CPU bottlenecking my GPU?

[xfrenki]

Hello, 

 

My PC specs are as follows:

CPU: Intel i7-4790 3.60GHz

GPU: Zotac GTX 1650 (not sure whether OC or not)

RAM: 16 GB of DDR3

I just slapped the GPU on a used HP Tower 800 G1 (so the parts are relatively old) with a 320W PSU

 

Prior to this post, I made another one, stating that my GPU is outdated and has been worn out, and asking for tips on what GPU-s I could use to upgrade my rig. I was consulted by a fellow member of the forum, who told me that the issue lies within other hardware, or the software. So I did a deeper dive, and realized that my CPU was heavily bottlenecking my GPU. The example I'll use is Fortnite, I had the lowest possible settings (in Performance mode) on 1280x720 resolution with 3D Resolution set on 0%. Normally this would boost my fps, but it didn't, and I was still experiencing crazy fps drops and stutters (and my average fps was a highly unstable 110fps). When I turned the settings up I didn't see much improvement (1080p, 100% 3D Res). Then I used MSI Afterburner, and noticed my GPU utilization was constantly sitting at 40% (at around 40 degrees Celsius) and my CPU at 97/98% at around 75 degrees Celsius. I started removing apps that were clearly affecting the performance, such as Opera GX and Spotify, or whatever other app was running in the background, yet my CPU still somewhat struggles, and the most I've gotten my GPU to reach is 60% utilization.

 

I don't know whether I have too much bloat on my PC (although I wouldn't be surprised if that's the issue), or if I need to alter something on the hardware side (like change the thermal paste on the CPU). In any way I was considering using AtlasOS which has a lot less bloat, just wasn't sure if it's safe or not. 

 

I would really appreciate any tips you have to balance the weight on the CPU and GPU, and if I should consider using AtlasOS (or any other Windows 10 version claiming to be bloat-free)

 

Thanks in advance,

Regards!

[jaslion]

Its a 2014 cpu at its limit. Not much to do there.

 

 

[YoungBlade]

You can try doing a clean install of Windows, but that's only going to go so far. If you're not already running Windows on an SSD, that could help, too, especially when moving around the map in Fortnite.

 

Otherwise, the behavior you described is totally expected. Something has to be the system limit, and when you drop settings to ease the load on the GPU, then if they go low enough, your CPU will eventually become the limiting factor. This is not inherently a bad thing unless your CPU can't deliver the performance you want. I've got a Ryzen 9 5900X and RTX 2060 Super, and my CPU is the limiting factor in Fortnite because I drop settings, too.

[Dedayog]

7 minutes ago, xfrenki said:

Hello, 

 

My PC specs are as follows:

CPU: Intel i7-4790 3.60GHz

GPU: Zotac GTX 1650 (not sure whether OC or not)

RAM: 16 GB of DDR3

I just slapped the GPU on a used HP Tower 800 G1 (so the parts are relatively old) with a 320W PSU

 

Prior to this post, I made another one, stating that my GPU is outdated and has been worn out, and asking for tips on what GPU-s I could use to upgrade my rig. I was consulted by a fellow member of the forum, who told me that the issue lies within other hardware, or the software. So I did a deeper dive, and realized that my CPU was heavily bottlenecking my GPU. The example I'll use is Fortnite, I had the lowest possible settings (in Performance mode) on 1280x720 resolution with 3D Resolution set on 0%. Normally this would boost my fps, but it didn't, and I was still experiencing crazy fps drops and stutters (and my average fps was a highly unstable 110fps). When I turned the settings up I didn't see much improvement (1080p, 100% 3D Res). Then I used MSI Afterburner, and noticed my GPU utilization was constantly sitting at 40% (at around 40 degrees Celsius) and my CPU at 97/98% at around 75 degrees Celsius. I started removing apps that were clearly affecting the performance, such as Opera GX and Spotify, or whatever other app was running in the background, yet my CPU still somewhat struggles, and the most I've gotten my GPU to reach is 60% utilization.

 

I don't know whether I have too much bloat on my PC (although I wouldn't be surprised if that's the issue), or if I need to alter something on the hardware side (like change the thermal paste on the CPU). In any way I was considering using AtlasOS which has a lot less bloat, just wasn't sure if it's safe or not. 

 

I would really appreciate any tips you have to balance the weight on the CPU and GPU, and if I should consider using AtlasOS (or any other Windows 10 version claiming to be bloat-free)

 

Thanks in advance,

Regards!

Best you can do is use a SSD, not a HDD> That'll make it more responsive.

 

Otherwise you need a pretty full overhaul.

[xfrenki]

1 minute ago, jaslion said:

Its a 2014 cpu at its limit. Not much to do there.

 

 

I figured that's the case but it had been working pretty well before and the performance loss has only gotten obvious in the past few months. Honestly when it's running well (no stuttering) it's beautiful and buttery smooth but this rarely happens. I have gotten the performance to significantly improve through removing bloat in the background, so I thought that's a very good way to solve it.

Besides the pairing of the GPU and the CPU isn't unrealistically unbalanced, so I think the age isn't the only factor.

[xfrenki]

5 minutes ago, YoungBlade said:

You can try doing a clean install of Windows, but that's only going to go so far. If you're not already running Windows on an SSD, that could help, too, especially when moving around the map in Fortnite.

 

Otherwise, the behavior you described is totally expected. Something has to be the system limit, and when you drop settings to ease the load on the GPU, then if they go low enough, your CPU will eventually become the limiting factor. This is not inherently a bad thing unless your CPU can't deliver the performance you want. I've got a Ryzen 9 5900X and RTX 2060 Super, and my CPU is the limiting factor in Fortnite because I drop settings, too.

I am running Windows on an SSD, but Fortnite is running on a horribly slow HDD. That part had completely exited my mind, thanks for reminding me. It makes a lot of sense when thinking about it. The game itself truly lags when new areas are rendered (although I guess you can say this is always) so thanks!

[xfrenki]

Thank you to @Dedayog for the similar tip too!

[Blue4130]

4 hours ago, xfrenki said:

 

Besides the pairing of the GPU and the CPU isn't unrealistically unbalanced, so I think the age isn't the only factor.

Not the only factor, no. Mix a decade old CPU with a low end  nearly 5 year old gpu and you get what you are experiencing.