Does downgrading GPU reduce CPU bottleneck and help performance?

[Bogdan7659]

Hello. I was wondering if downgrading a GPU would help reduce CPU bottleneck and improve performance and fps in games. For example if you have FX 6300 and a GTX 1080 TI, will downgrading to lets say GTX 1060 help performance and fps in games? 

[Levent]

it doesnt work that way, no.

[Bogdan7659]

9 hours ago, Levent said:

it doesnt work that way, no.

You mean the FPS will be the same, or even lower? 

[Levent]

Just now, Bogdan7659 said:

You mean the FPS will be the same, or lower? 

It will be either same or lower. Most definitely wont be higher.

[KarathKasun]

CPU bottleneck just means that the CPU is limiting maximum performance.  It cant push any more FPS regardless of GPU.

 

Think of your system as an assembly line for pictures with the CPU doing part of the painting before the GPU.  If the CPU cant do its job fast enough, the GPU is just sitting there with nothing to do.  With a slow GPU, or when the GPU is at 100% load, the CPU is sitting around doing nothing.

[Princess Luna]

If your limiting factor is the CPU, changing the GPU will not improve performance.

[steelo]

13 minutes ago, Bogdan7659 said:

Hello. I was wondering if downgrading a GPU would help reduce CPU bottleneck and improve performance and fps in games. For example if you have FX 6300 and a GTX 1080 TI, will downgrading to lets say GTX 1060 help performance and fps in games? 

Not really, you have to find the 'sweet spot' to where the CPU is able to push the GPU to its maximum or near maximum output without being maxed out itself. In a game, if your CPU is only able to process data fast enough to maintain 20 fps, you're going to have a max of 20 fps or less, regardless of the GPU. 

[Bogdan7659]

Ok thanks, I was thinking about downgrading my GPU because of CPU bottleneck for a long time, but now I know that there is no reason to do that. 

[KarathKasun]

Just now, steelo said:

Not really, you have to find the 'sweet spot' to where the CPU is able to push the GPU to its maximum or near maximum output. In a game, if a CPU is only able to compute enough data to maintain 20 fps, you're going to have a max of 20 fps no matter what GPU you have.

There is no universal "sweet spot" because the CPU/GPU balance varies WILDLY between games.

 

Normal desktop CPUs are cheaper than GPUs. Get the fastest CPU that fits your budget and still allows you to buy a GPU that fits your resolution/FPS target.

 

If you are upgrading an older system with a GPU and plan on adding a core system upgrade a bit later, get as much GPU as you can realistically afford.

[steelo]

1 minute ago, Bogdan7659 said:

Ok thanks, I was thinking about downgrading my GPU because of CPU bottleneck for a long time, but now I know that there is no reason to do that. 

How much of a bottleneck do you have? Have you tried overclocking your CPU? If you have a 1080 ti with a FX6300, you're probably out of luck though =(

[steelo]

2 minutes ago, KarathKasun said:

There is no universal "sweet spot" because the CPU/GPU balance varies WILDLY between games.

 

Normal desktop CPUs are cheaper than GPUs. Get the fastest CPU that fits your budget and still allows you to buy a GPU that fits your resolution/FPS target.

 

If you are upgrading an older system with a GPU and plan on adding a core system upgrade a bit later, get as much GPU as you can realistically afford.

I should have worded that a bit better, I meant to say with specific games/applications. You're right though, every game is optimized differently. For example, some games are optimized to work better on NVidia vs Radeon cards.

[Bogdan7659]

9 hours ago, steelo said:

How much of a bottleneck do you have? Have you tried overclocking your CPU? If you have a 1080 ti with a FX6300, you're probably out of luck though =(

Well the GPU is around 60% usage during gaming and CPU is 80-90% usage. Its not overclocked because of stock cooler. 

[Bogdan7659]

I guess I'll have to buy a better CPU, just wanted to be clear with whether or not a GPU downgrade is a better choice, but it isnt. 

[KarathKasun]

1 minute ago, Bogdan7659 said:

Well the GPU is around 60% usage during gaming and CPU is 80-90% usage. Its not overclocked because of stock cooler. 

That CPU is terrible.  Pretty much ANY modern CPU will give you double the performance, even i3/R3.

[steelo]

2 minutes ago, Bogdan7659 said:

I guess I'll have to buy a better CPU, just wanted to be clear with whether or not a GPU downgrade is a better choice, but it isnt. 

Yeah, at this point I would recommend a Ryzen

[Curious Pineapple]

8 minutes ago, Bogdan7659 said:

Well the GPU is around 60% usage during gaming and CPU is 80-90% usage. Its not overclocked because of stock cooler. 

I've had 5 GHz from my old 6300, the voltages required were too much for my air cooler though so it ran way too hot.

[Bogdan7659]

So as far as I understood its just about the money that you unnecessarily lose when buying an overkill GPU for an older, weaker CPU, not really the performance. I could've bought GTX 1060 and have the same performance, but would save some money. 

[Bartholomew]

4 minutes ago, Bogdan7659 said:

So as far as I understood its just about the money that you unnecessarily lose when buying an overkill GPU for an older, weaker CPU, not really the performance. I could've bought GTX 1060 and have the same performance, but would save some money. 

As usual "it depends"; if staying at same resolution, yes.

 

But getting faster gpu could for example allow monitor upgrade from 1080p to for example 1440p (or ultrawide, or both), making cpu and gpu more balanced again, keeping same framerate from cpu without losing framerate due to slower gpu. In that case it aint lost money since it allows resolution upgrade keeping same fps.

 

 

 

 

 

[Ebony Falcon]

Get a Ryzen 3600 cheep mobo and ram and ur good to go