Suggestion needed, should I change the CPU?

[Siralextraffo]

Hello there!

I have changed or am about to change a few bits in my gaming PC; last week I had this configuration:

Cooler Master RC-650L-KKN1 Silencio 650 middle tower 3*5.25" 7* 3.5" No power ATX BLACK
Intel Core i5 4670K 3.40GHz Cache 6MB Haswell LGA1150 BOX
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo Dissipatore Rame/Alu Tower CPU 1366/1156/1155/1150/775 AMD Socket...
Gigabyte GA-Z87X-D3H z87 4*DDR3 Gen 3.0 sk1150 Vga/Dvi/Hdmi ATX
Corsair 8GB Kit 2*4GB DDR3-1600 CML8GX3M2A1600C9 XMS3-12800 serie Vengeance Low Profile CAS9
Sapphire R9 290 4GB gddr5 TRI-X OC 2*DVI/HDMI/DP
ASUS VG248QE 24" LCD LED FullHD Wide 1920x1080 3D 1ms Dual-link DVI-D/HDMI/DP Black

In about a week, it'll look like this, with replacements on the last 3:

Cooler Master RC-650L-KKN1 Silencio 650 middle tower 3*5.25" 7* 3.5" No power ATX NERO
Intel Core i5 4670K 3.40GHz Cache 6MB Haswell LGA1150 BOX
Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo Dissipatore Rame/Alu Tower CPU 1366/1156/1155/1150/775 AMD Socket...
Gigabyte GA-Z87X-D3H z87 4*DDR3 Gen 3.0 sk1150 Vga/Dvi/Hdmi ATX
2x Corsair 8GB Kit 2*4GB DDR3-1600 CML8GX3M2A1600C9 XMS3-12800 serie Vengeance Low Profile CAS9
ROG Strix GeForce® GTX 1080 Ti OC edition 11GB GDDR5X
Dell U2515H ADZG Monitor UltraSharp, 25", IPS, 2.560 x 1.440, Nero

Now, I'm mainly using the PC to run games, so I don't need a uber-top CPU, but I'm wondering if I should take a look at replacing that as well; since I spent a lot already, I'm not into throwing(more)money away, but if I need to replace the CPU and there's a fairly cheap option I might consider it.

What do you think? Am I good for a while on the gaming side with the current/upcoming configuration or not?

Thanks!

 

[Supahos]

Only thing you can consider would be buy a second hand 4790k it should run faster clock wise and there are starting to be more and more cases where an i7 beats an i5

 

[Isokolon]

Although I'm not too much of a fan for i5s it should be fine especially when taxing the GPU (although imo a 1080 would do just fine for a friction of the cost for a 1440p/60Hz. Even a 1070 can push 60+ FPS at that resolution)

What you don't list here is the PSU. That's where I'd start before recommending any CPU or GPU upgrade

Furthermore it depends largely on the games you're playing

 

[synphul]

If it's for gaming not sure 16gb of ram is necessary. The 1440p ips panel should look really nice, especially with a 1080 driving it. The 1080ti may be a bit much, even for 1440p so don't be entirely disheartened if the gpu isn't maxed out all the time. Even the fastest i7's can't always relieve the bottleneck of going with the fastest gpu's, it becomes more of the display's resolution that's the bottleneck.

If you do find yourself suffering lower fps than you like in the games you play, consider an i7 4790k. No need to replace the entire system which would mean a new cpu, mobo, ddr4 ram etc for the latest i7. It will benefit some games that make use of hyper threading as well as the faster clock speeds out of the box even before considering overclocking (not everyone want to oc). It shouldn't be too much of an issue though, that monitor is a 60hz panel. Fps above 60 won't really provide much benefit. Also be aware that being an ips panel it's an 8ms response panel, not as fast as the 1ms response of the monitor you're using and it's not a 144hz panel like you're currently using.

I've got a similar monitor, it's the u2414h which is a 1080p ips ultrasharp panel. Very nice display, only slight ghosting in fast action (first person shooters, spinning fast in open world games). The u2515h is capable of using overdrive to reduce respons time but doing so results in some overshoot in the image quality. The u2515h has decent input lag performance, below 16ms but does suffer from a bit more processing lag than other models. Good in depth review of it here.
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/dell_u2515h.htm

Just make sure before jumping to an upgrade on the cpu that it will benefit, many times games that suffer performance issues when they're new are a problem with the game and optimization that even an i7 can't improve on. That relies on updates/patches. Just some things to reconsider, the additional 8gb of ram (probably unnecessary), a gtx 1080 over the 1080ti (less expensive and less overkill for 1440p) and maybe a different monitor if you're used to the response time and refresh rate of that asus. The dell may seem slower to you.

 

[Siralextraffo]

Although I'm not too much of a fan for i5s it should be fine especially when taxing the GPU (although imo a 1080 would do just fine for a friction of the cost for a 1440p/60Hz. Even a 1070 can push 60+ FPS at that resolution)

What you don't list here is the PSU. That's where I'd start before recommending any CPU or GPU upgrade

Furthermore it depends largely on the games you're playing

Yea sorry, it's a Corsair CP-9020056-EU RM850 850W 80+ Gold atx!

 

[Isokolon]

Not the best but will do

I'd probably go for an i7-4790 + a GTX 1080 if I were in your position considering that monitor
The i5+1080Ti will work as well but you'll be CPU limited sometimes in some games (BF1 & Ghost Reckon Wildlands coming to mind immediately for example)

 

[Siralextraffo]

Only thing you can consider would be buy a second hand 4790k it should run faster clock wise and there are starting to be more and more cases where an i7 beats an i5

If it's for gaming not sure 16gb of ram is necessary. The 1440p ips panel should look really nice, especially with a 1080 driving it. The 1080ti may be a bit much, even for 1440p so don't be entirely disheartened if the gpu isn't maxed out all the time. Even the fastest i7's can't always relieve the bottleneck of going with the fastest gpu's, it becomes more of the display's resolution that's the bottleneck.

If you do find yourself suffering lower fps than you like in the games you play, consider an i7 4790k. No need to replace the entire system which would mean a new cpu, mobo, ddr4 ram etc for the latest i7. It will benefit some games that make use of hyper threading as well as the faster clock speeds out of the box even before considering overclocking (not everyone want to oc). It shouldn't be too much of an issue though, that monitor is a 60hz panel. Fps above 60 won't really provide much benefit. Also be aware that being an ips panel it's an 8ms response panel, not as fast as the 1ms response of the monitor you're using and it's not a 144hz panel like you're currently using.

I've got a similar monitor, it's the u2414h which is a 1080p ips ultrasharp panel. Very nice display, only slight ghosting in fast action (first person shooters, spinning fast in open world games). The u2515h is capable of using overdrive to reduce respons time but doing so results in some overshoot in the image quality. The u2515h has decent input lag performance, below 16ms but does suffer from a bit more processing lag than other models. Good in depth review of it here.
http://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews/dell_u2515h.htm

Just make sure before jumping to an upgrade on the cpu that it will benefit, many times games that suffer performance issues when they're new are a problem with the game and optimization that even an i7 can't improve on. That relies on updates/patches. Just some things to reconsider, the additional 8gb of ram (probably unnecessary), a gtx 1080 over the 1080ti (less expensive and less overkill for 1440p) and maybe a different monitor if you're used to the response time and refresh rate of that asus. The dell may seem slower to you.

Hey, thanks for the in depth reply!

Sadly the monitor was a gift I can't return and I've already ordered the GTX 1080ti as I was originally planning to move to 4k. Yea, a bit screwed here, but anyway....

I have still to test the GPU on anything since I don't have it yet, but I don't feel the rush to change the CPU at this point, I was clearly planning it if moving to 4k but now that I'm sort-of-stuck with 2k for a while it might not be that urgent.

That said, since I'm getting the i7-4790 suggestion a lot in the thread, I'll take a look at it!

@everyone: thanks for the answers!!

 

[synphul]

You could see if the place you ordered the gpu from will accept returns. Return it unopened and get the 1080 instead so long as shipping/restocking fees don't amount to too much. It's not a bad monitor, just pointing out that a 60hz 1440p panel with a 1080ti is liable to have the gpu under utilized no matter the cpu. You're looking at around $200 difference in the gpu's so unless you plan to go 4k any time soon it's $200 that would be better used elsewhere (or saved).

It might delay things a bit but you'll have your old gpu in the meantime.

 

[Siralextraffo]

You could see if the place you ordered the gpu from will accept returns. Return it unopened and get the 1080 instead so long as shipping/restocking fees don't amount to too much. It's not a bad monitor, just pointing out that a 60hz 1440p panel with a 1080ti is liable to have the gpu under utilized no matter the cpu. You're looking at around $200 difference in the gpu's so unless you plan to go 4k any time soon it's $200 that would be better used elsewhere (or saved).

It might delay things a bit but you'll have your old gpu in the meantime.

I don't think it'll accept returns, but I'll definitely try at this point. since I'll be stuck with that monitor for a few years I guess.

If I can't return the GPU, you think upgrading the CPU will be a waste at this point?

 

[Supahos]

Just try it out and see.. no reason to pull the trigger if you're getting what you want out of it. Just know the option is there and gettimg cheaper every day in the used market if you need a bit more performance

 

[Isokolon]

the CPU hasn't much to do with the resolution you're running
but hey the 1080Ti is a nice card any might hold off a GPU Upgrade for 1-2 years longer than the 1080 would

16GB RAM is mandatory for gaming these days imo

you can just try the i5 for now and upgrade later on if you need the additional juice

 

[Siralextraffo]

the CPU hasn't much to do with the resolution you're running
but hey the 1080Ti is a nice card any might hold off a GPU Upgrade for 1-2 years longer than the 1080 would

16GB RAM is mandatory for gaming these days imo

you can just try the i5 for now and upgrade later on if you need the additional juice

Sounds like a plan.

I think I'll see how it goes with the next Assassin's Creed, which I guess will have insanely high requirements with the usual very bad implementation and that I'll love to run at max settings.

 

[Isokolon]

the CPU hasn't much to do with the resolution you're running
but hey the 1080Ti is a nice card any might hold off a GPU Upgrade for 1-2 years longer than the 1080 would

16GB RAM is mandatory for gaming these days imo

you can just try the i5 for now and upgrade later on if you need the additional juice

Sounds like a plan.

I think I'll see how it goes with the next Assassin's Creed, which I guess will have insanely high requirements with the usual very bad implementation and that I'll love to run at max settings.

max settings usually put not the big load on the CPU but the GPU
that's the pain with CPU limitation -- you can always turn down your graphic settings if your GPU is suffering
but with the CPU being the limiting factor you can't really increase fps by turning down settings

 

[Siralextraffo]

the CPU hasn't much to do with the resolution you're running
but hey the 1080Ti is a nice card any might hold off a GPU Upgrade for 1-2 years longer than the 1080 would

16GB RAM is mandatory for gaming these days imo

you can just try the i5 for now and upgrade later on if you need the additional juice

Sounds like a plan.

I think I'll see how it goes with the next Assassin's Creed, which I guess will have insanely high requirements with the usual very bad implementation and that I'll love to run at max settings.

max settings usually put not the big load on the CPU but the GPU
that's the pain with CPU limitation -- you can always turn down your graphic settings if your GPU is suffering
but with the CPU being the limiting factor you can't really increase fps by turning down settings

Oh, I see, thanks for clearing it out. So how can I understand when the problem is with the CPU and not the GPU? Just lowering settings and noticing that nothing goes better?

 

[Isokolon]

yeah if you're getting around the same fps no matter the settings, you're CPU-limited

 

[Supahos]

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-3192807/ultimate-bottlenecking-guide.html


Read the first post on here it'll explain how some of that works pretty well

 

[Siralextraffo]

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-3192807/ultimate-bottlenecking-guide.html


Read the first post on here it'll explain how some of that works pretty well

That was surprisingly easy to understand, even for someone like me who usually can't really get this stuff; so, basically the current CPU would semi-bottleneck with a 1080, so already in stage 2 out of 3.
I guess it would definitely bottleneck with a 1080ti.

Since the i7 4790k wouldn't bottleneck at all with the 1080, I can assume it would bottleneck in 1st or 2nd stage in the worst scenario with a 1080ti.
I can't avoid bottlenecking it seems, but changing the CPU would definitely make it better considering I'm possibly stuck with the 1080ti(like it's a bad thing...).

Thanks a lot!

 

[Supahos]

Yes that's pretty well right. You're a 4790k and a better cpu cooler away from set. But I'd still just try what I had and see if it does what I need it to.