Old motherboard RAM & GPU upgrade advice

[On_Point]

Hi guys, so I've had this system for like 6 years now and the only thing I upgraded was the graphics card and added a bit more RAM.
So basically I'm using 16GB of 1866mhz DDR3 right now. I was wondering if it's worth getting 16GB of 2400mhz....(2400mhz) is the max my motherboard can support.
It's mainly used for gaming and work. Will it make any difference to load times of apps or games?
The second thing I wanted to know is if it will be OK for me to get newer GPUs like RTX models with this old motherboard and CPU....or will I be bottlenecking the GPU?

 

[EarthDog]

Will it make any difference to load times of apps or games?

Not really, that would be your hard drive which makes the biggest difference there.

If you're playing games at 1080p, that cpu will put a glass ceiling on things, absolutely. It's also 'only'a 4c/8t part which can hold some titles back as well.

How much will vary by title amd what class gpu you buy. If you're at 2560x1440 it matters less and 4k not much at all. So... it depends.

 

[On_Point]

Not really, that would be your hard drive which makes the biggest difference there.

If you're playing games at 1080p, that cpu will put a glass ceiling on things, absolutely. It's also 'only'a 4c/8t part which can hold some titles back as well.

How much will vary by title amd what class gpu you buy. If you're at 2560x1440 it matters less and 4k not much at all. So... it depends.

I'm playing at 1440p but I can't get anywhere near the 144hz my monitor can support.
I have no idea what "'only'a 4c/8t part" means...
Btw my cpu is overclocked.

 

[EarthDog]

1440p is more of a GPU-bound resolution. Upgrading RAM may help some, but I don't think it's worth the expense. At this point, that money is better served going into getting/saving for a much newer/faster system with more cores and threads.

4c/8t = 4 cores / 8 threads... which in 2021, is the bare minimum... regardless of overclock. YOu have a couple of things working against you... the age of the processor (and its IPC - instructions per clock versus today's), along with core/thread count.

As far as not reaching your monitor's refresh rate, that depends on the title of the game and your settings (which wasn't mentioned). I'd consider looking up a performance review for the game(s) you're playing and see what your card/similar gets with a more modern system.

 

[On_Point]

Ok fair enough. Basically, a GTX 1070 is not going to give 144hz in the vast majority of new games.
Which is why I was asking about upgrading GPU and RAM
Saving for a new system will take so long...especially with the microchip shortage and the cost of everything cause of it

 

[EarthDog]

Basically, yes.... but again, it depends on the title and settings. Faster RAM won't hurt anything, but, it's not going to make enough of a difference to spend money on. At this point, you need a better GPU (and system to drive, say an RTX 3070 or AMD 6700 XT) for high-FPS 2560x1440 gaming in most titles when trying to run Ultra settings.

GPU prices are coming down... prices are starting to settle.

 

[On_Point]

Basically, yes.... but again, it depends on the title and settings. Faster RAM won't hurt anything, but, it's not going to make enough of a difference to spend money on. At this point, you need a better GPU (and system to drive, say an RTX 3070 or AMD 6700 XT) for high-FPS 2560x1440 gaming in most titles when trying to run Ultra settings.

GPU prices are coming down... prices are starting to settle.

So my current rig can't benifit from a RTX 3070 or something?
Will the old CPU limt it by a lot?
Because saving up for a new PC will take years for me.

 

[EarthDog]

It will benefit, sure! But that GPU costs as much as a system upgrade if not more, lol. I'd rather rock the 1070 and buy a system now, then maybe in a year when GPU prices settle, get a GPU.

Since you're on 1440p, it won't hold it back 'a lot', but there would be a glass ceiling, lower IPC and low core/thread count is hurting you equally.

An I7 11700K (8c/16t) (~$375) plus a Z590 motherboard (~$250-$300), 2x8GB of RAM (~$150) = ~$775. THat GPU is over $1000 right now when MSRP is around $600............

 

[On_Point]

It will benefit, sure! But that GPU costs as much as a system upgrade if not more, lol. I'd rather rock the 1070 and buy a system now, then maybe in a year when GPU prices settle, get a GPU.

Since you're on 1440p, it won't hold it back 'a lot', but there would be a glass ceiling, lower IPC and low core/thread count is hurting you equally.

An I7 11700K (8c/16t) (~$375) plus a Z590 motherboard (~$250-$300), 2x8GB of RAM (~$150) = ~$775. THat GPU is over $1000 right now when MSRP is around $600............

You're right GPU costs are too high now, it's probably not worth getting one that will be limited even more by the CPU.
So are you saying if I get a new CPU and a motherboard (the ones you recomend) it will improve anything for me?

 

[EarthDog]

You will see an improvement, yes. How much, no clue. Either way, you need to upgrade that system if you're trying to push 144 FPS and get a better GPU sooner than later.

You can wait until the end of the year and jump on the latest intel, or go with the gen I suggested as it may be cheaper then (who knows).

 

[MaddMutt]

You can pick up a i7-4930k 6c/12t for under $100 on e-bay. That should give a little pep to your games. Your biggest boosts are going to be going from a HDD -> SSD -> NVME on that system. Something else to remember on a newer vs older -> the CPU will already run 5GHz+ before being OCed. The memory is ~ 2X + faster.. ECT..ECT.. Unless you have games that need RT, that GTX-1070 is still rocking.

 

[freeagent]

I couldn't find a GPU for a decent price when I built my system.. still cant lol.. so next year when I can get one I will have a nice system for it. It wont be DDR5 but that's ok..

Haha yeah right I say that now..

 

[On_Point]

You can pick up a i7-4930k 6c/12t for under $100 on e-bay. That should give a little pep to your games. Your biggest boosts are going to be going from a HDD -> SSD -> NVME on that system. Something else to remember on a newer vs older -> the CPU will already run 5GHz+ before being OCed. The memory is ~ 2X + faster.. ECT..ECT.. Unless you have games that need RT, that GTX-1070 is still rocking.

That CPU does have more cores and threads but the CPU speed seems to be a lot lower. Are you sure it will help and not slow it down? lol
Also there is a Intel Core i7-3960X for a good price. How does that compare to the i7-4930K?