[SOLVED] What should I upgrade for more FPS and less lag spikes?

Jake311202

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Hi, I have had my PC for going on three years now, I have a intel i5 7400, GTX 1050TI, 1TB HDD, and I’m soon buying a 500GB SSD to install a few games and OS on it. I also recently installed 16GB of ram. I have certain games where I do not get too much FPS like call of duty and GTA V, I know they are both quite demanding games as modern warfare include battle royale games and GTA is quite a large map. I’m planning to upgrade my system in the next month or two, on GTA I used to get around 50/60FPS and I could work with that, not too much problem but recently I don’t know why, quite suddenly I have experienced lag spikes where it drops to 30FPS which causes lots of small lag spikes making it quite hard to play, I believe there is something wrong with my settings or system as it came on randomly but ive tried fixing it by a lot of things but I’m mainly just focussed on buying new components so I’m here wondering what to upgrade first, let’s say I have 300/350$ to spend, would it be more worthwhile upgrading my CPU (it says it runs at 100% almost always in my task manager by the way) or upgrading my GTX 1050TI for a larger amount of FPS and less FPS drops when explosions or large gun fights happen or anything which could cause FPS drops. Also I have the motherboard ASUS H110M-R, please list what CPU’s or GPU’s I should get. Cheers guys let me know!
 
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Just upgrade the gpu first, maybe aim for at least rx570/1650 super or even better to gtx 1660. Add a decent ssd and you're good to go.

Ok Go

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Any idea as to if having 100% cpu usage is bad in big games?

Well it depends. Look at you task manager, what process is hogging your cpu, if it's only the game that's using 99% of the cpu that it means time to upgrade but i highly doubt it. Maybe there are some background process that's burdening the cpu. Just look at the task manager to investigate what processes that's using the cpu
 

Jake311202

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Well it depends. Look at you task manager, what process is hogging your cpu, if it's only the game that's using 99% of the cpu that it means time to upgrade but i highly doubt it. Maybe there are some background process that's burdening the cpu. Just look at the task manager to investigate what processes that's using the cpu
Yeah, my game is what takes up almost all of the CPU, without any big games open I don’t run anywhere near 100%
 

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Where would I find this out? And possible, I’m planning to put my windows on a SSD soon aswell as GTA and Modern Warfare so that might fix the problem
Well you could check your hdd speed using app like hd tune. And cpu temp using app like open hardware monitor.
Hdd just doesn't cut it anymore these days. Specifically in gtav texture loading is very slow using hdd.
 

Jake311202

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Well you could check your hdd speed using app like hd tune. And cpu temp using app like open hardware monitor.
Hdd just doesn't cut it anymore these days. Specifically in gtav texture loading is very slow using hdd.
Yeah I checked my temps and they all seem to be running okay. I closed a lot of apps and my CPU seems to be running at about 90% sometimes for a few seconds spiking up to 100% with a little bit less frame drops and a bit higher FPS. My intel i5 7400 runs about 54°C. If I’m planning to upgrade my CPU at some point as well as my graphics card, which CPU should I upgrade to which is compatible with ASUS H110M-R?
 

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Yeah I checked my temps and they all seem to be running okay. I closed a lot of apps and my CPU seems to be running at about 90% sometimes for a few seconds spiking up to 100% with a little bit less frame drops and a bit higher FPS. My intel i5 7400 runs about 54°C. If I’m planning to upgrade my CPU at some point as well as my graphics card, which CPU should I upgrade to which is compatible with ASUS H110M-R?
Well you could use up to i7 but I don't think that's a wise choice tbh.
I stand by my opinion, just upgrade gpu and a good sata3 ssd. I don't think that an i5 7400 is not enough for those games especially at the level of detail a 1050 card could offer. There must be something else is causing it and i highly suspect it's the hdd.
 

Jake311202

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Well you could use up to i7 but I don't think that's a wise choice tbh.
I stand by my opinion, just upgrade gpu and a good sata3 ssd. I don't think that an i5 7400 is not enough for those games especially at the level of detail a 1050 card could offer. There must be something else is causing it and i highly suspect it's the hdd.
In that case, should putting the games and windows onto my SSD sort the problem or should I only put windows in the SSD?
 

Jake311202

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Hi, I am looking at upgrading my graphics card due to my graphics card not being fully capable of handling lots of my games. Currently I have a i5 7400 , 16GB Ram, 1TB HDD and GTX 1050TI. I am buying a SSD to put windows and some games into the SSD, I was looking at a 1650 or a 1660. I believe that I have a CORSAIR 350W VS SERIES™ VS-350 alongside a ASUS H110M-R. Would this power supply and motherboard support a GTX 1650 or 1660??
 

Karadjgne

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Gotta say, none of the above.

Fps limit is upto the cpu. It pre-renders every possible frame, so sets the fps cap. Those frames get sent to the gpu to finish render and paint onscreen according to detail levels, post processing affects and resolution. It'll either fulfill the fps cap set by the cpu, or fail.

So first, figure out what exactly is causing the low fps. Is it a low cap from the cpu or is it too high detail for the gpu.

To do that, play the game at current settings. Then switch to either low or ultra, whichever is farthest away.

If the fps changes dramatically, either up or down, then the issue is the gpu is not strong enough for the game details and can/will suffer fps drops in higher intensity frames like explosions or grassy fields.

If the fps really doesn't change much, if any realistically, then the cpu is taxed to its limits to pre-renders frames and the gpu is well capable of keeping up.

The i5-7400 is a quad core cpu with 4 thread capability. In many newer, more demanding games its going to take a performance hit, simply not having the thread count available.

The gtx1050ti is on the bottom end of gaming gpus, some games it will handle Ultra at 1080p/60Hz, most will be High, but many newer AAA titles are demanding enough to warrant Low-Medium to maintain a rough 60fps average.

Best upgrade without changing platform is i7-6700/7700 or K version, if you can find one cheap enough.

Best upgrade for gpu is 5700/xt or 2060 super, depending on what the psu can handle.

If you have to swing both, I'd look at a minimum of Rx580 / 1660ti and i7-6700.
 

Jake311202

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Gotta say, none of the above.

Fps limit is upto the cpu. It pre-renders every possible frame, so sets the fps cap. Those frames get sent to the gpu to finish render and paint onscreen according to detail levels, post processing affects and resolution. It'll either fulfill the fps cap set by the cpu, or fail.

So first, figure out what exactly is causing the low fps. Is it a low cap from the cpu or is it too high detail for the gpu.

To do that, play the game at current settings. Then switch to either low or ultra, whichever is farthest away.

If the fps changes dramatically, either up or down, then the issue is the gpu is not strong enough for the game details and can/will suffer fps drops in higher intensity frames like explosions or grassy fields.

If the fps really doesn't change much, if any realistically, then the cpu is taxed to its limits to pre-renders frames and the gpu is well capable of keeping up.

The i5-7400 is a quad core cpu with 4 thread capability. In many newer, more demanding games its going to take a performance hit, simply not having the thread count available.

The gtx1050ti is on the bottom end of gaming gpus, some games it will handle Ultra at 1080p/60Hz, most will be High, but many newer AAA titles are demanding enough to warrant Low-Medium to maintain a rough 60fps average.

Best upgrade without changing platform is i7-6700/7700 or K version, if you can find one cheap enough.

Best upgrade for gpu is 5700/xt or 2060 super, depending on what the psu can handle.

If you have to swing both, I'd look at a minimum of Rx580 / 1660ti and i7-6700.
I have looked into this already by changing my settings in games around and the resolution of the games etc, no matter what. All settings usually keep the same FPS, whether this is in 1080p or 720p, low or high quality settings. The FPS doesn’t really change, In this case, does this mean that it is my cpu which is causing the issue? Should I replace my CPU in this case?
 

Karadjgne

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If the fps doesn't really change, then the cpu is giving you all it can, there will be very little you can do to change that. Except get a stronger cpu that can pre-render a higher amount of frames.

Some people incorrectly refer to it as a cpu bottleneck holding back the gpu, but the idea is correct. The game code is just too intense and complex so the cpu can only give the gpu a limited amount of frames to work with.

Normally OC can mitigate that lack to some degree, but with your motherboard that's not an option, so replacement is your only option if you want better fps.

Which leaves choices. Stick with the current platform and replace just the cpu (which can be expensive) or change the platform for newer and higher performance, but the individual parts are cheaper. That'll be on you to decide, start shopping to see what the best deals are and what you can live with on budget.

Just take timing into consideration as prices on a lot of stuff, including eBay, are currently NUTS with people's greed, asking 2x, 3x, 4x or higher than normal since demand is way up and supply way down. There's also 10th Gen Intel dropping very soon, amd B550 motherboards and new cpus, so that's going to affect pricing too.
 

Jake311202

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Apr 23, 2020
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If the fps doesn't really change, then the cpu is giving you all it can, there will be very little you can do to change that. Except get a stronger cpu that can pre-render a higher amount of frames.

Some people incorrectly refer to it as a cpu bottleneck holding back the gpu, but the idea is correct. The game code is just too intense and complex so the cpu can only give the gpu a limited amount of frames to work with.

Normally OC can mitigate that lack to some degree, but with your motherboard that's not an option, so replacement is your only option if you want better fps.

Which leaves choices. Stick with the current platform and replace just the cpu (which can be expensive) or change the platform for newer and higher performance, but the individual parts are cheaper. That'll be on you to decide, start shopping to see what the best deals are and what you can live with on budget.

Just take timing into consideration as prices on a lot of stuff, including eBay, are currently NUTS with people's greed, asking 2x, 3x, 4x or higher than normal since demand is way up and supply way down. There's also 10th Gen Intel dropping very soon, amd B550 motherboards and new cpus, so that's going to affect pricing too.
Ok thanks, I think I’m going to stick with my current motherboard for now, it only supports up to 7th gen CPU’s and I was looking at a intel i7 6700k. I’m guessing this will more than likely fix my FPS drops?
 

Jake311202

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Howe
If the fps doesn't really change, then the cpu is giving you all it can, there will be very little you can do to change that. Except get a stronger cpu that can pre-render a higher amount of frames.

Some people incorrectly refer to it as a cpu bottleneck holding back the gpu, but the idea is correct. The game code is just too intense and complex so the cpu can only give the gpu a limited amount of frames to work with.

Normally OC can mitigate that lack to some degree, but with your motherboard that's not an option, so replacement is your only option if you want better fps.

Which leaves choices. Stick with the current platform and replace just the cpu (which can be expensive) or change the platform for newer and higher performance, but the individual parts are cheaper. That'll be on you to decide, start shopping to see what the best deals are and what you can live with on budget.

Just take timing into consideration as prices on a lot of stuff, including eBay, are currently NUTS with people's greed, asking 2x, 3x, 4x or higher than normal since demand is way up and supply way down. There's also 10th Gen Intel dropping very soon, amd B550 motherboards and new cpus, so that's going to affect pricing too.
However I’m also wondering where to buy this processor from as I cannot seem to find many anywhere online currently, I know you said stock is low, is that why they aren’t being sold anywhere, or if you can find anywhere selling a good processor 7th gen or under, can you link it?
 

Karadjgne

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The 6700k really is out of production for all intents and purposes. Any 'New' cpu really isn't New, it's new-old stock, it's been sitting on a shelf for several years. But people ask outrageous prices because supply of NOS is limited. Used cpus are far more common as people sell their stuff to pay for upgrades. As long as you have a more recent or updated bios, you can use any 6th or 7th gen lga1151 cpu.

I use ebay or Amazon mostly, aliexpress only if I don't care if the thing takes 2 months to get here.

Just be careful with cpus, do NOT invest in T or S models, so No i7-7700T or i7-7700S. Stick only with K or nothing, so Yes i7-7700 or i7-7700K
 

Jake311202

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The 6700k really is out of production for all intents and purposes. Any 'New' cpu really isn't New, it's new-old stock, it's been sitting on a shelf for several years. But people ask outrageous prices because supply of NOS is limited. Used cpus are far more common as people sell their stuff to pay for upgrades. As long as you have a more recent or updated bios, you can use any 6th or 7th gen lga1151 cpu.

I use ebay or Amazon mostly, aliexpress only if I don't care if the thing takes 2 months to get here.
I found a intel i7 6700k for like £300. I know it’s expensive but it’s on amazon, or am I more worthwhile upgrading my motherboard and getting a new CPU or should that 6700K run just fine?
 

Jake311202

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Apr 23, 2020
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The 6700k really is out of production for all intents and purposes. Any 'New' cpu really isn't New, it's new-old stock, it's been sitting on a shelf for several years. But people ask outrageous prices because supply of NOS is limited. Used cpus are far more common as people sell their stuff to pay for upgrades. As long as you have a more recent or updated bios, you can use any 6th or 7th gen lga1151 cpu.

I use ebay or Amazon mostly, aliexpress only if I don't care if the thing takes 2 months to get here.

Just be careful with cpus, do NOT invest in T or S models, so No i7-7700T or i7-7700S. Stick only with K or nothing, so Yes i7-7700 or i7-7700K
Also what is a lga1151 cpu? Sorry I’m a bit unfamiliar
 

Karadjgne

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You can get a Ryzen 5 3600 for £160± and a decent B450 motherboard for £70-£90±, which ends up faster and better overall performance than the i7-6700k and costs @ £50- £70 less, or pay @ the same price and add in 16Gb of 3200MHz ram.

That's better value than a £300, 4 year old cpu.

Not to mention you can always sell the 7400/mobo/ram on the 2nd hand websites and make £50 or more back.
 

Jake311202

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Apr 23, 2020
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You can get a Ryzen 5 3600 for £160± and a decent B450 motherboard for £70-£90±, which ends up faster and better overall performance than the i7-6700k and costs @ £50- £70 less, or pay @ the same price and add in 16Gb of 3200MHz ram.

That's better value than a £300, 4 year old cpu.

Not to mention you can always sell the 7400/mobo/ram on the 2nd hand websites and make £50 or more back.
Only problem there is, I have never built a PC and replaced motherboards and all of that, is it complicated and easy to mess up if I was to choose to buy a new motherboard? Also will my DDR4 Corsair ram work alongside other motherboards too?
 

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