GFX upgrade or new system?

[gotoPzero]

My current gaming PC is from 2016. Spec as follows

i7 6700k
32gb ram
1070ti
2 x 1440 monitors.

I am starting to see it struggle a bit and would like to get back into sim racing a bit more this winter.

Would something like a 3070ti give me enough of a boost or is the CPU the limiting factor?

I would like to get another few years out of it but if its the CPU then I think I am looking at a new system basically.

[Donbot]

Best thing to do is download something like MSI afterburner and see how much CPU headroom you have.

I would expect that running two 1440 displays for racing games that the GPU is the limiting factor, as they tend to be less CPU intensive.

[six wheels]

gotoPzero said:

My current gaming PC is from 2016. Spec as follows

i7 6700k
32gb ram
1070ti
2 x 1440 monitors.

I am starting to see it struggle a bit and would like to get back into sim racing a bit more this winter.

Would something like a 3070ti give me enough of a boost or is the CPU the limiting factor?

I would like to get another few years out of it but if its the CPU then I think I am looking at a new system basically.

I’ve only just upgraded from an i7 4770 based system, with a GTX1080 card.

That was / is still pretty strong for FPS games at 1440 resolution on a single monitor. Your CPU is a couple of generations younger.

If you intended to self-build rather than buy a full system, perhaps just upgrade the graphics card and see how you get in?

[Ekona]

Very similar to my system spec-wise, I have a 7800X and I'm running a 3080 which allows for 4k/60 at High settings for most modern games, if you're prepared to tweak then I'd go new card only at this point and it should be fine.

That said, with very modern stuff (so Starfield, AC games etc) I am absolutely maxing my CPU long before the GFX card at this point so perhaps something to consider as well. I'd still just do GFX card only though, can always sling that in the new build.

[IanH755]

Definitely start with a new GPU first, absolutely 100%!!!!

It'll make the biggest change almost irrespective of CPU in the vast majority of games especially if you're running 2x 1440p monitors. Then afterwards, when you decide to upgrade the rest of the setup, you'll already have a GPU ready to match the new setup already in place.

I ran an i7 2600k @ 4.6Ghz from mid 2011 until mid 2021 and all I did was update the GPU 3 times in those 10 years to keep it upto date. It started with a GTX580, then GTX780 and finally a GTX1070 and the core components (CPU - RAM - MoBo) were still happy running 1080p@100fps in most games. I only changed when I started 4K gaming in Cyberpunk 2077 in mid 2021 and so I went with a 5900X and RTX3080.

[six wheels]

You may also want to add an SSD unless you already have one.

[gotoPzero]

Cheers chaps makes sense I guess to get a new GPU first then.

Already running the system on an M.2 and a couple of Samsung SSDs for the games.

So 3070ti or something else? Budget is c.£300 ish lets say?

[FourWheelDrift]

gotoPzero said:

Cheers chaps makes sense I guess to get a new GPU first then.

Already running the system on an M.2 and a couple of Samsung SSDs for the games.

So 3070ti or something else? Budget is c.£300 ish lets say?

Slightly better in performance and with more VRAM (useful for 2 monitors) is the RX 6800 (Ebay 2nd hand under £300) if you don't need ray tracing this might be another option. See relative performance table - https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/radeon-rx-68...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/145849810307?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QI-JJ4ar6FA

Depends what sim racing you want to do.