[SOLVED] Should i upgrade my CPU or GPU?

[0meg4]

Hi guys! My current rig:

• Ryzen 5 1600AF
• Powercolor 5700 XT
• 16gb ram 3000mhz
• Dual 1080p 75hz monitors

I'm starting to stream on a daily basis, and been playing with different settings for a month now.
Wanted to stream on 1080p60 at first, but failed due to a lot of CPU usage.
So i found a sweet spot on 720p60. (with so minor "low" settings ingame) I'm planning on upgrading, so i can stream at 1080p60 pleasently or maybe 720p60 with good quality.

The 5700XT is awesome on games, i do love its performance, but its subpar compared to NVENC on Nvidia.

My two upgrade options are: Upgrade CPU to 2700x "Upgrade" GPU to 2060s (i can't afford a 2070)

Also, i plan on getting a 144hz hopefully in the next 6 months.

Which upgrade do you think is going to be better for streaming?

 

[bmockeg]

A 5700xt is a pretty good GPU for 1080p 144hz gaming. Pretty equal with what you plan to buy to possibly replace it, seems like that would be a waste of money.

On the other hand, a 2700x is a definite improvement over a 1600AF. The added cores would help with streaming. If you could get a 3700x it would be even more beneficial.

 

[0meg4]

A 5700xt is a pretty good GPU for 1080p 144hz gaming. Pretty equal with what you plan to buy to possibly replace it, seems like that would be a waste of money.

On the other hand, a 2700x is a definite improvement over a 1600AF. The added cores would help with streaming. If you could get a 3700x it would be even more beneficial.

Thanks!
I'd love to get tge 3700x, but my budget would be only for the 2700x.
I can also find the R5 3600 for the same price, and i've read that it can handle streaming better.
What do you think of that one vs 2700x?

 

[bmockeg]

Thanks!
I'd love to get tge 3700x, but my budget would be only for the 2700x.
I can also find the R5 3600 for the same price, and i've read that it can handle streaming better.
What do you think of that one vs 2700x?

What motherboard are you using?

 

[0meg4]

What motherboard are you using?

I forgot to list it.
Is an entry level Gigabyte B450M DS3H
I think I could upgrade to another one with OC capabilities later.

 

[EndEffeKt_24]

I would go with the 3600 for an upgrade, because it will benefit you in your gaming experience regardless of streaming.
I got no experience with streaming, is Nvidia that far ahead with their encoder?

 

[0meg4]

I would go with the 3600 for an upgrade, because it will benefit you in your gaming experience regardless of streaming.
I got no experience with streaming, is Nvidia that far ahead with their encoder?

Thanks for the reply.
Yes. i keep reading more and more about the 3600 over the 2600x.

About the Nvidia enconder, yes, it's better overall and much more stable.

 

[bmockeg]

I forgot to list it.
Is an entry level Gigabyte B450M DS3H
I think I could upgrade to another one with OC capabilities later.

With a bios update, that board will support a 3600 just fine. A 3600 has very good single core speed for gaming and should stream just fine.

 

[javiindo]

Try to use the GPU encoder to use less CPU.

 

[0meg4]

Try to use the GPU encoder to use less CPU.

That's what I'm doing right now.
Using the AMD encoder on OBS.
But their encoder is really mediocre compared to NVENC, that's why i started to look to upgrade CPU or switching to Nvidia.

 

[dorsai]

I'd go with the 3600 over the 2700x...much bigger cpu cache and better memory support...it's why i ditched my 2700x for a 3600 in my gaming rig.

 

[0meg4]

I'd go with the 3600 over the 2700x...much bigger cpu cache and better memory support...it's why i ditched my 2700x for a 3600 in my gaming rig.

Thanks for the reply!
Yes, for gaming only, I've read is better.
But, i need to stream while I game. Did you stream on 2700x and then on 3600 to tell a difference?

 

[dorsai]

I don't stream while gaming but I haven't noticed any issue recording the occasional game to my SSD. Most people that stream seem to run the nVidia gpu's for the nvenc codec benefits of good quality and minimal performance hit.

 

[0meg4]

Just to let you guys know.
Ended up getting the 2700x for a really cheap price.
Now i can stream on medium 720p60fps 75hz, with no problem.
If I get it up to fast o even faster, can get constant 144fps, for my 144hz next purchase.

The cpu usage is 90% max.
Really happy with the result.

 

[mdd1963]

don't chase 'lower CPU usage' as the 'end all goal' , itself as some sort of victory.

If gaming, the 3600 outframes the 2700/2700X every day of the week, as it's 12 threads are plenty...(the extra ~18% IPC jump and larger cache helps immensely)