Yet another "What should I upgrade" question

[tn_prvteye]

Current Specs:

 

i7-3770K @ 4.2, GTX1060 6GB VRAM, 16 GB RAM, SSD drive, and running an Oculus Rift.

 

Looking at spending some cash on a new i7-8700K (with new MOBO and RAM obviously)....BUT I'm wondering if it'll be worth it. Getting OK FPS now (medium-ish settings), but still not as smooth as I'd like. Will I get only a small bump in performance, or will I be flabbergasted by the difference?

 

The new setup won't be cheap, and I REALLY shouldn't be spending more money...but I'm tempted by the thought of a smoother VR experience in DCS.

 

Anyone need a kidney?

[boscoh]

Well, you have a pretty balanced build right now. Upgrading either the CPU or GPU is going to throw the balance off, so you really need to upgrade them both to get the most out of it. However, if you're going to upgrade one, the best value is going to be a GPU upgrade. How much you want to spend is the question. You'll get plenty of opinions. I'd either go for an RTX 2080 or a new/used 1080Ti if you find a good one cheaper. Whether you'll be happy with the improvement is very subjective, but in my opinion if you're going to spend the money that is the minimum you should be looking at spending to make it 'worth it'.

 

You'll be bottlenecked until you upgrade your CPU and memory, but still get a good FPS improvement.

Edited November 27, 2018 by boscoh

[tn_prvteye]

I just got a new Vid Card 6 months ago...should sprung for a bit more. :D

 

Thanks for the help!

 

So, no offers on the kidney, anyone? Liver's shot, though.

[hansangb]

I just got a new Vid Card 6 months ago...should sprung for a bit more. :D

 

Thanks for the help!

 

So, no offers on the kidney, anyone? Liver's shot, though.

 

Are you using this mod?

 

Shaders mod for better VR performance (experimental)

https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=215373

[Demon_]

You can overclock the 3770K higher than that. Easily at 4.4Ghz, maybe at 4.5-4.6Ghz.

[tn_prvteye]

I have, but the temps start to soar...using air only, with a fairly decent Fan set up, but it still gets too toasty. The chip IS almost 6 years old now.

 

And yes, the Shaders Mod is a godsend.

[Demon_]

Delid him. Mine is not delid and run at 4.4Ghz (idle 1.6Ghz) for 6 years. Noctua NH-D14. Run 24/7.

[Svsmokey]

Gpu , gpu , gpu

[tn_prvteye]

Never delided <is that word?> before. Don't trust myself to not screw something up. I think I'll just go cheap and get a better Cooler and try O/Cing a bit more. Maybe add another 16gb RAM for the hell of it.

 

New GPU is out of the question, sadly. Way too expensive. It also occurs to me that DCS is the only Sim/Game that I'm having an issue with. IL-2BOS, Elite Dangerous...all my other VR games run smooth. So, I really should keep the wallet closed for now.

 

<sigh> I hate adulting and being responsible about money.

 

Thanks for the tips, gents. Actually very helpful.

[hansangb]

Delid'ing is actually incredibly easy to do. Basically, you have to pop off the "metal" part on the top (integrated heat spreader). You remove the thermal paste that's on there and use liquid metal (like conductonaut liquid metal) and Bob's your uncle!

 

There are many many YT videos on how to do it safely. Better yet, For $40 you can pick this up

 

https://rockitcool.myshopify.com/products/rockit-88-lga-1155-delid-relid-kit

 

And you'll be done in 45min. HIGHLY recommended if you want to OC w/o having to worry about overheating the CPU.

[BitMaster]

It's worth the time if you oc, my temps dropped considerably and also less volts for same 5G than before.

 

I recommend a tool like hansangb said. There are a few good ones around.

[tn_prvteye]

Damn, that still makes me nervous! :)

 

I'll see what a new cooler can do before I go that route.

[hansangb]

The issue is that the TIM (thermal interface material) between the IHC and the CPU is not top quality. So the IHS can only do so much. water cooling will certainly help, but you need to cool the CPU. And that means you will have to upgrade the TIM. And you can only do that by delid'ing.

 

Honestly, it's as simple as can be. But do check out the water cooler route. It'll help. But water cooler with delid'ing will give you the best cooling.

[Varis]

CPU OCed by 700MHz? Never did that stuff myself yet...

 

Sounds like it would be pretty decent still today:

 

https://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare/Intel-i7-3770K-vs-Intel-i7-8700K-vs-Intel-i5-7600K/2vs3098vs2919

 

How many degrees C does delidding usually help... and is the effect in degrees comparable if you run at lower temps say below 60C?

[BitMaster]

10-20°C depending on core and luck

[Varis]

10-20°C depending on core and luck

 

Nice... much more than going to silver paste.

[BitMaster]

yes, tho it is still of highest importance to then use the best paste you can get + liquid metal + high-temp silicon to glue it back together. It all adds up to like ~60-70€ total.

 

The delid tools usually work from 4th gen till 8th gen core-i series, so maybe you have another PC, a pal, a brother..etc..

 

I really hope 7nm, 5G as a standard and some better IPC along with soldered Heatspreaders make this obsolete. When I bought my 8700k when it came out it was 449,-€, + 65€ totals over 500 bucks..this is almost double that of the fastest Ryzens...7nm...seven ;)

[Demon_]

You know that the 3770K can run in the 70s without any problem. Even in the low 80s you are fine.

[tn_prvteye]

It looks like this is all just an academic exercise, now. I've got to have surgery, so all my upgrade money is now going to that.

 

I REALLY hate being an adult.

 

Thanks for all the information guys...really good info I didn't know before.