Is It a Good Decision?

[Azriel]

If I were to buy 16GB of RAM, an SSD, and a 1060 6GB, would it be a good choice? I found some videos (links below) that show the 1060 usage at 70-100%, while the 4690k hovers around 50-80%. Those are rough estimates but I am worried my CPU won't be used to its fullest. Should I lower textures to use less GPU? The reason why I am buying new RAM is that first and for most my RAM is defective, but it is also not sufficient. I read that when I don't have enough RAM it puts stress on the HDD, so I am buying RAM that is new. The SSD is to alleviate pressure from my system and intensive games that my HDD is under. Finally, the 6GB from the 1060 will help relieve stress from my RAM, since too little VRAM causes computers to use RAM. Its a really twisted cycle that I hope the three new parts will correct. If I do make the three purchases, how long will my PC last in the long run? My PC specs are on my profile, but if you all would like, I could post them here to expedite the process.

ARK video

GTA V video

BF1 video

Watch Dogs 2 video

[Shiv78]

You're fine. Most of the stuff you are saying doesn't make sense, in most balanced systems the GPU will be at 99-100% even if the CPU is a bit lower. That's a good thing, dont worry

[JaegerB]

Load really doesn't matter. It's not bad for your CPU or GPU to be at 100%, it's prolonged high temperatures that will do damage. With what you have, there is no need to buy new parts to "alleviate pressure". Sure, go ahead and buy it for better performance, but it will not increase the lifespan of other components.

[TheNuzziNuzz]

I think you have quite a few misconceptions here. What are your current specs, Budget, and uses for the computer? What is your target FPS for those games? Do you wan't them at the highest settings?

[Azriel]

Just now, Shiv78 said:

You're fine. Most of the stuff you are saying doesn't make sense, in most balanced systems the GPU will be at 99-100% even if the CPU is a bit lower. That's a good thing, dont worry

If you have ever heard of Tomshardware, I've looked up "What happens when I don't have enough RAM" or "VRAM" . I take the site as pretty reputable, but I have also looked at other sites regarding the issues I am experiencing. 

[Azriel]

1 minute ago, JaegerB said:

Load really doesn't matter. It's not bad for your CPU or GPU to be at 100%, it's prolonged high temperatures that will do damage. With what you have, there is no need to buy new parts to "alleviate pressure". Sure, go ahead and buy it for better performance, but it will not increase the lifespan of other components.

I don't want my CPU, GPU, or any of my components to run at 100%, but rather all near a common percentage.

[Azriel]

2 minutes ago, TheNuzziNuzz said:

I think you have quite a few misconceptions here. What are your current specs, Budget, and uses for the computer? What is your target FPS for those games? Do you wan't them at the highest settings?

The budget doesn't matter seeing that I've said Im buying 16GB or RAM, a 1060, and an SSD. The budget is around $400 total, since the parts I have chosen add up to that. My computer is only used for gaming and school work, and most times I run at the highest possible settings for my rig.

[JaegerB]

2 minutes ago, Azriel said:

I don't want my CPU, GPU, or any of my components to run at 100%, but rather all near a common percentage.

But that's irrational. GPUs and CPUs are completely different, and do completely different things. They aren't going to always run at the same load, and buying expensive new components for something so trivial seems almost like OCD.

[TheNuzziNuzz]

Just now, Azriel said:

The budget doesn't matter seeing that I've said Im buying 16GB or RAM, a 1060, and an SSD. The budget is around $400 total, since the parts I have chosen add up to that. My computer is only used for gaming and school work, and most times I run at the highest possible settings for my rig.

How much ram do you currently have?

2 minutes ago, Azriel said:

I don't want my CPU, GPU, or any of my components to run at 100%, but rather all near a common percentage.

This makes no sense whatsoever, its like buying a 500 horsepower car and limiting it to 100hp

[Azriel]

Just now, JaegerB said:

But that's irrational. GPUs and CPUs are completely different, and do completely different things. They aren't going to always run at the same load, and buying expensive new components for something so trivial seems almost like OCD.

Well, I think that it is not irrational. It would be irrational to pick parts that are not optimal together. Would it be better to pair a 1080 with an i3 processor or a 1080 with an i7 processor? The obvious choice is the latter since they pair very well together. I don't think that you understand I am not trying to buy the most expensive parts, but have parts that fair well together. My 960 2GB is not up to par with the games that I play, that is why I plan to upgrade my GPU. The SSD is for my OS to run separately from my other programs on my HDD. The extra RAM is for other when I have multiple things running that use RAM.

[Egad]

On RAM, I'm a bit curious if you mean defective as in the DIMM simply doesn't work or defective in the sense it doesn't run when you load a desired XMP profile or try to manually OC.  If it's the latter, unless you have really bad frequencies or are getting a sweet deal, investing in DDR3 seems like a poor use of money.

 

A 1060 is fine, but ultimately you simply cannot force any kind of common load percentage onto your components, nor should you.  Let the game lean on hardware as it desires.  Some games are more CPU intensive with AI, pathfinding, etc.  Most games are more GPU intensive and having those titles utilize the GPU at 95+% is fine/desirable.  Settings should only be adjusted with regard to maintaining a desired framerate.

 

A SSD can be useful with helping with popin in open world games, boot times, load times, etc but isn't going to impact the frame rate as directly.  

 

  

[Azriel]

4 minutes ago, TheNuzziNuzz said:

How much ram do you currently have?

This makes no sense whatsoever, its like buying a 500 horsepower car and limiting it to 100hp

That example makes no sense, and I have 8GB currently.

[Azriel]

1 minute ago, Egad said:

On RAM, I'm a bit curious if you mean defective as in the DIMM simply doesn't work or defective in the sense it doesn't run when you load a desired XMP profile or try to manually OC.  If it's the latter, unless you have really bad frequencies or are getting a sweet deal, investing in DDR3 seems like a poor use of money.

 

A 1060 is fine, but ultimately you simply cannot force any kind of common load percentage onto your components, nor should you.  Let the game lean on hardware as it desires.  Some games are more CPU intensive with AI, pathfinding, etc.  Most games are more GPU intensive and having those titles run at 95% is fine.  Settings should only be adjusted with regard to maintaining a desired framerate.

 

A SSD can be useful with helping with popin in open world games, boot times, load times, etc but isn't going to impact the frame rate as directly.  

 

  

I know that having an SSD will not help frame rate. Its for boot times and as you said load times. I am buying DDR3 because my system can only use DDR3. If I were to buy a DDR4, it would be a total waste of money since my 4690k can't use DDR4.

[TheNuzziNuzz]

Just now, Azriel said:

That example makes no sense, and I have 8GB currently.

Don't take it so literally. I suggest you don't get the SSD and get a GTX 1070. Or Don't get a new GPU as the videos you gave show great performance, save the money, and get a big SSD and more Ram. THe faster storage will help with loading times.

[JaegerB]

2 minutes ago, Azriel said:

Well, I think that it is not irrational. It would be irrational to pick parts that are not optimal together. Would it be better to pair a 1080 with an i3 processor or a 1080 with an i7 processor? The obvious choice is the latter since they pair very well together. I don't think that you understand I am not trying to buy the most expensive parts, but have parts that fair well together. My 960 2GB is not up to par with the games that I play, that is why I plan to upgrade my GPU. The SSD is for my OS to run separately from my other programs on my HDD. The extra RAM is for other when I have multiple things running that use RAM.

Then go right ahead. If the 960 is insufficient, go and get a 1060, I won't stop you. However don't expect your load percentages to suddenly be the same. As I've already said, CPUs and GPUs are different components doing different things. Don't expect them to have the same percentages.

4 minutes ago, Egad said:

you simply cannot force any kind of common load percentage onto your components, nor should you.  Let the game lean on hardware as it desires.

This sums it up pretty well.

[Azriel]

2 minutes ago, TheNuzziNuzz said:

Don't take it so literally. I suggest you don't get the SSD and get a GTX 1070. Or Don't get a new GPU as the videos you gave show great performance, save the money, and get a big SSD and more Ram. THe faster storage will help with loading times.

Do you not understand that the videos show a 4690k with a 1060. I only have a 4690k and a 960 2GB. I do not get frames as good as those.

[Azriel]

1 minute ago, JaegerB said:

Then go right ahead. If the 960 is insufficient, go and get a 1060, I won't stop you. However don't expect your load percentages to suddenly be the same. As I've already said, CPUs and GPUs are different components doing different things. Don't expect them to have the same percentages.

This sums it up pretty well.

I dont mean to sound like a total snob, but I do know that things run at different speeds but you must also pick components that compliment one another. For example, CSGO is a lot more CPU intensive than GPU and the same goes for Minecraft. Other games can be the total opposite such as Rust or PUBG.

[Egad]

1 minute ago, Azriel said:

I know that having an SSD will not help frame rate. Its for boot times and as you said load times. I am buying DDR3 because my system can only use DDR3. If I were to buy a DDR4, it would be a total waste of money since my 4690k can't use DDR4.

The point being, especially with the titles you linked to, it's not worth investing significant money in a Haswell i5 platform at this point.  You can carry the SSD and GPU to a new rig, aside from some of those Skylake mobos that ran DDR3, your DDR3 is a short term investment.  If you have 8 and 16, buy more DIMMs, don't do a total replacement.  Or even better close some stuff before launching a game and save the money for AM4 or Z370.

[Azriel]

3 minutes ago, Egad said:

The point being, especially with the titles you linked to, it's not worth investing significant money in a Haswell i5 platform at this point.  You can carry the SSD and GPU to a new rig, aside from some of those Skylake mobos that ran DDR3, your DDR3 is a short term investment.  If you have 8 and 16, buy more DIMMs, don't do a total replacement.  Or even better close some stuff before launching a game and save the money for AM4 or Z370.

Just look at that please.

[JaegerB]

2 minutes ago, Azriel said:

I dont mean to sound like a total snob, but I do know that things run at different speeds but you must also pick components that compliment one another. For example, CSGO is a lot more CPU intensive than GPU and the same goes for Minecraft. Other games can be the total opposite such as Rust or PUBG.

I was never even talking about components that complement each other. Yes, games have different requirements. However it's illogical to start pouring cash into an old Haswell i5 platform, especially on DDR3. This is all old stuff. Common sense rules, of course I wouldn't put a G4560 with a 1080 Ti, but things are more flexible than you may think.

[Azriel]

Just now, JaegerB said:

I was never even talking about components that complement each other. Yes, games have different requirements. However it's illogical to start pouring cash into an old Haswell i5 platform, especially on DDR3. This is all old stuff. Common sense rules, of course I wouldn't put a G4560 with a 1080 Ti, but things are more flexible than you may think.

Could you read through this thread and tell me your opinions on what is said?

 

[Egad]

28 minutes ago, Azriel said:

Just look at that please.

Frankly you're getting bad advice because you're asking bad questions.  Upgrading sockets solely to move from DDR3 to DDR4 is not worth it to a gamer, you make that kind of move due your games demanding more from your CPU not your RAM.  At the same time sinking more money into DDR3 RAM at this point in time, especially a totally new kit vs increasing existing capacity, is also not really worth it since the slow but steady shift toward DX12 won't do that 4c/4t i5 any favors.  Hence right now you focus primarily on things you can carry to a new system.

 

You need to focus on GPU and CPU and the games you want to play.  Since you mentioned GTA V for example:

• SSD: Helps with pop in (doesn't help with load times that much since R* Social Club spends so much time phoning home it bottlenecks you more than disk I/O)
• 1060 upgrade:  Definitely helps, GTA V at 1080p likes having 3+ GB of VRAM.  Going from a 960 to this is probably the single biggest step you can make.
• CPU Upgrade:  GTA V does thread pretty well and can use 6 core CPUs, making a R5 1600 or i5-8400 potential upgrades, depending on your finances and ability to handle the cost oif GPU, CPU, Mobo, and RAM at the same time.
• DDR3 speed increase:  This will have some impact in that on a 4c/4t CPU, GTA V is going to be hitting your CPU hard.  You will get an extremely poor return though in terms of dollar spent per extra frame and would be better server closing everything but GTA V and saving for a CPU upgrade.

Rinse, wash, and repeat for other games.  BF1 under DX12 threads heavily so roughly the same answers as above.  Watch Dogs 2 also threads really well (note how in testing of Watch Dogs 2, even the i7-2700K can keep its 1% lows above 54 fps whereas i5s and i3s struggle.  Ark is the outlier simply due to poor optimization and will just misuse whatever resources you throw at it.  But the other titles and other new releases are showing that developers are steadily getting better at multithreaded DX12 work which pushes gamers toward higher thread (and core) count CPUs.

 

Or in short, pull the trigger on the 1060 and SSD now.  After running on them if you're unhappy with the result start considering if you want to go with a Ryzen or wait on Coffee Lake supply issues and go for one of them.

[Azriel]

7 minutes ago, Egad said:

Frankly you're getting bad advice because you're asking bad questions.  Upgrading sockets solely to move from DDR3 to DDR4 is not worth it to a gamer, you make that kind of move due your games demanding more from your CPU not your RAM.  At the same time sinking more money into DDR3 RAM at this point in time, especially a totally new kit vs increasing existing capacity, is also not really worth it since the slow but steady shift toward DX12 won't do that 4c/4t i5 any favors.  Hence right now you focus primarily on things you can carry to a new system.

 

You need to focus on GPU and CPU and the games you want to play.  Since you mentioned GTA V for example:

• SSD: Helps with pop in (doesn't help with load times that much since R* Social Club spends so much time phoning home it bottlenecks you more than disk I/O)
• 1060 upgrade:  Definitely helps, GTA V at 1080p likes having 3+ GB of VRAM.  Going from a 960 to this is probably the single biggest step you can make.
• CPU Upgrade:  GTA V does thread pretty well and can use 6 core CPUs, making a R5 1600 or i5-8400 potential upgrades, depending on your finances and ability to handle the cost oif GPU, CPU, Mobo, and RAM at the same time.
• DDR3 speed increase:  This will have some impact in that on a 4c/4t CPU, GTA V is going to be hitting your CPU hard.  You will get an extremely poor return though in terms of dollar spent per extra frame and would be better server closing everything but GTA V and saving for a CPU upgrade.

Rinse, wash, and repeat for other games.  BF1 under DX12 threads heavily so roughly the same answers as above.  Watch Dogs 2 also threads really well (note how in testing of Watch Dogs 2, even the i7-2700K can keep its 1% lows above 54 fps whereas i5s and i3s struggle.  Ark is the outlier simply due to poor optimization and will just misuse whatever resources you throw at it.  But the other titles and other new releases are showing that developers are steadily getting better at multithreaded DX12 work which pushes gamers toward higher thread (and core) count CPUs.

Not even trying to be rude but your answer was not beneficial in the least. You typed out things that I already knew minus a few odd things such as GTA being able to use 6 cores. Thanks for trying to help at the very least. Also, I think that you neglected to factor in how much a new CPU, GPU, MOBO, RAM, and OS system since my OS is linked to my MOBO I have now. That's not even adding the CPU cooler for a Ryzen (no I wouldn't use the stock no matter how good it is).