CPU Suggestion for a CPU Dependent Game

[DocHolidaze]

I was looking for some advice on what CPU to get for my new PC build. It will be mainly for gaming with the added benefit of being able to stream. I don't plan to stream anywhere near full-time but it would be nice to be able to stream unhindered if I wanted to. The main game I play is H1Z1: KotK which is poorly optimized and is very heavy CPU dependent. The game has a lot of objects to render so as you move you Render Distance up it will increase the workload of your CPU. Due to this I often have to switch to the lowest Render Distance when I'm in the cities, not ideal. Below is my setup and I'm able to play at an acceptable level on 1600x900 with pretty much all low settings and changing my Render Distance very often.  

 

CPU - i5-4690k OC to 4.2GHz

CPU Cooler - EVO 212

Motherboard - MSI Z97S SLI Krait Edition

GPU - GTX 960

Memory - 16GB DDR3 

 

 

I'm looking at either the Intel i7-7700k or one of the new Ryzen's, 1700x or 1800x. I should have around $1,750-2,000 to spend so I'm ok with spending more money if it was justified. Most importantly, I would want to see a bump in performance when I'm not streaming. I'm pretty sure my current CPU only has 4C/4T so I definitely think all three of these would see an improvement. Is that right? I'm also upgrading to hopefully a 1080 graphics card so that should help with seeing improvement in the non-Render Distance options. I really don't know anything about building computers or components so just want to get some confirmation before I really start shopping this thing out.

 

Also, as far as streaming, I know the Ryzen CPUs would be more beneficial due to the extra cores. But, is it really that much better than the i7? This game is so unoptimized that I'm curious if the % gains in overall performance would offset the %losses when streaming. I'm also upgrading my graphics card so I'm not sure if the GPU would be able to handle the streaming workload. I think the encoder is called the NVENC H.264 in OBS that switches the workload to your GPU. If it did, then the i7 would make the most sense. But I remember reading that it does not look at good and actually can see more drops in FPS.

 

I really appreciate any advice!

 

[tp95112]

Brute force with more cores is better then using Nvenc in terms of video quality. You can get yourself a used 4790k cause honestly upgrading to a 7700k isnt worth the price. Remember you also need to buy ram aswell.

[RoKa]

Buy Player Unknown's Battleground.

Cost you only 30 Dollars!

http://store.steampowered.com/app/578080/

[Guest lilbman]

My OC'd and watercooled 6850K wrecks H1Z1 KotK.   A Ryzen 1800X would be phenonemal too, but I'd also buy very high speed RAM to go with it.  

[Guest]

Don't know the game, but a game I play (used to have?) the same issue. No optimizations. Almost the entire game would run on 1-2 cores, so adding moar (for examply the Ryzen R7 lineup) would be a waist of your money. You might want to look at forums for this game, and look for what kind of workload the game generates. Single core or multi threaded etc. Then go and search for the best type of CPU you can afford.

[Moress]

With streaming I would vote that you go with a R7 1700

[DocHolidaze]

Thank you for the suggestion on single-core vs multi-threaded. That is over my head but I have posted on the forum so I should hear back soon. As far as memory, I plan on upgrading to DDR4. Are there any recommendation on what frequency to get? I thought I saw some conflicting reports that you won't necessarily see a noticeable improvement with the higher frequencies. But that may have only been limited to Ryzen. 

 

Also, would you say the 1700 is better than the 1700x or 1800x? I know the main benefits I was reading on the 1700 was its low temperate and price point. However, I'm willing to spend extra money it is helps longevity and performance.