I think my CPU is bottle necking my GPU

[mozzie 98]

i don't know if anyone has had this issue before with this specific type of build, hardware etc... 

 

i have currently got a GTX 1060 6GB GPU (Asus Strix gaming, looks like what the 970 had for cooling) and an Intel core i5 6600 (non K) with 16GB of DDR4 ram (2x8 2400MHz) and i have been noticing a lot of low frame rate issues within the game Overwatch. i did some research and they say that the game is GPU intensive and yet people can run the game at EPIC settings on a GTX 1060 with the FPS above 100-110 fps at 1080p, yet i've got my game running at a mixture of ULTRA and HIGH (image provided) and yet my FPS goes down to the 70-80 what is going on?

 

i did notice one time in Task manager after coming out of a quick play game that the CPU load was at 90+% and slowly went down to 60%, so i downloaded and loaded up MSI Afterburner's on-screen overlay and at the main menu the GPU you 100% used with the CPU at about 70 ish (which seems about right), yet when i went into a quick play game that lasted for about 10 minutes, the CPU immediately went up to 100% usage and the GPU was averaging about 60-70% usage the whole game and the FPS was in the 80's area. (V-SYNC is off and the game is running of a Samsung 850 EVO 250GB SSD)

 

(there was only 2 tab's open form google chrome and the Battle.net launcher open during the test. it's what i usually have open but i also tried it with them closed and i get a very slim difference [only like 5% difference])

 

any suggestions on what i should do to fix this problem (or what could be causing this to happen)

 

i was planning to upgrade the GPU to a i7 7700 (non K) but ill wait to see what the LTT community says first

 

(the images provided are at it's lowest FPS, it's highest FPS and the settings i got Overwatch running at [1080p at the main menu])

 

Thank you

[Skiiwee29]

if your CPU is at 100% and your GPU is not, then you have the correct assessment. 

[RadiatingLight]

yep, CPU bottleneck.

however, I don't think there's need to upgrade.

a 6600 should be good enough for a GTX 1060, so either something is using up your CPU, or your FPS is already high enough. unless your FPS drops under 60, there's no need to upgrade.

[Clyne]

If your aim is 60hz, the 6600 is fine. I doubt you really need the 7700 unless you play a game that's demanding in resources. I'd barely notice a difference from my i5-6500 to i7-7700K in OVW. You should just overclock the 6600 if you got a Z170, see if you need to upgrade to an i7 or not. 

[mozzie 98]

1 minute ago, RadiatingLight said:

yep, CPU bottleneck.

however, I don't think there's need to upgrade.

a 6600 should be good enough for a GTX 1060, so either something is using up your CPU, or your FPS is already high enough. unless your FPS drops under 60, there's no need to upgrade.

it does not drop under 60 in quick play but in competitive matches i have seen it go to 49 FPS and slowly go back up to a stable 100. i just find it bizarre wow this decent CPU is bottlenecking. i was planning to upgrade to the i7 anyway as i do YouTube as a side hobby, plan to do live streaming (casually) and to do a course next year for video game animation and environment design.

[mozzie 98]

1 minute ago, Bubblewhale said:

If your aim is 60hz, the 6600 is fine. I doubt you really need the 7700 unless you play a game that's demanding in resources. I'd barely notice a difference from my i5-6500 to i7-7700K in OVW. You should just overclock the 6600 if you got a Z170, see if you need to upgrade to an i7 or not. 

 yeah let's Overclock the CPU with the Intel stock fan xD. thanks for your response but as i said to RadiatingLight, i'll be upgrading to the i7 for side hobby stuff and future course

[RadiatingLight]

1 minute ago, mozzie 98 said:

it does not drop under 60 in quick play but in competitive matches i have seen it go to 49 FPS and slowly go back up to a stable 100. i just find it bizarre wow this decent CPU is bottlenecking. i was planning to upgrade to the i7 anyway as i do YouTube as a side hobby, plan to do live streaming (casually) and to do a course next year for video game animation and environment design.

in that case, just buy a Ryzen 1600. it will cost you the same as a 7700 (since you need new mobo), but it's overclockable, has 6 cores, 12 threads, and is much better for video editing and pro work than a 7700K.

 

plus, then you can sell your mobo, and it might actually be cheaper than a 7700 upgrade. (or you could get Ryzen 7 1700)

[Clyne]

Just now, mozzie 98 said:

 yeah let's Overclock the CPU with the Intel stock fan xD. thanks for your response but as i said to RadiatingLight, i'll be upgrading to the i7 for side hobby stuff and future course

You're not going to notice a difference with an i7 if it's games like OVW. Z170 BIOS from late 2015-early 2016 and a $30 CPU cooler does the trick. 

[mozzie 98]

2 minutes ago, RadiatingLight said:

in that case, just buy a Ryzen 1600. it will cost you the same as a 7700 (since you need new mobo), but it's overclockable, has 6 cores, 12 threads, and is much better for video editing and pro work than a 7700K.

 

plus, then you can sell your mobo, and it might actually be cheaper than a 7700 upgrade. (or you could get Ryzen 7 1700)

thanks ill keep that in mind

[System Error Message]

what temperatures are your CPU during the low fps when gaming?

The i5 may not be fast but if it is a quad core than it is decent. Ofcourse the ryzen is a better deal so if you cant return your current set up try make the most of it before you upgrade.

 

stock intel coolers dont do a great job, if the CPU gets too hot it will not turbo and if it gets even hotter it will throttle itself.

[Thevgk]

If you can get one for the same price, K-series is generally worth it, even if you get a bad overclock. If you have a stock fan you might be getting some thermal throttling. From what you've shown, that's cpu bottlenecking, though i have no idea how a 6600 would do that.

 

Though i have no experience with them, i've heard good things about Ryzen when it comes to multi-tasking so that's probably a better option than a 7700

[mozzie 98]

40 minutes ago, System Error Message said:

what temperatures are your CPU during the low fps when gaming?

The i5 may not be fast but if it is a quad core than it is decent. Ofcourse the ryzen is a better deal so if you cant return your current set up try make the most of it before you upgrade.

 

stock intel coolers dont do a great job, if the CPU gets too hot it will not turbo and if it gets even hotter it will throttle itself.

this is a extreme test but i ran Prime95 with RealTemp to record the temps and this is what i got.(ran it for 5 minutes) (image taken right after the end of the test)

[System Error Message]

temps seem good, its just strange that 4 cores is not enough

[Thevgk]

Yeah i have an overclocked 980ti and my 6600k (base clock) wasn't bottlenecked at all, so that 6600 shouldn't bottleneck you at all

[mozzie 98]

9 hours ago, System Error Message said:

temps seem good, its just strange that 4 cores is not enough

do you think the CPU is a dud/faulty chip (not that it is non usable)

[System Error Message]

check your task manager, see what processes use up the CPU while you game. There could be something running or interfering. Or it could just be that the game is CPU intensive. I know GTA 5 can use more CPU but it shouldnt affect your fps.

[mozzie 98]

Just now, System Error Message said:

check your task manager, see what processes use up the CPU while you game. There could be something running or interfering. Or it could just be that the game is CPU intensive. I know GTA 5 can use more CPU but it shouldnt affect your fps.

alright thanks, ill check it tomorrow (currently 10pm in AUS)

[mozzie 98]

22 hours ago, System Error Message said:

check your task manager, see what processes use up the CPU while you game. There could be something running or interfering. Or it could just be that the game is CPU intensive. I know GTA 5 can use more CPU but it shouldnt affect your fps.

i did a little bit of research and apparently the battle.net launcher (or so call blizzard app now) actually uses a lot of CPU usage. i told it to fully close when launching OW yet it only took about 10% off which seem fine (but CPU still at 100% usage through MSI with the GPU at 70%) until halfway through the GPU dropped to the 50's and 60's and had the FPS drop issue again. this was also done without my usual programs open (Discord and 2 chrome tabs)