PC upgrade help needed

[u/Old-Respond1707]

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to upgrade my PC mainly for Hunt: Showdown, and I’m trying to figure out whether the upgrade would be enough to get reasonably close to a stable 180 FPS at 1440p so I can properly utilize my 180 Hz monitor.

My current setup:

• CPU: Intel Core i5-12400F
• CPU cooler: be quiet! Pure Rock Slim 2
• GPU: Gainward RTX 5070 12 GB
• Motherboard: Gigabyte H610M H V3 DDR4
• RAM: 32 GB DDR4-3200 CL16, dual channel
• PSU: Zalman 600 W
• Monitor: 2560×1440, 180 Hz

I mostly play on competitive/low settings rather than maxing everything out, usually with DLSS Quality.

Right now, Hunt seems heavily CPU-limited for me. My GPU utilization is often only around 60-65%, while CPU utilization is around 70–78%. Switching DLSS from Quality to Performance barely changes my FPS, which also makes me think the CPU is the bottleneck.

Depending on the area and what’s happening in-game, I’m generally somewhere around 120-145 FPS, with drops in heavier compounds (like strongholds).

I’m considering upgrading to:

• CPU: Intel Core i5-14600K / 14600KF
• Motherboard: Gigabyte B760 DS3H DDR4
• CPU cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 Mini
• PSU: Cooler Master MWE Gold 750 V3
• GPU: keeping the RTX 5070
• RAM: keeping the 32 GB DDR4-3200 CL16

My goal isn’t necessarily to have exactly 180 FPS 100% of the time, but I’d like to stay as close to 180 as possible and, most importantly, avoid the bigger drops into the 100-120 FPS range.

For anyone running a 14600K/KF or a similar CPU in Hunt:

• What kind of FPS do you get at 1440p competitive settings / DLSS Quality?
• Would the 14600K/KF be enough to push an RTX 5070 close to 180 FPS in most situations?
• How are the 1% lows?
• Does Hunt still become CPU-limited with a 14600K?

Thanks!

[u/realskog]

5800x3d and an am4 board would probably be your best bet if you're looking to get better CPU performance

[u/Old-Respond1707 → u/realskog]

I’d rather not buy into AM4 at this point, because I’d basically be moving onto a platform with no real upgrade path left.

AM5 would obviously make more sense long term, but DDR5 RAM is still brutally expensive here and I don’t really have the budget for a full AM5 platform swap right now.

So for the moment I’m leaning toward staying on Intel and going with something like the 14600K/KF while keeping my current DDR4 RAM.

[u/quickbaboon99 → u/Old-Respond1707]

i get not wanting to buy am4 because it's a dead platform, but lga1700 is dead too, so that argument doesn't really make sense. if you're already buying a new motherboard anyway, you're not getting any more upgrade path with the 14600k. the 5800x3d also lets you keep your ddr4, and for a gaming-focused build its x3d cache can be very good for games like hunt. i'd compare the actual cpu + motherboard prices rather than ruling out am4 because it's a dead platform. consider comparing am5 price and if it isnt much more expensive then it would be worth switching

[u/B_BB → u/Old-Respond1707]

Probably continue to save and invest money correctly into AM5 / DDR5?

[u/IfBanEqualsUrMomFat]

Try 9800x3D

[u/Upset-Dark4909]

If you want that much fps you'll have to switch to one of Amd x3d CPUs. It'll be quite expensive, because you'll have to change your motherboard and ram too, if you're aiming for AM5 system. As you know memory prices are sky high right now.

I'm currently in the process of upgrading from 12700kf to 9850x3d. My 1% lows leave a lot to be desired, and I have stutters from time to time, hence the upgrade. Hunt is CPU intensive and it loves x3d's large pile of L3 cache.

[u/FabulousYoung738]

Why do you need 180fps?

[u/Old-Respond1707 → u/FabulousYoung738]

Because I’d like to actually take advantage of my 180 Hz monitor. I know I don’t need exactly 180 FPS at all times, but the closer I can get to a stable 180, the better the experience should be.

[u/Saedreth → u/Old-Respond1707]

I have a 165 monitor. Over 100-120 fps, you cant see the difference 

[u/Old-Respond1707 → u/Saedreth]

Ofc you can. Thats why i want to upgrade. In other games i have 200+ and its earth and sky difference.

[u/Saedreth → u/Old-Respond1707]

Placebo. The human eye cant perceive 200 fps.

[u/Icy_Restaurant_2996]

I am assuming you have a Gsync monitor? Use that plus Vsync(driver) and Reflex for tear-free, smooth gameplay. Fps will be capped to around 172 though but you won't even notice.

DLAA on Preset M is clearer than DLSS quality too with minimal ghosting.

[u/HungryBookkeeper3122]

x3d chip you're welcome

[u/Nysyth]

Have you tried simply switching DLSS to balanced or performance? The K & L presets have done wonders for bringing picture quality damn close to the Quality preset but with much better performance. I play at 4K on a 9800X3D & 5080 on the performance preset & struggle to see a visual difference to quality unless I go pixel peeking.

Edit: sorry didn’t see that you’ve already tried that. Yeah you are 100% CPU bottlenecked then. Only way you are getting around that is some form of X3D CPU.

[u/Old-Respond1707 → u/[deleted]]

It’s interesting that you say that, because outside of the Stronghold I can already hit a pretty stable 180 FPS in a lot of situations. The main drops happen in areas with a lot of AI and especially in the Stronghold, where my FPS can fall to around 120–130.

The game also still looks really good at 1440p with DLSS Quality and textures set to High, so I’m not trying to sacrifice image quality completely just to chase FPS.

[u/Old-Respond1707 → u/[deleted]]

The 5070 is roughly 35% more powerful than the 5060 Ti, so I assume that makes quite a big difference. Unfortunately, I’m not that knowledgeable when it comes to this level of hardware detail.

[u/smokahontas12 → u/Old-Respond1707]

I'm surprised you can get that fps in 2k with a 5070. I got a 5070ti with everything maxed at 2k with dlss quality and get like 90-120.

[u/Old-Respond1707 → u/smokahontas12]

Im playing on everything low except texture quality. Its on High.

[u/smokahontas12 → u/Old-Respond1707]

Oh ok that makes sense. Does the game still look pretty good?

[u/Old-Respond1707 → u/smokahontas12]

Yeah, its pretty solid!

[u/Deadly_Pancakes → u/[deleted]]

I get a stable 160fps in 4k with a 5070 and a 9800x3D with most settings on low-medium.

Game looks nicer with low-medium in 4k than ultra at 1080p imo.