[SOLVED] What cpu should I upgrade my i3-6100 to?

May 16, 2019
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Hi! I currently have this setup:

MSI B150M PRO-VDH
INTEL I3-6100
ASUS GTX 1050 Ti OC
8GB RAM

I would like to upgrade my processor, I've been thinking about buying an i5-9400F, and of course a new motherboard. Do you think this would make a noticable difference in video games? Thank you!
 
Solution
You didn't mention what titles you play. The impact of 5-10 fps is also relative. An increase from, say, 30 to 40 fps is huge. An increase from 70 to 80 fps you wouldn't probably even notice and that is if your display/monitor supports refresh rates higher than 60Hz.

Anyway, at full HD (assuming at 60Hz or whatever rate) if your current CPU is bottlenecking your GPU, that is, your graphic card can't approach maximum GPU usage in intense graphics scenes while gaming (I'd say over 95%) then upgrading from the i3 to an i5 would improve performance.

If the card can, in fact, get to full capacity performance at current resolution, in games you play, with the graphics settings you have in place; upgrading to an i5 wouldn't really affect...

Satan-IR

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It depends on the game titles you want to play and to some extent the resolution at which you play. Also somehow depends on what you call "noticeable".

On CPU-intensive games you would experience a degree of better performance going from in i3-6100 to, for example, an i5 9400F considering you have a GTX 1050Ti.

Generally, the graphics card is the main factor limiting the gaming experience. That is you can even upgrade to a core i7 but as long as you have a GTX 1050Ti the factor affecting the performance bracket you can expect from your system is determined by the card more than the CPU.
 

Satan-IR

Splendid
Ambassador
You didn't mention what titles you play. The impact of 5-10 fps is also relative. An increase from, say, 30 to 40 fps is huge. An increase from 70 to 80 fps you wouldn't probably even notice and that is if your display/monitor supports refresh rates higher than 60Hz.

Anyway, at full HD (assuming at 60Hz or whatever rate) if your current CPU is bottlenecking your GPU, that is, your graphic card can't approach maximum GPU usage in intense graphics scenes while gaming (I'd say over 95%) then upgrading from the i3 to an i5 would improve performance.

If the card can, in fact, get to full capacity performance at current resolution, in games you play, with the graphics settings you have in place; upgrading to an i5 wouldn't really affect your gaming experience that much.

For the sake of general comparison, yes, overall, an i5-9400F is a great improvement over the I3 6100.
 
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Solution
May 16, 2019
3
0
10
You didn't mention what titles you play. The impact of 5-10 fps is also relative. An increase from, say, 30 to 40 fps is huge. An increase from 70 to 80 fps you wouldn't probably even notice and that is if your display/monitor supports refresh rates higher than 60Hz.

Anyway, at full HD (assuming at 60Hz or whatever rate) if your current CPU is bottlenecking your GPU, that is, your graphic card can't approach maximum GPU usage in intense graphics scenes while gaming (I'd say over 95%) then upgrading from the i3 to an i5 would improve performance.

If the card can, in fact, get to full capacity performance at current resolution, in games you play, with the graphics settings you have in place; upgrading to an i5 wouldn't really affect your gaming experience that much.

For the sake of general comparison, yes, overall, an i5-9400F is a great improvement over the I3 6100.
Thank you, I will definitely be upgrading my CPU and my GPU in the future of course as well :)