Does anyone else feel like there is no reason to upgrade?

[DarthSmartt]

I’m only 15 years old. My parents asked me if I had anything in mind for Christmas. Every year I ask for something pc related. Last year was the quest, year before was a Gtx 1080. This year I really don’t know what to get.

I’ll admit that I am very very spoiled, but anyway... Am I the only one that feels like hardware is evolving too fast for software and even my brain to catch up?

My pc with a 6700k and a gtx 1080 at stock clocks can push games at well over 200fps at 1440p while streaming. And my monitor is only 100hz.

 

I just feel like there is no need to upgrade because games aren’t getting harder to run. In fact, it’s quite the opposite almost, and I’m still doing just fine on my hardware. Maybe it’s because I don’t play any games competitively anymore. I see some of my friends upgrade their CPU’s and gpus but there really isn’t any point in spending $800 on a new gpu or cpu/motherboard combo.

We are now 5 generations ahead in cpus and 2 in gpus with no real reason to upgrade. I think companies should focus on making products cheaper rather than more powerful. It might make pc an option for console gamers and reduce the gpu scalping that always happens.

 

Anyway, just me rambling half asleep in my bed at midnight. Reply if you want to... or don’t. Whatever.

[Letgomyleghoe]

2 minutes ago, DarthSmartt said:

My pc with a 6700k and a gtx 1080 at stock clocks can push games at well over 200fps at 1440p while streaming

what games are you playing at what settings?

 

2 minutes ago, DarthSmartt said:

I just feel like there is no need to upgrade because games aren’t getting harder to run. In fact, it’s quite the opposite almost

im almost 100% sure this will change when games start getting developed with the ps5 and xbox series x in mind

[Coolmaster]

Why do you need more PC stuff, if you're happy with what you have then you don't need to upgrade. Ask your parents for something else for Christmas.

[DarthSmartt]

7 minutes ago, Coolmaster said:

Why do you need more PC stuff, if you're happy with what you have then you don't need to upgrade. Ask your parents for something else for Christmas.

I honestly don’t think I need anything for Christmas. I’ll just enjoy the holiday and give some gifts. 

Not really my issue. I just thought it was odd that I’m just not as pc interested as I used to be. Since I was 9 or 10 I always wanted something for my pc. This year is the only year I really don’t want anything lol.

 

Again... Just rambling. Merry Christmas

[Vishera]

9 minutes ago, DarthSmartt said:

I just feel like there is no need to upgrade because games aren’t getting harder to run.

That's true,but that's expected to change a year or two after the release of next gen consoles.

When i tested my 8 years old HD 7970 it still run modern games just fine,i have upgraded since.

[DarthSmartt]

9 minutes ago, Letgomyleghoe said:

what games are you playing at what settings?

 

im almost 100% sure this will change when games start getting developed with the ps5 and xbox series x in mind

Minecraft, CS, Valorant, Rocket league, Siege, and a ton of vr games. I’m also a reformed fortnite player. I honestly don’t think the ps5 and series x are adding to much to the table. They’re still so cheap compared to PCs. Do people really care that much about 4K and higher refresh rate when playing on their tv? (Do either of them even do high refresh rate?) You’d think the fact that consoles are able to run games at comparable quality to a pc at such a low price would drive pc parts manufacturers to make their prices lower.

[DarthSmartt]

3 minutes ago, Vishera said:

That's true,but that's expected to change a year or two after the release of next gen consoles.

When i tested my 8 years old HD 7970 it still run modern games just fine,i have upgraded since.

I’m still not even sure why I got a 1080. I could throw my 960 4gb in and still run most games just fine. It will still run Minecraft at 1000+ fps

[DrMacintosh]

Most people do very specific things with their PCs and everyone has different needs. Usually, after you build a system that meets those needs....there is simply no reason to upgrade your system other than to be on the latest hardware. 

 

Me for example, my gaming requirements are very low. I mostly play World of Warships which has a game engine that is mostly CPU bound (not to mention the game has a frame rate limiter). So it wouldn't matter if I upgraded to the latest Ryzen processors or Radeon Graphics since doing so would net 0 performance gains. 

 

You should only upgrade if your system does not meet your needs or your expectations. 

[Dubious]

I'm happy with my i5-2500k

[Zodiark1593]

I could use a GPU to better match up with my 4K tv, but I don’t really play enough games to make it worthwhile. 

[aDoomGuy]

You're right, software (games) is behind hardware and have been so for a long, long time. Ever since dual cores entered the market, at that time games where still single core for a long time. Then came quad cores and only some games games was optimized for dual cores etc. Not only that but I feel like a lot of games are well optimized these days, requiring less hardware to run them compared to other games *cough*RockStar*cough*.

 

Hey, kiddo. May I make a suggestion regarding your wish or rather lack of for christmas? If you don't wish nothing for yourself maybe think about something your parents can donate money or something to in your name? 

[D13H4RD]

I've felt that way a while ago. I still use a phone from 2017 as I felt like I don't need something newer. And even though I would love to upgrade my PC to a Ryzen 9 5900X and an RTX 3080, when I reflect on what my current system has accomplished for my requirements that has left me more than satisfied many, many times, I keep asking myself "why upgrade when what you already have already exceeds your requirements?"

 

I think this is a sign of maturity for a lot of us tech enthusiasts, when we finally decide "what I've got is more than good enough for my needs" and we tone down our craving for annual upgrade cycles, only doing so when we know we actually need new hardware and that whatever we do will be impacted in a meaningful manner to justify it.

[Guest]

I don't see the point in upgrading if what you have works and runs well. Sometimes I feel the "upgrade bug" and want to upgrade for the sake of upgrading, but that's not what upgrading should be for. Everything I have runs really fast and I have no complaints. 

[Helpful Tech Witch]

Nope. Ive been pushing my 480 for a bit (I guess its closest to a gtx 970?) and my cpu really huffs in minecraft, Probably got a 5600x and a rx6700xt/3060/ti in its future,

[StarsMars]

2 hours ago, DarthSmartt said:

I just feel like there is no need to upgrade because games aren’t getting harder to run. In fact, it’s quite the opposite almost, and I’m still doing just fine on my hardware. Maybe it’s because I don’t play any games competitively anymore. I see some of my friends upgrade their CPU’s and gpus but there really isn’t any point in spending $800 on a new gpu or cpu/motherboard combo.

We are now 5 generations ahead in cpus and 2 in gpus with no real reason to upgrade. I think companies should focus on making products cheaper rather than more powerful. It might make pc an option for console gamers and reduce the gpu scalping that always happens.

Being content with what you have will serve you well.

 

I agree that it would be nice to see more affordable components. I don't want to see PC gaming become only for the lucky.

[NineEyeRon]

Very happy here.

 

I will go to 1440p when it becomes affordable to me but I spec’ed my rig to my needs and so far it’s been perfect.

[Mark Kaine]

3 hours ago, DarthSmartt said:

You’d think the fact that consoles are able to run games at comparable quality to a pc at such a low price would drive pc parts manufacturers to make their prices lower.

Yes, but PCs or electronics in general are like mobile games, there are "whales" that always need the newest, bestes thing... and manufacturers have not really a hard time to exploit this fact, see the whole Nvidia 2000 GPU series for example... 

 

 

As for if the new consoles will up the baseline, it's likely, but as things go at the moment being an early adaptor for new tech isn't necessarily the smartest thing, better wait a year or so to see how consoles really perform and what PC parts have to offer then(think refresh of Nvidia 3000 series for example) 

 

Also at some point (sooner or later) you'll probably need a completely new PC to take advantage of pcie4 and new CPUs etc. 

 

 

I don't really have a suggestion at this point, just how I see this. 

 

 

[Arika]

3 hours ago, DrMacintosh said:

 

You should only upgrade if your system does not meet your needs or your expectations. 

 

Agreed, Upgrading for the sake of upgrading is something i will never understand. The most common one these days being smart phone, and i feel like we're starting to see people upgrading CPUs every generation.

[Lord Vile]

4 hours ago, DarthSmartt said:

 I honestly don’t think the ps5 and series x are adding to much to the table. They’re still so cheap compared to PCs. Do people really care that much about 4K and higher refresh rate when playing on their tv?

The games you’re playing aren’t demanding. Something like flight sim would bring your system to its knees. 
 

They might be cheap but the most powerful console last gen (Xbone X) was equivalent to an FX 8350 and a RX 4/580. The XSX is more like a R7 3700 with an RTX 2080. That’s a massive jump and puts them a long way ahead of your current PC. 
 

People do care about 4K on TVs, they’re much larger than monitors so it actually makes a difference 

[D13H4RD]

2 hours ago, Arika S said:

Agreed, Upgrading for the sake of upgrading is something i will never understand. The most common one these days being smart phone, and i feel like we're starting to see people upgrading CPUs every generation.

 

2 hours ago, Mark Kaine said:

Yes, but PCs or electronics in general are like mobile games, there are "whales" that always need the newest, bestes thing... and manufacturers have not really a hard time to exploit this fact, see the whole Nvidia 2000 GPU series for example...

I think a lot of it is because people are drawn to graphs like the one shown below;

I have always said to take any performance graph released by the manufacturer with a grain of salt as they would most likely be cherry-picked and come with other limitations like arbitrary figures. However, I also feel like this is extended by performance data from reputable reviewers like Hardware Unboxed and Gamers Nexus, where the performance data on the graphs tend to make the product look better than it actually is in reality (that is, when you're actually using it).

 

On the topic of Gamers Nexus, I appreciate it when Steve specifically tells people to not buy a new CPU/GPU if your current one works absolutely fine for your needs. I feel like this cycle of upgrading just for the sake of getting the newest and hottest product is only going to end up hurting more than it helps.

[AndreiArgeanu]

6 hours ago, DarthSmartt said:

You’d think the fact that consoles are able to run games at comparable quality to a pc at such a low price would drive pc parts manufacturers to make their prices lower.

It wouldn't for various reasons. But do keep in mind that both Sony and Microsoft lose some money for each console they sell, like they don't actually make a profit of console sales in the first couple of years of the console while nvidia ,AIB partners, AMD and Intel always make, or aim to make a decent profit over the overall costs.

But if you're interested in a upgrade your next best step might be going for a cpu+mobo upgrade as some games like Watch Dogs Legion can really push even 6 core cpus, but it's not necessary, it's just a nice to have.

[igormp]

I don't really felt like upgrading, and my fx could probably be enough for my daily usage, that's until I started needing way more RAM with no way to upgrade that alone in my current platform. But I do expect my new build to last a good 7~8 years anyway.

[Pixel5]

till now i have felt the same and have been for some years now but with the microsoft Flight simulator it all changed as i can now not get good FPS and good graphics for the first time and in a game that consists of good graphics thats pretty important so im gonna upgrade to a 6800XT when they come out tomorrow.

[BuckGup]

There's a difference between a hardware enthusiast and a gamer. A gamer wants a certain amount of FPS at specific quality setting. While a PC enthusiast simply wants the latest and greatest hardware as they really enjoy picking it apart, tweaking it, finding quirks, and so on

[CommanderAlex]

9 hours ago, DrMacintosh said:

Most people do very specific things with their PCs and everyone has different needs. Usually, after you build a system that meets those needs....there is simply no reason to upgrade your system other than to be on the latest hardware. 

 

Me for example, my gaming requirements are very low. I mostly play World of Warships which has a game engine that is mostly CPU bound (not to mention the game has a frame rate limiter).

So true right there with that first statement. I personally didn't need a 10980xe but hey, I'm on a dead platform as well and might as well just get the greatest Intel had to offer on X299 chipset.  

 

I played World of Warships a lot but I got around that frame rate limiter by changing the xml code with the graphics settings to change the max frame rate from 75 to 144. For World of Tanks, I cannot find any solution to the frame rate limiter in the garage of 60 FPS, but in battle it goes higher.