Potato PC, help dear Captains

[John Leonard]

Specs:

-i3-3220 3.3GHz

-8GB RAM DDR3

-Inno3D Geforce GTX 750ti 2GB DDR5 128-BIT Overclock

-500GB 7.2K RPM

-Corsair VS 450 PSU 

-MSI MS-7788 Mobo

-Samsung LED Monitor 19.5" 1366x768 60Hz (ordinary monitor)

(Native Resolution: 2560 x 1600, but obviously my rig can't take it so I drop it down to the monitor's capacity 1366x768) see attached picture

 

Unigine Heaven Benchmark 4.0

(DEFAULT GPU SETTING - NOT OVERCLOCKED)

FPS:	67.0
Score:	1688
Min FPS:	19.8
Max FPS:	129.5

System

Platform:	Windows NT 6.2 (build 9200) 64bit
CPU model:	Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-3220 CPU @ 3.30GHz (3292MHz) x2
GPU model:	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 21.21.13.7633 (2048MB) x1

Settings

Render:	Direct3D11
Mode:	1366x751 2xAA windowed
Preset	Custom
Quality	High
Tessellation:	Moderate

 

 

 

OVERCLOCKED WITH NO ADDITIONAL CORE VOLTAGE:

Unigine Heaven Benchmark 4.0

FPS:	72.3
Score:	1820
Min FPS:	23.6
Max FPS:	138.5

System

Platform:	Windows NT 6.2 (build 9200) 64bit
CPU model:	Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-3220 CPU @ 3.30GHz (3292MHz) x2
GPU model:	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 750 Ti 21.21.13.7633 (2048MB) x1

Settings

Render:	Direct3D11
Mode:	1366x755 2xAA windowed
Preset	Custom
Quality	High
Tessellation:	Moderate

 

 

NOOB QUESTIONS, PLEASE BARE WITH ME:

1. I play DotA 2 with 1366x768 resolution, I'm expecting to have better fps avg but no. I thought setting it to a lower reso would improve performance, however it's not.

2. My current DotA 2 resolution is 1920 x 1080, why? Because it's the only setup that would look reasonable and fitting to my monitor specially the text, makes them look clear. (Unlike setting it to 1366 x 768 which makes the text blurry)

NOTE: I disabled tree movements, vsync (even turning them on doesn't really help) & Shadow Quality is set to Medium, sometimes even OFF.

3. With regards to overclocking, I don't really feel the difference between the two when I am in-game. Thoughts?

4. Additional info: I've already cleaned my setup to free the dust, etc.. Temperatures are at their normal level.

5. I just want to have a consistent fps count in dota 2 Not just in my lane, specially with team fights when everyone casts skills etc..

 

Thanks once again to those who will respond. 

[Castdeath97]

Quote

 I play DotA 2 with 1366x768 resolution, I'm expecting to have better fps avg but no. I thought setting it to a lower reso would improve performance, however it's not.

That's what we call a CPU bottleneck. What kind of framerates do you get in DOTA 2? And around what range?

 

[Droidbot]

it's source engine, its never a stable framerate. turn the settings down to low, source loves CPU so your i3 isn't doing you good

[John Leonard]

1 minute ago, Castdeath97 said:

That's what we call a CPU bottleneck. What kind of framerates do you get? And around what range?

 

I get around 60-68fps but drops down to 48-55fps when clashing occurs. So you are saying I"m having CPU bottleneck?

[Castdeath97]

1 minute ago, John Leonard said:

I get around 60-68fps but drops down to 48-55fps when clashing occurs. So you are saying I"m having CPU bottleneck?

Likely, since increasing the resolution (GPU load mostly) changes little. 

[John Leonard]

2 minutes ago, Droidbot said:

it's source engine, its never a stable framerate. turn the settings down to low, source loves CPU so your i3 isn't doing you good

it hurts to have low settings with this GPU, though. Does upgrading the CPU (which isn't really tangible as of the moment, sad) improve this?

[Castdeath97]

Just now, John Leonard said:

it hurts to have low settings with this GPU, though. Does upgrading the CPU (which isn't really tangible as of the moment, sad) improve this?

Yes, getting used i7 3770K/3770 will help. 

[John Leonard]

2 minutes ago, Castdeath97 said:

Likely, since increasing the resolution (GPU load mostly) changes little. 

Someone offered his  HD 7790 since he suspects bottlenecking, too with my setup. Is it reasonable, logically correct to do it? If so, who's going to add cash hahaha. My GPU is only 2months old..  

[John Leonard]

1 minute ago, Castdeath97 said:

Yes, getting used i7 3770K/3770 will help. 

I see, problem solved easily with that. Thanks. But I'm hoping a budget friendly solution as of the moment, since my resources aren't really enough. Priorities, lol. Do you recommend I turn off overclocking, too? it's not really making some big changes.

[Castdeath97]

2 minutes ago, John Leonard said:

Someone offered his  HD 7790 since he suspects bottlenecking, too with my setup. Is it reasonable, logically correct to do it? If so, who's going to add cash hahaha. My GPU is only 2months old..  

That's not a good upgrade, if it's even an upgrade. 

[Castdeath97]

2 minutes ago, John Leonard said:

I see, problem solved easily with that. Thanks. But I'm hoping a budget friendly solution as of the moment, since my resources aren't really enough. Priorities, lol. Do you recommend I turn off overclocking, too? it's not really making some big changes.

A used 3770K won't be expensive, far from it. At very worst maybe 200 USD. 

[John Leonard]

1 minute ago, Castdeath97 said:

That's not a good upgrade, if it's even an upgrade. 

Technically not an upgrade but a remedy. I just want to have the smooth gaming experience, not planning really to have the high end ones. But with that, can my CPU be optimized with the GPU HD 7790?

[ProjectBox153]

1 minute ago, John Leonard said:

Technically not an upgrade but a remedy. I just want to have the smooth gaming experience, not planning really to have the high end ones. But with that, can my CPU be optimized with the GPU HD 7790?

I think you should focus on your CPU, not the graphics card.

[John Leonard]

2 minutes ago, Castdeath97 said:

A used 3770K won't be expensive, far from it. At very worst maybe 200 USD. 

Probably soon, though. Budget is really tight these days. I'm just hoping there's something that can be done aside from spending too much

[thenastyjbenny]

4 minutes ago, John Leonard said:

I see, problem solved easily with that. Thanks. But I'm hoping a budget friendly solution as of the moment, since my resources aren't really enough. Priorities, lol. Do you recommend I turn off overclocking, too? it's not really making some big changes.

The 3770k market is really wierd.

 

They are worth more than a 4790k even used.

 

I would go for a 3750k used in the near future. They overclock decently well and you can pick one up for 100- 140 bucks in the US.

 

That would almost certainly get rid of your bottlenecking issues- especially if you overclocked it.

[John Leonard]

2 minutes ago, Jamiec1130 said:

I think you should focus on your CPU, not the graphics card.

Thanks for the heads up. I might plan selling this old CPU and have that cash to avail another one that would not result to this.

[thenastyjbenny]

3 minutes ago, Castdeath97 said:

A used 3770K won't be expensive, far from it. At very worst maybe 200 USD. 

What are you smoking? I can't find one under 300 bucks used.

 

I'm a looking in the wrong place? I live Pennsylvania, US.

[ProjectBox153]

1 minute ago, John Leonard said:

Thanks for the heads up. I might plan selling this old CPU and have that cash to avail another one that would not result to this.

That's a great idea. Good luck!

[John Leonard]

1 minute ago, JR8 said:

The 3770k market is really wierd.

 

They are worth more than a 4790k even used.

 

I would go for a 3750k used in the near future. They overclock decently well and you can pick one up for 100- 140 bucks in the US.

 

That would almost certainly get rid of your bottlenecking issues- especially if you overclocked it.

That's really good for you there, however in my country, people seldom sell used CPU's alone. It is why people don't really have the choice but to buy brand new ones. Which isn't really feasible as of the moment in my case. What makes me really sad is that this GPU is not even 3months old. Well..

[Castdeath97]

6 minutes ago, John Leonard said:

Technically not an upgrade but a remedy. I just want to have the smooth gaming experience, not planning really to have the high end ones. But with that, can my CPU be optimized with the GPU HD 7790?

No. That's not how bottleneck work if you have a pentium and a Titan X and you downgrade to a RX 460 you aren't going to get a better experience, the drops will still be around.

 

3 minutes ago, JR8 said:

What are you smoking? I can't find one under 300 bucks used.

 

I'm a looking in the wrong place? I live Pennsylvania, US.

Depends on where you live, every country/state is different, let alone the time you shop. You need to keep a keen eye and try different platforms. Maybe by the time Zen comes out people will sell their 3770Ks.

 

But yeah, even a i5 would be a big upgrade.

[thenastyjbenny]

1 minute ago, John Leonard said:

That's really good for you there, however in my country, people seldom sell used CPU's alone. It is why people don't really have the choice but to buy brand new ones. Which isn't really feasible as of the moment in my case. What makes me really sad is that this GPU is not even 3months old. Well..

Sorry mate!

 

Good luck to you, anyhow. I hope you can get rid of your problem.

[John Leonard]

1 minute ago, Castdeath97 said:

No. That's not how bottleneck work if you have a pentium and a Titan X and you downgrade to a RX 460 you aren't going to get a better experience, the drops will still be around.

 

Depends on where you live, every country/state is different, let alone the time you shop. You need to keep a keen eye and try different platforms. Maybe by the time Zen comes out people will sell their 3770Ks.

 

But yeah, even a i5 would be a big upgrade.

Thanks so much, so if you were in my place right now haha what would you do with your current rig? or something.. Idk

[John Leonard]

1 minute ago, JR8 said:

Sorry mate!

 

Good luck to you, anyhow. I hope you can get rid of your problem.

Thank you, appreciate it very much.

[Castdeath97]

1 minute ago, John Leonard said:

Thanks so much, so if you were in my place right now haha what would you do with your current rig? or something.. Idk

Look for deals, if you don't find any buy a new CPU later on.

[DHelios]

Maybe a bit off-topic, but wouldn't it make more sense to downscale that monitor to 1280x800 rather than 1366x768? With a native resolution of 2560x1600 that'd be exactly quartered and it would uphold the 16:10 ratio rather than stretching 16:9. You might get a sharper, less-deformed image, and with 3% fewer pixels to drive you might even get higher framerates...