Question Will a 7700x bottleneck a 7900xtx?

[Order 66]

I would like to know if (sometime in the next few years) I upgrade to a 7900xtx the 7700x will bottleneck it. (I know the PSU needs to be replaced, but it will be replaced by then.)

 

[M1Coraz0n]

If you upgrade to a 7900XTX, the 7700X may become a system bottleneck, especially in CPU-intensive tasks and games. It is recommended to upgrade the processor as well to ensure smoother and more efficient system operation.

 

[Order 66]

If you upgrade to a 7900XTX, the 7700X may become a system bottleneck, especially in CPU-intensive tasks and games. It is recommended to upgrade the processor as well to ensure smoother and more efficient system operation.

Really? What about at 1440p?

 

[Phaaze88]

It is application dependent, so yes.
Limitations can't be eliminated, they just move elsewhere.

 

[Order 66]

It is application dependent, so yes.
Limitations can't be eliminated, they just move elsewhere.

I know that you can never eliminate bottlenecks, but as long as the 7900xtx+7700x provides 1440p at 60+ fps, I will be fine.

 

[Phaaze88]

but as long as the 7900xtx+7700x provides 1440p at 60+ fps, I will be fine.

Yes, you will be fine, until it isn't doing that, thus it's application specific; cpu and gpu aren't the only factors.
The software also plays a part.

It's a constant uphill battle.

 

[Avro Arrow]

I would like to know if (sometime in the next few years) I upgrade to a 7900xtx the 7700x will bottleneck it. (I know the PSU needs to be replaced, but it will be replaced by then.)

I would say no because the RX 7900 XTX is for 4K gaming and you'd have to have a really weak CPU to bottleneck any card at 4K. Well, actually that's not true because my CPU does bottleneck my card at 4K but only in Starfield (which is Bethesda's fault, not AMD's).

If you game at 1080p and want longevity, get an RX 6700 XT. If you game at 1440p and want longevity, get an RX 7800 XT (or 6800/6900 XT). You should only be looking at a 7900-series card if you want to game at 4K which makes your CPU more or less irrelevant as long as it's a Ryzen of some kind. Hell, in most games, at 4K, not even the old R7-1700 would bottleneck an RX 7900 XTX.

 

[Order 66]

I would say no because the RX 7900 XTX is for 4K gaming and you'd have to have a really weak CPU to bottleneck any card at 4K. Well, actually that's not true because my CPU does bottleneck my card at 4K but only in Starfield (which is Bethesda's fault, not AMD's).

If you game at 1080p and want longevity, get an RX 6700 XT. If you game at 1440p and want longevity, get an RX 7800 XT (or 6800/6900 XT). You should only be looking at a 7900-series card if you want to game at 4K which makes your CPU more or less irrelevant as long as it's a Ryzen of some kind. Hell, in most games, at 4K, not even the old R7-1700 would bottleneck an RX 7900 XTX.

I actually have a GPU bottleneck in pretty much all games even at 1080p. It is not really noticeable except for Minecraft RTX where I only get 48fps at 1080p. I am not saying I need an upgrade (nor could I justify one) but I would like 60fps at native 1080p in Minecraft RTX.

 

[Zerk2012]

Delete the word bottleneck from your brain.

 

[Order 66]

Delete the word bottleneck from your brain.

why? what should I use instead?

 

[Zerk2012]

why? what should I use instead?

Limiting factor and that can change to a different part when doing other tasks or playing different games.

Edit people asking about bottlenecks or actually using a bottleneck calculator is something we joke about.

 

[Avro Arrow]

I actually have a GPU bottleneck in pretty much all games even at 1080p. It is not really noticeable except for Minecraft RTX where I only get 48fps at 1080p. I am not saying I need an upgrade (nor could I justify one) but I would like 60fps at native 1080p in Minecraft RTX.

That doesn't make any sense because you have RX 6800 which is firmly a 1440p-class card. Back when the RX 6800 came out, TechPowerUp showed an average FPS of 165 at 1080p:

A bottleneck at 150+FPS is, functionally, no bottleneck at all.

As for Minecraft RTX, there are three letters that are explaining why you have a GPU bottleneck at 1080p. Those letters are "RTX" because Minecraft RTX was co-developed by nVidia. Games like Minecraft RTX and Portal RTX are made not just to showcase ray-tracing but to be especially harsh on Radeon GPUs (like your RX 6800). That's nVidia for ya!

It's also the reason why Minecraft RTX and Portal RTX are not used in the gaming suites of ANY tech reviewer.

 

[USAFRet]

I would like to know if (sometime in the next few years) I upgrade to a 7900xtx the 7700x will bottleneck it. (I know the PSU needs to be replaced, but it will be replaced by then.)

Putting a better part can almost never result in worse performance.

 

[USAFRet]

Delete the word bottleneck from your brain.

I wish I could upvote this more than once.

 

[Order 66]

Putting a better part can almost never result in worse performance.

how is it almost never? if the part is faulty then maybe it shouldn't be considered better.

 

[Order 66]

I wish I could upvote this more than once.

what is so bad about the word bottleneck?

 

[USAFRet]

how is it almost never? if the part is faulty then maybe it shouldn't be considered better.

Well, obviously I was not talking about broken stuff.

 

[Order 66]

That doesn't make any sense because you have RX 6800 which is firmly a 1440p-class card. Back when the RX 6800 came out, TechPowerUp showed an average FPS of 165 at 1080p:

A bottleneck at 150+FPS is, functionally, no bottleneck at all.

As for Minecraft RTX, there are three letters that are explaining why you have a GPU bottleneck at 1080p. Those letters are "RTX" because Minecraft RTX was co-developed by nVidia. Games like Minecraft RTX and Portal RTX are made not just to showcase ray-tracing but to be especially harsh on Radeon GPUs (like your RX 6800). That's nVidia for ya!

It's also the reason why Minecraft RTX and Portal RTX are not used in the gaming suites of ANY tech reviewer.

for example with the 6800 in fortnite at 1080p high settings the GPU is maxed out at 99% and I am only 120 fps, now sure you can make the argument that 120 fps is not a bottleneck, more of a limitation, but this is a competitive shooter where having as many fps as possible matters. the CPU also never reaches more than 50%.

 

[USAFRet]

what is so bad about the word bottleneck?

Because it is so misunderstood.

People seem to think that low or no "bottleneck" is a metric to be chased.
Sometimes to the point of putting in a crappier part, in an effort to reduce the bottleneck.

Instead, the metric you should be chasing is "more performance". Be it more FPS or better graphics , or both.

 

[Order 66]

Well, obviously I was not talking about broken stuff.

I know I just couldn't think of any other reason. other than maybe massive stutter caused by a CPU limitation when a really slow CPU is paired with a really fast gpu.

 

[Zerk2012]

I know I just couldn't think of any other reason. other than maybe massive stuttee caused by a CPU limitation when a really slow CPU is paired with a really fast gpu.

You really can't even say that.
What if a guy had a i3 9100 paired with a 4090 But the game he played could only use 2 cores because of the game engine. The game was very GPU intensive and he played in 4K with all settings cranked up?

To most people it's lopsided but for his use it's fine.

 

[Order 66]

You really can't even say that.
What if a guy had a i3 9100 paired with a 4090 But the game he played could only use 2 cores because of the game engine. The game was very GPU intensive and he played in 4K with all settings cranked up?

To most people it's lopsided but for his use it's fine.

Yes, in fact, I can say it because I meant in general not some oddly specific edge case. Show me a real example of a modern game that can only use two cores that is also very GPU intensive. ( there are very few of any at all. Also we could go into what if statements all day each of them less feasible than that last to have a real world equivalent.

 

[USAFRet]

Yes, in fact, I can say it because I meant in general not some oddly specific edge case. Show me a real example of a modern game that can only use two cores that is also very GPU intensive. ( there are very few of any at all. Also we could go into what if statements all day each of them less feasible than that last to have a real world equivalent.

However you shake it out, whatever examples you use..."bottleneck" is a useless term.
Especially when paired with "calculator".

 

[Eximo]

'Modern' is another word I see being mis-used constantly. Contemporary makes more sense to me.

A game made today with yesterday's game engine is practically the normal state of things. Usually only a few cutting edge games that require significant horsepower, but they are also edge cases.

Those edge cases are the only times bottleneck has any meaning. It is unwise to pair an old i3 with a 4090. At all other times you should say limiting factor. A faster CPU can run a game engine a little faster, but that means the GPU has to work harder, maybe it becomes the limiting factor. Maybe it is cooling because now the GPU hits a higher temperature threshold. Etc. You can chase it endlessly and never get ideal system performance where the CPU, GPU, and memory work in perfect sync at 100% utilization.

Many MMO RPGs satisfy the dual core only with high graphics capability. They are designed to run on as many systems as possible to get the widest player base possible, and yet they can have very impressive graphics if you run at 4K maximum settings.

 

[Eximo]

In direct response to the 7700X, it is a fast CPU, in a few years it will still be a fast CPU. There will be faster CPUs available.

Yes, if you put a faster GPU in there with the same CPU, that system may under perform compared to one that has the latest CPU, but we are talking small percentages likely.

My CPU is getting a bit dated, but at 1440p High/Max settings it doesn't really matter. Probably going to wait and see what 8000 series and Arrow Lake brings, and my enthusiasm for having a Battlemage GPU regardless if it is downgrade (If the fastest spec is supposed to be 4070 like, no big change compared to a 3080Ti)