[SOLVED] Is my i5 4690k bottlenecking?

TuckieG

Commendable
Jul 12, 2019
9
0
1,510
Hi there,

I'm finding most of the Triple A titles I play tend to stutter a lot when i play them, and ive checked fps and my 1660 keeps all the games over 60fps easily, so is my CPU bottle-necking?

SYSTEM SPECS:

CPU: i5 4690k @ 3.50GHz (4 core)
Motherboard: Z97X-SOS Force
GPU: NVIDIA GTX 1660 (recently upgraded to)
RAM: 8GB DDR3
 
Solution
Hey, mdd!

Would you recommends AMD 5 Ryzen 2600? I dont have that big of a budget myself and since most people are telling me the CPU is bottlenecking i will plan to upgrade.

If I were you I would wait till you have enough money for a 3600. It is a pretty good CPU and it wont cost much more than a 2600. Get a decent b450 board with bios flashback and you wont have an issue getting the correct bios for running the 3600 as many of the boards have bios flashback available.

Satan-IR

Splendid
Ambassador
Welcome to the forums?

What was the card before this "you upgraded to"?

What resolution and refresh rate you play at? What is the display?

If GPU can't get to near 100% performance capacity and CPU is around 100% when gaming yes the CPU is "bottlenecking" in that title with the particular graphical settings.
 
In some CPU heavy games, such as BFV, the 4690k will hold you back some. It could be something as simple as a driver issue though and I would start there. Did you do a clean uninstall of the previous GPU drivers? I suggest running the DDU tool below in safe mode to remove the old drivers. This should be done anytime you get a new GPU.


https://www.guru3d.com/files-details/display-driver-uninstaller-download.html
 

TuckieG

Commendable
Jul 12, 2019
9
0
1,510
Welcome to the forums?

What was the card before this "you upgraded to"?

What resolution and refresh rate you play at? What is the display?

Thank you kindly, Satan!

I upgraded from a GTX 970 to the 1660 and 1080p at 60hz. im using a ASUS VE248

Also i noticed in all the games i play "Apex Legends, The Witcher 3 etc.." My CPU Usage is always at 100% while the GPU is sitting nicely at 60-70
 
Last edited:

Satan-IR

Splendid
Ambassador
Thank you kindly, Satan!

I upgraded from a GTX 970 to the 1660 and 1080p. im using a ASUS VE248


No problem, glad to help. As said above, I'd suggest using DDU in safe mode to remove any old driver and do a clean install of drivers.

Is that a 75Hz display? At 1080p @75Hz you'd be mostly OK with the CPU+GPU. Are you using vsync?

Different titles are differently coded and can't say same thing for all games but in more CPU-intensive games the CPU can hold back the GPU a bit, not drastically though.
 

TuckieG

Commendable
Jul 12, 2019
9
0
1,510
No problem, glad to help. As said above, I'd suggest using DDU in safe mode to remove any old driver and do a clean install of drivers.

Is that a 75Hz display? At 1080p @75Hz you'd be mostly OK with the CPU+GPU. Are you using vsync?

Different titles are differently coded and can't say same thing for all games but in more CPU-intensive games the CPU can hold back the GPU a bit, not drastically though.

About to use DDU and wipe my drivers and reinstall! And no it's a 60Hz monitor! and no i donthave vsync on any of the game i play
 
Any a few generations old and only 4c/4t cpu is going to be increasingly thread challenged, especially on most of the newer games, i.e., pretty much anything post- BF1...

WIth the release and reviews of R5-3600 and R7 3700 thru 3800X, you can certainly find something that will likely hold you over several more years...
 

TuckieG

Commendable
Jul 12, 2019
9
0
1,510
Any a few generations old and only 4c/4t cpu is going to be increasingly thread challenged, especially on most of the newer games, i.e., pretty much anything post- BF1...

WIth the release and reviews of R5-3600 and R7 3700 thru 3800X, you can certainly find something that will likely hold you over several more years...

Hey, mdd!

Would you recommends AMD 5 Ryzen 2600? I dont have that big of a budget myself and since most people are telling me the CPU is bottlenecking i will plan to upgrade.
 

Satan-IR

Splendid
Ambassador
About to use DDU and wipe my drivers and reinstall! And no it's a 60Hz monitor! and no i donthave vsync on any of the game i play


OK, see if DDU helps. It's a good idea to upgrade as new Ryzen are good and, as said above, would enable you to play new AAA titles for a few years at that resolution / refresh rate.

If you go the Ryzen path (which is pretty good) Id' say get a board that's compatible with new gen Ryzen out of the box so later you can upgrade to better CPU than 5 2600 with less probability of compatibility issues. Not saying 5 2600 is not good!

Some of gen 3 Ryzens I think come with higher TDP or next gen of Ryzens might be like that and older boards might not be able to handle them. So I guess it's always good to check for future forward and backward compatibility.
 
Hey, mdd!

Would you recommends AMD 5 Ryzen 2600? I dont have that big of a budget myself and since most people are telling me the CPU is bottlenecking i will plan to upgrade.

If I were you I would wait till you have enough money for a 3600. It is a pretty good CPU and it wont cost much more than a 2600. Get a decent b450 board with bios flashback and you wont have an issue getting the correct bios for running the 3600 as many of the boards have bios flashback available.
 
Solution

rumple99

Reputable
May 27, 2019
88
13
4,545
Overclock that chip - you should be able to get it up to 4.3 - 4.5GHZ and you will notice a big difference !

Also 8gb ram isnt enough for gaming these days - typically when I play any games I find 11gb of my 16gb is in use. you should be able to get a second stick of 8gb cheap and run it in dual channel for extra performance