[SOLVED] Is it necessary to upgrade an i5 4690k, in order to upgrade GPU to a GTX 1080?

[Fleron]

Hey everyone,

With the upcoming release of the nvidia 30s series, I heard that the prices of past GPUs might be dropping a bit, therefore I'm looking to upgrade my GPU.

Right now I'm using a;
i5 4690k
16GB RAM at 1866 MHz
GTX 1060 6GB

It's been a while since I've done anything with my CPU, so I was wondering whether it's necessary to upgrade it to anything, since I think that means I need a new MOBO and new RAM right? Unless I get a 4790k, but I'm not sure if that's any better. Would my CPU bottleneck badly when paired with a GTX 1080?

I'm aiming to game at 1080p 144hz, so pushing around 144fps on most games.

Thank you!

 

[boju]

Generally it'll be fine and your processor will get most out of the 1080. Really depends which games though, and how cpu taxing they are in other areas where trying to pre-render high levels of frames can be too much.

This vid gives an idea about cpu frame pre-rendering and cpu usage.

In games where four or even six cores are having it's work cut out, may find a stronger gpu requesting more frames be too much for some cpus. Not always though, more so in open world & multiplayer games. Cpu usages can be too high causing sudden fps drops and stutters.

An i7's HT would allow for lower cpu usages and games have benefited it for quite some time now. If you can snag one for a good price it would be worth considering.

If you consider overhauling in future, avoid non HT processors.

 

[logainofhades]

If you can get one cheap, go with a 4790k. Chances are, though, the price of one, is going to be pretty high. Cheapest, that I have seen as of late, is around $170. That's quite a bit of cash to spend, on a dead platform. Prices, and supply, for new, is not very good though either. This would give you an upgrade path, but obviously the price is higher, than just getting a 4790k.

PCPartPicker Part List

CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 3100 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Processor ($114.99 @ B&H)
Motherboard: Gigabyte B550M AORUS PRO Micro ATX AM4 Motherboard ($119.99 @ B&H)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V 16 GB (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-3600 CL16 Memory ($74.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $309.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2020-09-09 09:33 EDT-0400

 

[InvalidError]

I'm aiming to game at 1080p 144hz, so pushing around 144fps on most games.

If your priority is 144Hz, then you'll need to step up to something like an i5-10600 or better, or wait for Zen 3 on AMD's side unless you are playing older, less CPU-intensive games.

 

[mdd1963]

$170 is just short of what a new B450 (on sale) and a R3-3300X will cost... (yes, DDR4 is more on top of that)

But the R3-3300X rivals the 8700K and R5-3600 in many games....; it's a budget powerhouse!