CPU is the brain cell of a computer that needs to be fully operational during your usage.
The system becomes sluggish when the processor fails to sync with a new GPU or RAM.
Thats the time to say goodbye & switch to a new processor according to your need.
If your system freezes during a heavy task, it points to the CPU.
But the upgrade depends on your work, whether its a game or rendering software.
This article will show you the right time to upgrade your processor.
Why Do you better Upgrade Your CPU?
When your CPU doesnt fulfill the minimum requirement, it will hinder your snappy event & make you fret.
The reason to upgrade your CPU depends on some criteria.
An upgraded processor will help stabilize frame time in games or decrease video encoding time.
For a stable frame time, you will experience smooth gaming.
A minimized video rendering time increases productivity.
But how much CPU core or speed you should look for to upgrade depends on your work.
Your work will sort out whether you need an immediate CPU upgrade or it can hold for a moment.
To ease you in this process, we have a separate guide.
Do check it out.
When is the Perfect Time to Upgrade Your CPU?
An adequately maintained CPU can last for many years.
But as the CPU is made from silicon, it will degrade over time due to heat.
Dried thermal paste will also raise processor temp.
Besides that, heatsinks covered with dust can also degrade your CPU faster.
When should you upgrade your CPU though?
Frame time stability is a must-have requirement in experiencing a smooth gaming session.
If you get frame time spikes, your CPU may be the culprit.
Double-click onCore UsagefromCPUsection &Gpu UtilizationfromGPUsection to openusage graph.
Play a game & then check the usage graph.
Check this out to help upgrade your CPU.
After you get back to the usage graph, look for which hardware uses the game most.
When I paired AMDs FX-6300 cpu with Radeon RX-580, my CPU was heavily bottlenecked with every software.
After I upgraded to Intels Rocket Lake i5-11400, it was like a day & night difference.
With more FPS, most games were so smooth.
Thus, an upgraded CPU will help to gain more FPS & provide a stutter-less gaming period.
When you find out about theCPU bottlenecking, this is the time to upgrade your processor.
For reference, one of my friends used Intels i3-6300, only a 2-cores/4-threads CPU.
When he tried to use Adobe Photoshop, his processor got heavily bottlenecked.
Later he shifted to i5-9400, a 6-cores/6-threads chip by which he benefited greatly.
For further advantage, he is now using Intels i7-12700, a 12-cores/20-threads processor.
Whether your app requires more core, you could find it easily.
Likewise, we will follow almost the same procedure regarding how to find CPU bottlenecks for your games.
Double-press everyCore Usagedepending on your chip.
Use your rendering software & monitor the usage.
If every core reaches at max 100% usage, you are definitely getting CPU-bound.
In this case, upgrading to a higher-cored microchip will increase your work efficiency.
Requirement of CPU Cores vs.
Speed
You will generally gain more performance by higher CPU speed than more cores.
But it also depends on the system you perform &CPU specification.
Overall for Gaming, you will gain more FPS by a higher-clocked CPU than more CPU cores.
But it is only valid for some games, as the game engine & development vary from each other.
On the other hand, heavy workloads like video rendering or data copying need more cores to work faster.
These workflows dont rely on CPU speeds.
Depending on your need, you may require an upgrade for your processor.
If you have any confusion aboutCPU cores and threads, check our separate article.
But not each MOBO supports the increasing of core frequency.
Besides, all processors are not capable of OC too.
If you are not using those chips or mobos, You must upgrade to overclock the processor.
If you are wondering whetheroverclocking increases frame ratesin your games, check our article dedicated to it.
This should answer your existing questions about overclocking.
Does it Worth Upgrading Your CPU?
Or is it Just Overkill?
You already know whether you need an upgraded processor from the above section.
But will it value for bucks for you?
Or its just gonna be a waste as you may require new memory & motherboard with it.
Your GPU may bottleneck your overdosed CPU & thus, the upgrade will be fruitless.
Your CPU cooler can also be a burden for your overpowered chip.
But these things come later as you already sorted out that you were CPU bottlenecked.
Otherwise, making changes to a newer CPU wont be noteworthy as it seemed.
FAQs
Can I upgrade my laptop CPU?
Manufacturers generally solder the CPU directly with the laptops motherboard.
So it is not possible to upgrade laptop CPUs like desktop CPUs.
Will I need thermal paste for a new CPU?
Yes, you should probably apply thermal paste every time you open up & load the CPU cooler.
Can I upgrade a CPU without changing the motherboard?
you’re able to upgrade the processor if the motherboard supports the same socket as the CPU.
What is the GPU bottleneck?
When your GPU usage reaches MAX, then it is called GPU bottleneck.
But it is a norm for gaming as games are more graphics bound.
Depending on the games dev & game engine, GPU utilization may vary & tends to be CPU-intensive resources.
Cause modern chips will be leagues faster than those old technologies.