Personal computing discussed

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Antias
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Topic Author
Posts: 13
Joined: Wed Mar 23, 2011 11:12 pm

Upgrade Path Suggestions Please

Fri Jul 14, 2017 3:47 am

My system is:
Windows 10 Pro
Intel Core i5-3570K (closed loop corsair liquid cooling)
Asus P8Z77-VLK (LGA 1155)
OCZ TRION SSD 500GB
16GB DDR3 (1600)
Gigabyte Windforce 970
Monitor is 4K (phillips bdm4065UC)

I do NOT do overclocking, preferring something to just be reliable, and this rig HAS been reliable,
running flawlessly for last few years, running almost constantly 24/7.
I'm NOT interested in insane frames as my monitor can only handle 60Hz anyway BUT,
I'm happy with 40 to 60 fps as long as its smooth.
But since I bought Mass Effect Andromeda I'm starting to notice its struggling a fair bit.

And on that note, gaming types are:
RPG (modded Skyrim, Mass Effect Andromeda, Fallout 4, etc)
MMO (Elder Scrolls Online, Elite Dangerous, etc)

So, i'm obviously not someone who needs huge frame rates etc for gaming,
enjoying the more leasurely approach to my MMO's etc..
(although i do enjoy a good raid in ESO - struggle in those with so many players and spells graphically)

So, as mentioned above, i'm seeing struggles in Mass Effect Andromeda
(settings around medium and set to 1440p, sadly cant handle full 4K on the 970)
and when i go into raids in ESO i have to set from high down to medium (but that DOES run at 4K).
I also run a large number (30+) mods for graphics in Skyrim.

And my Tax Return has just come in - YAY!
$800 AU to spend on PC upgrade... but no more spending on PC for 6 - 9 months (house building - booooo)

So, i'm torn in which direction to jump...
Motherboard, CPU and RAM upgrade and deal with the 970 for 6-9 months?
Or
970 to 1080 ($800.00 - Can't afford the Ti in Australia - thats $1100.00 over here with the Aussie Tax)
This is where I shop - https://www.scorptec.com.au/

Thoughts peeps?
 
blahsaysblah
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Re: Upgrade Path Suggestions Please

Fri Jul 14, 2017 5:43 am

Wait for holidays. There is no good reason to shop now, coming off coin mining craze raising prices of everything, artificial shortage of flash and ram capacity still in effect. Unless you see a very good deal to jump on... Basically buying at a peak right now.
 
Chrispy_
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Location: Europe, most frequently London.

Re: Upgrade Path Suggestions Please

Fri Jul 14, 2017 5:55 am

Run your game at 1280x720 (but all the same detail settings) and see if it runs much smoother.

If it DOES run smoother, your GPU is the bottleneck, so spend the money on a new one; GTX 1080 FE models seem to be less affected by the current coin-mining craze if you need one right now.

If it still struggles to give you smooth framerates even at the lower resolution, you need a faster CPU; For gaming that means you should probably look at a 7700K and some DDR4 3000 or 3200 to go with it. I wouldn't bother spending money on the old Ivy Bridge platform, you would do just as well to overclock what you have but it won't make a massive difference in my experience.
Last edited by Chrispy_ on Fri Jul 14, 2017 6:02 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Airmantharp
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Posts: 6192
Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 10:41 pm

Re: Upgrade Path Suggestions Please

Fri Jul 14, 2017 5:58 am

blahsaysblah wrote:
Wait for holidays. There is no good reason to shop now, coming off coin mining craze raising prices of everything, artificial shortage of flash and ram capacity still in effect. Unless you see a very good deal to jump on... Basically buying at a peak right now.


If you can't do this, which is a fine suggestion, the GPU is where it's at for the most benefit/AUD.

A hyperthreaded (i7-3770+) CPU upgrade, if found inexpensively, would also help lower maximum frametimes for a smoother experience.
 
Antias
Gerbil
Topic Author
Posts: 13
Joined: Wed Mar 23, 2011 11:12 pm

Re: Upgrade Path Suggestions Please

Fri Jul 14, 2017 7:35 am

Thank you everyone for your suggestions... much appreciated.
I had not considered the mining craze affecting things sooooo much, but looking across the range of GPU prices for last 6 weeks, they HAVE risen significantly... (almost 23% on average here in AU for the 1070 and sadly 7% for the 1080. The 1080Ti isn't even worth considering at the moment its so ridiculously expensive).

I also ran the alternative suggestion above and there wasn't a single drop below 60fps at 1280x720 on ultra settings for all games (except ME:A but i've read there is serious issues with that game still), suggesting strongly that my 970 card is a significant bottleneck.

Another site/forum has also suggested that while aging, my MB and CPU is still a worthy contender if i would just get off my ass and upgrade my BIOS (still its original) and try the ASUS auto-overclock feature in the UEFI when gaming.

You've all given me much to ponder - cheers... :)
 
blahsaysblah
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Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2015 7:35 pm

Re: Upgrade Path Suggestions Please

Fri Jul 14, 2017 2:01 pm

Antias wrote:
Another site/forum has also suggested that while aging, my MB and CPU is still a worthy contender if i would just get off my ass and upgrade my BIOS (still its original) and try the ASUS auto-overclock feature in the UEFI when gaming.


Rockit 88 Delid / Relid tools or maybe for AU this is more viable: der8auer Delid-Die-Mate 2
Noctua NT-H1 thermal paste. Note, the liquid metals are shown in test to be only a few degrees better. its just not worth it for downsides. And Grizzly Kryonaut while hype is strong, is for liquid cooling, good up to 80C, should something happen, it will start to degrade above that. And again, you cant use it elsewhere. You could open up your GPU and replace with Noctua for example, replace PCH/VRMs... The syringe has a lot in it. is #1 non-electrically conductive paste, hence the price premium. I thought I verified what I read, before I made purchase, but maybe I was looking at too many different things. Just note the tips to put syringe inside its bag in a cup of hot water for a bit to loosen it, else its pretty thick and hard to spread. It is still within a degree of Noctua which doesn't need that and is timed tested. Unless you are doing extreme OC, than go for liquid metal types for that 5-6C extra over non-conductive/non-corrosive(to aluminum) pastes. j/k.
Get 18 gauge needle blunt tip, 1/2-inch for dispensing much more cleanly. Fits Noctua syringe, i think all standard. Thats cheap one i bought, emphasis cheap.
RTV Silicone High-Temp Gasket Maker for re-lidding CPU and other heatsinks. Anything equivalent thats high temp.
Also one small syringe, im re-using old Noctua syringe. For dispensing the RTV Silicone.

Nice side project, plus can re-use for new build... From HardOCP video.

I have most of above, waiting for last ones to arrive. Though im doing this to get quieter machine, not OC.
Last edited by blahsaysblah on Sat Jul 15, 2017 1:38 am, edited 1 time in total.
 
Kougar
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Location: Texas

Re: Upgrade Path Suggestions Please

Fri Jul 14, 2017 2:34 pm

You're the third person I've seen complaining of Mass Effect issues that is using a ~3000 series processor. A friend of mine had the exact same CPU and after going back and forth with him to rule out issues, he decided on a CPU upgrade when I suspected the cause was elsewhere. Fortunately for him he says the CPU upgrade fixed his problems with it.

I'd suggest a CPU upgrade for that reason, but the downside is any CPU upgrade will necessitate an entirely new motherboard, DDR4 RAM, and CPU because of your platform.
 
Antias
Gerbil
Topic Author
Posts: 13
Joined: Wed Mar 23, 2011 11:12 pm

Re: Upgrade Path Suggestions Please

Fri Jul 14, 2017 10:04 pm

Thank you for the further suggestions - very appreciated... :D

Kougar - there's a **** ton of forums also on the subject - seems mine is not an isolated incident.
Interestingly the game does run smoothly at medium settings @ 4K with a 970 during normal running around, looting, hunting, etc.. BUT as soon as you go into a cut scene or hyperjump, it all comes screeching to an inglorious stuttering halt. The ONLY way I was able to stop that particular problem (after all the usual driver upgrade, blah blah) was to drop the resolution to 1440p. It's a strange one indeed. It's also interesting to note that hyper jumping in Elite Dangerous also causes the stuttering to occur! (I believe that is a large cut scene too)
The prevailing thought on a number of forums is the 970 specifically has issues with its memory (the whole 3.5+.5 debacle) reacting quickly enough to handle the large cut scene files, but i cant reconcile that with the way the game performs nicely during normal gameplay in my head.

I know i'm pushing **** up hill with this 4K monitor and a 970... which is why i'm looking at an upgrade path but i have to do it in installments that wont be financially a burden.
(damn house building to satisfy the hubby's need for a bigger nest!! Boooo I say - although I have a dedicated gaming room coming with the new house, so that's a YAY!)

Thank you all again - been a member for a very long time (many years) but rarely interact on these forums or even say much... you all have better things to say than old me :wink:
 
Kougar
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Location: Texas

Re: Upgrade Path Suggestions Please

Wed Jul 19, 2017 12:28 pm

Antias wrote:
I know i'm pushing **** up hill with this 4K monitor and a 970... which is why i'm looking at an upgrade path but i have to do it in installments that wont be financially a burden.
(damn house building to satisfy the hubby's need for a bigger nest!! Boooo I say - although I have a dedicated gaming room coming with the new house, so that's a YAY!)


Good luck with the house!

I know what you want about an upgrade path, the problem is you have the latest gen processor already for your current platform. Buying a 3770K would be a waste of money and you can't buy newer gen chips for the Z77 platform as the socket changed for Z87 onwards... So unless you buy used hardware you can't buy current platforms that will re-use your current DDR3 modules either. You may just have to sit on it until ya can spring for a new mainboard/CPU/RAM combo, anything else would be a sidegrade unless ya got lucky shopping used Skylake hardware.
 
Airmantharp
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Joined: Fri Oct 15, 2004 10:41 pm

Re: Upgrade Path Suggestions Please

Wed Jul 19, 2017 11:40 pm

I broke my own rule when I bought my GTX970's because 4k at decent refresh rates, VRR, and HDR is taking so long, and having to reduce details a little too much in a few games has been annoying.

Cut scenes and running around the Tempest are spots where, despite the game running particularly well otherwise, Mass Effect Andromeda still visibly stutters. Kind of wish there was an option to turn down details/memory usage just for those sections of the game.

Next GPU will have at least 8GB, probably whatever replaces the GTX1080 since AMD ain't bringing it with Vega.

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