if thats the one the OS is installed onto?
How can I tell if there is a bottleneck in task manager?

Thank you for your reply

 

[ShiroTheWolf]

Pretty light computer for running 4K to be frank. Have you checked any standardized benchmarks to see how you compare to other people running a 3600X and 1660Ti?

I would expect 100% GPU usage at all times at 4K High. CPU usage should be lighter than typical since the GPU would be doing the heavy lifting. RAM is only used when necessary, and there are few games that can consume 16GB at the moment.

How full is your SSD?

Playing more recent games off a hard drive isn't exactly recommended either.

You didn't list the exact model of PSU, so that could be part of the problem. Thermaltake does have some pretty low end units. Though I have no problem recommending some of their recent high end units.

Upgrades you could contemplate would be upgrading the CPU, memory, GPU, storage and PSU. Which is mostly a new computer, only keeping the motherboard and chassis. So depends on how much you have to spend really.

Ryzen 7 5800X3D, the fastest gaming CPU possible for your motherboard.
2x16GB DDR4 3600 (or 2x8), just to add a little memory speed to the system.
GPU / PSU is a matter of budget. For 4K I would start looking at RTX 4070Ti and up or the 7900XT and 7900XTX from AMD. The bigger cards need a 1000W PSU, but 850W would cover all but the biggest.
2TB NVMe SSDs are pretty affordable now. One or two of those to replace your hard drive and boot drive. (You can use the hard drive as a back up device)

I normally use my SSD for all my games, just transferring them to and fro when I want to play them.
Its the mainly used drive id say.

Sorry the PSU model is hard to pinpoint since that was like 5 years ago and there is no labels on it anymore haha

I might have to upgrade my PSU amongst almost everything else besides the motherboard and chassis like you mentioned.
I will take your advice and the recommended specs into consideration for sure!
Thank you very much

 

[Lucky_SLS]

For your reference:

GPU Benchmarks and Hierarchy 2023: Graphics Cards Ranked

We've run hundreds of GPU benchmarks on Nvidia, AMD, and Intel graphics cards and ranked them in our comprehensive hierarchy.

www.tomshardware.com

You might want to check the life of your SSD as well. If it is 75% capacity or more, SSDs tend to slow down...

SSD Manager - Kingston Technology

Kingston® SSD Manager is an application that provides users with the ability to monitor and manage various aspects of their Kingston® Solid State Drive.

www.kingston.com

 

[ShiroTheWolf]

For your reference:

GPU Benchmarks and Hierarchy 2023: Graphics Cards Ranked

We've run hundreds of GPU benchmarks on Nvidia, AMD, and Intel graphics cards and ranked them in our comprehensive hierarchy.

www.tomshardware.com

You might want to check the life of your SSD as well. If it is 75% capacity or more, SSDs tend to slow down...

SSD Manager - Kingston Technology

Kingston® SSD Manager is an application that provides users with the ability to monitor and manage various aspects of their Kingston® Solid State Drive.

www.kingston.com

Ah yeah I have heard SSD's can slow down with high usage, its pretty much always maxed out space wise.
Thanks for the links didnt even know Kingston had a manager for their SSD's!
Also I looked into my PSU capability with all the components I have and Newegg.ca said that for my entire system it only needs 400-499 watts. But im thinking if I need to upgrade them then thats the first thing I will buy.
Thank you for your reply!

 

[Eximo]

Wattage is not the only factor when looking at PSU. Efficiency, quality, and the ability to handle late model graphics cards are very important.

ATX 3.0 added power spike handling and the new 12VHPWR cable that Nvidia is using for the 40 series GPUs.

750W Thermaltake Smart is not the same as a higher end model, from Thermaltake that would be something like the Toughpower series, or Corsair RM series...

I don't expect a 1660Ti to overload a 750W PSU though. Just that I wouldn't trust an unknown Thermaltake PSU with one of the newer 250W plus cards (which can pull 500W for brief periods)

 

[Order 66]

I don't expect a 1660Ti to overload a 750W PSU though. Just that I wouldn't trust an unknown Thermaltake PSU with one of the newer 250W plus cards (which can pull 500W for brief periods)

would the Thermaltake smart 700W fit your definition of unknown? It is the PSU that I have in my current system and would like to know if it is good or not.

 

[ShiroTheWolf]

Wattage is not the only factor when looking at PSU. Efficiency, quality, and the ability to handle late model graphics cards are very important.

ATX 3.0 added power spike handling and the new 12VHPWR cable that Nvidia is using for the 40 series GPUs.

750W Thermaltake Smart is not the same as a higher end model, from Thermaltake that would be something like the Toughpower series, or Corsair RM series...

I don't expect a 1660Ti to overload a 750W PSU though. Just that I wouldn't trust an unknown Thermaltake PSU with one of the newer 250W plus cards (which can pull 500W for brief periods)

Quality is important, what PSU do you recommend as the highest quality and performance?
Something you would pick for the best gaming experience overall.

 

[Eximo]

Well, not an effect on gaming, aside from increased system stability. Potentially lower noise if you select a large enough one that the fan doesn't need to be used.

Corsair RMx series is my usual go to, but they are getting rather expensive. My old RM850x is going to be with me for quite a bit longer I think.

As mentioned the ATX 3.0 Thermaltake Toughpower aren't bad. Corsair RM750e is alright (some people complain the fan is noisy), MSI MAG A series ATX 3.0 series ones. Corsair RMx is still great, but they don't come with the 12VHPWR cable, you have to buy that separately. But only if you need it. Only a select few 30 series and 40 series cards use it, everything else is still using 8-pin PCIe. But that is about a 20% premium plus the cable cost to get the longer warranty.

Still Seasonic high end units as well, but they are even more expensive. They seem to be padding out their lower end units with models not even made directly by themselves, so I pretty much don't bother to look at their Focus line up.

 

[ShiroTheWolf]

Well, not an effect on gaming, aside from increased system stability. Potentially lower noise if you select a large enough one that the fan doesn't need to be used.

Corsair RMx series is my usual go to, but they are getting rather expensive. My old RM850x is going to be with me for quite a bit longer I think.

As mentioned the ATX 3.0 Thermaltake Toughpower aren't bad. Corsair RM750e is alright (some people complain the fan is noisy), MSI MAG A series ATX 3.0 series ones. Corsair RMx is still great, but they don't come with the 12VHPWR cable, you have to buy that separately. But only if you need it. Only a select few 30 series and 40 series cards use it, everything else is still using 8-pin PCIe. But that is about a 20% premium plus the cable cost to get the longer warranty.

Still Seasonic high end units as well, but they are even more expensive. They seem to be padding out their lower end units with models not even made directly by themselves, so I pretty much don't bother to look at their Focus line up.

Yeah!
I think im gonna go with the Corsair Rmx series like you mentioned it looks like the right idea and its on sale on Newegg!

Sound is a non issue to me honestly since i work in an industrial environment and my ears are gone anyways lol
Thanks for your reply!

 

[Eximo]

A new PSU is not likely to fix your other issue unless you are certain the GPU is having a power problem. Could be internal to the GPU.

I would do some simple benchmarking to see if your GPU is performing even close to what it should.

Here is a simple one you can run that can help us identify obvious issues:

UserBenchmark: PC Speed Test Tool - Compare Your PC

Typically I would use something like 3DMark Firestrike for quick GPU testing. Unigine Valley/Heaven as well. Basically need to confirm your GPU is still good. If it is the problem, then you would want to look at a new GPU/PSU.

 

[ShiroTheWolf]

A new PSU is not likely to fix your other issue unless you are certain the GPU is having a power problem. Could be internal to the GPU.

I would do some simple benchmarking to see if your GPU is performing even close to what it should.

Here is a simple one you can run that can help us identify obvious issues:

UserBenchmark: PC Speed Test Tool - Compare Your PC

Typically I would use something like 3DMark Firestrike for quick GPU testing. Unigine Valley/Heaven as well. Basically need to confirm your GPU is still good. If it is the problem, then you would want to look at a new GPU/PSU.

Well as a whole I am considering upgrading my entire PC at this point looking at the facts
however I will run a benchmark on it and see what it tells me.
Ill check it out and respond here ASAP

 

[Eximo]

Easier to sell a working PC than not.

 

[ShiroTheWolf]

Easier to sell a working PC than not.

MSI B450M GAMING PLUS (MS-7B87) Performance Results - UserBenchmark

These were my results using the benchmark you recommended

 

[Order 66]

A new PSU is not likely to fix your other issue unless you are certain the GPU is having a power problem. Could be internal to the GPU.

I would do some simple benchmarking to see if your GPU is performing even close to what it should.

Here is a simple one you can run that can help us identify obvious issues:

UserBenchmark: PC Speed Test Tool - Compare Your PC

Typically I would use something like 3DMark Firestrike for quick GPU testing. Unigine Valley/Heaven as well. Basically need to confirm your GPU is still good. If it is the problem, then you would want to look at a new GPU/PSU.

I thought userbenchmark was not to be trusted because of certain biases toward intel and/or Nvidia.

 

[Eximo]

It is fine to compare against other userbenchmark results. Just doesn't really quantify relative system performance.

#1 thing:


G.SKILL Aegis DDR4 3000 C16 2x8GB-$36
163,634 User benchmarks, average bench 82%
2 of 2 slots used
16GB DIMM DDR4 2133 MHz clocked @ 1067 MHz

You are not running your memory at full speed. That might be the biggest factor.

1660Ti is puling its weight, with the slow memory the CPU might not be able to keep up.

Go set your XMP/AMP profile and run the test again. You should see 1500Mhz for DDR4 3000. Ryzen CPUs are very sensitive to memory speeds as this sets the communication speeds between the I/O die and the CPU die.

You also had quite a bit running during your test based on the memory usage. Do it from a fresh restart with no applications open, kill everything you don't need in your system tray as well.

 

[DSzymborski]

would the Thermaltake smart 700W fit your definition of unknown? It is the PSU that I have in my current system and would like to know if it is good or not.

It is not.

The Smarts are basically just cheaply made Sirfas of ancient design with the Smart label slapped onto it, frequently with RGB lights thrown in, because RGB sells better than good capacitors or topologies.

 

[ShiroTheWolf]

It is fine to compare against other userbenchmark results. Just doesn't really quantify relative system performance.

#1 thing:


G.SKILL Aegis DDR4 3000 C16 2x8GB-$36
163,634 User benchmarks, average bench 82%
2 of 2 slots used
16GB DIMM DDR4 2133 MHz clocked @ 1067 MHz

You are not running your memory at full speed. That might be the biggest factor.

1660Ti is puling its weight, with the slow memory the CPU might not be able to keep up.

Go set your XMP/AMP profile and run the test again. You should see 1500Mhz for DDR4 3000. Ryzen CPUs are very sensitive to memory speeds as this sets the communication speeds between the I/O die and the CPU die.

You also had quite a bit running during your test based on the memory usage. Do it from a fresh restart with no applications open, kill everything you don't need in your system tray as well.

changed my ram settings to xmp profile 1, then saved and exited.
and ran the test again on a fresh restart with nothing running in the background.
result:

MSI B450M GAMING PLUS (MS-7B87) Performance Results - UserBenchmark

Also a recent note, i have ordered a couple 1TB SSD's and a pair of corsair 16bg (32gb total) ddr4 3600

 

[Eximo]

GPU is still running a little slow, well according to them, but the CPU/RAM is looking better.

Actually showed a higher background CPU usage this time though.

Monitor GPU temperatures to see if the card just needs a re-paste?

 

[ShiroTheWolf]

GPU is still running a little slow, well according to them, but the CPU/RAM is looking better.

Actually showed a higher background CPU usage this time though.

Monitor GPU temperatures to see if the card just needs a re-paste?

MSI B450M GAMING PLUS (MS-7B87) Performance Results - UserBenchmark

I apologize for my late responses had to work, I re-did the test after putting new thermal paste on my card and my cpu.

 

[ShiroTheWolf]

I have discovered that my RAM is bottlenecking my pc performance, my GPU and CPU are both hardly being used when running a game whilst my RAM is 40-70% in use.
Good thing I have that ram you recommended inbound.

 

[Lucky_SLS]

For psu, look for a tier a unit;

PSU Tier List rev. 17.0g - Cultists Network

PSU Tier List will help you to choose the best PSU out of hundreds of models on the market. From budget to the highest end Power Supplies.

cultists.network

 

[DSzymborski]

I have discovered that my RAM is bottlenecking my pc performance, my GPU and CPU are both hardly being used when running a game whilst my RAM is 40-70% in use.
Good thing I have that ram you recommended inbound.

This does not seem a likely culprit.