Hey everyone! I've got a 2016 PC that I inherited and while it runs the games I enjoy just fine, I'm considering a CPU upgrade to enhance its performance. Here are my current specs: an EVGA 1070 8GB GPU, an i5 6500 CPU, 16GB of HyperX Fury RAM, a Kingston 480GB SSD, a Gigabyte H170-Gaming 3 motherboard, and a Corsair 650W PSU.
I want to upgrade just the CPU at this point and was thinking about getting either an i7 6700 or an i7 7700 since they're compatible with my motherboard. However, I've seen some bottleneck reports suggesting these upgrades wouldn't fully utilize my GPU's potential. What do you all think?
I'm hesitant to upgrade the motherboard because I'm not keen on doing piecemeal upgrades without the original boxes for resale, especially since my budget is tight while I'm currently unemployed. However, if absolutely necessary, I could consider saving up to replace the motherboard for better performance. Any suggestions would really help!
1 Answer
I did a similar upgrade to the i7 6700 and it turned out great! You can usually find a used one for around $20. Just be sure to clock it to 3.4 GHz since your motherboard might be limited. Also, consider upgrading your RAM to 2x16GB for even better performance!
You can grab a 6700 on eBay for about $60-80, while the Facebook Marketplace might have it for even less. If you think about RAM, adding 2x8GB in 2400, 2666, or 3200 speeds to what you have can be more budget-friendly instead of going for a full 2x16GB kit.