Should I buy a new CPU, or is there something else i can do to Boost performance?

[ollie344]

I was wondering if somebody could help me, I think that my CPU is bottle necking my PC. If anyone can tell me whether I'm right, and if so maybe some upgrade recommendations?

my specs:
GPU: 2x AMD Radeon HD9750 3gb
CPU: intel Core i5 4670K
RAM: 16Gb DDR3 2133
MOBO: Gigabyte Z87X-D3H
OS: Win10


As a reference of frames etc., I can run Overwatch at roughly:

2160p, Epic @30-50fps, CPU 100%-100%, GPU's 40-50%
2160p, medium @ 50-60fps, CPU 100%, GPU's 30-40%
1080p, medium @ 60+fps, CPU 100%, GPU's 30-40%

I got some stats for fps, CPU%, and GPU% from Overwatch stats, task manager, and AMD radeon settings respectively.

I also should mention that this is not just in overwatch, seems to be the same in pretty much every game that I play, is currently particularly bad in Deus-Ex mankind divided, where I'm getting about 30fps on a good day, but my GPU's seem to be okay with doing more.

 

[gussrtk]

Well, the 100% on cpu would point to that. But have you tried over clocking your cpu?

At the same time, some games just don't benefit from your dual gpu. From spec view, your cpu>gpu

 

[madmatt30]

you mean 7950 gpus's ??

are you sure crossfire is working properly in overwatch ( a LOT of people have problems with dual graphics on this game)

gpu usage points ot only one card being used & at that res & settings the fps looks right

no way your cpu should be hitting 100% though,overwatch is not a hard game to run & that i5 is still a very powerful cpu.

 

[DillonJ3K]

as a player of overwatch, no matter cpu you have if you set the frame limiter to custom itll max out any cpu. i have an i7 6700k oced an it still maxes it out. so Dont worry bout the cpu being the issue in ow. Its normal for that game. Perssonally, i would replace the two hd9750s for a single good gpu like a 1070 or 1060. as many games dont perform to well using sli or crossfire. so that can an in some certain games will be the bottle neck.

 

[ollie344]

Well, the 100% on cpu would point to that. But have you tried over clocking your cpu?

At the same time, some games just don't benefit from your dual gpu. From spec view, your cpu>gpu

Good point, will do, it should have been over clocked when I bought it to 4.3 GHz but is now saying that it's at 3.4GHz would this have happened when updating to Windows 10 from Windows 7?

 

[ollie344]

you mean 7950 gpus's ??

are you sure crossfire is working properly in overwatch ( a LOT of people have problems with dual graphics on this game)

gpu usage points ot only one card being used & at that res & settings the fps looks right

no way your cpu should be hitting 100% though,overwatch is not a hard game to run & that i5 is still a very powerful cpu.

yea, I have 2,

In the graphics settings it is saying that crossfire is on and I've checked output of both cards, both are running at roughly the same levels.

 

[ollie344]

as a player of overwatch, no matter cpu you have if you set the frame limiter to custom itll max out any cpu. i have an i7 6700k oced an it still maxes it out. so Dont worry bout the cpu being the issue in ow. Its normal for that game. Perssonally, i would replace the two hd9750s for a single good gpu like a 1070 or 1060. as many games dont perform to well using sli or crossfire. so that can an in some certain games will be the bottle neck.

I was mostly using Overwatch as a reference, as it is easy to find fps and toggle graphics settings. (I am okay with overwatch performance)

My CPU is pretty much always at 100% in every game

 

[ollie344]

Also, this is not completely constant, I have just relogged into Overwatch and put it on high, and have been getting 60-70fps (higher than when it is on medium)

 

[DillonJ3K]

you mean 7950 gpus's ??

are you sure crossfire is working properly in overwatch ( a LOT of people have problems with dual graphics on this game)

gpu usage points ot only one card being used & at that res & settings the fps looks right

no way your cpu should be hitting 100% though,overwatch is not a hard game to run & that i5 is still a very powerful cpu.

overwatch maxes out every cpu to 100% if you set the frame limiter off in settings. Not hard to run it but its just howe the game works, turn off the frame limiter in it an no matter your cpu itll still hit 100%,

 

[DillonJ3K]

Your cpu is still a strong gaming cpu, its not the problem, for example, the i5 6600k which is one of the most popular gaming cpus on the market right now is only 10-13% faster then the 4670k cpu you have. Still alot of people are running your cpu, its not old, its not slacking.
The problem lies with your choice of gpus. for one A lot of games dont support dual gpus well. It's a pretty well known fact an thats why a lot of people don't do it. It's better to have 1 single quality gpu over 2 weaker ones hopping that those 2 will combine into the horse power of the 1 quality gpu, which seldom ever happens.

 

[ollie344]

Your cpu is still a strong gaming cpu, its not the problem, for example, the i5 6600k which is one of the most popular gaming cpus on the market right now is only 10-13% faster then the 4670k cpu you have. Still alot of people are running your cpu, its not old, its not slacking.
The problem lies with your choice of gpus. for one A lot of games dont support dual gpus well. It's a pretty well known fact an thats why a lot of people don't do it. It's better to have 1 single quality gpu over 2 weaker ones hopping that those 2 will combine into the horse power of the 1 quality gpu, which seldom ever happens.

I am aware now that crossfire isn't ideal, but didn't know about it when I got them, good to know that a GPU would be first part to upgrade, so thank you.

 

[DillonJ3K]

Glad i could help.
Idk what your price range is but whatever it is. You can use this guide to help you decide which is your ideal card in that price range.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gpus,4380.html

 

[ollie344]

Glad i could help.
Idk what your price range is but whatever it is. You can use this guide to help you decide which is your ideal card in that price range.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gpus,4380.html

Thanks for the link, I also don't really know.

I would like to future proof within reason, a titan x a thousand percent out of range!! and I think 700. I am happy with 1080p gaming, but have a 4k monitor which I like to utilize, as long as it doesn't cost too much.

Given my other specs, what would you say would be roughly balanced, and would last?

 

[DillonJ3K]

Glad i could help.
Idk what your price range is but whatever it is. You can use this guide to help you decide which is your ideal card in that price range.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-gpus,4380.html

Thanks for the link, I also don't really know.

I would like to future proof within reason, a titan x a thousand percent out of range!! and I think 700. I am happy with 1080p gaming, but have a 4k monitor which I like to utilize, as long as it doesn't cost too much.

Given my other specs, what would you say would be roughly balanced, and would last?

If you wanna future proof id go for a gtx 1070 or 1080 if you have a good amount of extra cash.