I recently got an older Lenovo pre-built gaming PC for free. Initially, it came with a GTX 1660 Super, but I upgraded that to a 5060 Ti with 16GB of RAM. I also swapped out the power supply. Currently, it has an Intel i5-11400F processor and a motherboard that uses the LGA 1200 socket. I'm experiencing some slight stutters in CPU-heavy games like Battlefield 6, and I suspect I'm not utilizing my GPU fully due to a CPU bottleneck. I'm hesitant to swap out the motherboard, but I'm considering upgrading to an i7-11700F. Is that upgrade worthwhile, and what would be a reasonable price for that CPU?
5 Answers
If you're considering new parts, I'd say go for an LGA 1700 setup with the i5-14600K or 14700K. That would make a big difference for BF6 and you'd dodge the RAM pricing issues, too!
Honestly, even the i9-11900K is only about 10% faster than your current setup. It doesn't seem like there's a meaningful CPU upgrade available for your current system if you're sticking to the same platform.
I checked eBay, and the i7-11700F is running around $150. You might snag one for even less in an auction. But looking at UserBenchmark, the i7 is only about 5% faster than your current CPU. It may not be worth the investment unless you're ready to upgrade other parts as well. If you do change the board, maybe consider AMD Ryzen 5000 series, known for gaming performance – just a thought!
Exactly! Always good to do your research first.
LGA 1200 is a dead-end, man. If you're looking for a budget change while keeping your DDR4, I'd suggest switching to an LGA 1700 board and getting a non-T i5. The i5-12600K actually outperforms the i9-11900K across the board. Plus, I think your 16GB of RAM might be holding you back in some more demanding games.
Good point! I'm currently running 32GB of DDR4 myself, and it really helps in resource-heavy situations.
Right? Higher RAM really makes a difference in newer titles.
I've been debating upgrading from my i5-10400F as well. The i9-11900K is the top dog on the LGA 1200, but it's pricey at around $400. Interestingly, the i7-12700KF outperforms it by about 25%. I ended up getting the 12700KF with a new motherboard for less than the i9. Honestly, the i7 is only about 10% better than your current i5. If you can swing it, consider moving to a 12th-gen processor with a new motherboard that supports DDR4 – it would be a more significant upgrade.
UserBenchmark has had some critiques about their accuracy, so it’s smart to check multiple sources before buying anything.