Questions about upgrading to 1440p

[haloguy1999]

So a few months ago, I got a 6GB GTX 1060, and I currently have an OC that boosts FPS by around 8-9 FPS in most games. My CPU is an i7 3770. I'm torn between saving for a new CPU to get (possibly?) some more frames, in case my CPU is bottlenecking, or upgrading from 1080p to 1440p. I know there will be a decent frame hit, but is it plausible that I'd be ok? Kinda wishing I got the 1070, but will the 1060 do ok for 1440p? Every benchmark I've seen has had people with the newest CPU from intel which helps a lot in games like BF1 and the Witcher.

TL;DR So my question, which should I do first? Will my current setup (i7 3770 / GTX 1060) be ok for 1440p, or should I prioritize upping the CPU and motherboard first?

 

[Dunlop0078]

I have a 7700k and 1060 6gb that I use for 1440p gaming, I can get above 60fps in most games by playing with the settings a bit. It wont max out very many newer games at 1440p 60fps, but lowering the settings a bit can easily get you 60fps or above at 1440p in almost any game.

A 3770 is still a powerful cpu, I would not expect it to bottleneck a 1060 very much if at all. And at 1440p there will be less load on the cpu and more on the gpu versus 1080p, so a cpu bottleneck if there is any at 1080p should be less noticeable at 1440p.

Its a common misconception that increasing the resolution increases load on the cpu, this is not true in fact it decreases it. When the gpu is producing less frames at the higher resolution that means less draw calls for the cpu to calculate and thus lower cpu usage. Your 3770 should be perfectly fine paired with a 1060 at 1440p.

 

[mamasan2000]

At higher resolutions, CPU matters less.
https://youtu.be/zZ3hQgfzQjQ?t=6m39s
I'm not seeing a bottleneck, same fps on both

 

[haloguy1999]

Alright, this was the video I was going off https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDo-j00vUtw by the way.
So I'll go for a monitor then! Thanks for the answers guys!

 

[Jan_26]

I have i5-6400 + GTX 1080 (originally placeholder cpu that I later figured out doesn't need immediate upgrade with stuff I do these days). It manages Witcher 3 maxed out 1440p@60, no overclock. Your i7-3770 is more powerful. Otoh, BF1 is known to be cpu killer, so in that case you'll likely need upgrade.

GTX 1060 will need details turned down in many games for 1440p@60, or just keep it maxed if you are fine with about 40+ FPS. But the size increase of the screen is worth it imho.

I'd go
1. screen
2. cpu+mobo+ram (further down just mentioning cpu, but mean this trio)
3. gpu

Also, screen usable lifetime is usually significantly longer than that of cpu or gpu. Buying new cpu and stuff now will get you stronger cpu, but if you are not starving on the cpu now, there is no need to upgrade. You can upgrade cpu later on when you save more funds while enjoying the screen whole that time.

 

[raisonjohn]

As it is, your i7-3770 is powerful enough to handle GPUs such as your current GTX 1060-6GB and even the GTX 1070 you wished you've gotten or even a GTX 1080.

Upgrading to a higher resolution will actually relieve your CPU from higher usage compared to lower resolutions. At 1080p, your CPU will works harder/faster in feeding the GPU data to be rendered, which, the GPU can do effortlessly due to lower number of pixels. At a higher resolution, your GPU will now be the one that does more work in rendering the higher number of pixels while the CPU does less.

However, your GTX 1060-6GB may struggle in games like BF1 and Witcher3 on 1440p resolutions - especially if you have graphics maxed out. Only way to increase FPS in those games at 1440p is to decrease in-game graphics settings. In non-AAA games (games that are not GPU-intensive), the GTX 1060-6GB may be fine for 1440p.

TL;DR
I'd keep your current CPU/MB. I'd go for a 1440p monitor. I'd upgrade to a more power GPU (such as the GTX 1080) if you have the budget and/or if you want eye-candy/max. graphics settings in those games.

 

[Dunlop0078]

Alright, this was the video I was going off https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDo-j00vUtw by the way.
So I'll go for a monitor then! Thanks for the answers guys!

That video only shows a sizable performance difference between those cpu's because they are using a Titan Xp, which is vastly more powerful than a 1060. They are using the most powerful gpu available to them to really showcase the performance difference between the generations of cpu's as much as possible. If they were using a 1060 those cpu's would be much closer to each other in terms of framerate in those games.

 

[13thmonkey]

i'm on a 3570k and a gtx970 and very happy at 1440p