Question I have an intel i5 11600k and having a hard time running games, should I upgrade?

[echm]

So I know little to nothing about cpu's and I've had this cpu for about 3 years now. It has been good but I want to play more demanding games like cod lol. I don't know if it is worth it to buy an i7 or i9. My mobo is a Z590 pro wifi and my cooler is a nzxt kraken elite z63. Thank you in advance!

 

[bill001g]

You are not going to see a huge increase in performance just upgrading the cpu to i7/i9. Most games are gpu bound so that tends to be the better upgrade path. Problem is even if you were to want to upgrade the CPU chips the manufactures make this not a economically viable option. They seem to very quickly stop manufacturing the previous generation of CPU so they become expensive unless you buy used chips. They of course raised the price of the newer cpu and motherboards. If you look at the pricing on the boards than can run 12/13/14 intel cpu they are massively more expensive than the boards than can run 11th gen.

Hard to say, you are going to pay a lot for a very tiny increase or you are going to pay even more to upgrade to a more modern platform.

Just be careful COD players seem to obsess over frame rates even when their monitor can not actually display them at those rates. Someone who has actual skills can use garabage computers and still win shooter games. I have given up aruging with the guys who think someone else is winning just because their computer can do 600fps.

 

[geofelt]

I5/I7/I9 differ mostly in the number pf processing threads,
Gaming depends more on the performance of the single master thread.
Run the cpu-Z bench on your i5-11600K.
You should see a single thread rating of about 639:
https://valid.x86.fr/bench/rf2mte
That is really quite a decent number.
Have you tried overclocking?
It might get you something, but chips are binned and there will be very little headroom making the effort not much worth it.

Try this experiment:
Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
This makes the graphics card loaf a bit.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

You might also share the make/model of your other parts.
A significant cpu upgrade is going to involve a motherboard upgrade.

 

[--SID--]

One i5-11600K does not make a working system. What are the rest of the parts? Motherboard, RAM, GPU, storage, PSU, cooling?

 

[geofelt]

One i5-11600K does not make a working system. What are the rest of the parts? Motherboard, RAM, GPU, storage, PSU, cooling?

You might note that my response DID ask for the make/model of the other parts.
It is at the end of the post.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

have an intel i5 11600k and having a hard time running games...
don't know if it is worth it to buy an i7 or i9

what do you mean, "hard time"?
games won't load, are crashing, low fps, graphics glitching, etc?

if you are playing any sort of demanding games and want decent performance you need a higher end dedicated GPU, a good CPU, and the rest of a system that can support both through the heavy processing of gaming.

you don't include any information other than you are running an i5-11600K on a Z590,
hopefully not just using the iGPU and expecting to get any decent performance in modern AAA games.

I want to play more demanding games

as others here in the thread have requested,
list your full system specs with the make & model of all components;

CPU: i5-11600K
motherboard: Z590 Pro WiFi(make?)
RAM:
GPU:
PSU:
CPU cooler: NZXT Kraken Z63(280mm)
storage:
case:

 

[BFG-9000]

Sounds like you need a GPU.

11600k has UHD Graphics 750 IGP which is roughly equivalent to a 10-year-old factory OC GT 740 at 1058 or 1071MHz.

The newer CPUs have UHD Graphics 770 which is pretty much the same only with minor clockspeed differences.

 

[echm]

I5/I7/I9 differ mostly in the number pf processing threads,
Gaming depends more on the performance of the single master thread.
Run the cpu-Z bench on your i5-11600K.
You should see a single thread rating of about 639:
https://valid.x86.fr/bench/rf2mte
That is really quite a decent number.
Have you tried overclocking?
It might get you something, but chips are binned and there will be very little headroom making the effort not much worth it.

Try this experiment:
Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
This makes the graphics card loaf a bit.
If your FPS increases, it indicates that your cpu is strong enough to drive a better graphics configuration.
If your FPS stays the same, you are likely more cpu limited.

You might also share the make/model of your other parts.
A significant cpu upgrade is going to involve a motherboard upgrade.

Here is all my other stuff. sorry for the late replies. I have not tried to overclock since im too scared to, idk what i have in my mind that it would be bad but i feel like it would. though i will attempt to in the following days. I am also not opposed to a ryzen and getting a new mobo
CPU: i5-11600K
motherboard: msi Z590 Pro WiFi atx aga 1200
RAM: corsair 32gb ddr4-3200, 4 8gb sticks
GPU: geforce rtx 4070ti gaming x slim
PSU: corsair 2019 750 w gold
CPU cooler: Kraken 360 Elite RGB White (i put the wrong cooler down sorry!)
storage: 3 tb ssd in all samsung
case: lian li o11d xl

 

[echm]

what do you mean, "hard time"?
games won't load, are crashing, low fps, graphics glitching, etc?

if you are playing any sort of demanding games and want decent performance you need a higher end dedicated GPU, a good CPU, and the rest of a system that can support both through the heavy processing of gaming.

you don't include any information other than you are running an i5-11600K on a Z590,
hopefully not just using the iGPU and expecting to get any decent performance in modern AAA games.


as others here in the thread have requested,
list your full system specs with the make & model of all components;

CPU: i5-11600K
motherboard: Z590 Pro WiFi(make?)
RAM:
GPU:
PSU:
CPU cooler: NZXT Kraken Z63(280mm)
storage:
case:

Here is all my other stuff. sorry for the late replies.
CPU: i5-11600K
motherboard: msi Z590 Pro WiFi atx aga 1200
RAM: corsair 32gb ddr4-3200, 4 8gb sticks
GPU: geforce rtx 4070ti gaming x slim
PSU: corsair 2019 750 w gold
CPU cooler: Kraken 360 Elite RGB White (i put the wrong cooler down sorry!)
storage: 3 tb ssd in all samsung
case: lian li o11d xl

 

[echm]

Here is all my other stuff. sorry for the late replies.
CPU: i5-11600K
motherboard: msi Z590 Pro WiFi atx aga 1200
RAM: corsair 32gb ddr4-3200, 4 8gb sticks
GPU: geforce rtx 4070ti gaming x slim
PSU: corsair 2019 750 w gold
CPU cooler: Kraken 360 Elite RGB White (i put the wrong cooler down sorry!)
storage: 3 tb ssd in all samsung
case: lian li o11d xl

Forgot to add this and it wouldnt let me edit. Having a hard time by when i am trying to play things like fort, out of all things, and the new cod it just wont load into the game at all. ill look at my task manager and it is just capped out to 100. I don't believe its my gpu since it is very new and i am not using the integrated graphics thankfully. the cpu and mobo are both as old as each other coming up around 2-3 years.

 

[echm]

One i5-11600K does not make a working system. What are the rest of the parts? Motherboard, RAM, GPU, storage, PSU, cooling?

Am sorry, did not think about putting the rest in when i first posted.
CPU: i5-11600K
motherboard: msi Z590 Pro WiFi atx aga 1200
RAM: corsair 32gb ddr4-3200, 4 8gb sticks
GPU: geforce rtx 4070ti gaming x slim
PSU: corsair 2019 750 w gold
CPU cooler: Kraken 360 Elite RGB White
storage: 3 tb ssd in all samsung
case: lian li o11d xl

 

[echm]

You are not going to see a huge increase in performance just upgrading the cpu to i7/i9. Most games are gpu bound so that tends to be the better upgrade path. Problem is even if you were to want to upgrade the CPU chips the manufactures make this not a economically viable option. They seem to very quickly stop manufacturing the previous generation of CPU so they become expensive unless you buy used chips. They of course raised the price of the newer cpu and motherboards. If you look at the pricing on the boards than can run 12/13/14 intel cpu they are massively more expensive than the boards than can run 11th gen.

Hard to say, you are going to pay a lot for a very tiny increase or you are going to pay even more to upgrade to a more modern platform.

Just be careful COD players seem to obsess over frame rates even when their monitor can not actually display them at those rates. Someone who has actual skills can use garabage computers and still win shooter games. I have given up aruging with the guys who think someone else is winning just because their computer can do 600fps.

I honestly don't care about frames too much but I would at least like to run the game with like 60 fps at least. I try running the game and it just doesnt work and my my cpu is at 100 with no stopping of coming down lol. I wouldnt a ryzen either tbh. I dont know what i particularly want but it feels like i need something better yk?
Heres the rest of my specs.
CPU: i5-11600K
motherboard: msi Z590 Pro WiFi atx aga 1200
RAM: corsair 32gb ddr4-3200, 4 8gb sticks
GPU: geforce rtx 4070ti gaming x slim
PSU: corsair 2019 750 w gold
CPU cooler: Kraken 360 Elite RGB White (i put the wrong cooler down sorry!)
storage: 3 tb ssd in all samsung
case: lian li o11d xl

 

[thestryker]

CoD is very much not a CPU demanding title unless you're trying to get really high frame rates.

It sounds like the games aren't loading correctly which is far more likely to be a software issue of some sort rather than a problem with the CPU.

If your prior video card was AMD then you certainly need to use DDU to remove all video card drivers and start over. If it was an older nvidia card while it's not typically necessary it wouldn't hurt. You also might want to check to see if there are any crash reports or anything of the like in the Windows event viewer.

 

[echm]

CoD is very much not a CPU demanding title unless you're trying to get really high frame rates.

It sounds like the games aren't loading correctly which is far more likely to be a software issue of some sort rather than a problem with the CPU.

If your prior video card was AMD then you certainly need to use DDU to remove all video card drivers and start over. If it was an older nvidia card while it's not typically necessary it wouldn't hurt. You also might want to check to see if there are any crash reports or anything of the like in the Windows event viewer.

Dont break my heart n tell me its a software issue LOL. i did use ddu to uninstall my old video card drivers. I will check to see if there are crashes when i try playing

 

[MEMOFLEX]

Dont break my heart n tell me its a software issue LOL. i did use ddu to uninstall my old video card drivers. I will check to see if there are crashes when i try playing

I run the latest COD on a 9900k with a 4070 super and it runs well. Over 120fps with my settings and so I feel that this is not a cpu issue directly. An 11600k should run this game fine.

It is a notoriously buggy game however and this could well be related to some poor development

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Dont break my heart n tell me its a software issue LOL. i did use ddu to uninstall my old video card drivers. I will check to see if there are crashes when i try playing

Try SFC Scannow/DISM. See if it helps :https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...em-files-79aa86cb-ca52-166a-92a3-966e85d4094e

Are all of your system drivers up to date? If not, then get started with those.

What bios are you running on the mobo? You can check this with CPU-z on the mainboard tab.

 

[geofelt]

Your hardware is sufficiently good.
What might have changed since 3 years ago?

On the hardware side, one suspect is the aio cooler.
They do not last forever, but 5 years is more normal.

Run hwmonitor or hwinfo and look at the max temperatures. If you see 100c. it means that one or more cores have throttled and slowed down to protect from damage. The 100% utilization would be cores running at 10% of their capability until the heat issue is resolved.

On the software side, look in your installed programs list for new apps that you may not recognize.
Run malwarebytes to check for malware.
Look in game forums for settings or performance tips.

Is your motherboard bios up to date?
Bios updates often in include performance fixes.

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

when i am trying to play things like fort, out of all things, and the new cod it just wont load into the game at all. ill look at my task manager and it is just capped out to 100. I don't believe its my gpu since it is very new and i am not using the integrated graphics

just to absolutely verify;
you are plugging the display into the dedicated GPU(RTX 4070 Ti) and not the motherboard I/O, right?

RAM: corsair 32gb ddr4-3200, 4 8gb sticks

if this is 2 separate memory kits;
remove one kit and only populate DIMM slots A_2 & B_2 with a single kit.

then try running the game again and see if it has any impact.

PSU: corsair 2019 750

which specific model of Corsair?

 

[echm]

Try SFC Scannow/DISM. See if it helps :https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...em-files-79aa86cb-ca52-166a-92a3-966e85d4094e

Are all of your system drivers up to date? If not, then get started with those.

What bios are you running on the mobo? You can check this with CPU-z on the mainboard tab.

I did all three, fixed corrupted files, and updated everything. I was always told not to upgrade bios so i never have. It was on a version from like may 2021 which is my fault. I did update it and now i can actually run the game LOL. Thank you!

 

[echm]

Your hardware is sufficiently good.
What might have changed since 3 years ago?

On the hardware side, one suspect is the aio cooler.
They do not last forever, but 5 years is more normal.

Run hwmonitor or hwinfo and look at the max temperatures. If you see 100c. it means that one or more cores have throttled and slowed down to protect from damage. The 100% utilization would be cores running at 10% of their capability until the heat issue is resolved.

On the software side, look in your installed programs list for new apps that you may not recognize.
Run malwarebytes to check for malware.
Look in game forums for settings or performance tips.

Is your motherboard bios up to date?
Bios updates often in include performance fixes.

The things that have changed were just my aio and gpu. Everything else was added into extra slots. I looked at the temps for all and theyre all relatively normal, around like 37c max. I did run for malware and i scanned for corrupted files. I just now updated my bios since I was told not to many times. It was a version from like 2021 (crying on the inside bc it was so simple). Now the game is running with no issues except for packet loss which is fine. Thank you for your help!

 

[echm]

just to absolutely verify;
you are plugging the display into the dedicated GPU(RTX 4070 Ti) and not the motherboard I/O, right?


if this is 2 separate memory kits;
remove one kit and only populate DIMM slots A_2 & B_2 with a single kit.

then try running the game again and see if it has any impact.


which specific model of Corsair?

I am indeed plugging the display into the gpu lol. I tried removing one kit and it did not really change anything, still couldnt run the game. I did upgrade my bios and that did the trick. Thank you for trying to figure out what is going on for me!

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

I did all three, fixed corrupted files, and updated everything. I was always told not to upgrade bios so i never have. It was on a version from like may 2021 which is my fault. I did update it and now i can actually run the game LOL. Thank you!

Woohoo! Excellent Result.

You can close out the thread by choosing the post as the solution.

Good luck and happy gaming!