News How Much CPU Does the GeForce RTX 3080 Need?

[Michael Hagood]

This is excellent news! I've maintained the "core" of my system since I built it in 2013. I've always been behind the curve when it comes to upgrading usually buying a generation or two back when used. I've upgraded the GPU twice, from a 650 ti BOOST, to a 970, and now a 1070 ti. And the CPU once, from an i5-4670k to an i7-4790k. I was worried I'd need to build a whole new system to run a 3070 or 3080 but it seems I won't need to if I upgrade to 4k. I'm still at 1080p but I've been wanting to move up to 1440p or 4k, just been waiting to find the right monitor, this might just give me all the more reason to.

 

[McGaz]

Look at the FPS for ultra.
190 max for 1080 and
155 max for 1440
the higher the resolution the lower the demand for the CPU.
Less FPS need LESS CPU not more.

I agree that the higher resolutions are more dependent upon the GPU than CPU, but I'm not sure what you're saying in your final statement? Less FPS need Less CPU? A weaker CPU gives less FPS?

It sounds like you're arguing my point, but then agreeing with it.

The article shows 155FPS on Ultra with a top CPU and 122FPS on my current CPU. That's over 25% difference, so clearly the CPU does have a significant difference. 1080p gave a larger improvement.

I'm aiming for 144FPS at 1440p and I'm good

 

[paul prochnow]

I am only going to play graphics rich 4K games on a 4K TV maxed out.
See the last three charts. I am not playing MORTAL COMBAT death match karate kick games on a 15" monitor.
When does Tom's wake up to this phenomenon?

 

[paul prochnow]

This is excellent news! I've maintained the "core" of my system since I built it in 2013. I've always been behind the curve when it comes to upgrading usually buying a generation or two back when used. I've upgraded the GPU twice, from a 650 ti BOOST, to a 970, and now a 1070 ti. And the CPU once, from an i5-4670k to an i7-4790k. I was worried I'd need to build a whole new system to run a 3070 or 3080 but it seems I won't need to if I upgrade to 4k. I'm still at 1080p but I've been wanting to move up to 1440p or 4k, just been waiting to find the right monitor, this might just give me all the more reason to.

Did you hear about the 4K television phenomenon yet? Use a HDMI 2.0 cable.

 

[eager to learn]

Hi, I'm not a gamer so I'm interested in a mobile work station for video edting with DaVinci Resolve (free). I haven't heard video ediotrs needing to overclock but I am interested in how the AMD Ryzen 9 3900X handles heat (dissipation or otherwise) vs the Intel Core i9-9900K when rendering? Is it different than when you're rendering more than one vidoe at a time? Ex. Rednering 3-5 vidoes of 15 minuites to 30 minutes in length - does that change which CPU to get? We'll probably team that with a NVIDEA Geoforce RTX 2070 or 2080 GPU with 64 GB RAM. We';re tyringg to keep the enteri mobile work station under $3,500, preferably under $3,000. Thank you.

 

[MisterSavage]

Thank you to the author who wrote this fantastic article. Without hard work and the time invested on these types of tests, what would we know? Nothing! That's what. There is no way on earth I would be able to decide on an RTX 3080 or not with my old system. Given my research, I can conclude with reasonable certainty that my older CPU will have its life extended so long as I choose to 4K game with the RTX 3080. Going with a cheaper GPU only means my old CPU will barely handle 4K which makes my CPU a problem, and in need of replacement. I get that PCIe 3.0 is costing me x% and that a quad-core is costing me x% and maybe 1x% but it's still going to excel. Sure I could build a new PC for a new CPU but then I'm spending a LOT more just to squeeze out a few more frames at 4K. Yes it's backwards thinking but the proof is there. This isn't great for selling CPUs but it's clear that CPUs of yesteryear are not a problem. In fact this testing shows that new CPUs are largely wasteful and underutilized. I'm sure many cases for upgrading a CPU can be made but for most people? Just upgrade to a card that kills at 4K rather than building an entirely new PC. Think about what it is you're chasing.

 

[rnazer]

anyone know where i can see a comparison of 3060ti/3070/3080 on a 4790K system?
trying to decide which to purchase for 1440p gaming

 

[MisterSavage]

anyone know where i can see a comparison of 3060ti/3070/3080 on a 4790K system?
trying to decide which to purchase for 1440p gaming

Not that I can answer your question precisely, but I can say I'm in the same shoes you're in. In all the charts I looked at, the only way I could truly avoid a CPU bottleneck was to be a 4K gamer. So it's 3080 or bust for me. I think it's called the law of diminishing returns? The top-end cards in a 1080p or 1440p resolution, the greater negative impact the dated CPU is going to have. With the 3060ti around, the 3070 makes no sense from my research regardless if I was going to do 4K or 1440p gaming. To be honest, I'm not even sure the 3060ti at 1440p on a 4790K is worthwhile investment if you can't make use of the GPU power. I believe ASUS accidentally outed a 3050 so that might be worth waiting on if it costs less and is less overkill. But I'm confident in saying the 3060i would be the only one of those three that would be worthwhile at 1440p for that CPU. All that said, this article was a treat in that I could actually see an old processor like mine paired up with a new GPU. I hope someone has found a source with a 4790K with any of these new cards because I would be very curious. I doubt sites will invest the time in recording results of a DDR3 system. Full credit to the author doing this research!!

 

[spongiemaster]

anyone know where i can see a comparison of 3060ti/3070/3080 on a 4790K system?
trying to decide which to purchase for 1440p gaming

I'd pick the 3070. 3080 is overkill for 1440p. 3060ti is the best value, but if you can afford a 3080, the extra $100 over the 3060Ti for the 3070 should not be a big deal. The extra 10% should allow you to run most games maxed out at 1440p for awhile.

If you're overclocking your 4790k, it should pair pretty decently with a 3070 at 1440p maxed settings.

 

[rnazer]

Not that I can answer your question precisely, but I can say I'm in the same shoes you're in. In all the charts I looked at, the only way I could truly avoid a CPU bottleneck was to be a 4K gamer. So it's 3080 or bust for me. I think it's called the law of diminishing returns? The top-end cards in a 1080p or 1440p resolution, the greater negative impact the dated CPU is going to have. With the 3060ti around, the 3070 makes no sense from my research regardless if I was going to do 4K or 1440p gaming. To be honest, I'm not even sure the 3060ti at 1440p on a 4790K is worthwhile investment if you can't make use of the GPU power. I believe ASUS accidentally outed a 3050 so that might be worth waiting on if it costs less and is less overkill. But I'm confident in saying the 3060i would be the only one of those three that would be worthwhile at 1440p for that CPU. All that said, this article was a treat in that I could actually see an old processor like mine paired up with a new GPU. I hope someone has found a source with a 4790K with any of these new cards because I would be very curious. I doubt sites will invest the time in recording results of a DDR3 system. Full credit to the author doing this research!!

I understand what you are saying with diminishing returns. However at the end of the day a 3070 will give more fps than a 3060ti and a3080 will give more fps than a 3070 at 1440p. The question is how much more and if the increase is worth the extra money.
It's also important to keep in mind that games will become more demanding in the future. I remember when the 10xx series was released, people said 1080 was for 4k, 1070 for 1440p and 1060 for 1080p gaming. That may have been true at the time but obviously no longer.

I'm leaning towards waiting for the the price point of the 3070ti and 3080ti. Not only will it give the most performance but serve me better in the future as games become more demanding or I decide to move to 4k gaming.

 

[MisterSavage]

Truthfully I cornered myself into 4K and 1440p hasn't been an option or something I fully explored with my i7-4790K. I also was incorrect in what I posted. There is a 3060 and 3080ti that ASUS leaked. I bow to the experts at Tom's Hardware so I won't pretend to be on that level. However I can say that this subject is something that I wrestled with and I don't think there are many people out there considering their DDR3 system with the latest and greatest video cards. I can only say this. 4K is what fits for an older system and to do that in 2021, it requires a pricey purchase. The way I see it, I'm buying an awesome card that will do the heavy lifting for the gaming, allowing me to keep my existing system for a while longer. I don't consider the i7-4790K a slouch but the article did show the generational shortcomings. I could upgrade my entire PC with a new one sure, but having a great card for 4K gaming means I'm not forced into an entirely new rig. I went 4K monitor first because of work, and have since realized I've pigeon holed myself when it comes to native resolution gaming. So yes there are expert opinions around but ask those same folks when they upgrade from their DDR3 system. I'm sure most are current. Inevitabilities are? 4K monitors/displays and video cards that can pump out smooth frames at 4K. As for the 3070 vs. 3060ti, it's always a matter of spending "just another $100" for the next card up. Well, if you spend that extra $100 and it can't do 4K gaming worth a (you know what) then it seems like a senseless expenditure given that 4K gaming is the future and your next build will be more than sufficient for 4K gaming. The 3080 is solidly future proofed in my opinion. A running head start.

 

[spongiemaster]

I'm leaning towards waiting for the the price point of the 3070ti and 3080ti. Not only will it give the most performance but serve me better in the future as games become more demanding or I decide to move to 4k gaming.

A 3080ti and a 4790k would be a pretty serious mismatch unless you plan to upgrade the rest of your system this year (2021). A 3080Ti will at a minimum likely be $500 more than a 3070 (comparing $500 FE to $1000 FE). Going AIB, the price gap will likely be even larger. Unlike what MisterSavage says, it's not always just another $100 to the next step. If you're going to spend $1000+ upgrading your system, you'd be better off getting a 3070 with a 10600k, new motherboard and 16GB of RAM if your goal is 1440p gaming.

There have been no rumors to date of a 3070Ti, so plan A should not be waiting on one of those.

 

[major photon]

Why no data on 3440 x1440 ultra wide?

 

[JarredWaltonGPU]

Why no data on 3440 x1440 ultra wide?

Every additional resolution requires hours of testing. That's also why there's no 2560x1080 or 3840x1620, and only benchmarks for 13 games. But generally speaking, 3440x1440 runs about 10-15% slower than 2560x1440.

 

[coletrx]

Holy thread revival Batman!

Thank you Jarred for a thorough article. I would say it’s still helping people like me today decide what to do about old systems, like my 4770k/1070 combo…

And it’s going to get a 4070 and 4K screen. I’m pretty cheap and your info has helped justify a further cheap out!

Ps. The 4070.. maybe unnecessary but I just got a really great deal that changed the equation. That still left me wondering about the 4770k so thank you again.