[SOLVED] What part(s) should I upgrade? Maybe CPU?

[Revelin]

Despite me upgrading my RAM, graphics card, and drive, my computer seems to be under performing. Most games don't run as well as I'd hope (I don't play many demanding or high-end games at all). I frequently do video editing, and the preview on the video editing program can be painfully slow and choppy.

It's worth mentioning - my computer started as a budget PC that was built for me by a friend, and I've slowly been upgrading each part but I still don't see very good results. I've sort of assumed that my CPU has been causing performance issues but I've been told that my CPU isn't bad and should be good enough for my current build. Upgrading parts has helped a bit in some areas but I'm still not seeing the results I've been hoping for. Seems like I'm running out of options. Based on my specs, what should I do?

Also - my concern is, if I upgrade my CPU, will I have to upgrade my motherboard as well? I've noticed there aren't many good CPUs out there that are compatible with my motherboard, but I'm also not really looking to spend a ton of money on a new motherboard if I don't need to.

Specs:
ASRock Z87 Extreme4 Motherboard
Radeon RX 580 Series
Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-4170 CPU @ 3.70GHz
16 GB DDR3 RAM
SanDisk 1TB SSD

Thank you so much for any help, it is greatly appreciated.

 

[cryoburner]

What kind of games are you noticing performance issues in, and what screen resolution and settings are you running them at? Is it an issue of frame rates being low overall, or stuttering from time to time? You do have your monitor plugged directly into the RX 580, rather than into the motherboard ports, right?

As far as your processor goes, it's biggest limitation would be that it's only a 2-core, 4-thread model, while higher core counts have become more common in recent years, and many recent games will expect a system to have more cores that that for optimal performance. If you are looking for an upgrade that isn't too terribly expensive, it might be worth considering something like a used i7-4770K or i7-4790, which can be found for around $140 on ebay (in the US, at least) and offer 4-cores with 8-threads. You would probably need a better CPU cooler for one of those though, assuming your system currently only has the small stock cooler that comes with an i3. One of those i7's might only be around 15-20% faster than your i3 at lightly-threaded tasks, which might not be too noticeable, but would offer smoother performance in many recent games and significantly faster performance in heavily-multithreaded applications (like CPU-based video encoders) due to having twice as many threads.

As for newer processors, one of those used i7's wouldn't be too far between current processors around that price range. Something like an i5-9400F might offer a little bit better performance, and a Ryzen 2600 or 2600X would offer even better heavily-multithreaded performance, but those CPUs would require not just a new motherboard, but also DDR4 RAM. At that point, you would be looking at an upgrade costing around twice as much, for marginally better performance. One thing those newer platforms would offer would be the option of moving to an even higher-end processor though, whereas a 4th-gen i7 is as good as it gets for your existing motherboard.

 

[R4DIO4CT1VE]

The cheapest way to fix your performance would be a buy an 4770k or 4790k (or non k), would probably cost $150 on ebay. These are 4 core 8 thread CPU's which should help quite a lot in video editing and gaming. Make sure your power supply is good enough, although if you have an rx580 i assume it is.

Other option would be to buy a new mobo, cpu, and ram which would probably end up being $300-$400, but will perform a better than a 4790, but would obviously cost more.

 

[Revelin]

What kind of games are you noticing performance issues in, and what screen resolution and settings are you running them at? Is it an issue of frame rates being low overall, or stuttering from time to time? You do have your monitor plugged directly into the RX 580, rather than into the motherboard ports, right?

As far as your processor goes, it's biggest limitation would be that it's only a 2-core, 4-thread model, while higher core counts have become more common in recent years, and many recent games will expect a system to have more cores that that for optimal performance. If you are looking for an upgrade that isn't too terribly expensive, it might be worth considering something like a used i7-4770K or i7-4790, which can be found for around $140 on ebay (in the US, at least) and offer 4-cores with 8-threads. You would probably need a better CPU cooler for one of those though, assuming your system currently only has the small stock cooler that comes with an i3. One of those i7's might only be around 15-20% faster than your i3 at lightly-threaded tasks, which might not be too noticeable, but would offer smoother performance in many recent games and significantly faster performance in heavily-multithreaded applications (like CPU-based video encoders) due to having twice as many threads.

As for newer processors, one of those used i7's wouldn't be too far between current processors around that price range. Something like an i5-9400F might offer a little bit better performance, and a Ryzen 2600 or 2600X would offer even better heavily-multithreaded performance, but those CPUs would require not just a new motherboard, but also DDR4 RAM. At that point, you would be looking at an upgrade costing around twice as much, for marginally better performance. One thing those newer platforms would offer would be the option of moving to an even higher-end processor though, whereas a 4th-gen i7 is as good as it gets for your existing motherboard.

The cheapest way to fix your performance would be a buy an 4770k or 4790k (or non k), would probably cost $150 on ebay. These are 4 core 8 thread CPU's which should help quite a lot in video editing and gaming. Make sure your power supply is good enough, although if you have an rx580 i assume it is.

Other option would be to buy a new mobo, cpu, and ram which would probably end up being $300-$400, but will perform a better than a 4790, but would obviously cost more.

I get performance issues in many games, ranging from Minecraft, to Apex Legends, Fortnite, GTA 5, and so on. Games like CS:GO and Overwatch run with barely any issues. I run most games fullscreen at 1920 x 1080. For whatever reason, the settings I'm running the games at barely impact the performance. For example, in a game like Apex Legends, I can make all of the settings the lowest possible, get around 100 fps, and with the highest settings, still get 90 - 100. I have a 60hz monitor so anything above 60 fps SHOULD be great. But, the game often time looks like its running at 20 - 30 fps, and I frequently get very short spikes of lag that make it inconvenient to play (this is mainly when there is a lot of action in the game). And this applies to almost every game I have performance issues in. They are still playable but it is not very smooth. I never play with anything else open in the background. And yes, my monitor is plugged directly into the RX 580.

Thank you for all of the information on the CPUs because I know virtually nothing about them. I have a few questions, though.

Does it matter too much if the CPU is used (like the ones you two listed from ebay)? I plan on this upgrade being sorta long term unless I save up for a new computer later. And also, 20% faster doesn't seem too much better, are you sure this would fix my performance issues? I don't necessarily need an insane computer that can run anything, just one that can casually game and video edit without too many issues, so the $300-$400 option probably wouldn't be for me.

Thanks!!

 

[rascalov]

Hello. You can also add in consideration Intel i5 4690K. It is the same generation as i7 4790K, but only 4 threads instead of 8 and 3.9GHz turbo frequency instead of 4.4GHz.

 

[R4DIO4CT1VE]

I get performance issues in many games, ranging from Minecraft, to Apex Legends, Fortnite, GTA 5, and so on. Games like CS:GO and Overwatch run with barely any issues. I run most games fullscreen at 1920 x 1080. For whatever reason, the settings I'm running the games at barely impact the performance. For example, in a game like Apex Legends, I can make all of the settings the lowest possible, get around 100 fps, and with the highest settings, still get 90 - 100. I have a 60hz monitor so anything above 60 fps SHOULD be great. But, the game often time looks like its running at 20 - 30 fps, and I frequently get very short spikes of lag that make it inconvenient to play (this is mainly when there is a lot of action in the game). And this applies to almost every game I have performance issues in. They are still playable but it is not very smooth. I never play with anything else open in the background. And yes, my monitor is plugged directly into the RX 580.

Thank you for all of the information on the CPUs because I know virtually nothing about them. I have a few questions, though.

Does it matter too much if the CPU is used (like the ones you two listed from ebay)? I plan on this upgrade being sorta long term unless I save up for a new computer later. And also, 20% faster doesn't seem too much better, are you sure this would fix my performance issues? I don't necessarily need an insane computer that can run anything, just one that can casually game and video edit without too many issues, so the $300-$400 option probably wouldn't be for me.

Thanks!!

Different games have different requirements. CSGO has no issue running on a dual core CPU like yours, it was pretty much designed for weaker CPU's, but game like Battlefield 5 expect 4 cores or more.

A used CPU doesn't matter much, CPU's are pretty durable so all long as the seller on ebay has a good reputation its pretty safe. If you get a new CPU you might want to get a new CPU cooler as well, an i7 will put out more heat than an i3, i assume you're using a stock intel cooler?

20% faster isnt really an accurate statement as every application utilizes cpu's differently, some application that can use all 8 threads efficiently will be much faster (video editing), while some applications will only be slightly faster.

Another note, if you've had this PC for 4 or 5 years, reinstalling your Operating System could make things run smoother. 5 years of software buildup takes it toll.

Checkout this video

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLs-sMteggg

 

[Revelin]

Different games have different requirements. CSGO has no issue running on a dual core CPU like yours, it was pretty much designed for weaker CPU's, but game like Battlefield 5 expect 4 cores or more.

A used CPU doesn't matter much, CPU's are pretty durable so all long as the seller on ebay has a good reputation its pretty safe. If you get a new CPU you might want to get a new CPU cooler as well, an i7 will put out more heat than an i3, i assume you're using a stock intel cooler?

20% faster isnt really an accurate statement as every application utilizes cpu's differently, some application that can use all 8 threads efficiently will be much faster (video editing), while some applications will only be slightly faster.

Another note, if you've had this PC for 4 or 5 years, reinstalling your Operating System could make things run smoother. 5 years of software buildup takes it toll.

Checkout this video

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLs-sMteggg

Thank you for this video, that's exactly the type of comparison I've been looking for. I'll plan on getting the i7 4790k!! Thanks so much for the help.