Can I upgrade GPU?

[dustin]

Current desktop build (built in 2016): https://pcpartpicker.com/list/xxgX7h

I want to put a nvidia 4000 series (like maybe a 4060 or 4070) GPU in my current build instead of building new. Looks like the GPU will fit but is there any other upgrades I should plan on while I'm thinking of it? or can I just switch this one component and call it a day..

Situation:

Want to upgrade monitor to 27'' 2560 x 1440 360Hz (currently on 1920 x 1080 144hz).

My laptop is an Alienware M18 r2 with maxed out specs. The reason I haven't upgraded my monitor yet is my desktop PC probably wouldn't be able to handle it.

The only (and I mean the ONLY) reason I can't get rid of the desktop and use the laptop full time is because certain games (Overwatch 2) basically don't run at all on the second monitor (so laggy it's unplayable). So forced to keep my desktop for this one game lol

[_I_]

yes, you could use like a 4070 or similar with the 650w psu

higher res only takes more gpu, not much more cpu

[Rumpelcrutchskin]

Yes you can use 4070, most of them use 8-pin plug to power them, few use 12+4 pin.
4070 Super all use 12+4 pin so would need to use adapter that usually comes with GPU with your PSU since older PSUs like that don`t come with 12+4 pin cable.

[dustin]

Alright switched out the GPU and upgraded the RAM (16GB to 32GB). Posting here to keep track of changes thanks guys
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/zYdFFs

Edit
alt monitor - 1440p but 480hz instead of 360hz
ASUS ROG Swift OLED 27” 1440P Gaming Monitor (PG27AQDP)
https://www.newegg.com/asus-pg27aqdp-27-qhd-480-hz-rog-swift-oled-black/p/N82E16824281326?srsltid=AfmBOooKPdOFHbum7YKqitXav3kiaMOlL2n3c68hL-1ZkIl4JUg-4qLj&recaptcha=pass

[DevaVictrix]

I’m still on a 6700k. It holds back my 3060ti a bit, depending on the game. Unless you plan on upgrading that soon I wouldn’t spend too much on gpu. I considered a 4070 but glad I got the 3060ti instead. That was about 12months ago… not sure if prices now but maybe 4060 would be the way to go.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Better off getting a 3080 10GB or 3080 Ti 12GB for around the same price or cheaper than a 4070 instead

[BurakZG]

Hey Dustin. You upgraded old PC, with a new graphic card. Since the question "will my old be PC work good with new graphic card" is recurring in this forum, could you describe your experience?
Is your config working fine?
Is old processor bottlenecking the new card? (if yes, in which tasks, games?)

Have fun with your new setup.

[dustin]

Originally posted by BurakZG:

....could you describe your experience?
Is your config working fine?
Is old processor bottlenecking the new card? (if yes, in which tasks, games?)

I'll post update if/when I figure out how to measure CPU bottleneck (never done this before). Would be useful for people coming back to these threads.

[BurakZG]

run some monitoring software to see the CPU load and GPU load. if you see (while gaming) that GPU goes to (almost) 100% and CPU stays below, then CPU is not a bottleneck

it's also good to check temperatures while gaming after each change in the system

[Agent]

Originally posted by BurakZG:

run some monitoring software to see the CPU load and GPU load. if you see (while gaming) that GPU goes to (almost) 100% and CPU stays below, then CPU is not a bottleneck

it's also good to check temperatures while gaming after each change in the system

Not a good measurement. Usage is not the only factor in CPU / GPU performance as it's about the speed per core too.

[BurakZG]

yes, correct, some games are poorly implemented and utilise only 1 (or limited number) of cores, so they depend on single core speed
in such case the question is, is the processor the bottleneck, or is the game poorly implemented?
you can judge yourself

[Agent]

Originally posted by BurakZG:

yes, correct, some games are poorly implemented and utilise only 1 (or limited number) of cores, so they depend on single core speed
in such case the question is, is the processor the bottleneck, or is the game poorly implemented?
you can judge yourself

It's not a question of poorly implemented the games literally have more complex AI and computation to do than previously in the vast majority of cases.... And let's not forget that L3 cache is going up and is fastest memory used for games too.

[_I_]

games core engine runs on a single thread
extra threads are used for game tasks, but still need to wait for instructions from the main thread

games ai or whatever you call it, are lower threads, and often divided to other cores by windows scheduler if a single core is not fast enough for the entire game

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Anything below an Intel modern 6-8 Core or AMD 8 Core is truly a mistake; it will hold you back with noticeable real-world results where the slow-downs can easily be seen in Games even as far back as 2016-2018 or so. Depending on how demanding the game is in general. And yes it can easily hold back from getting full performance on certain GPUs. Now something like an RTX 20/30 series of any kind running on PCIE 3.0 is not a problem; however more modern and also higher end GPUs like RTX 4080/4090; RX 6900/7900 series; those really need to run on a Motherboard + CPU that fully supports PCIE 4.0

If anything it will help to have a modern PCIE 5.0 Motherboard; not for the sake of current GPUs however, but so that you can easily have multiple PCIE 4.0 (NVME) SSDs without problems.

[dustin]

Ok so after the upgrade I'm kind of disappointed in my capped FPS in certain games.

Decided to make a new build, stick my existing GTX 470 + sound blaster Z sound card in here, and in the near future get a 5090 once those become shippable.

Looking heavily at this right now (mostly based off a reddit thread):
https://pcpartpicker.com/list/TggDmC
Edit: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/yDTCgn

I'm basically wanting the top of the line (future proof) build, that'll eventually have a RTX 5090 card in a few months.

[ANAKONDA TUFAN]

mx110 cs fps ?