Best way for me to increase FPS

I have a older I5 3570k cpu, 16 gb ddr3 ram, GTX 1070 and a 1440p 144 hz monitor.

Would a new graphics card get me more frames per second, or is the CPU holding me back?

@jopython52:

3rd gen i5 is holding you back. When I upgraded from i5 4690k with GTX 1080 to my i7 8700 in games like BF1 my minimum fps doubled and averages went up quite abit as well.

If you have battlefield 5 or Shadow of the tomb raider (you can download the free demo too), their benchmark tools tell you cpu usage vs gpu usage so that you can see which is holding which back.

Every game varies in how they use your computers resources, but it gives you a good ballpark of how your computer runs in popular titles.

I would upgrade the CPU/mobo/RAM first as that will give you an overall system boost and will be needed for higher frame rates on that 144hz monitor. A better video card is recommended for 1440p/144hz as well, but you definitely want to eliminate that CPU bottleneck.

@BassMan: that’s what I’m thinking. A new video card will run me $700. A new mobo, ram, cpu will run me about 400 to 600 depending on if I go AMD or Intel.

Just I’m not feeling the urge to install all those parts, I’m lazy lol, and I always have issues I just don’t want to deal with, gotta re-install everything... ugh . This use to be fun, now it’s a pain in the ass lol.

@jopython52: No need to reinstall everything. You can re-use your drive with the new components and just install the necessary drivers for the new components.

@BassMan: I hope you are right. If I can just install my ssd drive and my other hard drive and turn on the new build without issue, that would be a miracle.

I can confirm. I just did this at work a few times. Very pleasantly surprised that I did not have to reinstall Windows 10.

What about 4th gen, do you think? Was going to hold out until Intel's new chips come out (was planning on getting an RTX 2080 or GTX 1080 in the meantime), but I still feel like my current GTX 980 has some life left. Would an upgrade help? It's an i7, like a 4780 or something.

I just ordered a I5 8600k, 16 gb ddr4,G Skill Ripjaws, ASRock Z390 Pro4 motherboard, and a cpu fan/cooler Arctic Freezer 33.

So hopefully all the installation goes well, wish me luck.

if you have an i7 4770 or 4790 your ok still. Its the quad core i5's that are really showing their age with newer games. Having 8 threads helps alot.

aye def time to up that old i5

@howmakewood: so I’m going into a new I5 8600k, DDR4 ram and new mobo. Will I see a improvement in frames, or am I still going to be looking for another graphics card later down the line?

You will see an improvement.

Well, I hope so. It’s being delivered Wednesday. I may actually pay someone to put it all together because I just don’t want any hassle lol. I can do it, I know I can, but usually I have “issues “ I just don’t wanna deal with, if they come up.

I completed my build successfully.

Two small problems; a stripped screw while installing the cooler backplate, and I did not seat the ram properly which prevented my PC from booting up.

But everything is now running smoothly. Frames per second have increased across the board and I’m able to increase graphics settings too. Forza Horizon 4 is running around 80 to 100 FPS in Ultra settings; before I was hovering right at 60 fps with very high setting.

Overclock your CPU.

Enjoy your new system XD. I wouldn't push the CPU OC too hard on that board, it's only 4 phases and top VRM heatsink is missing, so maybe 4,5GHz max. You can see for yourself what kind of fps increase you get, probably just benchmark difference, no need to fry your mobo for it.

Upgrade your mobo, CPU and RAM and then add RGB. RGB is like NOS for your computer but less explosive

That's a great upgrade over i5 3570k. Further, you can OC your CPU for more frames per second.

I’m leaving every thing at stock right now. It’s running great, no need to mess it up yet ?. Seriously, I have no clue how to over-clock even though I bought a cpu and mobo that can easily handle it. I may pay someone to do it at a later date should the need arise lol.

@jopython52: They added one button OC in the beta versions of MSI Afterburner and EVGA Precision. It's the easiest way to get it done since it tests your gpu at different set points and ups your clock speed (not memory) for you. People claim to get better clocks by doing it manually though (even though more risky). I still don't think it's worth it imo but a lot of people like to do it.

I’m wondering aloud how I would benefit from going from a gtx1070 to a rtx 2070? I’m certain frames would increase, but how much and is it worth it?

1070 to 2070 is like upgrading from a 1070 to 1080 (2070 is better than 1080 though). There will be a boost, but upgrading to a 1080 Ti or 2080 would be a much bigger difference and better suited for your 1440p/144hz monitor. You can check benchmarks to see the percentage boosts on various games.

At 1440p Stock GTX 1070 to stock RTX 2070 your looking at around 25-30% average fps improvement.

Right now I’m more than happy with my game performance. I’m at 1440p and well above 60 FPS and ultra settings, or a mix of ultra and high or other very minor concessions on all my games.

I can’t imagine how spending $800 or more for even double my frame rates would actually improve my games. I can’t really tell the difference between 60 or 120 fps, smooth is smooth. I think I will wait a bit and get some more use out of my year old 1070.

If you have a 144Hz monitor, the difference between 60 and 120 should be obvious. Maybe not though... I think your first step should be a CPU upgrade. On the graphics side, just drop AA, shadows etc down to low and the 1070 should be OK.

So far , with g-sync, I have not been able to see a difference in frame rates. If I didn’t have a frame counter in the upper corner of my display telling me I was 80 or 130 fps, I would be oblivious. Most of my games are in the high 80’s, some, like Doom, are 144 FPS , at ultra settings. Why should I need a cpu upgrade now?