Is my CPU restricting my GPU?

[benga]

My computer is pretty damn old. I only upgraded the GPU a while back from a 7850 to a 960. I don't game much but I play Path of Exile when I do and sometimes I lag like shit. I can't tell if the game is CPU or GPU intensive though.
My CPU is a FX 4100 and my GPU is a GTX 960.

I was going to upgrade the CPU but if I do to a Ryzen then that means I need to change my motherboard and my RAM to DDR4 and well the prices on RAM is doo doo baby.
So if anything I was thinking to just upgrade to a 8320 and upgrade to 8350 specs then resell that later when and if prices for RAM go down. Thoughts?

[AskTJ]

Well the AMD FX series is pretty much dead. I did have an 8350 for a year, and damn, was it a beast. With a 960, it will work beautifully. Just remember to ALWAYS have an aftermarket cooler. Get at leaste a 240mm AIO. The stock cooler is shit and my 8350 used to idle at 60. 

[Windows7ge]

The way I use to test if my CPU was bottle necking my GPU was to overclock the CPU by at least 400~500MHz and see if there was any noticeable fps gain. If yes I could assume the CPU wasn't letting the GPU go as fast as it was capable.

[benga]

2 minutes ago, AskTJ said:

Well the AMD FX series is pretty much dead. I did have an 8350 for a year, and damn, was it a beast. With a 960, it will work beautifully. Just remember to ALWAYS have an aftermarket cooler. Get at leaste a 240mm AIO. The stock cooler is shit and my 8350 used to idle at 60. 

Ya I had a 8350 for a while before i gave the pc to a friend. I run a nice Noctua cooler and I think the mounting for the 8320 is the same as the 4100 so should be good on that front.

 

2 minutes ago, Windows7ge said:

The way I use to test if my CPU was bottle necking my GPU was to overclock the CPU by at least 400~500MHz and see if there was any noticeable fps gain. If yes I could assume the CPU wasn't letting the GPU go as fast as it was capable.

The chip is already clocked to it's max from when I first bought it

[Windows7ge]

3 minutes ago, benga said:

The chip is already clocked to it's max from when I first bought it

Remove the OC and see if the fps get worse. If they do then the CPU is showing its limits compared to what the GPU can do.

[Spotty]

14 minutes ago, benga said:

I don't game much but I play Path of Exile when I do and sometimes I lag like shit. I can't tell if the game is CPU or GPU intensive though.
My CPU is a FX 4100 and my GPU is a GTX 960.

 

Quote

System Requirements

• Minimum:
  • OS: Windows XP SP3/Vista/Windows 7/8
  • Processor: x86-compatible 1.4GHz or faster processor
  • Memory: 2 GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA® GeForce® 7800 GT or ATI Radeon™ X1950 Pro or better
  • DirectX: Version 9.0c
  • Network: Broadband Internet connection
  • Storage: 5 GB available space

Path of Exile should run on a potato.
Run MSI Afterburner in the background and see what is using what, you'll get an idea of how much the CPU is being utilised and how much the GPU is being utilised. If the CPU is pegged at 100% and the GPU utilisation is much lower, then it's a good indicator of a CPU bottleneck.

[benga]

24 minutes ago, Spotty said:

 

Path of Exile should run on a potato.
Run MSI Afterburner in the background and see what is using what, you'll get an idea of how much the CPU is being utilised and how much the GPU is being utilised. If the CPU is pegged at 100% and the GPU utilisation is much lower, then it's a good indicator of a CPU bottleneck.

Simple enough test it looks like my CPU gets to 70-100% utilization while my GPU sits at max 40%. That would be considered a bottle neck right?
Even at idle my GPU is at 30ish while my CPU is at 60%

 

It should run on a potato but some instances get intense with all the lightning effects. Can't play hardcore like this

[RedTech7107]

Yeah that's good sign of a bottle neck. The 960 is a reasonably powerful card so it would most likely be a CPU bottle neck. 

[Spotty]

54 minutes ago, benga said:

Simple enough test it looks like my CPU gets to 70-100% utilization while my GPU sits at max 40%. That would be considered a bottle neck right?
Even at idle my GPU is at 30ish while my CPU is at 60%

Looks like a classic CPU bottleneck.

[JoostinOnline]

1 hour ago, AskTJ said:

Get at leaste a 240mm AIO.

Or a quality air cooler. They'll do just as good, and for less money. They don't look as good though.

[GoldenLag]

1 minute ago, JoostinOnline said:

Or a quality air cooler. They'll do just as good, and for less money. They don't look as good though.

indeed. just grab something from Noctua or one of the bequiet if you dont like the color of performance

[JoostinOnline]

6 hours ago, GoldenLag said:

if you dont like the color of performance

Which also happens to be the color of diarrhea. How the marketing team settled on that is beyond me.

 

I've got a Cryorig R1 Ultimate and it's awesome. It's also enormous, so it also doesn't fit in a lot of cases. It presses up against my window and almost touches my graphics card.