Will my CPU nullify the effectiveness of a 1080TI?

[sloan1209]

I'm about to get a 1080TI but am wondering if my CPU will keep me from seeing as much of a difference. I have an i5 6600K 3.50GHz CPU and would like to game at 2k resolutions. will my CPU keep me from noticing a boost in certain aspects?

 

[CRO5513Y]

Not really no. In a vast majority of modern games the 6600K should handle the 1080 Ti fine. If you're trying to push really high frame rates in CPU-intensive titles or those with lower optimisation, it may start to hold you back but overall it will be a decent pairing for Gaming, especially at higher resolutions where the GPU is under more load. Hope this helps!

 

[volkgren]

What do you mean by 2K resolution? A lot of people use that term incorrectly.

At 1080p a lot of games will not fully utilize the 1080 Ti at 2K resolutions unless you use SDR (super dynamic resolution) to render the game at a higher resolution (looks slightly better, but not as good as a real higher resolution screen).

So, it wouldn't be an entire waste. What is the refresh rate of your monitor? What is your current GPU?

 

[sloan1209]

Not really no. In a vast majority of modern games the 6600K should handle the 1080 Ti fine. If you're trying to push really high frame rates in CPU-intensive titles or those with lower optimisation, it may start to hold you back but overall it will be a decent pairing for Gaming, especially at higher resolutions where the GPU is under more load. Hope this helps!

What do you mean by 2K resolution? A lot of people use that term incorrectly.

At 1080p a lot of games will not fully utilize the 1080 Ti at 2K resolutions unless you use SDR (super dynamic resolution) to render the game at a higher resolution (looks slightly better, but not as good as a real higher resolution screen).

So, it wouldn't be an entire waste. What is the refresh rate of your monitor? What is your current GPU?

current GPU is an R9380. my screen is 2560x1440 and id like to play games at that resolution because they look better. now some 1080 games look blurry but lag too much on 2560x1440. refresh rate is 140hz

 

[volkgren]

Ah okay, should be a good upgrade. Hope you get a good deal on a 1080 Ti

 

[CRO5513Y]

Not really no. In a vast majority of modern games the 6600K should handle the 1080 Ti fine. If you're trying to push really high frame rates in CPU-intensive titles or those with lower optimisation, it may start to hold you back but overall it will be a decent pairing for Gaming, especially at higher resolutions where the GPU is under more load. Hope this helps!

What do you mean by 2K resolution? A lot of people use that term incorrectly.

At 1080p a lot of games will not fully utilize the 1080 Ti at 2K resolutions unless you use SDR (super dynamic resolution) to render the game at a higher resolution (looks slightly better, but not as good as a real higher resolution screen).

So, it wouldn't be an entire waste. What is the refresh rate of your monitor? What is your current GPU?

current GPU is an R9380. my screen is 2560x1440 and id like to play games at that resolution because they look better. now some 1080 games look blurry but lag too much on 2560x1440. refresh rate is 140hz

With a 140hz Monitor, your CPU may not be able to keep up in some modern titles that are CPU-intensive or not well optimised as i said in my previous reply, but overall i wouldn't say an upgrade is an absolute necessity. The 6600K should still offer a solid Gaming experience in a majority of titles, but to answer your question, yes it can be the limiting factor for reaching max FPS depending on the game, just not to a serious extent.