Is upgrading my budget gaming rig worth it? (from i3 6100 to i5 8400).

Dec 10, 2018
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So currently i have an a BUDGET gaming rig with games that i mostly play being;
Dota 2, CS:GO, Forza Horizon 3 (recently) and i'm looking into play games like Forza Horizon 4 and Artifact.

My current gaming parts:
CPU: i3 6100
GPU: GeForce GTX 1050 Ti GAMING X 4G
Ram: 8GB 2133mhz DDR4
Mother Board: Asus H110M-E Micro ATX

I can run CS:GO around 90 fps but i am currently considering to upgrade to an
CPU: i5 8400
Mother Board: MSI Z370 A-Pro
Ram: 16GB 2400mhz/2666mhz

I am not sure if this upgrade will even do anything, i am open to take any recommendations. I probably will upgrade my GPU later on as i know that a 1050ti will under perform in modern and upcoming games such as forza horizon 3 and 4.

I live in Australia and i currently have around $1000 AUD.

Again, I am open to take recommendations if i should change my choice of parts etc.
 
Solution
I am a bit surprised, but your tests tell me that the cpu is holding you back.
I think your games are cpu centric.
What to do??

Your considered upgrade is reasonable and will work.
Your i3-6100 has 4 threads and a passmark rating of 5490 and a single thread rating of 2107.
The i5-8400 has 6 threads and a rating of 11662 and a single thread rating of 2335.
A nice upgrade.
If a i5-9600K is anywhere near the same price, I think it would be a stronger upgrade.
6 cores and a rating of 13488, but a much stronger single thread rating of 2689,
It seems that the single thread performance is all important in most games.

If budget is an issue, keep your 8gb of ram and see how you do.
If you are not multitasking while gaming, you should do...
Well check cpu while gaming. 6100 is quite powerful even now, at least for CS, it should not matter.
while FPS will propably gain something(other benches gain a lot):
https://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Intel-Core-i5-8400-vs-Intel-Core-i3-6100/3939vs3511

gaming fps:
https://www.userbenchmark.com/PCGame/FPS-Estimates-Counter-Strike--Global-Offensive/3680/188434.36976.0.0.0
https://www.userbenchmark.com/PCGame/FPS-Estimates-Counter-Strike--Global-Offensive/3680/188434.355255.0.0.0

as long as GPU is not starved for CPU power then change like that will be cosmetic.

IMHO right now its not worth it to do a change like that, as intel prices are higher than MSRP.

I think you should just grab 3200 Mhz 8GB ram stick and wait. It will work at 2133 with the other one, but you will be able to use it in next build.
16GB ram will be faster than 8GB especially in dual channel mode.
 
Question is will a cpu or gpu change do more for you?

Run YOUR games, but lower your resolution and eye candy.
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.

I suspect that a graphics change would do you more immediate good.

If you are gaming only, and not multitasking, then 8gb should be sufficient.

Adding another stick is not guaranteed to work so be careful there.


 
Dec 10, 2018
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I tried BattleField 1 and my FPS stayed the same as i decreased and increased the graphics settings. Dota stayed the same and CSGO stayed the same. I also tried this on forza horizon 3 and fps stayed the same but it kept crashing at high graphics configurations.
 
I am a bit surprised, but your tests tell me that the cpu is holding you back.
I think your games are cpu centric.
What to do??

Your considered upgrade is reasonable and will work.
Your i3-6100 has 4 threads and a passmark rating of 5490 and a single thread rating of 2107.
The i5-8400 has 6 threads and a rating of 11662 and a single thread rating of 2335.
A nice upgrade.
If a i5-9600K is anywhere near the same price, I think it would be a stronger upgrade.
6 cores and a rating of 13488, but a much stronger single thread rating of 2689,
It seems that the single thread performance is all important in most games.

If budget is an issue, keep your 8gb of ram and see how you do.
If you are not multitasking while gaming, you should do fine.

Speed is not very important to Intel.
I would be inclined to test a second stick like the one you have if you can return it if it does not work.
Your odds of success are perhaps 90%

I do not know your prices, but I think
 
Solution
Dec 10, 2018
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The i5 9600K is an extra $100aud for me but if i can do with just a cpu and mother board upgrade and not worry about my ram, then i can purchase the i5 9600K.

However, looking into other CPU prices, i saw the i7 8700 for just 60$AUD more extra compared to the i5 9600K. Perhaps is that a reasonable choice? At this point my GPU is completely bottlenecking (i think). But i am thinking to upgrade my GPU in the future aswell. So is this a good idea?

 
For gaming, I think the 9600K is actually the stronger gamer.
Few games can effectively use more than 4 cores. the 9600K has 6.
The 8700K has 12 but will not overclock as high.

Your current ram will work. I see no reason not to defer on any ram change.

A future graphics change is an easy one to make, assuming you have a suitably strong psu. 450w will run a GTX1060.
550w for a GTX1080.

When you tested your games with lowered graphics demand your fps did not change.
Upgrading the graphics card to one more capable is not likely to do much.
I was surprised, but CSGO seems to be a very cpu demanding game.