Should i keep an i5 3350p or upgrade to i7 8700 ?

[frikithau]

Considering my pc specs, i'm wondering if i would see any significant performance increase in modern games if i decided to upgrade . I planned on buying a new gpu but the prices are too high right now so i'm trying to figure out if a new cpu would be helpful. For instance, when i'm playing witcher 3, my cpu usage hangs around 70%-80%. Would i see any fps increase in that case or the only difference will be seen in games that push my cpu usage above 90%?

My current specs are:
cpu: i5-3350p
gpu: r9 380x
ram: 8gb ddr3 1600mhz
psu: chieftech gps-500a8

 

[Barty1884]

I'd fully expect you to see gains from a stronger CPU.... but whether they'd be proportionate to the cost, is extremely doubtful.

An i7-8700, compatible 300 series motherboard and DDR4 (even 8GB) will see an investment near $500
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel - Core i7-8700 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor ($299.00 @ Amazon)
Motherboard: ASRock - Z370M Pro4 Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($99.89 @ OutletPC)
Memory: Patriot - Signature Line 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-2400 Memory ($79.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $478.88
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2018-04-02 12:34 EDT-0400

Are the "gains" going to be anywhere close to worth it? Not a chance.

I'd be more inclined to look to a compatible i7 for your current motherboard.... ideally the K sku for the slight clock boosts vs their non-K variants.
i7-2600K, 2700K or 3770K. Hopefully you could find one in the $75 range.

FWIW, that PSU is pretty poor - with a relatively power hungry GPU. I'd look to replace that with a quality unit while you're at it.

 

[Eximo]

Certainly be an improvement in some titles, but you would still be limited mostly by the GPU.

It would be nearly as expensive to get a CPU, motherboard, and RAM as it would be to buy a GPU at today's prices. ($400-500) That is getting up into GTX1070 or GTX1070Ti territory which would have a more immediate impact.

Getting yourself an i7-3770 shouldn't be that expensive if you buy used.

 

[Pat Flynn]

Honestly, you probably won't see a big jump. I went from an i7-2600K to an i5-6600K and saw next to no difference. Some games loaded slightly faster, but in terms of framerates, you'll barely notice it.

P.S.- If you're still wanting to upgrade, I'd very strongly suggest going to an i5-8400 (if you don't want to overclock). The cost savings between the 8400 and the 8700K should go into an SSD (if you don't have one), or on a better video card. Gaming is usually all about the video card.

Also- most games do better with full CPU threads instead of Hyper-threading (the i7-x700 do hyperthreading). The i5-8400 is a 6 core CPU, so it'll have 2 more cores over what you have now.

 

[coozie7]

Personally, I doubt you'll see much of an improvement, your main holdup is the R9 380x, not the CPU, especially in GPU intensive games like Wild Hunt.
What monitor are you using? This has a major effect on framerate with higher resolutions ( like 2K ) being much harder on the GPU than lower ones ( HD and below ).

 

[geofelt]

Some games are graphics limited like fast action shooters.
Others are cpu core speed limited like strategy, sims, and mmo.
Multiplayer tends to like many threads.

You need to find out which.
------------------------------------------------------------
To help clarify your CPU/GPU options, run this test:
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.

 

[frikithau]

I do know that gpu is dragging down my fps in most games and now that you mention it, i think ill try to find an older i7 cpu. However, i believe that my PSU is fine. It has 500W and it's not a well known brand outside of Europe but it is considered as a good quality brand here, not the cheapest sort. I'll try to find a 3rd gen i7 but if i don't, i'll probably wait for gpu prices to go down and buy a new one, or alternatively buy some lower end 8th gen processor and a gpu later.

 

[Barty1884]

It certainly does not have "500W" - and the brand itself isn't the issue. Chieftec have Delta, CWT and Sirfa units among their product stack (alongside other OEMs, I'm sure). The quality varies dramatically.

The gps-500a8 specifically is based on a very budget platform - a cut down version of the platform that can be found in Corsair's CX or VS lineup (don't remember which... might be both). Neither of those platforms review anywhere close to "good", so a cutdown version of it using poorer quality caps is almost certainly not "fine".

An R9 380X needs at least 28A on the 12V rail.

This unit, supposedly has 34A on the 12V Rail. Ie 408W where it actually matters.

Now, while technically sufficient.... PSUs degrade over time. Typically more rapidly in 'budget' units. I'd be very surprised if that PSU isn't showing degradation barely outside the warrant period, which is 24months:

Garantie: 24 Monate

http://www.chieftec.eu/de/netzteile/ps2/smart-serie/gps-500a8.html

Not a great sign. Not a guarantee it'll fail dramatically either..... but I wouldn't be betting against it.



As for the GPU, while an upgrade is always welcome... it's a matter of what you expect to achieve, the games you play and the resolution.

An R9 380X sits somewhere in the middle of 1050TI-1060 territory,..... so you really have to look at a worthwhile 'step' up in performance to justify the upgrade. Moving to a 1060 or RX580, for example, is likely to be pretty disappointing. A 980TI/1070 or Vega56 would be the minimum I'd look to upgrade to.

BUT, If you play at 1080p/60Hz.... those cards may well be overkill, especially when considering a performance/dollar.

 

[failboat]

You would have to go big to see any real increase.

GTX 1060 or 1070. They cost a fortune right now.
I've been holding my breath for prices to fall.

Upgrading your cpu might be worth it at some point soon. Keep in mind that DDR4 is very expensive right now as well.