How often do you upgrade your CPU Processor?

[Rudel_chw]

Hello.

 

I've been told that CPU upgrades every 3 years is not very common, while I had the belief that the typical DCS User upgrades his processor every 3 years on average.

 

Can you please tell me how often you do this upgrade on your DCS machine? Changing the whole PC counts as an upgrade.

 

Note that it doesn't matter the performance of the new processor, it is an upgrade independent if the new processor is a top-of-the line or not.

 

Thanks for your input,

 

Eduardo.

Edited February 21, 2021 by Rudel_chw

[LucShep]

While not really a "fixed date" as it depends on circumstances, I'd say that I usually upgrade CPU+Motherboard (and maybe RAM, depending on its gen adoption) every 4 years or so, and with a GPU upgrade at mid-life of each system, usually every 2 years on average.

Edited February 21, 2021 by LucShep

[Rudel_chw]

4 minutes ago, LucShep said:

I usually upgrade CPU+Motherboard (and maybe RAM, depending on its current gen adoption) every 4 years or so, and with a GPU upgrade at mid life of such system, usually every 2 years on average.

 

Hi, thanks for participating on this Poll.

 

What do you think about the common belief that such a mid life upgrade of just the GPU isn't worthwhile, because the CPU processor would be a bottleneck ?

[LucShep]

1 hour ago, Rudel_chw said:

What do you think about the common belief that such a mid life upgrade of just the GPU isn't worthwhile, because the CPU processor would be a bottleneck ?

I think people underestimate the long term strenght of CPUs, especially high end ones, even if older. Overclocking also goes a long way, depending on CPU of course.

Sometimes framerate becomes a mere number on the screen, and not a measure of how you really feel the game is running.

 

It only makes sense to upgrade CPU if 1) it's either too weak, or 2) it bottlenecks your GPU.

In the first case it's obvious... it's not good enough so needs upgrading.

In the second case, and if it's a good CPU, it generally only happens with every two or three generations of (high end) GPUs.

Hence why I make my CPU and GPU upgrades like that.                           

Edited February 22, 2021 by LucShep

[Rudel_chw]

2 minutes ago, LucShep said:

In the second case, and if it's a good CPU, it generally only happens with every two or three generations of (high end) GPUs.                   

 

I agree .. if you are upgrading CPU processor every 4 years, it is very unlikely that at the 2 year mid span, that processor would be a too weak CPU for a change in GPU.

 

Also, I've seen many cases where a user upgrades his CPU for a newer model and finds that his performance has not really improved. This happens when he changes his previous 4-core processor with a new 6 or 8 cores CPU. True, the processor is newer and on multithreaded benchmarks smokes the older one .. but DCS is mostly a single thread game, so if the individual cores of the new processor are not significantly faster, he will not get more DCS performance.

[LucShep]

39 minutes ago, Rudel_chw said:

 

I agree .. if you are upgrading CPU processor every 4 years, it is very unlikely that at the 2 year mid span, that processor would be a too weak CPU for a change in GPU.

 

Also, I've seen many cases where a user upgrades his CPU for a newer model and finds that his performance has not really improved. This happens when he changes his previous 4-core processor with a new 6 or 8 cores CPU. True, the processor is newer and on multithreaded benchmarks smokes the older one .. but DCS is mostly a single thread game, so if the individual cores of the new processor are not significantly faster, he will not get more DCS performance.

That's why I would always recommend to get the best, fastest "near overkill" CPU you can get for the longer term, instead of budgeting for the mid-range "it's good enough" CPU.

The former will, nearly guaranteed, allow for any GPU upgrade later with no issues whatsoever, while the latter may eventually cause some bottlenecking.

 

For example, those that run an i7 8700K since 2017 are unlikely to feel their CPU is lacking maybe even today, even with an RTX3080.

Those that run a Ryzen 1600 also since 2017 have surely felt the need to upgrade long ago, and it would certainly bottleneck an RTX3080.

 

Edited February 21, 2021 by LucShep

[Bearskin]

I used to upgrade my PC every two or three years, my first PC was a  DX2-66 back in the mid 90's, I have had my current PC since 2012 (apart from my GFX card, I went from a 970 to a 2080) so 9 years since I last upgraded, I only play VR games now and this PC still does the job. I paid around £350 for the 3770K and £200 for the ROG MVF, so the CPU's are still relatively comparable, but to get a MXIIF, it is around £470 which I refuse to pay. So as long as this PC still plays VR games with high settings and great frame rates then I wont be upgrading for a long while. I would say the only way I would upgrade in the near future is if this one stops working.

[Thinder]

I didn't vote for a simple reason. Upgrading depends on minimum requiered specs of the games I play, if my PC can keep up at the resolution I want to play those games then it's fine.

 

With War Gaming I upgraded twice and ended up with an Athlon 3000 Black Serie, 16GB of RAM etc, it's been a complete nightmare, since their minimum specs changed several times due mainly to graphics loads.

 

In the case of DCS I already upgraded my PCU twice since I started playing in May 2020: First with a Ryzen 3600X, and the 5600X that I use today, if the specs for VR stays as they are, I might keep this GPU for a couple of years...

 

The gain between the 3600X and the 5600X is <> 21%.

Edited February 22, 2021 by Thinder

[Rudel_chw]

6 minutes ago, Thinder said:

I didn't vote for a simple reason. Upgrading depends on minimum requiered specs of the games I play ....

 

Sad .. the Poll isn't to ask "Why" do you upgrade, just wanted to know "how often" you do 

[Thinder]

Wrong question. Proper answer.

[xoxen]

When I upgrade my CPU it is a major upgrade most of the times, means Board and RAM are included as well. I always try to buy as good as possible with a balance between power and money. Last time I invested into the i7 4790K and it is still running good in combination with my GTX 1080TI. The bad thing was, that I was already at the end CPU wise, no chance to upgrade the CPU on the MoBo I have. I´m running 3x 2560x1440 and higher resolutions are mostly handled by the GPU and less the CPU. This is what I see using MSI Afterburner. The GPU is at 100% and the CPU seems to be utilized much less (hard to see on a multicore CPU, but sometimes it is even going down with the frequency and the temperature is still in the high 60s or low 70s, so no throttling). For sure I have a look at the actual hardware situation and already thought about an upgrade. But this would mean spending many Euros for my dream system and the chance of becoming disappointed about the low amount of benefit if I stay with the GPU. I kept an eye on a X570 board with a 5800X CPU and proper RAM. I hope when buying an AMD system they will make another generation with the AM4 socket. Otherwise I would again be at the upper end CPU wise.... I completely buried my plans on a GPU upgrade, because of the crazy Miner/Scalper situation.

 

Edit: I voted for 6-9 years, forgot to mention this.

Edited February 22, 2021 by xoxen

[Lange_666]

I didn't vote either (yet), before is was 2-3 years, then 4, now this CPU last already 6 (i7 4770K). I updated GPU (GTX780 to 1080ti) and RAM along the road though.

I'm in for a new PC but giving the current prices of RAM and certainly GPU's, i hold off.

My last AMD was the K6, I'm on Intel since then, Last AMD GPU was the X800X, but i lean more towards AMD for both at the moment, although i'm not entirely convinced by the 6000 range GPU's. nVidia either i must say because i find their RAM setup to way to low compared to AMD (except for the 3090).

[Raven (Elysian Angel)]

For the CPU I have no predetermined replacement cycle. It highly depends, but I kept my previous one for 4 years before upgrading to what I currently use.

This time around, I replaced pretty much everything though.

 

Overall I'd say 3 years is rather unrealistic for most people, since there's simply no need. I can't even remember which CPU I had before my previous one...

[Rudel_chw]

24 minutes ago, Raven (Elysian Angel) said:

Overall I'd say 3 years is rather unrealistic for most people, since there's simply no need. I can't even remember which CPU I had before my previous one...

 

I understand .. on my own case, when I purchase a new motherboard I purchase at the same time a mid-range processor, and two years later I replace it with the most powerful processor I can afford that is still compatible with the motherboard. So, I'm usually upgrading motherboard every 4 years and processors every 2 ... at the moment I'm using a Ryzen 3600 after having a Ryzen 1400X for a couple of years.

 

[AegisFX]

4 years, and it’s usually more of an overhaul than just a CPU upgrade. Last year I went to the 3900x from a 2700x. Noticeable. I also went from an SSD to an M2 drive for my OS and DCS, and went from 16Gb ram to 64Gb. The next upgrade I’d like to do is a new AMD board chipset, 570x or higher, new gpu, and new power supply.

 

id like to do content creation, so being able to handle DCS and record/stream it is a huge reason for the updates, and I’d make use of the hardware to play and stream other, VR titles( I particularly love Onward)

[Thinder]

17 hours ago, Lange_666 said:

I didn't vote either (yet), before is was 2-3 years, then 4, now this CPU last already 6 (i7 4770K). I updated GPU (GTX780 to 1080ti) and RAM along the road though.

I'm in for a new PC but giving the current prices of RAM and certainly GPU's, i hold off.

My last AMD was the K6, I'm on Intel since then, Last AMD GPU was the X800X, but i lean more towards AMD for both at the moment, although i'm not entirely convinced by the 6000 range GPU's. nVidia either i must say because i find their RAM setup to way to low compared to AMD (except for the 3090).

 

The Ryzen3000 Series are selling like cookies for a good reason...

[BitMaster]

I upgrade when the new system is at least twice as powerful for the same budget ( 300-500€ CPU range ) usually coupled with new DDR versions and all that stuff that doesnt fit anymore.

 

I used to upgrade every 8-12 months in the past( 1990's till say around 2010 when i7 came ) , then 2010 and later it got to about two years and since I have this 8700k I dont feel the need to upgrade as it still serves me very well.

Considering the cost of a new platform I will wait until 12+ cores are cheap, DDR5 has matured and PCIe v5 is present. Unless I am forced I will not upgrade till late '22 or '23.

 

If I had the money to spend, hell yes, gimme 16+ cores, 128GB DDR5-8000 , multiple NVMe Gen5 and a 3090³...but truth is, I am a poor mouse.

[Rudel_chw]

26 minutes ago, BitMaster said:

...

I used to upgrade every 8-12 months in the past( 1990's till say around 2010 when i7 came ) , then 2010 and later it got to about two years ...

Yes, I used to replace the processor more often in the past, as the cpu tech was improving quite fast, then this last decade the cpu progress has been much slower, increasing core count rather than raw speed. I spent a few years with an Intel core i7 of 2nd generation, and was OK with it until the Ryzen came along four years ago and then the tech has been improving faster again.

Edited February 23, 2021 by Rudel_chw

[Eugel]

I replace my graphics card more often than the CPU. For graphics cards, I usually skip one generation and get a new one every 2 years or so.

For CPUs, I don´t have a fixed rule. Most of the time I just replace them because of missing stuff on the mainboard (like support of M2 SSDs, new USB standard etc.)
I honestly can´t remember when I thought "this CPU is too slow, I need a new one"

 

I got an i7 6700K about 5 years ago, and I was pretty happy with it (for the most part I still am).

But some of the USB ports start freaking out now, I want to upgrade to 32 GB of RAM and can´t find the same modules I got back then. I have to use an external USB Wifi module ... these kind of things. 
So now I ordered a current gen mainboard with a Ryzen 5800.

 

Not sure if I should expect a big difference in DCS, but I expect to run this CPU for at least another 5-6 years.

[Mars Exulte]

In short, the CPU demand for most things does not increase remotely on the scale that GPU demand does. Pretty interesting the results

 

  I advocate CPU ''when needed'' and GPU every 2-3 generations. The changes between close generations are rarely enough to justify the hassle and expense. If you're not at least doubling your performance, it's really not worth it, and most generational jumps these days are 20-30% it seems if you're lucky.

 

  I have a 6700k and am now looking to upgrade. I have a 1080ti and was planning on getting a 3080 or 6800XT but now I'm probably going to wait until the next gen.

Edited March 3, 2021 by Mars Exulte

[VpR81]

I'm upgrading my hardware as soon as it is necessary. This beeing said, i don't need maximum graphics and i'm fine with sacrificing some eye candy for decent FPS. I always skip one GPU generation, sometimes even two.

 

I'm running a LGA 2011-3 6800K wich i purchased in early 2016 together with a 1080Ti and 16GB RAM (3000 MHz]. Had it running at stock 3,4GHz for years and was pretty happy with it. Upgraded to 32GB RAM in 2018, then overclocked it in October 2020, installed a M.2 SSD and again upgraded to 64GB RAM at the same time. Switched to a 3090 a few weeks ago and i'm now running the CPU with 1,169 core voltage @ 4,2 GHz (all cores - air cooled) and DCS is at ~60FPS with my Reverb G2. Sure my CPU is clearly the bottleneck, but my current FPS allow for a smooth gameplay and i don't feel like i desperately need a new CPU right now. At least not prior to Vulkan API and then we'll see if i'll just get liquid cooling and try to push the CPU to about 4,5GHz, or if i'm going for a new MB, RAM and a Ryzen 5800X. If my CPU benefits from Vulkan and i get better FPS after that major DCS upgrade, i will propably stay with that CPU for some longer time and wait for Zen4, wich is said to be already in development. This is only for DCS. I'm playing various other games as well and for those, my CPU is still doing great without any need for an upgrade. Except for DCS, i'm running all games with maximum graphic settings.

Edited March 4, 2021 by VpR81

[dburne]

I upgrade my CPU and motherboard about every 4-5 years.

GPU as soon as the next gen comes out.

[Lange_666]

Just changed my motherboard because the old one got fried (not entirely, it still worked but with some odd changing behavior from time to time). Luckely found a refurbished one (+/- the same one so... ) with 6 months of warranty. Thought about an upgrade (MB, CPU, RAM) but didn't because instead of getting a 10th gen Intel, waiting a bit longer will make that an 11th gen (end of march). AMD is also still an option but i have a bit mixed feelings about a 5xxx series after reading and seeing lots of info. There are people who talk it into heaven and others who crush it where the overall Intel reviews are far more at the same level.

A GPU (3080/3090) is no option in the current case (although i have a big Coolermaster tower, the current 1080ti only just fits), if you can get one in the first place. For res below aroind HD (1920x1080) AMD runs he show but above that it's all nVidia i just updated my monitor from 1920x1200 to 2560x1440 so i'm leaning over to the green side, GPU wise.

 

[Rudel_chw]

2 hours ago, dburne said:

I upgrade my CPU and motherboard about every 4-5 years.

GPU as soon as the next gen comes out.

 

I usually replace my motherboard every 2 CPUs, because when I get a new motherboard my budget allows a mid-range processor only. So, I upgrade just the processor about 18 months after the motherboard upgrade. On my current motherboard I started with a Ryzen 1400X and last year replaced it with a Ryzen 3600 while keeping the motherboard.

[Csgo GE oh yeah]

It really depends on what's available and how big the jump in performance in gaming is. 
I really like upgrading my hardware, but i still have an intel 8700k , running 5,2 ghz , 24/7 . 

On average i probably upgrade CPU about every 2 years. 
Same for GPU (every new gen) , except the 2080 series i skipped that cause it sucked. 

Edited March 7, 2021 by Csgo GE oh yeah