Will I be bottlenecked with i7 6700k for 4k gaming?

MozzaGamer

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Hi I want to upgrade my 2 gtx 980 tis to a rtx 3080 ti for 4k 60 fps+ gaming. But I want to know will i be bottlenecked by the i7 6700k I have?

Please let me know thanks.
 

Math Geek

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the higher resolution removes most of the cpu bottleneck since the load is shifted heavily onto the gpu.

so long as the game will play on the cpu it should be a decent experience. you'll have to play with settings but overall it won't be that bad at 4k.

obviously a newer cpu would work better but reviews i have seen show even a modest cpu is similar to a new high end one at 4k
 

MozzaGamer

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the higher resolution removes most of the cpu bottleneck since the load is shifted heavily onto the gpu.

so long as the game will play on the cpu it should be a decent experience. you'll have to play with settings but overall it won't be that bad at 4k.

obviously a newer cpu would work better but reviews i have seen show even a modest cpu is similar to a new high end one at 4k


So will i for sure get 60-100 fps if i get the rtx 3080 ti in most games with my i7 6700k and asus maximus viii extreme mobo?

I have a 4k 144hz qled display so would be nice to jump to 4k for all games smoothly without upgrading my whole setup just yet.
 

Math Geek

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i can't say for sure what fps you will see. you'll need to do some searches for that specific cpu. but i do know from many reviews read that at 4k just about every cpu performed roughly the same given the same gpu..

the gpu will mainly be the limiting factor in what fps you will see. settings, eye candy and how many boxes you want to tick effects greatly what you will experience. the cpu only asks the gpu to render the frame and at 4k it can ask for more frames than the gpu can output which is why even an older cpu can work pretty well.

this is a video of a guy using 3080 at 4k with that cpu. as you can see, the cpu has no problem keeping up, but it is the gpu that can't handle the max settings he is using.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv852phN-d4
 
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MozzaGamer

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i can't say for sure what fps you will see. you'll need to do some searches for that specific cpu. but i do know from many reviews read that at 4k just about every cpu performed roughly the same given the same gpu..

the gpu will mainly be the limiting factor in what fps you will see. settings, eye candy and how many boxes you want to tick effects greatly what you will experience. the cpu only asks the gpu to render the frame and at 4k it can ask for more frames than the gpu can output which is why even an older cpu can work pretty well.

this is a video of a guy using 3080 at 4k with that cpu. as you can see, the cpu has no problem keeping up, but it is the gpu that can't handle the max settings he is using.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv852phN-d4

Yes I see.

In this video the fella is playing days gone and is maintaining 70-80fps which is very impressive on all maxed out settings.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u53BwNpyIIA
 
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Rogue Leader

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Hi I want to upgrade my 2 gtx 980 tis to a rtx 3080 ti for 4k 60 fps+ gaming. But I want to know will i be bottlenecked by the i7 6700k I have?

Please let me know thanks.

It depends on the game. Most games I'd say you'll be fine. Especially because you want to run at 4k which prevents the frame hiccups lower resolutions which that GPU would fly through would get when the CPU can't keep up. But there are some games out there that are CPU dependent for whatever reason and those games MAY drag a bit. Outer Worlds is a good example.
 

MozzaGamer

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It depends on the game. Most games I'd say you'll be fine. Especially because you want to run at 4k which prevents the frame hiccups lower resolutions which that GPU would fly through would get when the CPU can't keep up. But there are some games out there that are CPU dependent for whatever reason and those games MAY drag a bit. Outer Worlds is a good example.


So you'd say making the £850 purchase for the rtx 3080 ti right now is worth it? or shall i wait for the rtx 4080? My monitor is 4k 144hz, so I think I can achieve 60-120fps in a lot of games in 4k which makes me think thats worth it.

Seeing other cpus like the 10000 series or 12000 series at 4k there is only about 5-10fps difference than when compared to the older gen cpus.

At 4k from others benchmarks looks like there is no need to upgrade the cpu. At 1080p or 1440p however yes it makes a big difference.
 

Rogue Leader

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So you'd say making the £850 purchase for the rtx 3080 ti right now is worth it? or shall i wait for the rtx 4080? My monitor is 4k 144hz, so I think I can achieve 60-120fps in a lot of games in 4k which makes me think thats worth it.

Seeing other cpus like the 10000 series or 12000 series at 4k there is only about 5-10fps difference than when compared to the older gen cpus.

At 4k from others benchmarks looks like there is no need to upgrade the cpu. At 1080p or 1440p however yes it makes a big difference.

Its impossible to say for sure if its worth the upgrade, however your CPU already being a bottleneck in some titles, likely would not allow you to get much more if any FPS at 4k. So I probably would not wait. Get the 3080 ti and then get a CPU upgrade later and you can probably crush any game made for the next 5 years.