Hey everyone! I'm considering upgrading my PC, but I'm not sure if I'm experiencing a CPU bottleneck. Currently, I'm running an NVIDIA RTX 3070 alongside an Intel i7-9700k. While playing Oblivion Remastered, I've noticed that my 1% low frame rates are pretty terrible. My CPU usage is consistently around 95% to 100%, while my GPU stays around 60%. Does this indicate a CPU bottleneck? I'm thinking about upgrading to either a 9800X3D or 7800X3D, but I'm not really knowledgeable about bottlenecking or what would be the best upgrade for my situation.
6 Answers
Absolutely, your 9700K is getting on in age and it struggles with newer games, particularly ones that don’t use hyper-threading very well. The jump in IPC (instructions per cycle) with the 10 series Intel chips makes a big difference, too.
From my experience, the 9700K is really hurting your minimum frame rates. I upgraded from a 9700K to a 9800X3D, and it noticeably improved my FPS across all games. It’s a solid upgrade path if you can afford it!
Considering how Oblivion Remastered runs even on higher-end CPUs, I’d say your 9700K is likely the issue here. If you can swing a platform upgrade, it’s a worthwhile investment, especially if you're leveraging DDR4 RAM into a new build with either the 5800X or 14600K.
Looks like the 9800X3D is the way to go. Thanks for the advice!
It sounds like it might be a combo of issues. Oblivion Remastered just isn't well-optimized and is known to push CPUs hard. Even with a higher-end CPU, it might not run great. I’ve seen it throttle even with a modern CPU like the 11700K paired with newer GPUs.
Yeah, it definitely sounds like your CPU is bottlenecking your system. An upgrade to either the 9800X3D or 7800X3D would be a significant boost in performance. Just keep in mind that Oblivion Remastered isn’t the best-optimized game, so it shouldn't be the only reason for your upgrade. But if you're hitting its limits, it might be time to move up!
Thanks for the insight! I'm also struggling to hit 60 fps on other games, like Arc Raiders, especially with my 180 Hz monitor. So, I want to prepare for newer titles too.
Why would you push for the 9800X3D when the 3070 is still in play? Doesn't seem very balanced.
Definitely monitor benchmarks to see comparisons between CPUs and their performance. Your current CPU/GPU combo should work fine, but upgrading the CPU can give you the edge in performance you need.
Are you suggesting that my i7-9700K + 3070 combo is decent? I'm going to do some benchmarking before I decide.
That makes sense. I’ve heard mixed reviews on whether just a GPU upgrade would be enough.