CPU Replacement

brainiac

Hi guys,

I am looking for some advice as to what upgrades you would do on this machine. I got this built about 2 years ago, still happy with all components apart from the CPU, it can drag the 970 down sometimes. That leaves me with a couple of options.

I could go for something like an i7-4790k which would fit my current motherboard (assuming I can replace the CPU without any issues) or I could go for a new DDR4 motherboard / RAM / CPU combination.

Bear in mind, for the time being this is just for 1080p 60fps gaming, not 4k, but I'd like to be unrestricted on my ability to get 1080+60 on even high end titles.

Does anyone have any suggestions for what they would do / what parts they would recommend? Would you wait another generation or so and then replace even more elements? Ideally whatever option I went for would cost a max of ~€400-500. The difference in performance would need to be worth the cost of course.

Here's the current parts list:

- Intel Core i5-4460 in-a-Box
- MSI GeForce GTX 970 Gaming 4G, 4GB GDDR5
- 8GB-Kit Crucial Ballistix Sport Series DDR3-1600, CL9
- ASRock Z97 Extreme3 1150
- Crucial MX100 SSD 128GB (2,5", 7mm)
- Seagate Barracuda 7200 2000GB, SATA 6Gb/s
- Thermaltake Berlin 630W

Thanks for any advice ye can offer!

BloodBath

Still a solid build. CPU probably is holding you back a little though.

Try to find a second hand 4790k and overclock it. Might want a cooler to go with it then. At least your board supports overclocking.

You could probably do that upgrade for around €100 after you sell on your old CPU.

K.O.Kiki

Sell the GTX 970 & buy a used 980 Ti (or 1070 if prices fall back down below €420).
Sell current RAM & upgrade to 16Gb DDR3-2133/2400
A cheap CPU cooler might be nice too, would keep the CPU super stable & lower system noise (anything with 120mm fan in the €20-30 range). Same goes for case fans if you don't have at least 1-in, 1-out.
CPU won't hold you back in anything except unoptimized / 16-player+ server games.

TerrorFirmer

I agree with BloodBath, the CPU is the weak link there (though still decent) and an upgrade to the i7 will make a big difference in a lot of games in your minimum and average framerates. You don't need to overclock either if the aim is just a stable 60fps, the i7 at stock will do that no issue.

GTX970 is fine for now at 1080p high/ultra 60fps, not a great time to buy a new card anyway as everything is inflated due to the mining craze, even 2nd hand.

brainiac

Yeah, I was of the same thoughts. Happy with the 970 for another couple of years until 4k gaming becomes more of a thing. So you think the i7-4790k would definitely be the way to go? And I should be able to just unplug the old CPU and replug this one?

TerrorFirmer

Yep. You'll need some thermal paste and some cleaner - to remove the old thermal paste from the base of your cooler, and apply fresh paste onto the new CPU before reinstalling the cooler. You will get both in Maplins for small money.

If you aren't bothered with this, you can just buy a new cooler that will already have paste pre-applied like this and just use white spirits to clean the lid of your old CPU and wipe it down well with kitchen paper afterwards.

It can be an i7-4770 or i7-4790, no need for a K model unless you want to overclock, or you just find a good deal on the K model. They sell for about €150-180 depending, mostly.

BloodBath

If you're going to the hastle of this upgrade you might as well get the overclockable 4790k. Your board supports it and it will last you longer once overclocked. These processors will do around 4.5Ghz on all cores with a cheap cooler like the 212 evo.

Overclock the card as well if you haven't already and you're sorted for 1080p/60Hz.

Billy86

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

Sell the GTX 970 & buy a used 980 Ti (or 1070 if prices fall back down below €420).
Sell current RAM & upgrade to 16Gb DDR3-2133/2400
A cheap CPU cooler might be nice too, would keep the CPU super stable & lower system noise (anything with 120mm fan in the €20-30 range). Same goes for case fans if you don't have at least 1-in, 1-out.
CPU won't hold you back in anything except unoptimized / 16-player+ server games.

I've a 970 (with an i5 6600K) and clear 60fps without issue on just about any title on ultra 1080p and have never even overclocked it, wouldn't say there's any real point in him upgrading that right now in honesty. Impossible to tell when, but I'm aiming for my upgrade there for the end of 2018/start of 2019.

K.O.Kiki

Billy86 wrote: »

I've a 970 (with an i5 6600K) and clear 60fps without issue on just about any title on ultra 1080p and have never even overclocked it, wouldn't say there's any real point in him upgrading that right now in honesty. Impossible to tell when, but I'm aiming for my upgrade there for the end of 2018/start of 2019.

I upgraded from 970 to 980 Ti

Actual 1080p60 Ultra, and I can run most games close to 1080p120 High

Billy86

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

I upgraded from 970 to 980 Ti

Actual 1080p60 Ultra, and I can run most games close to 1080p120 High

Fugg you'n'your fancy pants 980 TI! :mad:

The OP was only looking for 60fps mind you, would 120 not cause screen tearing issues without a monitor to handle it? I'll be honest, I've a shockingly bad eye for things like that personally (and I'm on projector so capped at 60fps).

K.O.Kiki

Billy86 wrote: »

Fugg you'n'your fancy pants 980 TI! :mad:

The OP was only looking for 60fps mind you, would 120 not cause screen tearing issues without a monitor to handle it? I'll be honest, I've a shockingly bad eye for things like that personally (and I'm on projector so capped at 60fps).

No idea, my monitor runs at 120Hz :pac:

Billy86

K.O.Kiki wrote: »

No idea, my monitor runs at 120Hz :pac:

Well my 'screen' is 150" so... uuhhh... there.

-l-Z3k3-l-

Definitely get a CPU upgrade rather than changing your platform.
Theres not enough of a performance gain going to skylake or kabylake
I recently upgrade mine from an i5-2500K to an i7-3770K running a 1070 GTX
I game at 2560x1600 and its smooth as silk

Darwin

Just to throw out another option op...my rig is 4 years old and I'm running an i5-4670K from day 1 @ 4.4Ghz with cooling provided by a Corsair H100 AIO liquid cooler. The i5 will run cooler than an i7 and it might be the cheaper option.